Composite Interlaminar Shear Fracture Toughness, G(sub 2c): Shear Measurement of Sheer Myth?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

OBrien, T. Kevin

1997-01-01

The concept of G2c as a measure of the interlaminar shear fracture toughness of a composite material is critically examined. In particular, it is argued that the apparent G2c as typically measured is inconsistent with the original definition of shear fracture. It is shown that interlaminar shear failure actually consists of tension failures in the resin rich layers between plies followed by the coalescence of ligaments created by these failures and not the sliding of two planes relative to one another that is assumed in fracture mechanics theory. Several strain energy release rate solutions are reviewed for delamination in composite laminates and structural components where failures have been experimentally documented. Failures typically occur at a location where the mode 1 component accounts for at least one half of the total G at failure. Hence, it is the mode I and mixed-mode interlaminar fracture toughness data that will be most useful in predicting delamination failure in composite components in service. Although apparent G2c measurements may prove useful for completeness of generating mixed-mode criteria, the accuracy of these measurements may have very little influence on the prediction of mixed-mode failures in most structural components.

Failure of Non-Circular Composite Cylinders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hyer, M. W.

2004-01-01

In this study, a progressive failure analysis is used to investigate leakage in internally pressurized non-circular composite cylinders. This type of approach accounts for the localized loss of stiffness when material failure occurs at some location in a structure by degrading the local material elastic properties by a certain factor. The manner in which this degradation of material properties takes place depends on the failure modes, which are determined by the application of a failure criterion. The finite-element code STAGS, which has the capability to perform progressive failure analysis using different degradation schemes and failure criteria, is utilized to analyze laboratory scale, graphite-epoxy, elliptical cylinders with quasi-isotropic, circumferentially-stiff, and axially-stiff material orthotropies. The results are divided into two parts. The first part shows that leakage, which is assumed to develop if there is material failure in every layer at some axial and circumferential location within the cylinder, does not occur without failure of fibers. Moreover before fibers begin to fail, only matrix tensile failures, or matrix cracking, takes place, and at least one layer in all three cylinders studied remain uncracked, preventing the formation of a leakage path. That determination is corroborated by the use of different degradation schemes and various failure criteria. Among the degradation schemes investigated are the degradation of different engineering properties, the use of various degradation factors, the recursive or non-recursive degradation of the engineering properties, and the degradation of material properties using different computational approaches. The failure criteria used in the analysis include the noninteractive maximum stress criterion and the interactive Hashin and Tsai-Wu criteria. The second part of the results shows that leakage occurs due to a combination of matrix tensile and compressive, fiber tensile and compressive, and inplane shear failure modes in all three cylinders. Leakage develops after a relatively low amount of fiber damage, at about the same pressure for three material orthotropies, and at approximately the same location.

Practical Implementation of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis for Safety and Efficiency in Stereotactic Radiosurgery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Younge, Kelly Cooper, E-mail: kyounge@med.umich.edu; Wang, Yizhen; Thompson, John

2015-04-01

Purpose: To improve the safety and efficiency of a new stereotactic radiosurgery program with the application of failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) performed by a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals. Methods and Materials: Representatives included physicists, therapists, dosimetrists, oncologists, and administrators. A detailed process tree was created from an initial high-level process tree to facilitate the identification of possible failure modes. Group members were asked to determine failure modes that they considered to be the highest risk before scoring failure modes. Risk priority numbers (RPNs) were determined by each group member individually and then averaged. Results: A totalmore » of 99 failure modes were identified. The 5 failure modes with an RPN above 150 were further analyzed to attempt to reduce these RPNs. Only 1 of the initial items that the group presumed to be high-risk (magnetic resonance imaging laterality reversed) was ranked in these top 5 items. New process controls were put in place to reduce the severity, occurrence, and detectability scores for all of the top 5 failure modes. Conclusions: FMEA is a valuable team activity that can assist in the creation or restructuring of a quality assurance program with the aim of improved safety, quality, and efficiency. Performing the FMEA helped group members to see how they fit into the bigger picture of the program, and it served to reduce biases and preconceived notions about which elements of the program were the riskiest.« less

Matrix Dominated Failure of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Laminates Under Static and Dynamic Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, Joseph Daniel

Hierarchical material systems provide the unique opportunity to connect material knowledge to solving specific design challenges. Representing the quickest growing class of hierarchical materials in use, fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPCs) offer superior strength and stiffness-to-weight ratios, damage tolerance, and decreasing production costs compared to metals and alloys. However, the implementation of FRPCs has historically been fraught with inadequate knowledge of the material failure behavior due to incomplete verification of recent computational constitutive models and improper (or non-existent) experimental validation, which has severely slowed creation and development. Noted by the recent Materials Genome Initiative and the Worldwide Failure Exercise, current state of the art qualification programs endure a 20 year gap between material conceptualization and implementation due to the lack of effective partnership between computational coding (simulation) and experimental characterization. Qualification processes are primarily experiment driven; the anisotropic nature of composites predisposes matrix-dominant properties to be sensitive to strain rate, which necessitates extensive testing. To decrease the qualification time, a framework that practically combines theoretical prediction of material failure with limited experimental validation is required. In this work, the Northwestern Failure Theory (NU Theory) for composite lamina is presented as the theoretical basis from which the failure of unidirectional and multidirectional composite laminates is investigated. From an initial experimental characterization of basic lamina properties, the NU Theory is employed to predict the matrix-dependent failure of composites under any state of biaxial stress from quasi-static to 1000 s-1 strain rates. It was found that the number of experiments required to characterize the strain-rate-dependent failure of a new composite material was reduced by an order of magnitude, and the resulting strain-rate-dependence was applicable for a large class of materials. The presented framework provides engineers with the capability to quickly identify fiber and matrix combinations for a given application and determine the failure behavior over the range of practical loadings cases. The failure-mode-based NU Theory may be especially useful when partnered with computational approaches (which often employ micromechanics to determine constituent and constitutive response) to provide accurate validation of the matrix-dominated failure modes experienced by laminates during progressive failure.

Fractography can be used to analyze failure modes in polytetrafluoroethylene

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nerren, B. H.

