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At least 19 records

Thermal-stress-free fasteners for joining orthotropic materials

Hot structures fabricated from orthotropic materials are an attractive design option for future high speed vehicles. Joining subassemblies of these materials with standard cylindrical fasteners can lead to loose joints or highly stressed joints due to thermal stress. A method has been developed to eliminate thermal stresses and maintain a tight joint by shaping the fastener and mating hole. This method allows both materials (fastener and structure), with different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) in each of the three material directions, to expand freely with temperature yet remain in contact. For the assumptions made in the analysis, the joint will remain snug, yet free of thermal stress at any temperature. Finite element analysis was used to verify several thermal-stress-free fasteners and to show that conical fasteners, which are thermal-stress-free for isotropic materials, can reduce thermal stresses for transversely isotropic materials compared to a cylindrical fastener. Equations for thermal-stress-free shapes are presented and typical fastener shapes are shown.

Blosser, M. L.↗

Thermal-stress-free fasteners for joining orthotropic materials

Hot structures fabricated from orthotropic materials are an attractive design option for future high speed vehicles. Joining subassemblies of these materials with standard cylindrical fasteners can lead to loose joints or highly stressed joints due to thermal stress. A method has been developed to eliminate thermal stress and maintain a tight joint by shaping the fastener and mating hole. This method allows both materials (fastener and structure), with different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE's) in each of the three principal material directions, to expand freely with temperature yet remain in contact. For the assumptions made in the analysis, the joint will remain snug, yet free of thermal stress at any temperature. Finite element analysis was used to verify several thermal-stress-free fasteners and to show that conical fasteners, which are thermal-stress-free for isotropic materials, can reduce thermal stresses for transversely isotropic materials compared to a cylindrical fastener. Equations for thermal-stress-free shapes are presented and typical fastener shapes are shown.

Blosser, Max L.↗

Preliminary Thermal Stress Analysis of a High-Pressure Cryogenic Storage Tank

The thermal stresses on a cryogenic storage tank strongly affect the condition of the tank and its ability to withstand operational stresses. These thermal stresses also affect the growth of any surface damage that might occur in the tank walls. These stresses are particularly of concern during the initial cooldown period for a new tank placed into service, and during any subsequent thermal cycles. A preliminary thermal stress analysis of a high-pressure cryogenic storage tank was performed. Stresses during normal operation were determined, as well as the transient temperature distribution. An elastic analysis was used to determine the thermal stresses in the inner wall based on the temperature data. The results of this elastic analysis indicate that the inner wall of the storage tank will experience thermal stresses of approximately 145,000 psi (1000 MPa). This stress level is well above the room-temperature yield strength of 304L stainless steel, which is about 25,000 psi (170 MPa). For this preliminary analysis, several important factors have not yet been considered. These factors include increased strength of 304L stainless steel at cryogenic temperatures, plastic material behavior, and increased strength due to strain hardening. In order to more accurately determine the thermal stresses and their affect on the tank material, further investigation is required, particularly in the area of material properties and their relationship to stress.

Baker, J. Mark↗

Elastic-Plastic Thermal Stress Analysis of a High-Pressure Cryogenic Storage Tank

The thermal stresses on a cryogenic storage tank contribute strongly to the state of stress of the tank material and its ability to withstand operational stresses. These thermal stresses also affect the growth of any surface damage that might occur in the tank walls. These stresses are particularly of concern during the initial cooldown period for a new tank placed into service, and during any subsequent thermal cycles. A previous preliminary elastic analysis showed that the thermal stress on the inner wall would reach approximately 1,000MPa (145,000 psi). This stress far exceeds the ASTM specified room temperature values for both yield (170MPa) and ultimate (485 MPa) strength for 304L stainless steel. The present analysis determines the thermal stresses using an elastic-plastic model. The commercial software application ANSYS was used to determine the transient spatial temperature profile and the associated spatial thermal stress profiles in a segment of a thick-walled vessel during a typical cooldown process. A strictly elastic analysis using standard material properties for 304L stainless steel showed that the maximum thermal stress on the inner and outer walls was approximately 960 MPa (tensile) and - 270 MPa (compressive) respectively. These values occurred early in the cooldown process, but at different times, An elastic-plastic analysis showed significantly reducing stress, as expected due to the plastic deformation of the material. The maximum stress for the inner wall was approximately 225 MPa (tensile), while the maximum stress for the outer wall was approximately - 130 MPa (compressive).

Barker, J. Mark↗

Correlation of predicted and measured thermal stresses on an advanced aircraft structure with similar materials

A laboratory heating test simulating hypersonic heating was conducted on a heat-sink type structure to provide basic thermal stress measurements. Six NASTRAN models utilizing various combinations of bar, shear panel, membrane, and plate elements were used to develop calculated thermal stresses. Thermal stresses were also calculated using a beam model. For a given temperature distribution there was very little variation in NASTRAN calculated thermal stresses when element types were interchanged for a given grid system. Thermal stresses calculated for the beam model compared similarly to the values obtained for the NASTRAN models. Calculated thermal stresses compared generally well to laboratory measured thermal stresses. A discrepancy of signifiance occurred between the measured and predicted thermal stresses in the skin areas. A minor anomaly in the laboratory skin heating uniformity resulted in inadequate temperature input data for the structural models.

