Engineering Division USACA– OCTOBER 2009

Confidential Proprietary Information Duplication Prohibited Without Prior Permission

Engineering Division

USACA– OCTOBER 2009


• Established in 1941 as an independent, not-for-profit (501-c-3) center for scientific research and development

• Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama• Revenues of $83 million in 2006• Approximately 560 employees• Organized into three divisions:

– Drug Discovery– Drug Development (pre-clinical)– Engineering

Southern Research



• Main office located in the 82,000 square foot Engineering Research Center

• Locations in Alabama and North Carolina:– Birmingham, Alabama

• (Two locations)– Wilsonville, Alabama– Treyburn, North Carolina

• Four departments:– Systems Development – Mechanics Research– Materials Research– Environment and Energy Research

Engineering Division


• Materials Characterization is the core technology of Southern Research Engineering Division

• Key technical developments date to mid 1950’s– Gas Bearing Tensile (IR100)– 5500ºF (3030°C) furnace for general use – 6500°F (3590°C) furnace for special applications

• Developments driven by high temperature, brittle material applications– Reentry– Planetary reentry– Nuclear– Launch Vehicles– Aeropropulsion

Materials Characterization


Mechanical, Thermal, and Physical Properties Characterization

• Mechanical and Subscale Structural Testing– All Mechanical Test Types, Creep, Fatigue– Cryo (-260°C) to Elevated (3030°C) Temps– Subscale & Static Load Tests– Acoustic Emission and Strain Visualization


Mechanical, Thermal, and Physical Properties Characterization

• Thermal Properties and Analysis Testing– Thermal Conductivity, Expansion, Diffusivity, Specific

Heat, Emissivity– TGA, DSC, DMA

• Physical Properties & NDE– Permeability, Porosity, Chemistry, Microscopy, Moisture

Properties, Density, etc.– Radiography, CT, Ultrasonics, Resistivity, Eddy Current– Mat’l ID, Fingerprinting, Defect Characterization


Durability and Oxidation Characterization

Variable Atmosphere Temperature Pressure (VATP) Facility - (4000 F @ .05 Atm. Air)

Confidential Proprietary Information Duplication Prohibited Without Prior Permission9

Elevated Temperature TN-A/P

Objective: Develop a TN-A/P specimen that will successfully evaluate the elevated temperature across ply tension strength of thin composite plate structures.

Approach: Combine FEA and experimental StudiesThe basic specimen design consists of a disc specimen with two circular slots cut in. The OD is held and the ID is put into compression, causing an annulus shaped section of composite isolated between the slots to experience an across ply tensile stress.


Initial Results – Good Match to Ambient and Reasonable Elevated Temperature Results

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

75 2500 3000

Ulti

mat

e Str

ess (

psi)

Temperature (°F)

ILT Standard

ILT Annulus

Project: 12135.04.01Material: GE C/SiCTemperature: 75 F, 2500 F, 3000 F


Typical Recent SRI Engineering Efforts

• CMC Test Development– CMC Design Methodology– Various Hypersonic Vehicle

Materials Developments– MSFC fiber enhancement

• X-43 (First sustained M10 Flight)– Characterization– Analog (LHMEL, Lab)

• X-37 & STS tile Repair– C-SiC characterization– Durability

• Falcon (w/ DARPA, AF)– Thermal insulation tests– Multiparameter tests– Characterization

• MSFC Enhanced Hypersonic Materials Testing Program

• James Webb Space Telescope– Precision thermal Expansion

• Orbiter TPS– RCC characterization and aging– RCC impact damage and repair

• Venus Lander Thermal Testing

• CEV (Orion)– AVCOAT/PICA– Launch Abort System

• Aries I SRM– Ablative Characterization

• Replacement Materials– Rayon (Lyocell w/ MDA)


Southern Research Engineering Summary

• Leading provider of high-end engineering, testing and evaluation of services to NASA and DOD clients

• Not-for-profit status provides the credibility as independent evaluator and developer of technology platforms

• Flexible and responsive organization that rapidly adapts to changing technology and develops technology for customer needs


