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At least 19 records

Stress Measurement by Geometrical Optics

Fast, simple technique measures stresses in thin films. Sample disk bowed by stress into approximately spherical shape. Reflected image of disk magnified by amount related to curvature and, therefore, stress. Method requires sample substrate, such as cheap microscope cover slide, two mirrors, laser light beam, and screen.

Robinson, R. S.

Stress measurement in thin films by geometrical optics

A variation of Newton's rings experiment is proposed for measuring film stress. The procedure described, the geometrical optics method, is used to measure radii of curvature for a series of film depositions with Ta, Al, and Mo films. The method has a sensitivity of 1 x 10 to the 9th dyn/sq cm, corresponding to the practical radius limit of about 50 m, and a repeatability usually within five percent. For the purposes of comparison, radii are also measured by Newton's rings method and the Talysurf method; all results are found to be in general agreement. Measurement times are also compared: the geometrical optics method requires only 1/2-1 minute. It is concluded that the geometrical optics method provides an inexpensive, fast, and a reasonably correct technique with which to measure stresses in film.

Rossnagel, S. M.

Low-field magnetoacoustic residual stress measurement in steel

Much of the recent development of the magnetoacoustic technique has been devoted to refine this technique as a reliable and practical tool for measuring bulk residual stress in steel components. For this, the effects of structural and metallurgical properties on the magnetoacoustic interaction have been studied for various types of steel samples. Also, progress is being made to obtain quantitative residual stress measurements in railroad wheels. This paper reviews the physical basis and the experimental results of the magnetoacoustic stress measurements in steels.

Namkung, M.

Flexible Micropost Arrays for Shear Stress Measurement

Increased fuel costs, heightened environmental protection requirements, and noise abatement continue to place drag reduction at the forefront of aerospace research priorities. Unfortunately, shortfalls still exist in the fundamental understanding of boundary-layer airflow over aerodynamic surfaces, especially regarding drag arising from skin friction. For example, there is insufficient availability of instrumentation to adequately characterize complex flows with strong pressure gradients, heat transfer, wall mass flux, three-dimensionality, separation, shock waves, and transient phenomena. One example is the acoustic liner efficacy on aircraft engine nacelle walls. Active measurement of shear stress in boundary layer airflow would enable a better understanding of how aircraft structure and flight dynamics affect skin friction. Current shear stress measurement techniques suffer from reliability, complexity, and airflow disruption, thereby compromising resultant shear stress data. The state-of-the-art for shear stress sensing uses indirect or direct measurement techniques. Indirect measurements (e.g., hot-wire, heat flux gages, oil interferometry, laser Doppler anemometry, small scale pressure drag surfaces, i.e., fences) require intricate knowledge of the studied flow, restrictive instrument arrangements, large surface areas, flow disruption, or seeding material; with smaller, higher bandwidth probes under development. Direct measurements involve strain displacement of a sensor element and require no prior knowledge of the flow. Unfortunately, conventional "floating" recessed components for direct measurements are mm to cm in size. Whispering gallery mode devices and Fiber Bragg Gratings are examples of recent additions to this type of sensor with much smaller (m) sensor components. Direct detection techniques are often single point measurements and difficult to calibrate and implement in wind tunnel experiments. In addition, the wiring, packaging, and installation of delicate micro-electromechanical devices impede the use of most direct shear sensors. Similarly, the cavity required for sensing element displacement is sensitive to particulate obstruction. This work was focused on developing a shear stress sensor for use in subsonic wind tunnel test facilities applicable to an array of test configurations. The non-displacement shear sensors described here have minimal packaging requirements resulting in minimal or no disturbance of boundary layer flow. Compared to previous concepts, device installation could be simple with reduced cost and down-time. The novelty lies in the creation of low profile (nanoscale to 100 μm) micropost arrays that stay within the viscous sub-layer of the airflow. Aerodynamic forces, which are related to the surface shear stress, cause post deflection and optical property changes. Ultimately, a reliable, accurate shear stress sensor that does not disrupt the airflow has the potential to provide high value data for flow physics researchers, aerodynamicists, and aircraft manufacturers leading to greater flight efficiency arising from more in-depth knowledge on how aircraft design impacts near surface properties.

