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At least 1,261 records · Page 70

An investigation of the compressive strength of Kevlar 49/epoxy composites

Tests were performed to evaluate the effect of a wide range of variables including matrix properties, interface properties, fiber prestressing, secondary reinforcement, and others on the ultimate compressive strength of Kevlar 49/epoxy composites. Scanning electron microscopy is used to assess the resulting failure surfaces. In addition, a theoretical study is conducted to determine the influence of fiber anisotropy and lack of perfect bond between fiber and matrix on the shear mode microbuckling. The experimental evaluation of the effect of various constituent and process characteristics on the behavior of these unidirectional composites in compression did not reveal any substantial increase in strength. However, theoretical evaluations indicate that the high degree of fiber anisotropy results in a significant drop in the predicted stress level for internal instability. Scanning electron microscope data analysis suggests that internal fiber failure and smooth surface debonding could be responsible for the measured low compressive strengths.

Kulkarni, S. V.↗

A tabulation of pipe length to diameter ratios as a function of Mach number and pressure ratios for compressible flow

Computer programs and resulting tabulations are presented of pipeline length-to-diameter ratios as a function of Mach number and pressure ratios for compressible flow. The tabulations are applicable to air, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen for compressible isothermal flow with friction and compressible adiabatic flow with friction. Also included are equations for the determination of weight flow. The tabulations presented cover a wider range of Mach numbers for choked, adiabatic flow than available from commonly used engineering literature. Additional information presented, but which is not available from this literature, is unchoked, adiabatic flow over a wide range of Mach numbers, and choked and unchoked, isothermal flow for a wide range of Mach numbers.

Dixon, G. V.↗

Compression of contour data through exploiting curve-to-curve dependence

An approach to exploiting curve-to-curve dependencies in order to achieve high data compression is presented. One of the approaches to date of along curve compression through use of cubic spline approximation is taken and extended by investigating the additional compressibility achievable through curve-to-curve structure exploitation. One of the models under investigation is reported on.

Yalabik, N.↗

Study and simulation of spatial video compression for remotely piloted vehicles

Techniques of video compression applicable to remotely piloted vehicles (RPVs) are investigated. One approach is to reduce the frame rate, the other is to reduce the number of bits per sample needed to represent static picture detail by means of digital video compression. Hadamard transforms of 8 x 8 subpictures, with adaptive and nonadaptive quantization of transform coefficients, were investigated for the latter technique. Tapes of typical RPV video, processed by Aeronautronic Ford to simulate four frame rates, were again processed by the Ames real-time video system to obtain a variety of compressions of each of the four frame rates.

Knauer, S.↗

Advanced application flight experiment breadboard pulse compression radar altimeter program

Design, development and performance of the pulse compression radar altimeter is described. The high resolution breadboard system is designed to operate from an aircraft at 10 Kft above the ocean and to accurately measure altitude, sea wave height and sea reflectivity. The minicomputer controlled Ku band system provides six basic variables and an extensive digital recording capability for experimentation purposes. Signal bandwidths of 360 MHz are obtained using a reflective array compression line. Stretch processing is used to achieve 1000:1 pulse compression. The system range command LSB is 0.62 ns or 9.25 cm. A second order altitude tracker, aided by accelerometer inputs is implemented in the system software. During flight tests the system demonstrated an altitude resolution capability of 2.1 cm and sea wave height estimation accuracy of 10%. The altitude measurement performance exceeds that of the Skylab and GEOS-C predecessors by approximately an order of magnitude.

Source record↗

Dynamic blade row compression component model for stability studies

This paper describes a generalized dynamic model which has been developed for use in compression component aerodynamic stability studies. The model is a one-dimensional, pitch-line, blade row, lumped volume system. Arbitrary placement of blade free volumes upstream, within, and downstream of the compression component as well as the removal of bleed flow from the exit of any rotor or stator are model options. The model has been applied to a two-stage fan and an eight-stage compressor. The clean inlet pressure ratio/flow maps and the surge line have been reproduced, thereby validating the capability of the dynamic model to reproduce the steady-flow characteristics of the compression component. A method for determining the onset of an aerodynamic instability which is associated with surge is described. Sinusoidally time-varying inlet and exit boundary conditions have been applied to the eight stage compressor as examples of the manner in which this model may be used for stability studies.

