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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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Nondestructive testing and evaluation of adhesively bonded composite materials with high acoustic attenuation and impedance by acoustic ultrasonic instrument inspection
Nondestructive impedance techniques to test adhesive bonded composite materials used in launch vehicles and aircraft
COMGEN (Composite Model Generator) is an interactive FORTRAN program which can be used to create a wide variety of finite element models of continuous fiber composite materials at the micro level. It quickly generates batch or session files to be submitted to the finite element pre- and postprocessor PATRAN based on a few simple user inputs such as fiber diameter and percent fiber volume fraction of the composite to be analyzed. In addition, various mesh densities, boundary conditions, and loads can be assigned easily to the models within COMGEN. PATRAN uses a session file to generate finite element models and their associated loads which can then be translated to virtually any finite element analysis code such as NASTRAN or MARC.
Filamentary composite materials reviewed for potential applications in spacecraft structures
Development of lattice model for composite materials
Low density foam and aluminum composite materials for cryogenic insulation
Filamentary composite materials for space vehicles structural design, noting mass reduction, strength, foldability, formability, etc
Continuum mechanics application to elastic composite materials, investigating plane deformation of reinforced medium
Noise characteristics of advanced composite material fuselages were discussed from the standpoints of applicable research programs and noise transmission theory. Experimental verification of the theory was also included.
To evaluate the response of composite materials, it is imperative that the input excitation as well as the observed output be well characterized. This characterization ideally should be in terms of displacements as a function of time with high spatial resolution. Additionally, the ability to prescribe these features for the excitation is highly desirable. Various methods for generating and detecting ultrasound in advanced composite materials are examined. Characterization and tailoring of input excitation is considered for contact and noncontact, mechanical, and electromechanical devices. Type of response as well as temporal and spatial resolution of detection methods are discussed as well. Results of investigations at Virginia Tech in application of these techniques to characterizing the response of advanced composites are presented.
A numerical model for the radiative properties of a composite material composed of ceramic oxide fibers and particles was developed and used to determine the effect of the size parameters of the two components. Results include the computed phase functions for the zirconia and silica composite materials, showing the location and strength of the strong forward-scattering peak. The phase function and the optical properties of the composite are strongly influenced by the particle size parameter through the fiber or particle diameter and the wavelength, the material, and the mixture fraction.
The development of advanced composite materials for use in space and propulsion components has seen considerable growth over the past few years. In addition to improvements that have been made in material properties and processing techniques, similar growth must be seen in the development of methods for the detection of flaws, either generated in service or during manufacturing. Thermal imaging techniques have proven to be successful for the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of composite materials, but their detection capabilities decrease as flaw depth increases. The purpose of this research is to investigate advanced thermal imaging methods and thermal image processing technologies to increase the maximum depth below surface that a flaw can be detected and improve the contrast between flawed regions and sound regions.
Sounding rockets are a suborbital research platform employed by NASA for heliophysics, astrophysics, and geospace science investigations, and for technology development. They follow semi-parabolic trajectories and are launched using surplus military, and commercial, solid-propellant rocket motors. NASA sounding rocket payloads are comprised of standard, modular subassemblies, designed to perform specific functions critical to achieving mission success criteria. Since the program’s inception, payload length and mass have trended upwards, limiting the capability of the platform to reach exospheric apogees and decreasing the time above critical altitudes to observe solar and celestial targets. To offset this trend, composite materials may be of use in payload and subsystem design to decrease payload mass. This investigation seeks to understand if there is a practical benefit to introducing composite materials on the NSRP by assessing mission specific impacts to those missions conducted in fiscal year 2024. To accurately estimate the mass of a composites-based payload, a standard subsystem (NIACS) underwent structural reconfiguration. Materials were selected that align with NSRP design, manufacturing, and testing standards. NIACS reconfiguration resulted in a mass reduction of 19.6% which was then applied to the payload system in entirety. Using vehicle performance carpet plots, delta apogee and time above the Kármán line were determined. Performance improvements were then evaluated against that mission’s success criteria to determine if that mission would have benefitted from using composite materials. On average, each mission would have gained 59.8 kilometers apogee and 62.9 seconds above the Kármán line. However, only nine of the seventeen missions would have benefitted from these performance improvements. Two of the missions could have used a lower-impulse launch vehicle to achieve mission success. Upleg stability met programmatic criteria; downleg instability and dynamic pressure improved, showing that ballast would not offset the mass reduction of using composite materials. Cost analysis showed that production costs will increase 39%. For the two missions that could have used a lower-impulse launch vehicle, the cost of the launch vehicle would have offset payload production costs. In summary, composite materials are not recommended for universal use on NASA sounding rocket payloads due to unclear programmatic benefits and added cost. However, they are justified for optical astrophysics and heliophysics missions, high-apogee (exosphere) requirements, or when they reduce payload costs versus higher impulse launch vehicles. Reflown, recoverable subsystems should use composites to enhance apogee and observation time.
