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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Composite Design and Manufacturing Development for Human Spacecrafts

The Structural Engineering Division at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) has begun work on lightweight, multi‐functional pressurized composite structures. The first candidate vehicle for technology development is the Multi‐Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV) cabin, known as the Gen 2B cabin, which has been built at JSC by the Robotics Division. Of the habitable MMSEV vehicle prototypes designed to date, this is the first one specifically analyzed and tested to hold internal pressure and the only one made out of composite materials. This design uses a laminate base with zoned reinforcement and external stringers, intended to demonstrate certain capabilities, and to prepare for the next cabin design, which will be a composite sandwich panel construction with multi‐functional capabilities. As part of this advanced development process, a number of new technologies were used to assist in the design and manufacturing process. One of the methods, new to JSC, was to build the Gen 2B cabin with Out of Autoclave technology to permit the creation of larger parts with fewer joints. An 8‐ply pre‐preg layup was constructed to form the cabin body. Prior to lay‐up, a design optimization software called FiberSIM was used to create each ply pattern. This software is integrated with Pro/Engineer to allow for customized draping of each fabric ply over the complex tool surface. Slits and darts are made in the software model to create an optimal design that maintains proper fiber placement and orientation. The flat pattern of each ply is then exported and sent to an automated cutting table where the patterns are cut out of graphite material. Additionally, to assist in lay‐up, a laser projection system (LPT) is used to project outlines of each ply directly onto the tool face for accurate fiber placement and ply build‐up. Finally, as part of the OoA process, a large oven was procured to post‐cure each part. After manufacturing complete, the cabin underwent modal and pressure testing (currently in progress at date of writing) and will go on to be outfitted and used for further ops usage.

Litteken, Douglas↗
NASA NTRS1990

Fiber optic smart structures and skins II; Proceedings of the Meeting, Boston, MA, Sept. 5-8, 1989

The present conference on embedded fiber-optics incorporating 'smart' structural systems and structural surfaces discusses topics in the nature and current status of university- and government-sponsored smart-structure development programs, manufacturing and cure-monitoring for composite smart structures, smart-structure damage assessment, smart-structure actuators, and smart-structure sensors and components. Attention is given to fiber-optic sensor selection, the optical properties of curing epoxies, the automated production of smart structures, damage-detection in composites with embedded fiber-optic interferometers, fiber-optic strain and impact sensors, dynamically-tunable smart composites, smart structures incorporating artificial neural networks, active structural acoustic control with smart structures, and fiber-optic shape sensing for flexible structures.

Udd, Eric↗
NASA NTRS1974

Investigation of Kevlar fabric based materials for use with inflatable structures

Design, manufacture and testing of laminated and coated composite materials incorporating a structural matrix of Kevlar are reported in detail. The practicality of using Kevlar in aerostat materials is demonstrated and data are provided on practical weaves, lamination and coating particulars, rigidity, strength, weight, elastic coefficients, abrasion resistance, crease effects, peel strength, blocking tendencies, helium permeability, and fabrication techniques. Properties of the Kevlar based materials are compared with conventional, Dacron reinforced counterparts. A comprehensive test and qualification program is discussed and quantitative biaxial tensile and shear test data are provided. The investigation shows that single ply laminates of Kevlar and plastic films offer significant strength to weight improvements, are less permeable than two ply coated materials, but have a lower flex life.

Niccum, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Investigation of Kevlar fabric-based materials for use with inflatable structures

Design, manufacture and testing of laminated and coated composite materials incorporating a structural matrix of Kevlar are reported. The practicality of using Kevlar in aerostat materials is demonstrated, and data are provided on practical weaves, lamination and coating particulars, rigidity, strength, weight, elastic coefficients, abrasion resistance, crease effects, peel strength, blocking tendencies, helium permeability, and fabrication techniques. Properties of the Kevlar-based materials are compared with conventional Dacron-reinforced counterparts. A comprehensive test and qualification program is discussed, and considerable quantitative biaxial tensile and shear test data are provided.