Tesch, W. A.↗

Effects of compressibility on boundary-layer turbulence

A series of turbulence measurements in a subsonic compressible turbulent boundary-layer flow in the Mach number range of 0.1 to 0.7 is described. Measurements include detailed surveys of the turbulence intensities and Reynolds shear stresses, and other quantities such as the turbulent kinetic energy. These data are examined to bring out the effects of compressibility and show that the stream-wise and transverse fluctuations and the turbulent shear stress follow a universal scaling law. A preliminary attempt is made to examine some of the assumptions made in turbulence models commonly used in numerical codes for the calculation of compressible flows.

Acharya, M.↗

Effect of Low Velocity Impact Damage on the Compressive Strength of Graphite/Epoxy Hat-Stiffened Panels

Low velocity impact damage on the compressive strength of graphite/epoxy hat stiffened panels is studied. Fourteen panels, representative of minimum-mass designs for two compression load levels were tested. Eight panels were damaged by impact and the effect on compressive strength was evaluated by comparing the results with data for undamaged panels. The impact tests consisted of firing 1.27 cm diameter aluminum projectiles normal to the plane of the panel at a velocity of approximately 55 m/sec to simulate impact from runway debris. The results of this investigation indicate that impact damage in the panels designed for 0.53 MN/m was contained locally and the damaged panels were capable of carrying the design load. The panels designed for 1.58 MN/m failed between 50 and 58 percent of the design load due to impact damage in the high axial stiffness region. The extent of damage in the high axial stiffness region of both panel designs increased with the magnitude of applied axial load. Damage in this region was the most significant factor in reducing panel strength. Limited damage that was not visually detectable reduced ultimate strength as much as extensive visible damage.

Rhodes, M. D.↗

Design of a digital compression technique for shuttle television

The determination of the performance and hardware complexity of data compression algorithms applicable to color television signals, were studied to assess the feasibility of digital compression techniques for shuttle communications applications. For return link communications, it is shown that a nonadaptive two dimensional DPCM technique compresses the bandwidth of field-sequential color TV to about 13 MBPS and requires less than 60 watts of secondary power. For forward link communications, a facsimile coding technique is recommended which provides high resolution slow scan television on a 144 KBPS channel. The onboard decoder requires about 19 watts of secondary power.

Habibi, A.↗

Considerations on data compression of synthetic aperture radar images

This paper describes some analytical results relative to the effectiveness of applying data compression techniques for efficient transmission of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) signals and images. A Rayleigh target model is assumed in the analysis. It is also assumed that all surface reflectivity information is of interest and needs to be transmitted. Spectral characteristics of radar echo signals and processed images are analyzed. Analytical results generally indicate that due to the lack of high spatial correlation in the Rayleigh distributed radar surface reflectivity, application of data compression to SAR signals and images under the square difference fidelity criterion may be less effective than its application to images obtained using incoherent illumination. On the other hand, if certain random variations in radar images are considered as undesirable, substantial compression ratio may be achieved by removing such variations.

Wu, C.↗

Improved waste water vapor compression distillation technology

The vapor compression distillation process is a method of recovering potable water from crewman urine in a manned spacecraft or space station. A description is presented of the research and development approach to the solution of the various problems encountered with previous vapor compression distillation units. The design solutions considered are incorporated in the preliminary design of a vapor compression distillation subsystem. The new design concepts are available for integration in the next generation of support systems and, particularly, the regenerative life support evaluation intended for project Spacelab.

Johnson, K. L.↗

Calculation methods for compressible turbulent boundary layers, 1976

Equations and closure methods for compressible turbulent boundary layers are discussed. Flow phenomena peculiar to calculation of these boundary layers were considered, along with calculations of three dimensional compressible turbulent boundary layers. Procedures for ascertaining nonsimilar two and three dimensional compressible turbulent boundary layers were appended, including finite difference, finite element, and mass-weighted residual methods.

Bushnell, D. M.↗

Experimental studies of graphite-epoxy and boron-epoxy angle ply laminates in compression

A test program aimed at studying the nonlinear/inelastic response under axial compression across a wide range of angle ply was graphite-epoxy and boron-epoxy laminates was presented and described. The strength allowables corresponding to the various laminate configurations were defined and the failure mechanisms which dictate their mode of failure were detected. The program involved two types of specimens for each laminate configuration: compression sandwich coupons and compression tubes. The test results indicate that the coupons perform better than the tubes displaying considerably high stress-strain allowables and mechanical properties relative to the tubes. Also, it is observed that depending on their dimensions the coupons are susceptible to very pronounced edge effects. This sensitivity results in assigning to the laminate conservative mechanical properties rather than the actual ones.