Various methods potentially usable for determining dynamic stiffness and damping of composite materials are reviewed. Of these, the following most widely used techniques are singled out for more detailed discussion: free vibration, pulse propagation, and forced vibration response. To illustrate the usefulness and validity of dynamic property data, their application in dynamic analyses and comparison with measured structural response are described for the following composite-material structures: free-free sandwich beam with glass-epoxy facings, clamped-edge sandwich plate with similar facings, free-end sandwich conical shell with similar facings, and boron-epoxy free plate with layers arranged at various orientations.
A strip specimen is cut from a unidirectional strong, brittle fiber composite material, and the surfaces of both ends of the specimen are grit blasted. The specimen is then placed between metal load transfer members having grit blasted surfaces. Sufficient compressive stress is applied to the load transfer members to prevent slippage during testing at both elevated temperatures and room temperatures. The need for adhesives, load pads, and other secondary composite processing is eliminated. This gripping system was successful in tensile testing, creep rupture testing, and fatigue testing uniaxial composite materials at 316 C.
Composite Model Generation-Boundary Element Method (COMGEN-BEM) is a program developed in PATRAN command language (PCL) which generates boundary element models of continuous fiber composites at the micromechanical (constituent) scale. Based on the entry of a few simple parameters such as fiber volume fraction and fiber diameter, the model geometry and boundary element model are generated. In addition, various mesh densities, material properties, fiber orientation angles, loads, and boundary conditions can be specified. The generated model can then be translated to a format consistent with a boundary element analysis code such as BEST-CMS.
Ceramic Matrix Composites, with fiber/whisker/particulate reinforcement, possess the attractive properties of ceramics such as high melting temperature, high strength and stiffness at high temperature, low density, excellent environmental resistance, combined with improved toughness and mechanical reliability. These unique properties have made these composites an enabling technology for thermomechanically demanding applications in high temperature, high stress and aggressive environments. On a broader scale, CMC's are anticipated to be applicable in aircraft propulsion, space propulsion, power and structures, in addition to ground based applications. However, it is also true that for any serious commitment of the material toward any of the intended critical thermo-mechanical applications to materialize, vigorous research has to be conducted for a thorough understanding of the mechanical and thermal behavior of CMC's. The high technology of CMC'S is far from being mature. In view of this growing need for CMC data, researchers all over the world have found themselves drawn into the characterization of CMC's such as C/SiC, SiC/SiC, SiC/Al203, SiC/Glass, SiC/C, SiC/Blackglas. A significant amount of data has been generated by the industries, national laboratories and educational institutions in the United States of America. NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center intends to collect the 'pedigreed' CMC data and store those in a CMC database within MAPTIS (Materials and Processes Technical Information System). The task of compilation of the CMC database is a monumental one and requires efforts in various directions. The project started in the form of a summer faculty fellowship in 1994 and has spilled into the months that followed and into the summer faculty fellowship of 1995 and has the prospect of continuing into the future for a healthy growth, which of course depends to a large extent on how fast CMC data are generated. The 10-week long summer fellowship has concentrated, basically, on establishing the procedure for a smooth transfer of data into a CMC database on MAPTIS which is a vital part of the following broader picture of the project.
Presented are the results of an investigation of the effect of low velocity impact on the residual modulus and residual strength of flat filamentary composite materials. Theoretical analysis of composite materials indicates that the modulus of the material must decrease as impact damage increases. This decrease must also correlate to the decrease in residual strength. This study attempts to verify these hypotheses. Graphite/epoxy laminates (AS4/3501-6) of various fiber orientations (8 (0 deg), 2 (+ or - 45 deg)sub 8) were impacted using a falling weight impact tester. Impact energies ranged from 0.42 to 1.55 ft-lb, with impact velocities from 2.03 to 3.98 ft/sec. The results show that there is a reduction in residual modulus of the plate as the impact energy increases.