Niccum, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2024

Advances in Thermoplastic Composites Over Three Decades – A Literature Review

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in thermoplastic composites driven mainly by advances in automation which can lead to significant cost reductions by increasing manufacturing rates while simultaneously reducing the part count and energy consumption relative to the manufacturing of thermoset composites. At the same time, new material systems have been developed and the thermoplastic composites prepreg material quality has improved over time. Additionally, thermoplastic composites have nearly infinite room-temperature shelf life and production scraps can be reused and retired parts can be recycled, providing opportunities for more sustainable operations and downstream markets. These factors have contributed to a strong interest in advancing thermoplastic composites for aerospace, automotive, and other industrial applications. The objective of the present study is to assess the state of the art regarding the maturity and performance of thermoplastic composite materials and to document the advances made in manufacturing and assembly of thermoplastic composite structures. Therefore, more than 200 NASA reports, conference proceedings and journal papers spanning three and a half decades (1986-2022) were reviewed and the findings summarized. The current study, however, is limited in scope with a focus on the application of thermoplastic composites to aircraft structures. Further, the study does not provide a comprehensive assessment of the available literature but rather offers an overview of past and present research being conducted in the field of thermoplastic composites. The information provided may be used to identify gaps and help guide future research and development. In this report, the opportunities offered by the use of thermoplastic composites in general and challenges encountered in particular are presented first. Second, an overview of thermoplastic materials is presented, manufacturing methods are discussed, and new methods for fastener-less assembly such as welding are introduced. Third, tests that have been performed on different levels of the building block, ranging from coupon to structural level, are presented. In particular, fracture toughness results for different thermoplastic composite materials are used to demonstrate their performance compared to state-of-the-art thermoset composites. Fourth, several examples of analyses are discussed including process modelling and progressive damage analysis (PDA). An extensive list of references and appendices with tables support the narrative. Lastly, a brief summary with outlook and recommendations for future research is provided.

composites↗
NASA NTRS1978

A study on the utilization of advanced composites in commercial aircraft wing structure: Executive summary

The overall wing study objectives are to study and plan the effort by commercial transport aircraft manufacturers to accomplish the transition from current conventional materials and practices to extensive use of advanced composites in wings of aircraft that will enter service in the 1985-1990 time period. Specific wing study objectives are to define the technology and data needed to support an aircraft manufacturer's commitment to utilize composites primary wing structure in future production aircraft and to develop plans for a composite wing technology program which will provide the needed technology and data.

Watts, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Potential for on-orbit manufacture of large space structures using the pultrusion process

On-orbit manufacture of lightweight, high-strength, advanced-composite structures using the pultrusion process is proposed. This process is adaptable to a zero-gravity environment by using preimpregnated graphite-fiber reinforcement systems. The reinforcement material is preimpregnated with a high-performance thermoplastic resin at a ground station, is coiled on spools for compact storage, and is transported into Earth orbit. A pultrusion machine is installed in the Shuttle cargo bay from which very long lengths of the desired structure is fabricated on-orbit. Potential structural profiles include rods, angles, channels, hat sections, tubes, honeycomb-cored panels, and T, H, and I beams. A potential pultrudable thermoplastic/graphite composite material is presented as a model for determining the effect on Earth-to-orbit package density of an on-orbit manufacture, the package density is increased by 132 percent, and payload volume requirement is decreased by 56.3 percent. The fabrication method has the potential for on-orbit manufacture of structural members for space platforms, large space antennas, and long tethers.

Wilson, Maywood L.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Making Composite-Material Parts At Moderate To High Rates

Composite-material (matrix/fiber) structural components manufactured at moderate to high rates in production-line-style processes, according to proposal. In method, production lines largely automated and takes advantage of fact matrix resins cured by electron beams in addition to heat. Net result reductions in production times and costs.