1969-01-01

Fractographic principles used for analyzing failure in metals are applied to the analysis of the microstructure and fracture of polytetrafluoroethylene. This material is used as seals in cryogenic systems.

Test and Analysis of Sub-Components of Aluminum-Lithium Alloy Cylinders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haynie, Waddy T.; Chunchu, Prasad B.; Satyanarayana, Arunkumar; Hilburger, Mark W.; Smith, Russell W.

2012-01-01

Integrally machined blade-stiffened panels subjected to an axial compressive load were tested and analyzed to observe the buckling, crippling, and postcrippling response of the panels. The panels were fabricated from aluminum-lithium alloys 2195 and 2050, and both alloys have reduced material properties in the short transverse material direction. The tests were designed to capture a failure mode characterized by the stiffener separating from the panel in the postbuckling range. This failure mode is attributed to the reduced properties in the short transverse direction. Full-field measurements of displacements and strains using three-dimensional digital image correlation systems and local measurements using strain gages were used to capture the deformation of the panel leading up to the failure of the panel for specimens fabricated from 2195. High-speed cameras were used to capture the initiation of the failure. Finite element models were developed using an isotropic strain-hardening material model. Good agreement was observed between the measured and predicted responses for both alloys.

A structured analysis of in vitro failure loads and failure modes of fiber, metal, and ceramic post-and-core systems.

PubMed

Fokkinga, Wietske A; Kreulen, Cees M; Vallittu, Pekka K; Creugers, Nico H J

2004-01-01

This study sought to aggregate literature data on in vitro failure loads and failure modes of prefabricated fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) post systems and to compare them to those of prefabricated metal, custom-cast, and ceramic post systems. The literature was searched using MEDLINE from 1984 to 2003 for dental articles in English. Keywords used were (post or core or buildup or dowel) and (teeth or tooth). Additional inclusion/exclusion steps were conducted, each step by two independent readers: (1) Abstracts describing post-and-core techniques to reconstruct endodontically treated teeth and their mechanical and physical characteristics were included (descriptive studies or reviews were excluded); (2) articles that included FRC post systems were selected; (3) in vitro studies, single-rooted human teeth, prefabricated FRC posts, and composite as the core material were the selection criteria; and (4) failure loads and modes were extracted from the selected papers, and failure modes were dichotomized (distinction was made between "favorable failures," defined as reparable failures, and "unfavorable failures,"defined as irreparable [root] fractures). The literature search revealed 1,984 abstracts. Included were 244, 42, and 12 articles in the first, second, and third selection steps, respectively. Custom-cast post systems showed higher failure loads than prefabricated FRC post systems, whereas ceramic showed lower failure loads. Significantly more favorable failures occurred with prefabricated FRC post systems than with prefabricated and custom-cast metal post systems. The variable "post system" had a significant effect on mean failure loads. FRC post systems more frequently showed favorable failure modes than did metal post systems.

EVALUATION OF SAFETY IN A RADIATION ONCOLOGY SETTING USING FAILURE MODE AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS

PubMed Central

Ford, Eric C.; Gaudette, Ray; Myers, Lee; Vanderver, Bruce; Engineer, Lilly; Zellars, Richard; Song, Danny Y.; Wong, John; DeWeese, Theodore L.

2013-01-01

Purpose Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a widely used tool for prospectively evaluating safety and reliability. We report our experiences in applying FMEA in the setting of radiation oncology. Methods and Materials We performed an FMEA analysis for our external beam radiation therapy service, which consisted of the following tasks: (1) create a visual map of the process, (2) identify possible failure modes; assign risk probability numbers (RPN) to each failure mode based on tabulated scores for the severity, frequency of occurrence, and detectability, each on a scale of 1 to 10; and (3) identify improvements that are both feasible and effective. The RPN scores can span a range of 1 to 1000, with higher scores indicating the relative importance of a given failure mode. Results Our process map consisted of 269 different nodes. We identified 127 possible failure modes with RPN scores ranging from 2 to 160. Fifteen of the top-ranked failure modes were considered for process improvements, representing RPN scores of 75 and more. These specific improvement suggestions were incorporated into our practice with a review and implementation by each department team responsible for the process. Conclusions The FMEA technique provides a systematic method for finding vulnerabilities in a process before they result in an error. The FMEA framework can naturally incorporate further quantification and monitoring. A general-use system for incident and near miss reporting would be useful in this regard. PMID:19409731

Experimental Investigation on the Joining of Aluminum Alloy Sheets Using Improved Clinching Process.

PubMed

Chen, Chao; Zhao, Shengdun; Han, Xiaolan; Zhao, Xuzhe; Ishida, Tohru

2017-08-01

Aluminum alloy sheets have been widely used to build the thin-walled structures by mechanical clinching technology in recent years. However, there is an exterior protrusion located on the lower sheet and a pit on the upper sheet, which may restrict the application of the clinching technology in visible areas. In the present study, an improved clinched joint used to join aluminum alloy sheets was investigated by experimental method. The improved clinching process used for joining aluminum alloy evolves through four phases: (a) localized deformation; (b) drawing; (c) backward extrusion; and (d) mechanical interlock forming. A flat surface can be produced using the improved clinching process. Shearing strength, tensile strength, material flow, main geometrical parameters, and failure mode of the improved clinched joint were investigated. The sheet material was compressed to flow radially and upward using a punch, which generated a mechanical interlock by producing severe localized plastic deformation. The neck thickness and interlock of the improved clinched joint were increased by increasing the forming force, which also contributed to increase the strength of the clinched joint. The improved clinched joint can get high shearing strength and tensile strength. Three main failure modes were observed in the failure process, which were neck fracture mode, button separation mode, and mixed failure mode. The improved clinched joint has better joining quality to join aluminum alloy sheets on the thin-walled structures.

