An experimental and analytical investigation of the rail shear-test method as applied to composite materials

This report presents the results from an experimental and analytical investigation of the stress distributions occurring in a rail shear test. The effects of nonuniform stresses induced by differential thermal expansion, rail flexibility and specimen aspect ratio on measured shear modulus and ultimate strength of composite laminates are shown. A two-dimensional linearly elastic finite-element model was used to analytically determine how various geometric parameters influenced the magnitude and distribution of inplane normal and shear stresses in a tensile-rail-shear specimen. Rail shear tests were conducted at room temperature and 589 K (600°F) on selected graphite-polyimide composite laminates using two titanium rail configurations. The analysis and test methods are discussed, and the results of the effects of the various parameters on shear modulus and ultimate strength are presented.     

Response of circular clamped plates to square-wave stress pulses

An account is given of an experimental investigation of the reeponse of clamped circular mild-steel plates of various thicknesses subjected to rectangular stress pulses over a small circular region. The stress pulses were transmitted to the plates through a 1/2-in.-diam shock bar and the strain-time responses of the plates were measured. The stress-wave interactions between the bar and the plates were measured for a number of thicknesses and the effect of the applied stress on the extent of the plastic deformation was determined. It was found that the elastic response was accurately predicted by the theory of Sneddon and the plastic response behaved according to a simple modification of this theory. The interaction between the stress pulse and plates of various thickness was theoretically predicted and found to be in excellent agreement with experimental measurements. The final plate deflections were theoretically predicted using a rigid viscoplastic theory and was in substantial agreement with the data. From this theory, the data were analyzed to determine the visco-plastic constant or relaxation time of the material. It is proposed that this testing arrangement is a suitable and convenient method for determining dynamic yield properties under biaxial-loading conditions.     

A unified theory of thermoviscoplasticity of crystalline solids

A unified theory of thermoviscoplasticity of crystalline solids is presented. In particular it is shown that a thermodynamics for ‘viscoplastic’ materials can be accommodated within the framework of modern mechanics of materials with memory. The basic physical concepts are derived from the consideration of dislocation behaviour of crystalline solids. Relationships of the present approach to several of the existing theories of plasticity are examined.     

The diffractographic strain gage

A method for measuring strain using diffraction of light from a single aperture is described, and results of a comparison tensile test with an electrical-resistance strain gage are presented. The “diffractographic strain gage” is shown to have high sensitivity, linearity, accuracy and temperature compensation and the ability to operate in a variety of hostile environments. It is furthermore simple, inexpensive, and the data can be collected by eye without assistance from further instrumentation.     

The impact of high order refraction on optical microbubble sizing in multiphase flows

High order refractions have been found to have a great impact on optical particle sizing using phase-Doppler anemometry (PDA) especially when the relative refractive index of the media is less than one. The high order refractions cannot be neglected because of the differences in spatial frequencies and motion directions of each order. A model of phase-size correlation is proposed that considers these high order refractions. By using the conversion factors of the high order refractions, the particle diameter can be determined. The capability of the newly developed method was evaluated by using generalized Lorenz Mie theory (GLMT), which was validated by experiments. The results of the simulation and experiments are compared with those based on the conventional method. An optimization method for accurately sizing air bubbles in water has been suggested.     

Gas flow in cylindrical capillaries under intermediate conditions

At present, there are sufficient solutions of the problem of free-molecular gas flow through a short cylindrical channel, for example, [1–3]. In intermediate flow conditions, for Knudsen number Kn 1, solutions have been obtained for the limiting cases: an infinitely long channel [4] and a channel of zero length (an aperture) [5]. However, no solution is known for short channels for Kn 1. The present work reports a calculation by the Monte Carlo method of the macroscopic characteristics of the gas flow through a short cylindrical channel (for various length—radius ratios), taking into account intermolecular collisions.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 187–190, January–February, 1977.     

Relaxation and none quilibrium radiation behind shock waves in air

This article discusses relaxation behind shock waves in air at velocities from 8 to 12 km/sec. Profiles are obtained for the parameters of the gas behind the front. The populations of the radiating states of the atoms and the molecules are calculated. In a number of spectral ranges the intensity of the radiation passes through a maximum exceeding the equilibrium level. A comparison is made with experimental data obtained in shock tubes. The radiant heat fluxes from the relaxation zone are calculated. The contribution of this radiation to the radiative heating of blunt bodies with flow around them at hypersonic velocities is evaluated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza., No. 4, pp. 161–174, July–August, 1970.The authors thank their co-workers in the High Temperature Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, above all, L. M. Biberman, V. S. Vorob'ev, A. N. Larar'kov, and G. É. Norman for their valuable evaluations and for their interest in the work.     

Strain analysis for moiré interferometry using the two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform

In this paper, we introduce the two-dimensional continuous wavelet transform for the automated strain analysis of the moiré interference fringe pattern. The Fourier transform method has been widely used for automated analysis of an optical interference fringe pattern. However, this method is hardly applicable to the analysis of the fringe pattern, which includes large displacement range or discontinuities. We show the advantages of the wavelet transform method by applying it to experimental results on composite laminates.     

Diffraction and re-initiation of detonations behind a backward-facing step

Diffraction phenomena of gaseous detonation waves behind a backward-facing step in a tube are observed by using high-speed schlieren photography and soot-track records as well as by pressure measurements on the sidewall. Mixtures are stoichiometric oxyhydrogen and those diluted by argon at sub-atmospheric pressures. Three types of phenomena are observed, that is, continuous propagation of detonation, re-initiation after a temporal extinction of detonation and complete extinction of detonation. The continuous propagation means that the diffracted wave does not affect the main propagation although reflected shock waves from the bottom surface of the tube may affect it. The re-initiation occurs at a wall surface of the tube behind a reflected shock wave after the main detonation wave has been extinguished. Positions and conditions of the re-initiation are discussed. The complete extinction is defined as disappearance of detonation cells behind the step within a certain length of the tube. Cases exist where an ignition occurs after several reflections off the bottom and top surface of the tube.