Farley, Gary L.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Thermomechanical Fatigue Durability of T650-35/PMR-15 Sheet-Molding Compound Evaluated

High-performance polymer matrix composites (PMC's) continue to be the focus of a number of research efforts aimed at developing cost-effective, lightweight material alternatives for advanced aerospace and aeropropulsion applications. These materials not only offer significant advantages in specific stiffness and strength over their current metal counterparts, but they can be designed and manufactured to eliminate joints and fasteners by combining individual components into integral subassemblies, thus making them extremely attractive for commercial applications. With much emphasis on the low-cost manufacturing aspects of advanced composite structures, there is heightened interest in high-performance sheet-molding compounds (SMC's). Researchers at the NASA Lewis Research Center, in cooperation with the Allison Advanced Development Company, completed an investigation examining the use of T650-35/PMR-15 SMC for a midstage inner-vane endwall application within a gas turbine engine compressor. This component resides in the engine flow path and is subjected not only to high airflow rates, but also to elevated temperatures and pressures. This application is unique in that it represents a very aggressive use of high-performance SMC's, raising obvious concerns related to durability and property retention in the presence of microstructural damage. Therefore, it was necessary to evaluate the fatigue behavior and damage tolerance of this material subjected to a representative thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) mission-cycle loading spectrum.

Castelli, Michael G.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Modifying Matrix Materials to Increase Wetting and Adhesion

In an alternative approach to increasing the degrees of wetting and adhesion between the fiber and matrix components of organic-fiber/polymer matrix composite materials, the matrix resins are modified. Heretofore, it has been common practice to modify the fibers rather than the matrices: The fibers are modified by chemical and/or physical surface treatments prior to combining the fibers with matrix resins - an approach that entails considerable expense and usually results in degradation (typically, weakening) of fibers. The alternative approach of modifying the matrix resins does not entail degradation of fibers, and affords opportunities for improving the mechanical properties of the fiber composites. The alternative approach is more cost-effective, not only because it eliminates expensive fiber-surface treatments but also because it does not entail changes in procedures for manufacturing conventional composite-material structures. The alternative approach is best described by citing an example of its application to a composite of ultra-high-molecular- weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fibers in an epoxy matrix. The epoxy matrix was modified to a chemically reactive, polarized epoxy nano-matrix to increase the degrees of wetting and adhesion between the fibers and the matrix. The modification was effected by incorporating a small proportion (0.3 weight percent) of reactive graphitic nanofibers produced from functionalized nanofibers into the epoxy matrix resin prior to combining the resin with the UHMWPE fibers. The resulting increase in fiber/matrix adhesion manifested itself in several test results, notably including an increase of 25 percent in the maximum fiber pullout force and an increase of 60-65 percent in fiber pullout energy. In addition, it was conjectured that the functionalized nanofibers became involved in the cross linking reaction of the epoxy resin, with resultant enhancement of the mechanical properties and lower viscosity of the matrix.

Zhong, Katie↗
NASA NTRS1991

Structural evaluation of curved stiffened composite panels fabricated using a THERM-Xsm process