Experimental Investigation on the Joining of Aluminum Alloy Sheets Using Improved Clinching Process

PubMed Central

Chen, Chao; Zhao, Shengdun; Han, Xiaolan; Zhao, Xuzhe; Ishida, Tohru

2017-01-01

Aluminum alloy sheets have been widely used to build the thin-walled structures by mechanical clinching technology in recent years. However, there is an exterior protrusion located on the lower sheet and a pit on the upper sheet, which may restrict the application of the clinching technology in visible areas. In the present study, an improved clinched joint used to join aluminum alloy sheets was investigated by experimental method. The improved clinching process used for joining aluminum alloy evolves through four phases: (a) localized deformation; (b) drawing; (c) backward extrusion; and (d) mechanical interlock forming. A flat surface can be produced using the improved clinching process. Shearing strength, tensile strength, material flow, main geometrical parameters, and failure mode of the improved clinched joint were investigated. The sheet material was compressed to flow radially and upward using a punch, which generated a mechanical interlock by producing severe localized plastic deformation. The neck thickness and interlock of the improved clinched joint were increased by increasing the forming force, which also contributed to increase the strength of the clinched joint. The improved clinched joint can get high shearing strength and tensile strength. Three main failure modes were observed in the failure process, which were neck fracture mode, button separation mode, and mixed failure mode. The improved clinched joint has better joining quality to join aluminum alloy sheets on the thin-walled structures. PMID:28763027

Notch strengthening or weakening governed by transition of shear failure to normal mode fracture

PubMed Central

Lei, Xianqi; Li, Congling; Shi, Xinghua; Xu, Xianghong; Wei, Yujie

2015-01-01

It is generally observed that the existence of geometrical discontinuity like notches in materials will lead to strength weakening, as a resultant of local stress concentration. By comparing the influence of notches to the strength of three typical materials, aluminum alloys with intermediate tensile ductility, metallic glasses with no tensile ductility, and brittle ceramics, we observed strengthening in aluminum alloys and metallic glasses: Tensile strength of the net section in circumferentially notched cylinders increases with the constraint quantified by the ratio of notch depth over notch root radius; in contrast, the ceramic exhibit notch weakening. The strengthening in the former two is due to resultant deformation transition: Shear failure occurs in intact samples while samples with deep notches break in normal mode fracture. No such deformation transition was observed in the ceramic, and stress concentration leads to its notch weakening. The experimental results are confirmed by theoretical analyses and numerical simulation. The results reported here suggest that the conventional criterion to use brittleness and/or ductility to differentiate notch strengthening or weakening is not physically sound. Notch strengthening or weakening relies on the existence of failure mode transition and materials exhibiting shear failure while subjected to tension will notch strengthen. PMID:26022892

Mechanism of electromigration failure in Damascene processed copper interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Michael, Nancy Lyn

2002-11-01

A major unresolved issue in Cu interconnect reliability is the interface role in the failure mechanism of real structures. The present study investigates failure in single-level damascene Cu interconnects with variations in interface condition, passivation and barrier, and linewidth. In the first phase, accelerated electromigration testing of 0.25mum Cu interconnects capped with SiN or SiCN, shows that lifetime and failure mode vary with capping layer. The first mode, seen primarily in SiN samples, is characterized by gradual resistance increase and extensive interface damage, believed to result from failure led by interface electromigration. The competing failure mode, found in SiCN capped samples, is characterized by abrupt resistance increase and localized voiding. The second phase fixes SiCN as the capping material and varies barrier material and line width. The three barrier materials, Ta, TaN, and Ta/TaN, produce similar lifetime statistics and failure is abrupt. Line width, however, does have a strong influence on failure time. The line width/grain size ratio ranged from 0.53 to 2.2 but does not correlate with mean time to failure (MTF). The strong dependence on interface fraction, combined with the conclusion from phase one that interface electromigration is not rate controlling, suggests another mechanism related to the interface is a controlling factor. The possibility that contamination and defects at the interface are key to this failure mode was investigated using electro-thermal fatigue (ETF). In ETF, where lines are simultaneously subjected to thermal cycling and constant current, damage caused by thermal stress is accelerated. Tests reveal that in 80 nm lines, transient failure occurs at times far below MTF in electromigration tests at higher temperatures. Failure found in ETF is clearly a result of damage growth due to thermal/mechanical stress rather than electromigration. At the stress levels created by the moderate ETF test conditions, the only place voids are likely to nucleate and grow is at pre-existing defects and impurities. In narrower lines, where smaller voids can cause catastrophic damage, defects have a greater effect on MTF. Results from this investigation suggest that impurities and defects in the Cu and at the interface, must be carefully controlled to make reliable narrow Cu interconnects.

Interface failure modes explain non-monotonic size-dependent mechanical properties in bioinspired nanolaminates.

PubMed

Song, Z Q; Ni, Y; Peng, L M; Liang, H Y; He, L H

2016-03-31

Bioinspired discontinuous nanolaminate design becomes an efficient way to mitigate the strength-ductility tradeoff in brittle materials via arresting the crack at the interface followed by controllable interface failure. The analytical solution and numerical simulation based on the nonlinear shear-lag model indicates that propagation of the interface failure can be unstable or stable when the interfacial shear stress between laminae is uniform or highly localized, respectively. A dimensionless key parameter defined by the ratio of two characteristic lengths governs the transition between the two interface-failure modes, which can explain the non-monotonic size-dependent mechanical properties observed in various laminate composites.

A thermomechanical constitutive model for cemented granular materials with quantifiable internal variables. Part II - Validation and localization analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Arghya; Tengattini, Alessandro; Nguyen, Giang D.; Viggiani, Gioacchino; Hall, Stephen A.; Einav, Itai

2014-10-01

We study the mechanical failure of cemented granular materials (e.g., sandstones) using a constitutive model based on breakage mechanics for grain crushing and damage mechanics for cement fracture. The theoretical aspects of this model are presented in Part I: Tengattini et al. (2014), A thermomechanical constitutive model for cemented granular materials with quantifiable internal variables, Part I - Theory (Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 10.1016/j.jmps.2014.05.021). In this Part II we investigate the constitutive and structural responses of cemented granular materials through analyses of Boundary Value Problems (BVPs). The multiple failure mechanisms captured by the proposed model enable the behavior of cemented granular rocks to be well reproduced for a wide range of confining pressures. Furthermore, through comparison of the model predictions and experimental data, the micromechanical basis of the model provides improved understanding of failure mechanisms of cemented granular materials. In particular, we show that grain crushing is the predominant inelastic deformation mechanism under high pressures while cement failure is the relevant mechanism at low pressures. Over an intermediate pressure regime a mixed mode of failure mechanisms is observed. Furthermore, the micromechanical roots of the model allow the effects on localized deformation modes of various initial microstructures to be studied. The results obtained from both the constitutive responses and BVP solutions indicate that the proposed approach and model provide a promising basis for future theoretical studies on cemented granular materials.

