Louis J. Ghosn

Reinforcing polymer cross-linked aerogels with carbon nanofibers

We have previously reported cross-linking the mesoporous silica structure of aerogels with di-isocyanates, styrenes or epoxies reacted with amine decorated silica surfaces. These approaches have been shown to significantly increase the strength of aerogels with only a small effect on density or porosity. Herein, we examine the effect of including up to 5% (w/w) carbon nanofibers in the silica backbone before cross-linking. The addition of 5% carbon nanofibers to the lowest density aerogels studied triples the compressive modulus and the tensile stress at break is increased five-fold with no density penalty. The carbon fiber also improves the strength of the initial hydrogels before cross-linking, which may have implications in manufacturing.

Modeling of crack bridging in a unidirectional metal matrix composite

The effective fatigue crack driving force and crack opening profiles were determined analytically for fatigue tested unidirectional composite specimens exhibiting fiber bridging. The crack closure pressure due to bridging was modeled using two approaches; the fiber pressure model and the shear lag model. For both closure models, the Bueckner weight function method and the finite element method were used to calculate crack opening displacements and the crack driving force. The predicted near crack tip opening profile agreed well with the experimentally measured profiles for single edge notch SCS-6/Ti-15-3 metal matrix composite specimens. The numerically determined effective crack driving force, ΔKeff, was calculated using both models to correlate the measured crack growth rate in the composite. The calculated ΔKeff from both models accounted for the crack bridging by showing a good agreement between the measured fatigue crack growth rates of the bridged composite and that of unreinforced, unbridged titanium matrix alloy specimens.

The unusual near-threshold FCG behavior of a single crystal superalloy and the resolved shear stress as the crack driving force

Abstract An investigation of the fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of PWA 1480 single crystal nickel base superalloy was conducted. Typical Paris region behavior was observed above a δK of 8 MPa √m . However, below that stress intensity range, the alloy exhibited highly unusual behavior. This behavior consisted of a region where the crack growth rate became essentially independent of the applied stress intensity. The transition in the FCG behavior was related to a change in the observed crack growth mechanisms. In the Paris region, fatigue failure occurred along {111} facets, however at the lower stress intensities, (001) fatigue failure was observed. A mechanism was proposed, based on barriers to dislocation motion, to explain the changes in the observed FCG behavior. The FCG data were also evaluated in terms of a recently proposed stress intensity parameter, K rss . This parameter, based on the resolved shear stresses on the slip planes, quantified the crack driving force as well as the mode I ΔK , and at the same time was also able to predict the microscopic crack path under different stress states.

Numerical and Experimental Studies of a Film Cooled Pulsed Detonation Tube

The Constant Volume Combustion Cycle Engine (CVCCE) program at the NASA Glenn Research Center is assessing the feasibility of creating a hybrid gas turbine engine. In the hybrid engines under study, the constant pressure combustor is replaced with a pulsed detonative combustor to achieve near constant volume burning and increased thermodynamic efficiency. The design of a practical, long-life pulse detonation combustor requires the design of components that are capable of enduring the severe thermal environment created by repetitive detonations. In the current study, a film cooled superalloy combustor liner test article was designed and manufactured. The temperature and stress distributions along the liner were calculated as a function of the hot gas heat flux using the finite element method for both film cooled and un-cooled cases. Unsteady CFD simulations of the dynamics of cooling flows subjected to a forced-detonation in a hydrogen-air mixture were performed. The design of the practical cooled liner closely followed the results from previous 2-D film cooling CFD analysis and 3-D film cooling CFD analysis described herein. Film cooling effectiveness was demonstrated experimentally on a film cooled combustor section in a repetitive detonative environment on the CVCCE testbed.

Analysis of Stainless Steel Sandwich Panels with a Metal Foam Core for Lightweight Fan Blade Design

The quest for cheap, low density and high performance materials in the design of aircraft and rotorcraft engine fan and propeller blades poses immense challenges to the materials and structural design engineers. Traditionally, these components have been fabricated using expensive materials such as light weight titanium alloys, polymeric composite materials and carbon-carbon composites. The present study investigates the use of a sandwich foam fan blade made up of solid face sheets and a metal foam core. The face sheets and the metal foam core material were an aerospace grade precipitation hardened 17-4 PH stainless steel with high strength and high toughness. The stiffness of the sandwich structure is increased by separating the two face sheets by a foam core. The resulting structure possesses a high stiffness while being lighter than a similar solid construction. Since the face sheets carry the applied bending loads, the sandwich architecture is a viable engineering concept. The material properties of 17-4 PH metal foam are reviewed briefly to describe the characteristics of the sandwich structure for a fan blade application. A vibration analysis for natural frequencies and a detailed stress analysis on the 17-4 PH sandwich foam blade design for different combinations of skin thickness and core volume are presented with a comparison to a solid titanium blade.

Structural assessment of metal foam using combined NDE and FEA

Metal foams are expected to find use in structural applications where weight is of particular concern, such as space vehicles, rotorcraft blades, car bodies or portable electronic devices. The obvious structural application of metal foam is for light weight sandwich panels, made up of thin solid face sheets and a metallic foam core. The stiffness of the sandwich structure is increased by separating the two face sheets by a light weight foam core. The resulting high-stiffness structure is lighter than that constructed only out of the solid metal material. Since the face sheets carry the applied in-plane and bending loads, the sandwich architecture is a viable engineering concept. However, the metal foam core must resist transverse shear loads and compressive loads while remaining integral with the face sheets. Challenges relating to the fabrication and testing of these metal foam panels remain due to some mechanical properties falling short of their theoretical potential. Theoretical mechanical properties are based on an idealized foam microstructure and assumed cell geometry. But the actual testing is performed on as fabricated foam microstructure. Hence in this study, a high fidelity finite element analysis is conducted on as fabricated metal foam microstructures, to compare the calculated mechanical properties with the idealized theory. The high fidelity geometric models for the FEA are generated using series of 2D CT scans of the foam structure to reconstruct the 3D metal foam geometry. The metal foam material is an aerospace grade precipitation hardened 17-4 PH stainless steel with high strength and high toughness. Tensile, compressive, and shear mechanical properties are deduced from the FEA model and compared with the theoretical values. The combined NDE/FEA provided insight in the variability of the mechanical properties compared to idealized theory.