The use of composites in aircraft structures is often limited by material and manufacturing costs which, for some designs and applications, are prohibitively high. To increase the frequency of application of composites in primary airframe components alternative manufacturing processes are sought that reduce cost and/or enhance structural efficiency. One alternative process involves the use of THERM-Xsm as the pressure transfer medium during autoclave curing. THERM-Xsm, a silicon-based flow able polymer which behaves like a liquid under autoclave presssure, transmits quasi-hydrostatic pressure to all contacting surfaces of the part to be cured. Once the autoclave pressure is relieved, THERM-Xsm reverts back to the powdery solid state and can be reused many times. The THERM-Xsm process to be evaluated is depicted and consists of (1) enclosing the tool and part to be cured by a set of frames that create a box, (2) pouring THERM-Xsm powder onto the part and filling the box, and (3) placing a vacuum bag over the box assembly. In this program, a separating non-porous film (Teflon) was placed between the part to be cured and THERM-Xsm powder to avoid any contamination. The use of THERM-Xsm has two significant advantages over conventional manufacturing procedures. First, it eliminates complicated hard tooling since it guarantees uniform pressure transfer and thus, good compaction at complex structural details (such as frame-stiffener intersections and corners). Second, it greatly simplifies vacuum bagging, since once the part to be cured is covered by THERM-Xsm powder, the vacuum bag need only conform to a relatively flat shape reducing significantly the number of pleats required. A program is on-going at Sikorsky Aircraft to evaluate the structural performance of complex composite fuselage structures made with this THERM-Xsm process and to quantify the impact of THERM-Xsm on manufacturing labor hours and cost. The program involves fuselage panel optimization analysis, a building block test program where structural details representative of the full-scale article are analyzed and tested, and static and fatigue test/analysis of the full-scale test articles. The main results of this program are reported.

Kassapoglou, Christos↗
NASA NTRS2018

Automated Fiber Placement Defect Identity Cards: Cause, Anticipation, Existence, Significance, and Progression

Automated Fiber Placement (AFP), a major composite manufacturing process, can result in many defects during the layup process that often require manual corrective action to produce a part with acceptable quality. These defects are the main limitation of the technology and can be hard to categorize or define in many situations. This paper provides a thorough definition and classification of all AFP defects. This effort constitutes a comprehensive and extensive library relevant to AFP defects. The defects selected and defined in this work are based on understanding and experience from the manufacture and research of advanced composite structure. Proper classification of these defects required an in-depth literature review and consideration of various viewpoints ranging from designers, manufacturers, analysts, and inspection professionals. Collectively, these sources were utilized to develop the most accurate view of each of the individual defect types. The results are presented as identity cards for each defect type, intended to provide researchers and the manufacturing industry a clear understanding of the (1) cause, (2) anticipation, (3) existence, (4) significance, and (5) progression of the defined AFP defects. The link between AFP defects and process planning, layup strategies, and machining was also investigated. Categorization of all important automated fiber placement defects is presented.

Harik, Ramy↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Innovations in Continuous Ultrasonic Welding of Thermoplastic Composites and Evaluation for Space Applications

The goals of NASA’s Thermoplastic Development for Exploration Applications (TDEA) Project include and assessment of thermoplastic composite joints for space structures by developing and maturing design capabilities, analysis tools and techniques, and manufacturing processes for thermoplastic composites. Through this effort the TDEA project will expand NASA’s in-house thermoplastic composite manufacturing capabilities, develop an understanding of advanced thermoplastic joining techniques relevant to space environments, evaluate the feasibility of reconfigurable composite structures, and advance structural analysis capabilities, including failure prediction of thermoplastic composites including joints. This presentation will provide an overview of the materials and manufacturing effort within the TDEA project. Three semi-crystalline and one amorphous thermoplastic composite system were selected for initial screening and provided an opportunity to gain manufacturing experience across a range of processing temperatures, rheological behavior, and composite properties. Equivalency to the National Center for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) test report for Toray’s TC1225 material was established to provide confidence in in-house manufacturing and material properties were generated through baseline mechanical tests for each material. Material characterization data was generated for a subset of materials to (1) provide data for analysis and model development and (2) generate thermal, rheological and conductivity data across relevant temperatures. A key objective of the TDEA project is evaluation of thermoplastic composite joining processes suitable for in-space operations. This presentation will outline the project’s progress in fusion bonding candidate materials by common welding techniques to assess the quality, reproducibility and strength of the bond, as well as identify limitations to in-space manufacturing. The feasibility of joint disassembly and reassembly will be discussed.

thermoplastic composite↗
NASA NTRS2013

Elevated Temperature, Notched Compression Performance of Out of Autoclave Processed Composites