Comparative Evaluation of Shear Bond Strength of Three Commercially Available Glass Ionomer Cements in Primary Teeth

PubMed Central

Murthy, S Srinivasa; Murthy, Gargi S

2015-01-01

Background: This study aims to comparatively evaluate the shear bond strength (SBS) of three commercially available glass ionomer cements - Miracle Mix (MM) (GC America Inc., Alsip, USA), Ketac Molar (KM) (3M Corp., Minnesota, USA) and amalgomer CR (AM) (Advanced Healthcare Ltd., Kent, England) in primary teeth and later examine the mode of the adhesive failure at the interface. Materials and Methods: Totally, 90 extracted sound primary molars were selected, and dentin on the buccal surface of crowns was exposed. Specimens were randomly assigned into three groups according to the restorative materials being tested. SBS tests were performed, and the obtained values were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey tests (P < 0.05). SBS mean values on were recorded in megapascals (MPa) and the mode of failure was assessed using a scanning electron microscope. Results: SBS (in MPa) was - MM-5.39, KM-4.84, AM-6.38. The predominant failure mode was cohesive. Conclusion: Amalgomer CR exhibited statistically significant higher SBS of 6.38 MPa to primary teeth and has better adhesion to the primary teeth compared to the other test materials and can be considered as a restorative material in pediatric dentistry. However, the results of this study should be corroborated with further investigation to reach a definitive conclusion. PMID:26464550

Materials testing of the IUS techroll seal material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nichols, R. L.; Hall, W. B.

1984-01-01

As a part of the investigation of the control system failure Inertial Upper Stage on IUS-1 flight to position a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) in geosynchronous orbit, the materials utilized in the techroll seal are evaluated for possible failure models. Studies undertaken included effect of temperature on the strength of the system, effect of fatigue on the strength of the system, thermogravimetric analysis, thermomechanical analysis, differential scanning calorimeter analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, and peel test. The most likely failure mode is excessive temperature in the seal. In addition, the seal material is susceptible to fatigue damage which could be a contributing factor.

Failure mode analysis of silicon-based intracortical microelectrode arrays in non-human primates

PubMed Central

Barrese, James C; Rao, Naveen; Paroo, Kaivon; Triebwasser, Corey; Vargas-Irwin, Carlos; Franquemont, Lachlan; Donoghue, John P

2016-01-01

Objective Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) using chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have the potential to restore lost function to people with disabilities if they work reliably for years. Current sensors fail to provide reliably useful signals over extended periods of time for reasons that are not clear. This study reports a comprehensive retrospective analysis from a large set of implants of a single type of intracortical MEA in a single species, with a common set of measures in order to evaluate failure modes. Approach Since 1996, 78 silicon MEAs were implanted in 27 monkeys (Macaca mulatta). We used two approaches to find reasons for sensor failure. First, we classified the time course leading up to complete recording failure as acute (abrupt) or chronic (progressive). Second, we evaluated the quality of electrode recordings over time based on signal features and electrode impedance. Failure modes were divided into four categories: biological, material, mechanical, and unknown. Main results Recording duration ranged from 0 to 2104 days (5.75 years), with a mean of 387 days and a median of 182 days (n = 78). Sixty-two arrays failed completely with a mean time to failure of 332 days (median = 133 days) while nine array experiments were electively terminated for experimental reasons (mean = 486 days). Seven remained active at the close of this study (mean = 753 days). Most failures (56%) occurred within a year of implantation, with acute mechanical failures the most common class (48%), largely because of connector issues (83%). Among grossly observable biological failures (24%), a progressive meningeal reaction that separated the array from the parenchyma was most prevalent (14.5%). In the absence of acute interruptions, electrode recordings showed a slow progressive decline in spike amplitude, noise amplitude, and number of viable channels that predicts complete signal loss by about eight years. Impedance measurements showed systematic early increases, which did not appear to affect recording quality, followed by a slow decline over years. The combination of slowly falling impedance and signal quality in these arrays indicate that insulating material failure is the most significant factor. Significance This is the first long-term failure mode analysis of an emerging BCI technology in a large series of non-human primates. The classification system introduced here may be used to standardize how neuroprosthetic failure modes are evaluated. The results demonstrate the potential for these arrays to record for many years, but achieving reliable sensors will require replacing connectors with implantable wireless systems, controlling the meningeal reaction, and improving insulation materials. These results will focus future research in order to create clinical neuroprosthetic sensors, as well as valuable research tools, that are able to safely provide reliable neural signals for over a decade. PMID:24216311

Failure mode analysis of silicon-based intracortical microelectrode arrays in non-human primates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrese, James C.; Rao, Naveen; Paroo, Kaivon; Triebwasser, Corey; Vargas-Irwin, Carlos; Franquemont, Lachlan; Donoghue, John P.

