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At least 127 records · Page 7

Characterization of the Edge Crack Torsion (ECT) Test for Mode III Fracture Toughness Measurement of Laminated Composites

The edge crack torsion (ECT) test is designed to initiate mode III delamination growth in composite laminates. An ECT specimen is a rectangular laminate, containing an edge delamination at the laminate mid-plane. Torsion load is applied to the specimens, resulting in relative transverse shear sliding of the delaminated faces. The test data reduction schemes are intended to yield initiation values of critical mode III strain energy release rate, G(sub IIIc), that are constant with delamination length. The test has undergone several design changes during its development. The objective of this paper was to determine the suitability of the current ECT test design as a mode III fracture test. To this end, ECT tests were conducted on specimens manufactured from IM7/8552 and specimens made from S2/8552 tape laminates. Several specimens, each with different delamination lengths are tested. Detailed, three-dimensional finite element analyses of the specimens were performed. The analysis results were used to calculate the distribution of mode I, mode II, and mode III strain energy release rate along the delamination front. The results indicated that mode III-dominated delamination growth would be initiated from the specimen center. However, in specimens of both material types, the measured values of G(sub IIIc) exhibited significant dependence on delamination length. Furthermore, there was a large amount of scatter in the data. Load-displacement response of the specimens exhibited significant deviation from linearity before specimen failure. X-radiographs of a sample of specimens revealed that damage was initiated in the specimens prior to failure. Further inspection of the failure surfaces is required to identify the damage and determine that mode III delamination is initiated in the specimens.

Ratcliffe, James G.↗

Analysis of the gas-lubricated flat-sector-pad thrust bearing

A flat sector-shaped pad geometry for a gas-lubricated thrust bearing is analyzed considering both the pitch and roll of the pad. It is shown that maximum load capacity is achieved when the pad is tilted so as to create uniform minimum film thickness along the pad trailing edge. Performance characteristics for various geometries and operating conditions of gas thrust bearings are presented in the form of design curves, and a comparison is made with the rectangular slider approximation. It is found that this approximation is unsafe for practical design, since it always overestimates load capacity.

Etsion, I.↗

An accurate solution of the gas lubricated, flat sector thrust bearing

A flat sector shaped pad geometry for gas lubricated thrust bearings is analyzed considering both pitch and roll angles of the pad and the true film thickness distribution. Maximum load capacity is achieved when the pad is tilted so as to create a uniform minimum film thickness along the pad trailing edge. Performance characteristics for various geometries and operating conditions of gas thrust bearings are presented in the form of design curves. A comparison is made with the rectangular slider approximation. It is found that this approximation is unsafe for practical design, since it always overestimates load capacity.

Etsion, I.↗

Laboratory evaluation of footings for lunar telescopes

Presented here are the results of laboratory experiments with diffferent footing shapes for lunar telescopes. These experiments used a variety of soils including some to simulate regolith response. Based on what is known of regolith and regolith-structure interaction, a shallow-multiple-contact points footing foundation can be adequately designed to support lunar telescopes. Plane-strain load-displacement tests were conducted with different footings and different lunar simulants in a deep transparent plexiglass container. The model footings considered include the rectangular, hemispherical, and spudcan designs. Simulants used to reproduce the mechanical properties of the lunar regolith were fly ash, crushed basalt with and without glass, and a processed lunar simulant. Load-displacement curves were obtained for the different footings in Ottawa sand and in the crushed basalt with glass. The spudcan footing was found to be self-digging and yet stiff, thus providing excellent lateral stability in a large variety of soils.

Chua, Koon M.↗

Probabilistic assessment of composite structures

A general computational simulation methodology for an integrated probabilistic assessment of composite structures is discussed and demonstrated using aircraft fuselage (stiffened composite cylindrical shell) structures with rectangular cutouts. The computational simulation was performed for the probabilistic assessment of the structural behavior including buckling loads, vibration frequencies, global displacements, and local stresses. The scatter in the structural response is simulated based on the inherent uncertainties in the primitive (independent random) variables at the fiber matrix constituent, ply, laminate, and structural scales that describe the composite structures. The effect of uncertainties due to fabrication process variables such as fiber volume ratio, void volume ratio, ply orientation, and ply thickness is also included. The methodology has been embedded in the computer code IPACS (Integrated Probabilistic Assessment of Composite Structures). In addition to the simulated scatter, the IPACS code also calculates the sensitivity of the composite structural behavior to all the primitive variables that influence the structural behavior. This information is useful for assessing reliability and providing guidance for improvement. The results from the probabilistic assessment for the composite structure with rectangular cutouts indicate that the uncertainty in the longitudinal ply stress is mainly caused by the uncertainty in the laminate thickness, and the large overlap of the scatter in the first four buckling loads implies that the buckling mode shape for a specific buckling load can be either of the four modes.

