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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 145 records · Page 8

Method of determining load in anisotropic non-crystalline materials using energy flux deviation

An ultrasonic wave is applied to an anisotropic sample material in an initial direction and the intensity of the ultrasonic wave is measured on an opposite surface of the sample material by two adjacent receiving points located in an array of receiving points. A ratio is determined between the measured intensities of two adjacent receiving points, the ratio being indicative of an angle of flux deviation from the initial direction caused by an unknown applied load. This determined ratio is then compared to a plurality of ratios of a similarly tested, similar anisotropic reference material under a plurality of respective, known load conditions, whereby the load applied to the particular anisotropic sample material is determined. A related method is disclosed for determining the fiber orientation from known loads and a determined flux shift.

Prosser, William H.↗

Unit-Sphere Multiaxial Stochastic-Strength Model Applied to Anisotropic and Composite Materials

Models that predict the failure probability of brittle materials under multiaxial loading have been developed by authors such as Batdorf, Evans, and Matsuo. These "unit-sphere" models assume that the strength-controlling flaws are randomly oriented, noninteracting planar microcracks of specified geometry but of variable size. This methodology has been extended to predict the multiaxial strength response of transversely isotropic brittle materials, including polymer matrix composites (PMCs), by considering (1) flaw-orientation anisotropy, whereby a preexisting microcrack has a higher likelihood of being oriented in one direction over another direction, and (2) critical strength, or K (sub Ic) orientation anisotropy, whereby the level of critical strength or fracture toughness for mode I crack propagation, K (sub Ic), changes with regard to the orientation of the microstructure. In this report, results from finite element analysis of a fiber-reinforced-matrix unit cell were used with the unit-sphere model to predict the biaxial strength response of a unidirectional PMC previously reported from the World-Wide Failure Exercise. Results for nuclear-grade graphite materials under biaxial loading are also shown for comparison. This effort was successful in predicting the multiaxial strength response for the chosen problems. Findings regarding stress-state interactions and failure modes also are provided.

Nemeth, Noel, N.↗

Effect of initial flaw shape on crack extension in orthotropic composite materials

An analytical study is presented showing the effects of the notch tip geometry on the location and direction of crack growth from an existing notch in a unidirectional fibrous composite modelled as a homogeneous, anisotropic, elastic material. Anisotropic elasticity and the normal stress ratio theory are used to study crack growth from elliptical notches in unidirectional composites. Sharp cracks, circular holes, and ellipses are studied under far-field tension and shear loading. Limited comparisons are made showing good correlation with experimental results.

Gurdal, Z.↗

Evaluation of the Anisotropic Radiative Conductivity of a Low-Density Carbon Fiber Material from Realistic Microscale Imaging

The radiative heat transfer inside a low-density carbon fiber insulator is analyzed using a three-dimensional direct simulation model. A robust procedure is presented for the numerical calculation of the geometric configuration factor to compute the radiative energy exchange processes among the small discretized surface areas of the fibrous material. The methodology is applied to a polygonal mesh of a fibrous insulator obtained from three-dimensional microscale imaging of the real material. The anisotropic values of the radiative conductivity are calculated for that geometry. The results yield both directional and thermal dependence of the radiative conductivity.

Evaluation↗

Anisotropic strength of composites.

Strength of anisotropic composite materials subjected to any state of combined stress, predicted from basic strength characteristics of unidirectional layer

COMPOSITE MATERIAL↗

Better Finite-Element Analysis of Composite Shell Structures

A computer program implements a finite-element-based method of predicting the deformations of thin aerospace structures made of isotropic materials or anisotropic fiber-reinforced composite materials. The technique and corresponding software are applicable to thin shell structures in general and are particularly useful for analysis of thin beamlike members having open cross-sections (e.g. I-beams and C-channels) in which significant warping can occur.

Clarke, Gregory↗

Prediction of Thermal Protection System Material Permeability and Hydraulic Tortuosity Factor Using Direct Simulation Monte Carlo

Carbon preforms used in Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials are 80 to 90% porous, allowing for boundary layer and pyrolysis gases to flow through the porous regions. The bulk material properties such as permeability and hydraulic tortuosity factor affect the transport of the boundary layer gases. The use of Direct Simulation Monte Carlo along with the Klinkenberg permeability formulation allows us to compute the continuum permeability and Knudsen correction factor for flow in the transition regime. In this work, we have computed the permeability for two types of carbon preforms, namely, Morgan Felt and FiberForm, and assessed the effect of orientation on the permeability. Since both the materials are anisotropic, the permeability was found to depend on orientation, wherein, the materials are more permeable in the in-plane orientation than the through-thickness orientation. The through-thickness orientation was also more tortuous compared to the in-plane material orientation. Compared to Morgan Felt, FiberForm is less permeable, in both, through thickness and in-plane directions.

Jambunathan, Revathi↗

Radiative transfer in highly scattering materials - numerical solution and evaluation of approximate analytic solutions

Numerical solutions for radiative transport in a class of anisotropically scattering materials are presented. Conditions for convergence and divergence of the iterative method are given and supported by computed results. The relation of two flux theories to the equation of radiative transfer for isotropic scattering is discussed. The adequacy of the two flux approach for the reflectance, radiative flux and radiative flux divergence of highly scattering media is evaluated with respect to solutions of the radiative transfer equation.