Jenkins, J. M.↗

Thermal stress analysis of space shuttle orbiter wing skin panel and thermal protection system

Preflight thermal stress analysis of the space shuttle orbiter wing skin panel and the thermal protection system (TPS) was performed. The heated skin panel analyzed was rectangular in shape and contained a small square cool region at its center. The wing skin immediately outside the cool region was found to be close to the state of elastic instability in the chordwise direction based on the conservative temperature distribution. The wing skin was found to be quite stable in the spanwise direction. The potential wing skin thermal instability was not severe enough to tear apart the strain isolation pad (SIP) layer. Also, the preflight thermal stress analysis was performed on the TPS tile under the most severe temperature gradient during the simulated reentry heating. The tensile thermal stress induced in the TPS tile was found to be much lower than the tensile strength of the TPS material. The thermal bending of the TPS tile was not severe enough to cause tearing of the SIP layer.

Ko, William L.↗

Solution accuracies of finite element reentry heat transfer and thermal stress analyses of Space Shuttle Orbiter

Accuracies of solutions (structural temperatures and thermal stresses) obtained from different thermal and structural FEMs set up for the Space Shuttle Orbiter (SSO) are compared and discussed. For studying the effect of element size on the solution accuracies of heat-transfer and thermal-stress analyses of the SSO, five SPAR thermal models and five NASTRAN structural models were set up for wing midspan bay 3. The structural temperature distribution over the wing skin (lower and upper) surface of one bay was dome shaped and induced more severe thermal stresses in the chordwise direction than in the spanwise direction. The induced thermal stresses were extremely sensitive to slight variation in structural temperature distributions. Both internal convention and internal radiation were found to have equal effects on the SSO.

Ko, William L.↗

Thermal stresses in planetary elastic lithospheres

The role of thermal stresses in the tectonics of the moon is reexamined in this paper. A model is used that considers a spherical elastic shell overlying a fluid core. It is shown that the thermal stresses generated by temperature changes within the shell usually dominate over the thermal contraction or expansion of the core. During the entire evolution of the moon the cooling of the lithosphere is likely to have dominated the cooling of the interior and the result would be tensional lithospheric thermal stresses. However, during the recent evolution of the moon the change in the near surface thermal stresses is compressional. It is argued that the surface compressional features on Mercury are not due to the thermal contraction of the interior

Turcotte, D. L.↗

Derivation and test of elevated temperature thermal-stress-free fastener concept

Future aerospace vehicles must withstand high temperatures and be able to function over a wide temperature range. New composite materials are being developed for use in designing high-temperature lightweight structures. Due to the difference between coefficients of thermal expansion for the new composite materials and conventional high-temperature metallic fasteners, innovative joining techniques are needed to produce tight joints at all temperatures without excessive thermal stresses. A thermal-stress-free fastening technique is presented that can be used to provide structurally tight joints at all temperatures even when the fastener and joined materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion. The derivation of thermal-stress-free fasteners and joint shapes is presented for a wide variety of fastener materials and materials being joined together. Approximations to the thermal-stress-free shapes that result in joints with low-thermal-stresses and that simplify the fastener/joint shape are discussed. The low-thermal-stress fastener concept is verified by thermal and shear tests in joints using oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloy fasteners in carbon-carbon material. The test results show no evidence of thermal stress damage for temperatures up to 2000 F and the resulting joints carried shear loads at room temperature typical of those for conventional joints.

Sawyer, J. W.↗

Comparison of measured temperatures, thermal stresses and creep residues with predictions on a built-up titanium structure

Temperature, thermal stresses, and residual creep stresses were studied by comparing laboratory values measured on a built-up titanium structure with values calculated from finite-element models. Several such models were used to examine the relationship between computational thermal stresses and thermal stresses measured on a built-up structure. Element suitability, element density, and computational temperature discrepancies were studied to determine their impact on measured and calculated thermal stress. The optimum number of elements is established from a balance between element density and suitable safety margins, such that the answer is acceptably safe yet is economical from a computational viewpoint. It is noted that situations exist where relatively small excursions of calculated temperatures from measured values result in far more than proportional increases in thermal stress values. Measured residual stresses due to creep significantly exceeded the values computed by the piecewise linear elastic strain analogy approach. The most important element in the computation is the correct definition of the creep law. Computational methodology advances in predicting residual stresses due to creep require significantly more viscoelastic material characterization.