2013-12-01

Objective. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) using chronically implanted intracortical microelectrode arrays (MEAs) have the potential to restore lost function to people with disabilities if they work reliably for years. Current sensors fail to provide reliably useful signals over extended periods of time for reasons that are not clear. This study reports a comprehensive retrospective analysis from a large set of implants of a single type of intracortical MEA in a single species, with a common set of measures in order to evaluate failure modes. Approach. Since 1996, 78 silicon MEAs were implanted in 27 monkeys (Macaca mulatta). We used two approaches to find reasons for sensor failure. First, we classified the time course leading up to complete recording failure as acute (abrupt) or chronic (progressive). Second, we evaluated the quality of electrode recordings over time based on signal features and electrode impedance. Failure modes were divided into four categories: biological, material, mechanical, and unknown. Main results. Recording duration ranged from 0 to 2104 days (5.75 years), with a mean of 387 days and a median of 182 days (n = 78). Sixty-two arrays failed completely with a mean time to failure of 332 days (median = 133 days) while nine array experiments were electively terminated for experimental reasons (mean = 486 days). Seven remained active at the close of this study (mean = 753 days). Most failures (56%) occurred within a year of implantation, with acute mechanical failures the most common class (48%), largely because of connector issues (83%). Among grossly observable biological failures (24%), a progressive meningeal reaction that separated the array from the parenchyma was most prevalent (14.5%). In the absence of acute interruptions, electrode recordings showed a slow progressive decline in spike amplitude, noise amplitude, and number of viable channels that predicts complete signal loss by about eight years. Impedance measurements showed systematic early increases, which did not appear to affect recording quality, followed by a slow decline over years. The combination of slowly falling impedance and signal quality in these arrays indicates that insulating material failure is the most significant factor. Significance. This is the first long-term failure mode analysis of an emerging BCI technology in a large series of non-human primates. The classification system introduced here may be used to standardize how neuroprosthetic failure modes are evaluated. The results demonstrate the potential for these arrays to record for many years, but achieving reliable sensors will require replacing connectors with implantable wireless systems, controlling the meningeal reaction, and improving insulation materials. These results will focus future research in order to create clinical neuroprosthetic sensors, as well as valuable research tools, that are able to safely provide reliable neural signals for over a decade.

Experimental investigation of the crashworthiness of scaled composite sailplane fuselages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kampf, Karl-Peter; Crawley, Edward F.; Hansman, R. John, Jr.

1989-01-01

The crash dynamics and energy absorption of composite sailplane fuselage segments undergoing nose-down impact were investigated. More than 10 quarter-scale structurally similar test articles, typical of high-performance sailplane designs, were tested. Fuselages segments were fabricated of combinations of fiberglass, graphite, Kevlar, and Spectra fabric materials. Quasistatic and dynamic tests were conducted. The quasistatic tests were found to replicate the strain history and failure modes observed in the dynamic tests. Failure modes of the quarter-scale model were qualitatively compared with full-scale crash evidence and quantitatively compared with current design criteria. By combining material and structural improvements, substantial increases in crashworthiness were demonstrated.

Micromechanics of compression failures in open hole composite laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guynn, E. Gail; Bradley, Walter L.

1987-01-01

The high strength-to-weight ratio of composite materials is ideally suited for aerospace applications where they already are used in commercial and military aircraft secondary structures and will soon be used for heavily loaded primary structures. One area impeding the widespread application of composites is their inherent weakness in compressive strength when compared to the tensile properties of the same material. Furthermore, these airframe designs typically contain many bolted or riveted joints, as well as electrical and hydraulic control lines. These applications produce areas of stress concentration, and thus, further complicate the compression failure problem. Open hole compression failures which represent a typical failure mode for composite materials are addressed.

Failure behavior of glass ionomer cement under Hertzian indentation.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Darvell, B W

2008-09-01

To investigate the load-bearing capacity and failure mode of various types of glass ionomer cement (GIC) under Hertzian indentation, exploring the relationship between the failure behavior and formulation, and examining claims of filler-reinforcement of GIC. Discs 2mm thick, 10mm diameter, 8-18 replicates, were fabricated for two filler-reinforced GICs, four unmodified and unreinforced GICs, and four resin-modified GICs, with a dental silver amalgam and a filled-resin restorative material for comparison. Testing was at 23 degrees C, wet, after 7d storage at 37 degrees C in artificial saliva at pH 6, using a 20mm diameter hard steel ball and filled-nylon substrate (E: 10GPa). First failure was detected acoustically; mode was determined visually. At least 1/3 of specimens in each case were examined under scanning electronic microscope for corroboration. Reinforced and unmodified-unreinforced GICs were indistinguishable by failure load (one-way analysis of variance, P=0.425, overall 260+/-70N) and mode. Failure loads for resin-modified GICs were 360-1150N, amalgam approximately 680N, and filled resin approximately 1200N. Resin-modified GICs tended to be tougher (incomplete fracture), all others gave complete fracture (radial cracking). The stronger materials (two resin-modified GICs and filled resin) showed some cone cracking. While resin-modified GICs showed various extents of increase of failure load over that of the plain GICs, consistent with the hybrid chemistry, filler-reinforcement was not evident for the two claimed products, consistent with structural and theoretical expectations.

Analysis of Factors Affecting the Performance of RLV Thrust Cell Liners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, Steven M. (Technical Monitor); Butler, Daniel T., Jr.; Pinders, Marek-Jerzy

2004-01-01

The reusable launch vehicle (RLV) thrust cell liner, or thrust chamber, is a critical component of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). It is designed to operate in some of the most severe conditions seen in engineering practice. This requirement, in conjunction with experimentally observed 'dog-house' failure modes characterized by bulging and thinning of the cooling channel wall, provides the motivation to study the factors that influence RLV thrust cell liner performance. Factors or parameters believed to be directly related to the observed characteristic deformation modes leading to failure under in-service loading conditions are identified, and subsequently investigated using the cylindrical version of the higher-order theory for functionally graded materials in conjunction with the Robinson's unified viscoplasticity theory and the power-law creep model for modeling the response of the liner s constituents. Configurations are analyzed in which specific modifications in cooling channel wall thickness or constituent materials are made to determine the influence of these parameters on the deformations resulting in the observed failure modes in the outer walls of the cooling channel. The application of thermal barrier coatings and functional grading are also investigated within this context. Comparison of the higher-order theory results based on the Robinson and power-law creep model predictions has demonstrated that, using the available material parameters, the power-law creep model predicts more precisely the experimentally observed deformation leading to the 'dog-house' failure mode for multiple short cycles, while also providing much improved computational efficiency. However, for a single long cycle, both models predict virtually identical deformations. Increasing the power-law creep model coefficients produces appreciable deformations after just one long cycle that would normally be obtained after multiple cycles, thereby enhancing the efficiency of the analysis. This provides a basis for the development of an accelerated modeling procedure to further characterize dog-house deformation modes in RLV thrust cell liners. Additionally, the results presented herein have demonstrated that the mechanism responsible for deformation leading to 'dog-house' failure modes is driven by pressure, creep/relaxation and geometric effects.