Curved honeycomb sandwich panels composed of carbon fiber reinforced toughened-epoxy polymer facesheets are being evaluated for potential use as payload fairing components on the NASA heavy-lift space launch system (HL-SLS). These proposed composite sandwich panels provide the most efficient aerospace launch structures, and offer mass and thermal advantages when compared with existing metallic payload fairing structures. NASA and industry are investigating recently developed carbon fiber epoxy prepreg systems which can be fabricated using out-of autoclave (OOA) processes. Specifically, OOA processes using vacuum pressure in an oven and thereby significantly reducing the cost associated with manufacturing large (up to 10 m diameter) composite structures when compared with autoclave. One of these OOA composite material systems, CYCOM(R) 5320-1, was selected for manufacture of a 1/16th scale barrel portion of the payload fairing; such that, the system could be compared with the well-characterized prepreg system, CYCOM(R) 977-3, typically processed in an autoclave. Notched compression coupons for each material were obtained from the minimum-gauge flat laminate [60/-60/0]S witness panels produced in this manufacturing study. The coupons were also conditioned to an effective moisture equilibrium point and tested according to ASTM D6484M-09 at temperatures ranging from 25 C up to 177 C. The results of this elevated temperature mechanical characterization study demonstrate that, for thin coupons, the OHC strength of the OOA laminate was equivalent to the flight certified autoclave processed composite laminates; the limitations on the elevated temperature range are hot-wet conditions up to 163 C and are only within the margins of testing error. At 25 C, both the wet and dry OOA material coupons demonstrated greater OHC failure strengths than the autoclave processed material laminates. These results indicate a substantial improvement in OOA material development and processing since previous studies have consistently reported OOA material strengths on par or below those of autoclave processed composite laminates.

Grimsley, Brian W.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Advanced composite fuselage technology

Boeing's ATCAS program has completed its third year and continues to progress towards a goal to demonstrate composite fuselage technology with cost and weight advantages over aluminum. Work on this program is performed by an integrated team that includes several groups within The Boeing Company, industrial and university subcontractors, and technical support from NASA. During the course of the program, the ATCAS team has continued to perform a critical review of composite developments by recognizing advances in metal fuselage technology. Despite recent material, structural design, and manufacturing advancements for metals, polymeric matrix composite designs studied in ATCAS still project significant cost and weight advantages for future applications. A critical path to demonstrating technology readiness for composite transport fuselage structures was created to summarize ATCAS tasks for Phases A, B, and C. This includes a global schedule and list of technical issues which will be addressed throughout the course of studies. Work performed in ATCAS since the last ACT conference is also summarized. Most activities relate to crown quadrant manufacturing scaleup and performance verification. The former was highlighted by fabricating a curved, 7 ft. by 10 ft. panel, with cocured hat-stiffeners and cobonded J-frames. In building to this scale, process developments were achieved for tow-placed skins, drape formed stiffeners, braided/RTM frames, and panel cure tooling. Over 700 tests and supporting analyses have been performed for crown material and design evaluation, including structural tests that demonstrated limit load requirements for severed stiffener/skin failsafe damage conditions. Analysis of tests for tow-placed hybrid laminates with large damage indicates a tensile fracture toughness that is higher than that observed for advanced aluminum alloys. Additional recent ATCAS achievements include crown supporting technology, keel quadrant design evaluation, and sandwich process development.

Ilcewicz, Larry B.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Manufacture, Characterization, and Fusion Welding of Thermoplastic Composites for Space Applications

The goals of NASA’s Thermoplastic Development for Exploration Applications (TDEA) Project include an assessment of thermoplastic composite joints for space structures by developing and maturing design capabilities, analysis tools and techniques, and manufacturing processes for thermoplastic composites. Through this effort the TDEA project will expand NASA’s in-house thermoplastic composite manufacturing capabilities, develop an understanding of advanced thermoplastic joining techniques relevant to space environments, evaluate the feasibility of reconfigurable composite structures, and advance structural analysis capabilities.1

thermoplastic composite↗