Weller, T.↗

Tensile and compressive stress-strain behavior of heat treated boron-aluminum

An experimental study was conducted to assess the effects of heat treatment and cyclic mechanical loading on the tensile and compressive stress-strain behavior of six boron-aluminum composites having different laminate orientations and being subjected to different heat treatments. The heat treatments were as-fabricated, T6, and T6N consisting of T6 treatment followed by cryogenic quench in liquid nitrogen prior to testing. All laminates were tested in monotonic and cyclic compression, while the tensile-test data are taken from the literature for comparison purposes. It is shown that the linear elastic range of the T6- and T6N-condition specimens is larger than that of the as-fabricated specimens, and that cyclic loading in tension or compression strain hardens the specimens and extends the linear elastic range. For laminates containing 0-deg plies, the stress-strain behavior upon unloading is found to be nonlinear, whereas the other laminates exhibit a linear behavior upon unloading. Specimens in the T6 and T6N conditions show higher strain hardening than the as-fabricated specimens.

Kennedy, J. M.↗

Calculation methods for compressible turbulent boundary layers

Calculation procedures for non-reacting compressible two- and three-dimensional turbulent boundary layers were reviewed. Integral, transformation and correlation methods, as well as finite difference solutions of the complete boundary layer equations summarized. Alternative numerical solution procedures were examined, and both mean field and mean turbulence field closure models were considered. Physics and related calculation problems peculiar to compressible turbulent boundary layers are described. A catalog of available solution procedures of the finite difference, finite element, and method of weighted residuals genre is included. Influence of compressibility, low Reynolds number, wall blowing, and pressure gradient upon mean field closure constants are reported.

Bushnell, D. M.↗

Sandwich beam compressive test method

Tests presented show that the sandwich beam in four-point bending could be used to obtain reliable compressive elastic constants for graphite/polyimide laminates although some difficulties were encountered measuring composite compressive strengths. Data were obtained for ultimate stress, ultimate strain, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio values in 117K, room temperature, and 589K test environments for the HTS1/PMR-15 material system. A total of 36 compressive tests on various laminates were performed. Also, 24 tensile tests on the same laminate orientations were performed to obtain input to the analytical portion of this program. A portion of the beam test section was analyzed using a linear elastic finite element computer program to predict the stress state in the graphite/polyimide composite. The influence of the honeycomb core of this stress state was analytically determined.

Shuart, M. J.↗

Elevated-temperature application of the IITRI compression test fixture for graphite/polyimide filamentary composites

Seventy-nine graphite/polyimide compression specimens were tested to investigate experimentally the IITRI test method for determining compressive properties of composite materials at room and elevated temperatures (589 K (600 F)). Minor modifications were made to the standard IITRI fixture and a high degree of precision was maintained in specimen fabrication and load alignment. Specimens included four symmetric laminate orientations. Various widths were tested to evaluate the effect of width on measured modulus and strength. In most cases three specimens of each width were tested at room and elevated temperature and a polynomial regression analysis was used to reduce the data. Scatter of replicate tests and back-to-back strain variations were low, and no specimens failed by instability. Variation of specimen width had a negligible effect on the measured ultimate strengths and initial moduli of the specimens. Measured compressive strength and stiffness values were sufficiently high for the material to be considered a usable structural material at temperatures as high as 589 K (600 F).

Raju, B. B.↗

Pulse compression inside an actively AM mode-locked Nd:YAG laser using a liquid Kerr cell

A mode-locked Nd:YAG laser capable of generating pulses substantially shorter than the present limit of 30-50 ps, while retaining the stability of active mode locking, would be a useful development. This study presents a simplified theoretical analysis and a preliminary experimental verification of the use of an optical Kerr cell as a passive lossless pulse compressor inside a Q-switched and actively mode-locked YAG laser. The theoretical model indicates possible compression to as short as about 5 ps in a typical low-power Nd:YAG laser. The preliminary experimental results show substantial pulse compression via the predicted mechanism, though still not below about 30 ps. The technique appears capable, however, of pulse compression to substantially shorter values without the instabilities, statistical fluctuations, or energy losses associated with saturable-absorber mode locking.

Duerinckx, A. J.↗