Jenkins, Jerald M.↗

Investigation of Thermal Stress Convection in Nonisothermal Gases Under Microgravity Conditions

Microgravity conditions offer an environment in which convection in a nonisothermal gas could be driven primarily by thermal stress. A direct examination of thermal stress flows would be invaluable in assessing the accuracy of the Burnett terms in the fluid stress tensor. We present a preliminary numerical investigation of the competing effects of thermal stress, thermal creep at the side walls, and buoyancy on gas convection in nonuniformly heated containers under normal and reduced gravity levels. Conditions in which thermal stress convection becomes dominant are identified, and issues regarding the experimental measurement of the flows are discussed.

Mackowski, Daniel W.↗

Theoretical basis for design of thermal-stress-free fasteners

A theoretical basis was developed for the design of fasteners which are free of thermal stress. A fastener can be shaped to eliminate the thermal stress which would otherwise result from differential thermal expansion between dissimilar fastener and sheet materials for many combinations of isotropic and orthotropic materials. The resulting joint remains snug, yet free of thermal stress at any temperature, if the joint is uniform in temperature, if it is frictionless, and if the coefficients of thermal expansion of the materials do not change with temperature. In general, such a fastener has curved sides; however, if both materials have isotropic coefficients of thermal expansion, a conical fastener is free of thermal stress. Equations are presented for thermal stress free shapes at both initial and final temperature, and typical fastener shapes are shown.

Blosser, M. L.↗

Thermal stress effects in intermetallic matrix composites

Intermetallic matrix composites develop residual stresses from the large thermal expansion mismatch (delta-alpha) between the fibers and matrix. This work was undertaken to: establish improved techniques to measure these thermal stresses in IMC's; determine residual stresses in a variety of IMC systems by experiments and modeling; and, determine the effect of residual stresses on selected mechanical properties of an IMC. X ray diffraction (XRD), neutron diffraction (ND), synchrotron XRD (SXRD), and ultrasonics (US) techniques for measuring thermal stresses in IMC were examined and ND was selected as the most promising technique. ND was demonstrated on a variety of IMC systems encompassing Ti- and Ni-base matrices, SiC, W, and Al2O3 fibers, and different fiber fractions (Vf). Experimental results on these systems agreed with predictions of a concentric cylinder model. In SiC/Ti-base systems, little yielding was found and stresses were controlled primarily by delta-alpha and Vf. In Ni-base matrix systems, yield strength of the matrix and Vf controlled stress levels. The longitudinal residual stresses in SCS-6/Ti-24Al-llNb composite were modified by thermomechanical processing. Increasing residual stress decreased ultimate tensile strength in agreement with model predictions. Fiber pushout strength showed an unexpected inverse correlation with residual stress. In-plane shear yield strength showed no dependence on residual stress. Higher levels of residual tension led to higher fatigue crack growth rates, as suggested by matrix mean stress effects.

Wright, P. K.↗

Thermal-stress analysis for wood composite blade

The thermal-stress induced by solar insolation on a wood composite blade of a Mod-OA wind turbine was investigated. The temperature distribution throughout the blade (a heat conduction problem) was analyzed and the thermal-stress distribution of the blades caused by the temperature distribution (a thermal-stress analysis problem) was then determined. The computer programs used for both problems are included along with output examples.

Fu, K. C.↗

Behavior of Materials Under Conditions of Thermal Stress

A review is presented of available information on the behavior of brittle and ductile materials under conditions of thermal stress and thermal shock. For brittle materials, a simple formula relating physical properties to thermal-shock resistance is derived and used to determine the relative significance of two indices currently in use for rating materials. For ductile materials, thermal-shock resistance depends upon the complex interrelation among several metallurgical variables which seriously affect strength and ductility. These variables are briefly discussed and illustrated from literature sources. The importance of simulating operating conditions in tests for rating materials is especially to be emphasized because of the importance of testing conditions in metallurgy. A number of practical methods that have been used to minimize the deleterious effects of thermal stress and thermal shock are outlined.

Manson, S S↗

Evaluation of an improved finite-element thermal stress calculation technique

A procedure for generating accurate thermal stresses with coarse finite element grids (Ojalvo's method) is described. The procedure is based on the observation that for linear thermoelastic problems, the thermal stresses may be envisioned as being composed of two contributions; the first due to the strains in the structure which depend on the integral of the temperature distribution over the finite element and the second due to the local variation of the temperature in the element. The first contribution can be accurately predicted with a coarse finite-element mesh. The resulting strain distribution can then be combined via the constitutive relations with detailed temperatures from a separate thermal analysis. The result is accurate thermal stresses from coarse finite element structural models even where the temperature distributions have sharp variations. The range of applicability of the method for various classes of thermostructural problems such as in-plane or bending type problems and the effect of the nature of the temperature distribution and edge constraints are addressed. Ojalvo's method is used in conjunction with the SPAR finite element program. Results are obtained for rods, membranes, a box beam and a stiffened panel.

Camarda, C. J.↗