A study for stainless steel fan blade design with metal foam core

The pursuit for cheap, low-density and high-performance materials in the design of aircraft engine blades raises wide-ranging challenges to the materials and structural design engineers. Traditionally, these components have been fabricated using expensive materials such as lightweight titanium alloys and polymer composite materials composites. The present study investigates the use of a sandwich foam fan blade made of solid face sheets and a metal foam core. The face sheets and the metal foam core material were an aerospace grade precipitation-hardened 17-4 stainless steel with high strength and high toughness. The stiffness of the sandwich structure is increased by separating the two face sheets by a foam core. The resulting structure possesses a high stiffness while being lighter than a similar solid construction. Since the face sheets carry the applied bending loads, the sandwich architecture is a viable engineering concept. The material properties of 17-4 precipitation-hardened metal foam are briefly reviewed to describe the characteristics of the sandwich structure for a fan blade application. Vibration characteristics and design criteria on the 17-4 precipitation-hardened metal foam core sandwich blade design with different combinations of skin thickness and core volume are presented with a comparison to a solid titanium blade.

A combined NDE/FEA approach to evaluate the structural response of a metal foam

Metal foams are expected to find use in structural applications where weight is of particular concern, such as space vehicles, rotorcraft blades, car bodies or portable electronic devices. The obvious structural application of metal foam is for light weight sandwich panels, made up of thin solid face sheets and a metallic foam core. The stiffness of the sandwich structure is increased by separating the two face sheets by a light weight metal foam core. The resulting high-stiffness structure is lighter than that constructed only out of the solid metal material. Since the face sheets carry the applied in-plane and bending loads, the sandwich architecture is a viable engineering concept. However, the metal foam core must resist transverse shear loads and compressive loads while remaining integral with the face sheets. Challenges relating to the fabrication and testing of these metal foam panels remain due to some mechanical properties falling short of their theoretical potential. Theoretical mechanical properties are based on an idealized foam microstructure and assumed cell geometry. But the actual testing is performed on as fabricated foam microstructure. Hence in this study, a detailed three dimensional foam structure is generated using series of 2D Computer Tomography (CT) scans. The series of the 2D images are assembled to construct a high precision solid model capturing all the fine details within the metal foam as detected by the CT scanning technique. Moreover, a finite element analysis is then performed on as fabricated metal foam microstructures, to calculate the foam mechanical properties with the idealized theory. The metal foam material is an aerospace grade precipitation hardened 17-4 PH stainless steel with high strength and high toughness. Tensile and compressive mechanical properties are deduced from the FEA model and compared with the theoretical values for three different foam densities. The combined NDE/FEA provided insight in the variability of the mechanical properties compared to idealized theory.

A combined NDE-fatigue testing and three-dimensional image processing study of a SiC/SiC composite system

Non destructive evaluation (NDE) is a critical technology for improving the quality of a component in a cost-sparing production environment. NDE detects variations in a material or a component without altering or damaging the test piece. Using these techniques to improve the production process requires characterization of the faults and their influence on the component performance. This task depends on the material properties and on the complexity of the component geometry. Hence, the NDE technique is applied to study the structural durability of ceramic matrix composite materials used in gas turbine engine applications. Matrix voids are common anomalies generated during the melt infiltration process. The effects of these matrix porosities are usually associated with a reduction in the initial overall composite stiffness and an increase in the thermal conductivity of the component. Furthermore, since the role of the matrix as well as the coating is to protect the fibers from the harsh engine environments, the current design approach is to limit the design stress level of CMC components to always be below the first matrix cracking stress. In this study, the effect of matrix porosity on the matrix cracking stress is evaluated using a combined fatigue tensile testing, NDE, and 3 D image processing approach. Computed Tomography (CT) is utilized as the NDE technique to characterize the initial matrix porosity’s locations and sizes in various CMC test specimens. The three dimensional volume rendering approach is exercised to construct the 3 D volume of the specimen based on the geometric modeling of the specimens CT results using image analysis and geometric modeling software. The same scanned specimens are then fatigue tested to various maximum loads and temperatures to depict the matrix cracking locations in relation to the initial damage. The specimen are then re-scanned and checked for further anomalies and obvious changes in the damage state. Finally, rendered volumes of the gauge region of the specimen is generated and observed to check damage progression with increasing cycles. Observations and critical findings related to this material are reported.

Analytical stress intensity solution for the stable Poisson loaded specimen

An analytical calibration of the Stable Poisson Loaded (SPL) specimen is presented. The specimen configuration is similar to the ASTM E-561 compact-tension specimen with displacement controlled wedge loading used for R-curve determination. The crack mouth opening displacements (CMODs) are produced by the diametral expansion of an axially compressed cylindrical pin located in the wake of a machined notch. Due to the unusual loading configuration, a three-dimensional finite element analysis was performed with gap elements simulating the contact between the pin and specimen. In this report, stress intensity factors, CMODs, and crack displacement profiles, are reported for different crack lengths and different contacting conditions. It was concluded that the computed stress intensity factor decreases sharply with increasing crack length thus making the SPL specimen configuration attractive for fracture testing of brittle, high modulus materials.