Wohl, Christopher J.

Residual stress measurement and analysis using ultrasonic techniques.

A technique which utilizes ultrasonic radiation has been developed to measure residual stresses in metals. This technique makes it possible to detect and measure the magnitude of the principle stresses and also to obtain their direction. The velocities of ultrasonic waves in materials are measured as the time to travel a fixed path length, and the change in transit time is related to the applied stress. The linear relationship obtained allows a procedure based on this principle to be used for the measurement of residual stress using surface waves and shear waves. A method for plotting stress profiles through a material using surface waves uses varying frequencies for the ultrasonic wave. A limitation of the shear wave method is considered. The system used for this technique is called the Modified Time of Flight System.

Noronha, P. J.

Finite Element Modeling of the Bulk Magnitization of Railroad Wheels to Improve Test Conditions for Magnetoacoustic Residual Stress Measurements

The magnetoacoustic measurement technique has been used successfully for residual stress measurements in laboratory samples. However, when used to field test samples with complex geometries, such as railroad wheels, the sensitivity of the method declines dramatically. It has been suggested that the decrease in performance may be due, in part, to an insufficient or nonuniform magnetic induction in the test sample. The purpose of this paper is to optimize the test conditions by using finite element modeling to predict the distribution of the induced bulk magnetization of railroad wheels. The results suggest that it is possible to obtain a sufficiently large and uniform bulk magnetization by altering the shape of the electromagnet used in the tests. Consequently, problems associated with bulk magnetization can be overcome, and should not prohibit the magnetoacoustic technique from being used to make residual stress measurements in railroad wheels. We begin by giving a brief overview of the magnetoacoustic technique as it applies to residual stress measurements of railroad wheels. We then define the finite element model used to predict the behavior of the current test configuration along with the nonlinear constitutive relations which we obtained experimentally through measurements on materials typically used to construct both railroad wheels and electromagnets. Finally, we show that by modifying the pole of the electromagnet it is possible to obtain a significantly more uniform bulk magnetization in the region of interest.

Fulton, J. P.

Comparison of surface wind stress measurements - Airborne radar scatterometer versus sonic anemometer

Sea surface wind stress measurements recorded by a sonic anemometer are correlated with airborne scatterometer measurements of ocean roughness (cross section of radar backscatter) to establish the accuracy of remotely sensed data and assist in the definition of geophysical algorithms for the scatterometer sensor aboard Seasat A. Results of this investigation are as follows: Comparison of scatterometer and sonic anemometer wind stress measurements are good for the majority of cases; however, a tendency exists for scatterometer wind stress to be somewhat high for higher wind conditions experienced in this experiment (6-9 m/s). The scatterometer wind speed algorithm tends to overcompute the higher wind speeds by approximately 0.5 m/s. This is a direct result of the scatterometer overestimate of wind stress from which wind speeds are derived. Algorithmic derivations of wind speed and direction are, in most comparisons, within accuracies defined by Seasat A scatterometer sensor specifications.

Brucks, J. T.

Effect of texture on magnetoacoustic stress measurement in steel

The effect of texture on the general stress measurements of a heavily cold rolled steel plate is analyzed. Changes in the acoustic natural velocity for plate samples with their long axes perpendicular, parallel, and in a 40 degree direction with respect to the rolling axis were measured; graphs of the velocity variations for the three samples are provided. It is observed that the negative minimum change in the acoustic natural velocity under residual compression for the perpendicular sample is about half that of the parallel and 40 degree samples indicating that the functional form of the velocity curve is influenced by the structural properties of the sample; however, the stress measurements are unaffected by the texture.