Unitized Stiffened Composite Textile Panels: Manufacturing, Characterization, Experiments, and Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosztowny, Cyrus Joseph Robert

Use of carbon fiber textiles in complex manufacturing methods creates new implementations of structural components by increasing performance, lowering manufacturing costs, and making composites overall more attractive across industry. Advantages of textile composites include high area output, ease of handling during the manufacturing process, lower production costs per material used resulting from automation, and provide post-manufacturing assembly mainstreaming because significantly more complex geometries such as stiffened shell structures can be manufactured with fewer pieces. One significant challenge with using stiffened composite structures is stiffener separation under compression. Axial compression loading conditions have frequently observed catastrophic structural failure due to stiffeners separating from the shell skin. Characterizing stiffener separation behavior is often costly computationally and experimentally. The objectives of this research are to demonstrate unitized stiffened textile composite panels can be manufactured to produce quality test specimens, that existing characterization techniques applied to state-of-the-art high-performance composites provide valuable information in modeling such structures, that the unitized structure concept successfully removes stiffener separation as a primary structural failure mode, and that modeling textile material failure modes are sufficient to accurately capture postbuckling and final failure responses of the stiffened structures. The stiffened panels in this study have taken the integrally stiffened concept to an extent such that the stiffeners and skin are manufactured at the same time, as one single piece, and from the same composite textile layers. Stiffener separation is shown to be removed as a primary structural failure mode for unitized stiffened composite textile panels loaded under axial compression well into the postbuckling regime. Instead of stiffener separation, a material damaging and failure model effectively captures local post-peak material response via incorporating a mesoscale model using a multiscaling framework with a smeared crack element-based failure model in the macroscale stiffened panel. Material damage behavior is characterized by simple experimental tests and incorporated into the post-peak stiffness degradation law in the smeared crack implementation. Computational modeling results are in overall excellent agreement compared to the experimental responses.

Interfacial characterization of flexible hybrid electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Najafian, Sara; Amirkhizi, Alireza V.; Stapleton, Scott

2018-03-01

Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHEs) are the new generation of electronics combining flexible plastic film substrates with electronic devices. Besides the electrical features, design improvements of FHEs depend on the prediction of their mechanical and failure behavior. Debonding of electronic components from the flexible substrate is one of the most common and critical failures of these devices, therefore, the experimental determination of material and interface properties is of great importance in the prediction of failure mechanisms. Traditional interface characterization involves isolated shear and normal mode tests such as the double cantilever beam (DCB) and end notch flexure (ENF) tests. However, due to the thin, flexible nature of the materials and manufacturing restrictions, tests mirroring traditional interface characterization experiments may not always be possible. The ideal goal of this research is to design experiments such that each mode of fracture is isolated. However, due to the complex nonlinear nature of the response and small geometries of FHEs, design of the proper tests to characterize the interface properties can be significantly time and cost consuming. Hence numerical modeling has been implemented to design these novel characterization experiments. This research involves loading case and specimen geometry parametric studies using numerical modeling to design future experiments where either shear or normal fracture modes are dominant. These virtual experiments will provide a foundation for designing similar tests for many different types of flexible electronics and predicting the failure mechanism independent of the specific FHE materials.

Tension fatigue of glass/epoxy and graphite/epoxy tapered laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murri, Gretchen B.; Obrien, T. Kevin; Salpekar, Satish A.

1990-01-01

Symmetric tapered laminates with internally dropped plies were tested with two different layups and two materials, S2/SP250 glass/epoxy and IM6/1827I graphite/epoxy. The specimens were loaded in cyclic tension until they delaminated unstably. Each combination of material and layup had a unique failure mode. Calculated values of strain energy release rate, G, from a finite element analysis model of delamination along the taper, and for delamination from a matrix ply crack, were used with mode I fatigue characterization data from tests of the tested materials to calculate expected delamination onset loads. Calculated values were compared to the experimental results. The comparison showed that when the calculated G was chosen according to the observed delamination failures, the agreement between the calculated and measured delamination onset loads was reasonable for each combination of layup and material.

Verification and Validation Process for Progressive Damage and Failure Analysis Methods in the NASA Advanced Composites Consortium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wanthal, Steven; Schaefer, Joseph; Justusson, Brian; Hyder, Imran; Engelstad, Stephen; Rose, Cheryl

2017-01-01

The Advanced Composites Consortium is a US Government/Industry partnership supporting technologies to enable timeline and cost reduction in the development of certified composite aerospace structures. A key component of the consortium's approach is the development and validation of improved progressive damage and failure analysis methods for composite structures. These methods will enable increased use of simulations in design trade studies and detailed design development, and thereby enable more targeted physical test programs to validate designs. To accomplish this goal with confidence, a rigorous verification and validation process was developed. The process was used to evaluate analysis methods and associated implementation requirements to ensure calculation accuracy and to gage predictability for composite failure modes of interest. This paper introduces the verification and validation process developed by the consortium during the Phase I effort of the Advanced Composites Project. Specific structural failure modes of interest are first identified, and a subset of standard composite test articles are proposed to interrogate a progressive damage analysis method's ability to predict each failure mode of interest. Test articles are designed to capture the underlying composite material constitutive response as well as the interaction of failure modes representing typical failure patterns observed in aerospace structures.

Contact method to allow benign failure in ceramic capacitor having self-clearing feature

DOEpatents

Myers, John D; Taylor, Ralph S

2012-06-26

A capacitor exhibiting a benign failure mode has a first electrode layer, a first ceramic dielectric layer deposited on a surface of the first electrode, and a second electrode layer disposed on the ceramic dielectric layer, wherein selected areas of the ceramic dielectric layer have additional dielectric material of sufficient thickness to exhibit a higher dielectric breakdown voltage than the remaining majority of the dielectric layer. The added thickness of the dielectric layer in selected areas allows lead connections to be made at the selected areas of greater dielectric thickness while substantially eliminating a risk of dielectric breakdown and failure at the lead connections, whereby the benign failure mode is preserved.

