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Comparative Study of 3-Dimensional Woven Joint Architectures for Composite Spacecraft StructuresThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Exploration Systems Mission Directorate initiated an Advanced Composite Technology (ACT) Project through the Exploration Technology Development Program in order to support the polymer composite needs for future heavy lift launch architectures. As an example, the large composite structural applications on Ares V inspired the evaluation of advanced joining technologies, specifically 3D woven composite joints, which could be applied to segmented barrel structures needed for autoclave cured barrel segments due to autoclave size constraints. Implementation of these 3D woven joint technologies may offer enhancements in damage tolerance without sacrificing weight. However, baseline mechanical performance data is needed to properly analyze the joint stresses and subsequently design/down-select a preform architecture. Six different configurations were designed and prepared for this study; each consisting of a different combination of warp/fill fiber volume ratio and preform interlocking method (Z-fiber, fully interlocked, or hybrid). Tensile testing was performed for this study with the enhancement of a dual camera Digital Image Correlation (DIC) system which provides the capability to measure full-field strains and three dimensional displacements of objects under load. As expected, the ratio of warp/fill fiber has a direct influence on strength and modulus, with higher values measured in the direction of higher fiber volume bias. When comparing the Z-fiber weave to a fully interlocked weave with comparable fiber bias, the Z-fiber weave demonstrated the best performance in two different comparisons. We report the measured tensile strengths and moduli for test coupons from the 6 different weave configurations under study.
Document ID
20110007856
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Jones, Justin S.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Polis, Daniel L.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Rowles, Russell R.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Segal, Kenneth N.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 25, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2011
Subject Category
Spacecraft Design, Testing And Performance
Meeting Information
Meeting: SAMPE-Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering
Location: Long Beach, CA
Country: United States
Start Date: May 22, 2011
End Date: May 26, 2011
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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