Micromechanical Modeling of High-Strain Thin-Ply Composites

This paper presents a micromechanical analysis for the elastic and viscoelastic behavior of high-strain thin-ply composites. The modeling approach is based on unit cell homogenization. The geometry of the internal weave architecture and ply configuration is characterized via micrographic analysis and explicitly modeled in the unit cell. The composites are modeled as Kirchhoff plates and the homogenization analysis computes the effective relaxation ABD matrix represented by Prony series using the elastic and viscoelastic properties of the constituent fiber and matrix. The formulation of the micromechanical model and numerical implementation d. Composite laminates with 3-ply and 4-ply configurations are studied

Viscoelastic effects in tape-springs

Following recent interest in constructing large self-deployable structures made of reinforced polymer materials, this paper presents a detailed study of viscoelastic effects in folding, stowage, and deployment of tape-springs which often act as deployment actuators in space structures. Folding and stowage behavior at different temperatures and rates are studied. It is found that the peak load increases with the folding rate but reduces with temperature. It is also shown that a load reduction of as much as 60% is possible during stowage due to relaxation behavior. Deployment behavior after significant load relaxation demonstrates features distinct from elastic tape-springs. It starts with a short dynamic response, followed by a quasi-static deployment, and ends with a slow creep recovery process. A key feature is that the localized fold stays stationary throughout deployment. Finite element simulations that incorporate an experimentally characterized viscoelastic material model are presented and found to capture the folding and stowage behavior accurately. The general features of deployment response are also predicted, but with larger discrepancy

Combined Structural and Trajectory Control of Variable-Geometry Planetary Entry Systems

Some of the key challenges of planetary entry are to dissipate the large kinetic energy of the entry vehicle and to land with precision. Past missions to Mars were based on unguided entry, where entry vehicles carried payloads of less than 0.6 T and landed within 100 km of the designated target. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is expected to carry a mass of almost 1 T to within 20 km of the target site. Guided lifting entry is needed to meet these higher deceleration and targeting demands. If the aerodynamic characteristics of the decelerator are variable during flight, more trajectory options are possible, and can be tailored to specific mission requirements. In addition to the entry trajectory modulation, having variable aerodynamic properties will also favor maneuvering of the vehicle prior to descent. For proper supersonic parachute deployment, the vehicle needs to turn to a lower angle of attack. One approach to entry trajectory improvement and angle of attack control is to embed a variable geometry decelerator in the design of the vehicle. Variation in geometry enables the vehicle to adjust its aerodynamic performance continuously without additional fuel cost because only electric power is needed for actuating the mechanisms that control the shape change. Novel structural and control concepts have been developed that enable the decelerator to undergo variation in geometry. Changing the aerodynamic characteristics of a flight vehicle by active means can potentially provide a mechanically simple, affordable, and enabling solution for entry, descent, and landing across a wide range of mission types, sample capture and return, and reentry to Earth, Titan, Venus, or Mars. Unguided ballistic entry is not sufficient to meet this more stringent deceleration, heating, and targeting demands. Two structural concepts for implementing the cone angle variation, a segmented shell, and a corrugated shell, have been presented

Viscoelastic effects in tape-springs

Following recent interest in constructing large self-deployable structures made of reinforced polymer materials, this paper presents a detailed study of viscoelastic effects in folding, stowage, and deployment of tape-springs which often act as deployment actuators in space structures. Folding and stowage behavior at different temperatures and rates are studied. It is found that the peak load increases with the folding rate but reduces with temperature. It is also shown that a load reduction of as much as 60% is possible during stowage due to relaxation behavior. Deployment behavior after significant load relaxation demonstrates features distinct from elastic tape-springs. It starts with a short dynamic response, followed by a quasi-static deployment, and ends with a slow creep recovery process. A key feature is that the localized fold stays stationary throughout deployment. Finite element simulations that incorporate an experimentally characterized viscoelastic material model are presented and found to capture the folding and stowage behavior accurately. The general features of deployment response are also predicted, but with larger discrepancy

Shape Recovery of Viscoelastic Deployable Structures

The paper investigates the shape recovery behavior of a simple beam and a tape spring made of LDPE under prescribed deformation history at room temperature. The linear viscoelastic material properties of LDPE were measured via creep tests. An analysis of a LDPE beam under four-point bending with an imposed history of vertical deflection and reaction force was performed. A theoretical solution was constructed by employing the Alfrey’s Correspondence Principle to the Euler-Bernoulli beam equation. The result was validated against a four-point bending experiment and a detailed nonlinear finite element simulation. Excellent agreement was obtained between theory, experiments and numerical simulations. A LDPE tape spring was fabricated and tested to provide an example of a simple deployable structure that recovers its deployed shape through a viscoelastic process for both equal sense and opposite sense folding

Development of high temperature mechanical rig for characterizing the viscoplastic properties of alloys used in solid oxide cells

Analyzing the thermomechanical reliability of the solid oxide cell (SOC) stack requires precise measurement of the mechanical properties of the different components in the stack at operating conditions of the SOC. It is challenging to precisely characterize the time-dependent deformational properties of metallic components in the SOC stacks at the required level of stress and operational conditions (high temperature and controlled atmosphere). This work presents an improved methodology for characterizing the time-dependent, or viscoplastic, properties of metallic alloys used in the SOC stacks at a high temperature and in a controlled atmosphere. The methodology uses a mechanical loading rig designed to apply variable and constant loads on samples within a gas-tight high temperature furnace. In addition, a unique, remotely installed length measuring setup involving a laser micrometer is used to monitor deformations in the sample. Application of the methodology is exemplified by measurement of stress relaxation, creep, and constant strain rate behaviors of a high-temperature alloy used in the construction of SOC metallic interconnects at different temperatures. Furthermore, measurements using the proposed methodology are also verified by the literature and experiments conducted using other machines

Thermoviscoelastic models for polyethylene thin films

This paper presents a constitutive thermoviscoelastic model for thin films of linear low-density polyethylene subject to strains up to yielding. The model is based on the free volume theory of nonlinear thermoviscoelasticity, extended to orthotropic membranes. An ingredient of the present approach is that the experimentally inaccessible out-of-plane material properties are determined by fitting the model predictions to the measured nonlinear behavior of the film. Creep tests, uniaxial tension tests, and biaxial bubble tests are used to determine the material parameters. The model has been validated experimentally, against data obtained from uniaxial tension tests and biaxial cylindrical tests at a wide range of temperatures and strain rates spanning two orders of magnitude