Acousto-Ultrasonic analysis of failure in ceramic matrix composite tensile specimens

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kautz, Harold E.; Chulya, Abhisak

1993-01-01

Three types of acousto-ultrasonic (AU) measurements, stress-wave factor (SWF), lowest antisymmetric plate mode group velocity (VS), and lowest symmetric plate mode group velocity (VL), were performed on specimens before and after tensile failure. Three different Nicalon fiber architectures with ceramic matrices were tested. These composites were categorized as 1D (unidirectional fiber orientation) SiC/CAS glass ceramic, and 2D and 3D woven SiC/SiC ceramic matrix materials. SWF was found to be degraded after tensile failure in all three material categories. VS was found to be degraded only in the 1D SiC/CAS. VL was difficult to determine on the irregular specimen surfaces but appeared unchanged on all failed specimens. 3D woven specimens with heat-treatment at high temperature exhibited degradation only in SWF.

Comparison of Failure Modes in 2-D and 3-D Woven Carbon Phenolic Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rossman, Grant A.; Stackpoole, Mairead; Feldman, Jay; Venkatapathy, Ethiraj; Braun, Robert D.

2013-01-01

NASA Ames Research Center is developing Woven Thermal Protection System (WTPS) materials as a new class of heatshields for entry vehicles (Stackpoole). Currently, there are few options for ablative entry heatshield materials, none of which is ideally suited to the planetary probe missions currently of interest to NASA. While carbon phenolic was successfully used for the missions Pioneer Venus and Galileo (to Jupiter), the heritage constituents are no longer available. An alternate carbon phenolic would need to be qualified for probe missions, which is most efficient at heat fluxes greater than those currently of interest. Additional TPS materials such as Avcoat and PICA are not sufficiently robust for the heat fluxes required. As a result, there is a large TPS gap between the materials efficient at very high conditions (carbon phenolic) and those that are effective at low-moderate conditions (all others). Development of 3D Woven TPS is intended to fill this gap, targeting mid-density weaves that could with withstand mid-range heat fluxes between 1100 W/sq cm and 8000 W/sq cm (Venkatapathy (2012). Preliminary experimental studies have been performed to show the feasibility of WTPS as a future mid-range TPS material. One study performed in the mARC Jet Facility at NASA Ames Research Center characterized the performance of a 3D Woven TPS sample and compared it to 2D carbon phenolic samples at ply angles of 0deg, 23.5deg, and 90deg. Each sample contained similar compositions of phenolic and carbon fiber volume fractions for experimental consistency. The goal of this study was to compare the performance of the TPS materials by evaluating resulting recession and failure modes. After exposing both samples to similar heat flux and pressure conditions, the 2D carbon phenolic laminate was shown to experience significant delamination between layers and further pocketing underneath separated layers. The 3D Woven TPS sample did not experience the delamination or pocketing failure modes because z-fibers in the through-thickness direction provided extra reinforcement to hold material layers together. Therefore, the benefit of using a 3D weave architecture was shown to alleviate failure modes experienced by a 2D laminate sample of similar material composition. In summary this poster reviews the thermal response performance comparisons drawn between a 3D Woven TPS sample and 2D Carbon Phenolic samples after performing rigorous heating experiments in the mARC facility at NASA Ames. Although the mARC Facility is still in its developmental stages, researchers expect similar trends in failure modes observed from large scale arc jet facilities. This work helps demonstrate the viability of 3D Woven TPSs as a new TPS option for future atmospheric entry missions.

Bending strength of delaminated aerospace composites.

PubMed

Kinawy, Moustafa; Butler, Richard; Hunt, Giles W

2012-04-28

Buckling-driven delamination is considered among the most critical failure modes in composite laminates. This paper examines the propagation of delaminations in a beam under pure bending. A pre-developed analytical model to predict the critical buckling moment of a thin sub-laminate is extended to account for propagation prediction, using mixed-mode fracture analysis. Fractography analysis is performed to distinguish between mode I and mode II contributions to the final failure of specimens. Comparison between experimental results and analysis shows agreement to within 5 per cent in static propagation moment for two different materials. It is concluded that static fracture is almost entirely driven by mode II effects. This result was unexpected because it arises from a buckling mode that opens the delamination. For this reason, and because of the excellent repeatability of the experiments, the method of testing may be a promising means of establishing the critical value of mode II fracture toughness, G(IIC), of the material. Fatigue testing on similar samples showed that buckled delamination resulted in a fatigue threshold that was over 80 per cent lower than the static propagation moment. Such an outcome highlights the significance of predicting snap-buckling moment and subsequent propagation for design purposes.

Material wear and failure mode analysis of breakfast cereal extruder barrels and screw elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mastio, Michael Joseph, Jr.

2005-11-01

Nearly seventy-five years ago, the single screw extruder was introduced as a means to produce metal products. Shortly after that, the extruder found its way into the plastics industry. Today much of the world's polymer industry utilizes extruders to produce items such as soda bottles, PVC piping, and toy figurines. Given the significant economical advantages of extruders over conventional batch flow systems, extruders have also migrated into the food industry. Food applications include the meat, pet food, and cereal industries to name just a few. Cereal manufacturers utilize extruders to produce various forms of Ready-to-Eat (RTE) cereals. These cereals are made from grains such as rice, oats, wheat, and corn. The food industry has been incorrectly viewed as an extruder application requiring only minimal energy control and performance capability. This misconception has resulted in very little research in the area of material wear and failure mode analysis of breakfast cereal extruders. Breakfast cereal extruder barrels and individual screw elements are subjected to the extreme pressures and temperatures required to shear and cook the cereal ingredients, resulting in excessive material wear and catastrophic failure of these components. Therefore, this project focuses on the material wear and failure mode analysis of breakfast cereal extruder barrels and screw elements, modeled as a Discrete Time Markov Chain (DTMC) process in which historical data is used to predict future failures. Such predictive analysis will yield cost savings opportunities by providing insight into extruder maintenance scheduling and interchangeability of screw elements. In this DTMC wear analysis, four states of wear are defined and a probability transition matrix is determined based upon 24,041 hours of operational data. This probability transition matrix is used to predict when an extruder component will move to the next state of wear and/or failure. This information can be used to determine maintenance schedules and screw element interchangeability.

Numerical Evaluation of Mode 1 Stress Intensity Factor as a Function of Material Orientation For BX-265 Foam Insulation Material

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knudsen, Erik; Arakere, Nagaraj K.