Shiao, Michael E.↗

Radiation and scattering from loaded microstrip antennas over a wide bandwidth

The integral equation and moment method solution is developed for two different antennas in the presence of an infinite grounded dielectric substrate. The first antenna is a rectangular microstrip patch antenna. This antenna is analyzed for excitation by an incident plane wave in free space and a vertical filament of uniform current in the dielectric. This antenna can be loaded by a lumped impedance in a vertical filament of uniform current extending from the patch through the dielectric to the ground plane. The radar cross section of the microstrip antenna is found from the plane wave excitation and shows good agreement to measurement for both an unloaded and loaded antenna. The input impedance is found from the current filament excitation. This is compared to the measured input impedance of a coaxially fed microstrip antenna and shows good agreement for both unloaded and loaded antennas when the dielectric substrate is much less than a wavelength. The second antenna is a vertical thin wire extending from the ground plane into or through the dielectric substrate. The mutual impedance between two imbedded monopoles is compared to a previous calculation.

Forrai, D. P.↗

Comparison of calculated and measured model rotor loading and wake geometry

The calculated blade bound circulation and wake geometry are compared with measured results for a model helicopter rotor in hover and forward flight. Hover results are presented for rectangular tip and ogee tip planform blades. The correlation is quite good when the measured wake geometry characteristics are used in the analysis. Available prescribed wake geometry models are found to give fair predictions of the loading, but they do not produce a reasonable prediction of the induced power. Forward flight results are presented for twisted and untwisted blades. Fair correlation between measurements and calculations is found for the bound circulation distribution on the advancing side. The tip vortex geometry in the vicinity of the advancing blade in forward flight was predicted well by the free wake calculation used, although the wake geometry did not have a significant influence on the calculated loading and performance for the cases considered.

Johnson, W.↗

External nozzle flap dynamic load measurements on F-15 S/MTD model

Dynamic pressure loads were obtained on 1/12 scale models of the F-15B production aircraft and the F-15 S/MTD experimental aircraft with rectangular nozzles and canards. Flight Mach numbers from 0.51 to 1.20 were studied for aircraft angles of attack from 0 to 10 deg and nozzle pressure ratios from 1.00 to 5.09. The results show that dynamic levels are lower in the internozzle region of twin rectangular nozzles than are levels found with twin axisymmetric nozzles. At other locations, the levels associated with both geometries are of the same order of magnitude when normalized by aircraft dynamic Q. At Mach number of 0.51, the loads spectrum is dominated by plume shock noise processes for both geometries. Above Mach 0.51, this mechanism is associated with either vortex bursting from a forward location or turbulent boundary layer separation over the nozzle external flaps. At supersonic speeds both geometries show significantly decreased load levels.

Seiner, John M.↗

A method for determining the camber and twist of a surface to support a given distribution of lift

A graphical method is described for finding the shape (camber and twist) of an airfoil having an arbitrary distribution of lift. The method consists in replacing the lifting surface and its wake with an equivalent arrangement of vortices and in finding the associated vertical velocities. By a division of the vortex pattern into circular strips concentric about the downwash point instead of into the usual rectangular strips, the lifting surface is reduced for each downwash point to an equivalent loaded line for which the induced velocity is readily computed. The ratio of the vertical velocity to the stream velocity is the slope of the surface in the free-stream direction. As an illustration, the shape of the wing consistent with the pressure distribution derived from the two-dimensional theories is found for two wings: a straight elliptical wing and one with 30 degree sweepback. Application of the method to solve the reverse problem - finding the lift distribution over a given surface - is briefly discussed.

Cohen, Doris↗

Strain-Energy-Release Rates In Delamination

Q3DG computer program developed to perform quasi-three-dimensional stress analysis of composite laminates containing delaminations. Calculates strain-energy-release rates for long, rectangular composite laminates containing delaminations and subjected to any combination of mechanical, thermal, and hygroscopic loading. Written in FORTRAN V.

Raju, I. S.↗

On the numerical solution of the dynamically loaded hydrodynamic lubrication of the point contact problem

The transient analysis of hydrodynamic lubrication of a point-contact is presented. A body-fitted coordinate system is introduced to transform the physical domain to a rectangular computational domain, enabling the use of the Newton-Raphson method for determining pressures and locating the cavitation boundary, where the Reynolds boundary condition is specified. In order to obtain the transient solution, an explicit Euler method is used to effect a time march. The transient dynamic load is a sinusoidal function of time with frequency, fractional loading, and mean load as parameters. Results include the variation of the minimum film thickness and phase-lag with time as functions of excitation frequency. The results are compared with the analytic solution to the transient step bearing problem with the same dynamic loading function. The similarities of the results suggest an approximate model of the point contact minimum film thickness solution.