Weston, K. C.↗

An approach for relating the results of quantitative nondestructive evaluation to intrinsic properties of high-performance materials

One of the most difficult problems the manufacturing community has faced during recent years has been to accurately assess the physical state of anisotropic high-performance materials by nondestructive means. In order to advance the design of ultrasonic nondestructive testing systems, a more fundamental understanding of how ultrasonic waves travel and interact within the anisotropic material is needed. The relationship between the ultrasonic and engineering parameters needs to be explored to understand their mutual dependence. One common denominator is provided by the elastic constants. The preparation of specific graphite/epoxy samples to be used in the experimental investigation of the anisotropic properties (through the measurement of the elastic stiffness constants) is discussed. Accurate measurements of these constants will depend upon knowledge of refraction effects as well as the direction of group velocity propagation. The continuing effort for the development of improved visualization techniques for physical parameters is discussed. Group velocity images are presented and discussed. In order to fully understand the relationship between the ultrasonic and the common engineering parameters, the physical interpretation of the linear elastic coefficients (the quantities that relate applied stresses to resulting strains) are discussed. This discussion builds a more intuitional understanding of how the ultrasonic parameters are related to the traditional engineering parameters.

Miller, James G.↗

Composite blade structural analyzer (COBSTRAN) user's manual

The installation and use of a computer code, COBSTRAN (COmposite Blade STRuctrual ANalyzer), developed for the design and analysis of composite turbofan and turboprop blades and also for composite wind turbine blades was described. This code combines composite mechanics and laminate theory with an internal data base of fiber and matrix properties. Inputs to the code are constituent fiber and matrix material properties, factors reflecting the fabrication process, composite geometry and blade geometry. COBSTRAN performs the micromechanics, macromechanics and laminate analyses of these fiber composites. COBSTRAN generates a NASTRAN model with equivalent anisotropic homogeneous material properties. Stress output from NASTRAN is used to calculate individual ply stresses, strains, interply stresses, thru-the-thickness stresses and failure margins. Curved panel structures may be modeled providing the curvature of a cross-section is defined by a single value function. COBSTRAN is written in FORTRAN 77.

Aiello, Robert A.↗

3D Ultrasonic Wave Simulations for Structural Health Monitoring

Structural health monitoring (SHM) for the detection of damage in aerospace materials is an important area of research at NASA. Ultrasonic guided Lamb waves are a promising SHM damage detection technique since the waves can propagate long distances. For complicated flaw geometries experimental signals can be difficult to interpret. High performance computing can now handle full 3-dimensional (3D) simulations of elastic wave propagation in materials. We have developed and implemented parallel 3D elastodynamic finite integration technique (3D EFIT) code to investigate ultrasound scattering from flaws in materials. EFIT results have been compared to experimental data and the simulations provide unique insight into details of the wave behavior. This type of insight is useful for developing optimized experimental SHM techniques. 3D EFIT can also be expanded to model wave propagation and scattering in anisotropic composite materials.

Campbell, Leckey Cara A/↗

A new method for failure prediction of SR-200 beryllium sheet structures

Contemporary applications of failure criteria frequently incorporate two-dimensional or simplified three-dimensional methodologies for prediction of stresses. Motivation behind the development of a new multi-dimensional failure criterion is due mainly to the lack of a sufficiently accurate mathematical tool that accounts for the behavior of brittle material with anisotropic properties. Such a criterion should be able to provide a reliable maximum load estimate so that design of the structure is not penalized in terms of excessive weight requirements. The failure criterion developed is represented by a fracture surface in a six-dimensional stress space. The criterion is applied for failure prediction of SR-200 beryllium sheet structures, a non-homogeneous orthotropic material used widely in space applications. Two experiments are used to verify the criterion.

Papados, P. P.↗

Lebedev Scheme for Ultrasound Simulation in Composites

The growing use of composite materials for aerospace applications has resulted in a need for quantitative nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods appropriate for characterizing damage in composite components. NDE simulation tools, such as ultrasound models, can aid in enabling optimized inspection methods and establishing confidence in inspection capabilities. In this paper, a mathematical approach using the Lebedev Finite Difference (LFD) method is presented for ultrasonic wave simulation in composites. Boundary condition equations for implementing stress-free boundaries (necessary for simulation of NDE scenarios) are also presented. Quantitative comparisons between LFD guided wave ultrasound simulation results, experimental guided wave data, and dispersion curves are described. Additionally, stability tests are performed to establish the LFD code behavior in the presence of stress-free boundaries and low-symmetry anisotropy. Results show that LFD is an appropriate approach for simulating ultrasound in anisotropic composite materials and that the method is stable in the presence of low-symmetry anisotropy and stress-free boundaries. Studies presented in this paper include guided wave simulation in hexagonal, monoclinic, triclinic and layered composite laminates.

Guided wave↗