• Permeability– Ambient to 3500° F– High Pressure (incl.. H2)– Effect of loads

• Porosity– Hg porosimetry– He Pycnometry– Liquid Absorption

• Microscopy– SEM– Optical

Other Measurement Capabilities


• Thermal Expansion Facilities– NIST Quartz Dilatometers (Cryo to 1800° F)– Horizontal Quartz Dilatometers (Cryo to 1800° F)– Graphite Dilatometers (RT to 5000° F)– Optical Thermal Expansion (RT to 5000° F)– Precision Thermal Expansion (20 K to 400 K)– Ring Thermal Expansion (RT to 5000° F)

• Analog – Simulation Facility– LHMEL (USAF)– Quartz Lamps– Oxyacetylene Torch

• Total Normal Emmissivity -100

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

80

100

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000

Temperature ( °F )

Uni

t The

rmal

Exp

ansi

on (

x 0.

001

in/in

) TE-AP-03 Run: K534-153 Density: 1.7134 gm/cm³

TE-AP-04 Run: K534-154 Density: 1.7093 gm/cm³

Quartz Dilatometer

Red symbols represent data measured after cooling to room temperature

Across Ply Thermal Expansion for Silica Phenolic

Thermal Property Measurements


1/16" THICK ALUMINIM SHEET

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

FREQUENCY (MHz)

MA

GN

ITU

DE

Non-destructive Characterization

• Radiography– Collimated

• Computed tomography• Ultrasonics

– Velocity– Pulse echo– Attenuation

• Electrical resistivity• Eddy current• Metrology

• Defect detection• Material identification• Material fingerprinting• Physical properties


Radiant Facility II

• Infrared heat source by Research, Inc.• Up to 12 x 9” heated area• Up to fifteen 2000 W / 240 V bulbs• Water-cooled, polished aluminum reflector• Capable of temperature or flux control• Data logging with Agilent 34970A and Labview• Horizontal


Thermal Property Measurement Capabilities

Specialized Testing Capabilities

• Cryocoolers for cryogenic properties

• Thermal conductivity under load.

• Vacuum thermal response measurements

SPECIMENEDM GRAPHITEHEARTH GRAPHITEELEMENT GRAPHITEZIRCAR (???)MIN KSTAINLESS STEELCOPPER

10 INCHES

ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TOVACUUMTEMPERATURE OVER 3000 DEGREES (4500)


New Ultrasonic Spectroscopy Technique

Rapidly Swept Wave Entire Waveform Digitized FFT of Sweep Gives Flat Spectrum Bandwidth and Amplitude User Defined

Attenuation as a Function of Frequency Dispersion/Defect Interaction Resonance

N o rm alized In p ut Sp ectrum fo r 0.5 to 2.25 MH z C om p ared to T rad itio nal Bro adb an d In pu t Sp ectrum

0

20

40

60

80

1 00

1 20

1 40

1 60

0 0 .5 1 1 .5 2 2 .5 3

Freq u en cy (M H z)

Rel

ativ

e A

mp

litu

de

SRI Ult rasonicSpectrosco py

Traditio nal Bro adba nd

Ultrasonic Spectroscopy Modes of Interaction


Precision Metrology

• Ordered Scanner– Measures Z height along an X-Y grid– Specular & Diffuse– Multiple systems some using

confocal and some triangulation– 2 mil accuracy

• Portable CMM– 8 foot Ø measurement volume– 1 mil accuracy with hard point probe– 3 mil accuracy with laser line

scanner


• SRI has secure machine shop capability to machine specimens, test hardware and set-ups

• Materials machined include metals, graphites, ceramics, carbon-carbon composites, polymer composites, ceramic composites, metal matrix composites and others

• Machine tools– High-speed CNC, 3 Axis Vertical Machining Center

• X, Y, Z travel = 60, 29,26 inches• 20 tool magazine capacity

– CNC, 3 Axis Turning Center• 10” chuck x 60” center• 12 tool turrent with live tooling

– High-precision lathes (10 – 21” swing)– Wire EDM (Electro Discharge Machining)– Bridgeport milling machines– OD grinders– Full Welding Capabilities– Metal Fabrication Shop

Full Service Machining

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Engineering Division USACA– OCTOBER 2009

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