Lim, Sang G.↗

Aerothermal loads analysis for high speed flow over a quilted surface configuration

Attention is given to hypersonic laminar flow over a quilted surface configuration that simulates an array of Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System panels bowed in a spherical shape as a result of thermal gradient through the panel thickness. Pressure and heating loads to the surface are determined. The flow field over the configuration was mathematically modeled by means of time-dependent, three-dimensional conservation of mass, momentum, and energy equations. A boundary mapping technique was then used to obtain a rectangular, parallel piped computational domain, and an explicit MacCormack (1972) explicit time-split predictor corrector finite difference algorithm was used to obtain steady state solutions. Total integrated heating loads vary linearly with bowed height when this value does not exceed the local boundary layer thickness.

Olsen, G. C.↗

Aerothermal loads analysis for high speed flow over a quilted surface configuration

Attention is given to hypersonic laminar flow over a quilted surface configuration that simulates an array of Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System panels bowed in a spherical shape as a result of thermal gradients through the panel thickness. Pressure and heating loads to the surface are determined. The flow field over the configuration was mathematically modeled by means of time-dependent, three-dimensional conservation of mass, momentum, and energy equations. A boundary mapping technique was then used to obtain a rectangular, parallelepiped computational domain, and an explicit MacCormack (1972) explicit time-split predictor-corrector finite difference algorithm was used to obtain steady state solutions. Total integrated heating loads vary linearly with bowed height when this value does not exceed the local boundary layer thickness.

Olsen, G. C.↗

A test fixture for measuring high-temperature hypersonic-engine seal performance

A test fixture for measuring the performance of several high temperature engine seal concepts was installed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The test fixture was developed to evaluate seal concepts under development for advanced hypersonic engines such as those being considered for the National Aerospace Plane. The fixture can measure static seal leakage performance from room temperature up to 1500 F and air pressure differentials up to 100 psi. Performance of the seals can be measured while sealing against flat or engine simulated distorted walls, where distortions can be as large as 0.150 in. in only an 18 in. span. The fixture is designed to evaluate seals 3 feet long, a typical engine panel length. The seal channel can be configured to test square, circular, or rectangular seals that are nominally 0.5 in. high. The sensitivity of leakage performance to lateral or axial loading can also be measured using specially designed high temperature lateral and axial bellows preload systems. Leakage data for a candidate ceramic wafer engine seal is provided by way of example to demonstrate the test fixture's capabilities.

Steinetz, Bruce M.↗

Experimental Stress Analysis of Stiffened Cylinders with Cutouts : Shear Load

A cylindrical semimonocoque shell of circular cross section was mounted as a cantilever and loaded by a direct shear at the tip. The cylinder was tested with no cutout, with a rectangular cutout on the tension side, and with the cutout centered on the neutral axis on one side of the cylinder. The cutout was successively enlarged through six sizes varying from 30 degrees to 130 degrees in circumference and from 1 and 2 bays in length. Strain measurements were made with resistance-type wire strain gages near the cutout on the stringers, the skin, and the rings for each case, and the stresses obtained are presented in tables. (author)

Rosecrans, Richard↗

Experimental and Theoretical Study of a Rectangular Wing in a Vortical Wake at Low Speed

A systematic study has been made, experimentally and theoretically, of the effects of a vortical wake on the aerodynamic characteristics of a rectangular wing at subsonic speed. The vortex generator and wing were mounted on a reflection plane to avoid body-wing interference. Vortex position, relative to the wing, was varied both in the spanwise direction and normal to the wing. Angle of attack of the wing was varied from -40 to +60. Both chordwise and spanwise pressure distributions were obtained with the wing in uniform and vortical flow fields. Stream surveys were made to determine the flow characteristics in the vortical wake. The vortex-induced lift was calculated by several theoretical methods including strip theory, reverse-flow theory, and reverse-flow theory including a finite vortex core. In addition, the Prandtl lifting-line theory and the Weissinger theory were used to calculate the spanwise distribution of vortex-induced loads. With reverse-flow theory, predictions of the interference lift were generally good, and with Weissinger's theory the agreement between the theoretical spanwise variation of induced load and the experimental variation was good. Results of the stream survey show that the vortex generated by a lifting surface of rectangular plan form tends to trail back streamwise from the tip and does not approach the theoretical location, or centroid of circulation, given by theory. This discrepancy introduced errors in the prediction of vortex interference, especially when the vortex core passed immediately outboard of the wing tip. The wake produced by the vortex generator in these tests was not fully rolled up into a circular vortex, and so lacked symmetry in the vertical direction of the transverse plane. It was found that the direction of circulation affected the induced loads on the wing either when the wing was at angle of attack or when the vortex was some distance away from the plane of the wing.

Smith, Willard G.↗