Improved techniques for thermomechanical testing in support of deformation modeling

The feasibility of generating precise thermomechanical deformation data to support constitutive model development was investigated. Here, the requirement is for experimental data that is free from anomalies caused by less than ideal equipment and procedures. A series of exploratory tests conducted on Hastelloy X showed that generally accepted techniques for strain controlled tests were lacking in at least three areas. Specifically, problems were encountered with specimen stability, thermal strain compensation, and temperature/mechanical strain phasing. The source of these difficulties was identified and improved thermomechanical testing techniques to correct them were developed. These goals were achieved by developing improved procedures for measuring and controlling thermal gradients and by designing a specimen specifically for thermomechanical testing. In addition, innovative control strategies were developed to correctly proportion and phase the thermal and mechanical components of strain. Subsequently, the improved techniques were used to generate deformation data for Hastelloy X over the temperature range, 200 to 1000 C

Homodyne detection as a near-optimum receiver for phase-shift keyed binary communication in the presence of phase diffusion

We address binary optical communication channels based on phase-shift keyed coherent signals in the presence of phase diffusion. We prove theoretically and demonstrate experimentally that a discrimination strategy based on homodyne detection is robust against this kind of noise for any value of the channel energy. Moreover, we find that homodyne receiver beats the performance of Kennedy receiver as the signal energy increases, and achieves the Helstrom bound in the limit of large noise

Integrated Light 2MASS IR Photometry of Galactic Globular Clusters

We have mosaiced 2MASS images to derive surface brightness profiles in JHK for 104 Galactic globular clusters. We fit these with King profiles, and show that the core radii are identical to within the errors for each of these IR colors, and are identical to the core radii at V in essentially all cases. We derive integrated light colors V-J, V-H, V-K_s, J-H and J-K_s for these globular clusters. Each color shows a reasonably tight relation between the dereddened colors and metallicity. Fits to these are given for each color. The IR--IR colors have very small errors due largely to the all-sky photometric calibration of the 2MASS survey, while the V-IR colors have substantially larger uncertainties. We find fairly good agreement with measurements of integrated light colors for a smaller sample of Galactic globular clusters by Aaronson, Malkan & Kleinmann from 1977. Our results provide a calibration for the integrated light of distant single burst old stellar populations from very low to Solar metallicities. A comparison of our dereddened measured colors with predictions from several models of the integrated light of single burst old populations shows good agreement in the low metallicity domain for V-K_s colors, but an offset at a fixed [Fe/H] of ~0.1 mag in J-K_s, which we ascribe to photometric system transformation issues. Some of the models fail to reproduce the behavior of the integrated light colors of the Galactic globular clusters near Solar metallicity.Comment: Accepted for publication in the A

Thermomechanical deformation behavior of a dynamic strain aging alloy, Hastelloy X

An experimental study was performed to identify the effects of dynamic strain aging (solute drag) and metallurgical instabilities under thermomechanical loading conditions. The study involved a series of closely controlled thermomechanical deformation tests on the solid-solution-strenghened nickel-base superalloy, Hastelloy X. This alloy exhibits a strong isothermal strain aging peak at approximately 600 C, promoted by the effects of solute drag and precipitation hardening. Macroscopic thermomechanical hardening trends are correlated with microstructural characteristics through the use of transmission electron microscopy. These observations are compared and contrasted with isothermal conditions. Thermomechanical behavior unique to the isothermal database is identified and discussed. The microstructural characteristics were shown to be dominated by effects associated with the highest temperature of the thermomechanical cycle. Results indicate that the deformation behavior of Hastelloy X is thermomechanically path dependent. In addition, guidance is given pertaining to deformation modeling in the context of macroscopic unified theory. An internal state variable is formulated to qualitatively reflect the isotropic hardening trends identified in the TMD experiments

Thermomechanical testing techniques for high-temparature composites: TMF behavior of SiC(SCS-6)/Ti-15-3

Thermomechanical testing techniques recently developed for monolithic structural alloys were successfully extended to continuous fiber reinforced composite materials in plate form. The success of this adaptation was verified on a model metal matrix composite (MMC) material, namely SiC(SCS-6)/Ti-15V-3Cr-3Al-3Sn. Effects of heating system type and specimen preparation are also addressed. Cyclic lives determined under full thermo-mechanical conditions were shown to be significantly reduced from those obtained under comparable isothermal and in-phase bi-thermal conditions. Fractography and metallography from specimens subjected to isothermal, out-of-phase and in-phase conditions reveal distinct differences in damage-failure modes. Isothermal metallography revealed extensive matrix cracking associated with fiber damage throughout the entire cross-section of the specimen. Out-of-phase metallography revealed extensive matrix damage associated with minimal (if any) fiber cracking. However, the damage was located exclusively at surface and near-surface locations. In-phase conditions produced extensive fiber cracking throughout the entire cross-section, associated with minimal (if any) matrix damage

Experimental investigation of cyclic thermomechanical deformation in torsion

An investigation of thermomechanical testing and deformation behavior of tubular specimens under torsional loading is described. Experimental issues concerning test accuracy and control specific to thermomechanical loadings under a torsional regime are discussed. A series of shear strain-controlled tests involving the nickel-base superalloy Hastelloy X were performed with various temperature excursions and compared to similar thermomechanical uniaxial tests. The concept and use of second invariants of the deviatoric stress and strain tensors as a means of comparing uniaxial and torsional specimens is also briefly presented and discussed in light of previous thermomechanical tests conducted under uniaxial conditions

CCD Photometry of Galactic Globular Clusters. IV. The NGC 1851 RR Lyraes

The variable star population of the galactic globular cluster NGC 1851 (C0512-400) has been studied by CCD photometry, from observations made in the B, V, and I bands during 1993-4. Light curves are presented for 29 variables, seven of which are new discoveries. The behavior of the RR lyraes in the period-temperature diagram appears normal when compared to clusters which bracket the NGC 1851 metallicity. Reddening and metallicity are re-evaluated, with no compelling evidence to change from accepted values. Photometry for stars within an annulus with radii 80 and 260 arcsec agrees to better than 0.02 mag in all colors with extensive earlier photometry, to at least V = 18.5. Instability strip boundary positions for several clusters shows a trend for the red boundary to move to redder colors as the metallicity increases.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, accepted by A.

Deformation Behaviors of HIPped Foil Compared with Those of Sheet Titanium Alloys

Micromechanics-based modeling of composite material behaviors requires an accurate assessment of the constituent properties and behaviors. For the specific case of continuous-fiber-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMC's) manufactured from a foil/fiber/foil process, much emphasis has been placed on characterizing foil-based matrix materials that have been fabricated in the same way as the composite. Such materials are believed to yield mechanical properties and behaviors that are representative of the matrix constituent within the composite (in situ matrix). Therefore, these materials are desired for micromechanics modeling input. Unfortunately, such foils are extremely expensive to fabricate and procure because of the labor-intensive rolling process needed to produce them. As a potential solution to this problem that would maintain appropriately representative in situ properties, the matrix constituent could be characterized with sheet-based materials, which are considerably less expensive to manufacture than foils, are more readily procured, and result in fewer plies to obtain a desired panel thickness. The critical question is, however, does the consolidated sheet material exhibit the same properties and behaviors as do the consolidated foils? Researchers at NASA Lewis Research Center's Life Prediction Branch completed a detailed experimental investigation to answer this question for three titanium alloys commonly used in metal matrix composite form