Namkung, M.

Wall shear stress measurements using a new transducer

A new instrument has been developed for direct measurement of wall shear stress. This instrument is simple and symmetric in design with small moving mass and no internal friction. Features employed in the design of this instrument eliminate most of the difficulties associated with the traditional floating element balances. Vibration problems associated with the floating element skin friction balances have been found to be minimized by the design features and optional damping provided. The unique design of this instrument eliminates or reduces the errors associated with conventional floating-element devices: such as errors due to gaps, pressure gradient, acceleration, heat transfer and temperature change. The instrument is equipped with various sensing systems and the output signal is a linear function of the wall shear stress. Measurement made in three different tunnels show good agreement with theory and data obtained by the floating element devices.

Vakili, A. D.

Gear tooth stress measurements of two helicopter planetary stages

Two versions of the planetary reduction stages from U.S. Army OH-58 helicopter main rotor transmissions were tested at NASA Lewis. One sequential and one nonsequential planetary were tested. Sun gear and ring gear teeth strains were measured, and stresses were calculated from the strains. The alternating stress at the fillet of both the loaded and unloaded sides of the teeth and at the root of the sun gear teeth are reported. Typical stress variations as the gear tooth moves through mesh are illustrated. At the tooth root location of the thin rimmed sun gear, a significant stress was produced by a phenomenon other than the passing of a planet gear. The load variation among the planets was studied. Each planet produced its own distinctive load distribution on the ring and sun gears. The load variation was less for a three planet, nonsequential design as compared to that of a four planet, sequential design. The reported results enhance the data base for gear stress levels and provide data for the validation of analytical methods.

Krantz, Timothy L.

Turbulence measurements in hypersonic boundary layers using constant-temperature anemometry and Reynolds stress measurements in hypersonic boundary layers

The primary objective in the two research investigations performed under NASA Langley sponsorship (Turbulence measurements in hypersonic boundary layers using constant temperature anemometry and Reynolds stress measurements in hypersonic boundary layers) has been to increase the understanding of the physics of hypersonic turbulent boundary layers. The study began with an extension of constant-temperature thermal anemometry techniques to a Mach 11 helium flow, including careful examinations of hot-wire construction techniques, system response, and system calibration. This was followed by the application of these techniques to the exploration of a Mach 11 helium turbulent boundary layer (To approximately 290 K). The data that was acquired over the course of more than two years consists of instantaneous streamwise mass flux measurements at a frequency response of about 500 kHz. The data are of exceptional quality in both the time and frequency domain and possess a high degree of repeatability. The data analysis that has been performed to date has added significantly to the body of knowledge on hypersonic turbulence, and the data reduction is continuing. An attempt was then made to extend these thermal anemometry techniques to higher enthalpy flows, starting with a Mach 6 air flow with a stagnation temperature just above that needed to prevent liquefaction (To approximately 475 F). Conventional hot-wire anemometry proved to be inadequate for the selected high-temperature, high dynamic pressure flow, with frequent wire breakage and poor system frequency response. The use of hot-film anemometry has since been investigated for these higher-enthalpy, severe environment flows. The difficulty with using hot-film probes for dynamic (turbulence) measurements is associated with construction limitations and conduction of heat into the film substrate. Work continues under a NASA GSRP grant on the development of a hot film probe that overcomes these shortcomings for hypersonic flows. Each of the research tasks performed during the NASA Langley research grants is discussed separately below.

Spina, Eric F.

Buried wire gage for wall shear stress measurements

A buried wire gage for measuring wall shear stress in fluid flow was studied and further developed. Several methods of making this relatively new type of gage were examined to arrive at a successful technique that is well-suited for wind-tunnel testing. A series of measurements was made to demonstrate the adequacy of a two-point calibration procedure for these gages. The buried wire gage is also demonstrated to be ideally suited for quantitative measurement of wall shear stress in wind-tunnel testing.

Murthy, V. S.