2006-01-01

Foam; a cellular material, is found all around us. Bone and cork are examples of biological cell materials. Many forms of man-made foam have found practical applications as insulating materials. NASA uses the BX-265 foam insulation material on the external tank (ET) for the Space Shuttle. This is a type of Spray-on Foam Insulation (SOFI), similar to the material used to insulate attics in residential construction. This foam material is a good insulator and is very lightweight, making it suitable for space applications. Breakup of segments of this foam insulation on the shuttle ET impacting the shuttle thermal protection tiles during liftoff is believed to have caused the space shuttle Columbia failure during re-entry. NASA engineers are very interested in understanding the processes that govern the breakup/fracture of this complex material from the shuttle ET. The foam is anisotropic in nature and the required stress and fracture mechanics analysis must include the effects of the direction dependence on material properties. Material testing at NASA MSFC has indicated that the foam can be modeled as a transversely isotropic material. As a first step toward understanding the fracture mechanics of this material, we present a general theoretical and numerical framework for computing stress intensity factors (SIFs), under mixed-mode loading conditions, taking into account the material anisotropy. We present mode I SIFs for middle tension - M(T) - test specimens, using 3D finite element stress analysis (ANSYS) and FRANC3D fracture analysis software, developed by the Cornel1 Fracture Group. Mode I SIF values are presented for a range of foam material orientations. Also, NASA has recorded the failure load for various M(T) specimens. For a linear analysis, the mode I SIF will scale with the far-field load. This allows us to numerically estimate the mode I fracture toughness for this material. The results represent a quantitative basis for evaluating the strength and fracture properties of anisotropic foam insulation material.

Failure modes and materials design for biomechanical layer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Yan

Ceramic materials are finding increasing usage in the area of biomechanical replacements---dental crowns, hip and bone implants, etc.---where strength, wear resistance, biocompatibility, chemical durability and even aesthetics are critical issues. Aesthetic ceramic crowns have been widely used in dentistry to replace damaged or missing teeth. However, the failure rates of ceramic crowns, especially all-ceramic crowns, can be 1%˜6% per year, which is not satisfactory to patients. The materials limitations and underlying fracture mechanisms of these prostheses are not well understood. In this thesis, fundamental fracture and damage mechanisms in model dental bilayer and trilayer structures are studied. Principle failure modes are identified from in situ experimentation and confirmed by fracture mechanics analysis. In bilayer structures of ceramic/polycarbonate (representative of ceramic crown/dentin structure), three major damage sources are identified: (i) top-surface cone cracks or (ii) quasiplasticity, dominating in thick ceramic bilayers; (iii) bottom-surface radial cracks, dominating in thin ceramic bilayers. Critical load P for each damage mode are measured in six dental ceramics: Y-TZP zirconia, glass-infiltrated zirconia and alumina (InCeram), glass-ceramic (Empress II), Porcelain (Mark II and Empress) bonded to polymer substrates, as a function of ceramic thickness d in the range of 100 mum to 10 mm. P is found independent of d for mode (i) and (ii), but has a d 2 relations for mode (iii)---bottom surface radial cracking. In trilayer structures of glass/core-ceramic/polycarbonate (representing veneer porcelain/core/dentin structures), three inner fracture origins are identified: radial cracks from the bottom surface in the (i) first and (ii) second layers; and (iii) quasiplasticity in core-ceramic layer. The role of relative veneer/core thickness, d1/d 2 and materials properties is investigated for three core materials with different modulus (114--270GPa) and strength (400--1400MPa): Y-TZP zirconia, InCeram alumina and Empress II glass-ceramic. Explicit relations for the critical loads P to produce these different damage modes in bilayer and trilayer structures are developed in terms of basic material properties (modulus E, strength, hardness H and toughness T) and geometrical variables (thickness d and contact sphere radius r). These experimentally validated relations are used to design of optimal material combinations for improved fracture resistance and to predict mechanical performance of current dental materials.

Investigating the Evolution of Progressive Die Wear on Uncoated Dp1180 Steel in Production Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, W.; Zhou, D. J.; Adamski, D. J.; Young, D.; Wang, Y. W.

2017-09-01

A study of die wear was performed using an uncoated dual phase, 1,180 MPa ultimate tensile strength steel (DP1180) in a progressive die. The objectives of the current study are to evaluate the die durability of various tooling materials and coatings for forming operations on uncoated DP1180 steel and update OEM’s die standards based on the experimental results in the real production environment. In total, 100,800 hits were performed in manufacturing production conditions, where 33 die inserts with the combination of 10 die materials and 9 coatings were investigated. The die inserts were evaluated for surface wear using scanning electron microscopy and characterized in terms of die material and/or coating defects, failure mode, failure initiation and propagation. Surface roughness of the formed parts was characterized using a WYKO NT110 machine. The analytical analysis of the die inserts and formed parts, combined with the failure mode and service life, provide a basis for die material and coating selection for forming AHSS components. The conclusions of this study will guide the selection of die material and coatings for high-volume production of AHSS components.

Characterization of the Edge Crack Torsion (ECT) Test for Mode III Fracture Toughness Measurement of Laminated Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratcliffe, James G.

2004-01-01

The edge crack torsion (ECT) test is designed to initiate mode III delamination growth in composite laminates. The test has undergone several design changes during its development. The objective of this paper was to determine the suitability of the current ECT test design a mode III fracture test. To this end, ECT tests were conducted on specimens manufactured from IM7/8552 and S2/8552 tape laminates. Three-dimensional finite element analyses were performed. The analysis results were used to calculate the distribution of mode I, mode II, and mode III strain energy release rate along the delamination front. The results indicated that mode IIIdominated delamination growth would be initiated from the specimen center. However, in specimens of both material types, the measured values of GIIIc exhibited significant dependence on delamination length. Load-displacement response of the specimens exhibited significant deviation from linearity before specimen failure. X-radiographs of a sample of specimens revealed that damage was initiated in the specimens prior to failure. Further inspection of the failure surfaces is required to identify the damage and determine that mode III delamination is initiated in the specimens.

Contact material optimization and contact physics in metal-contact microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) switches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Zhenyin

Metal-contact MEMS switches hold great promise for implementing agile radio frequency (RF) systems because of their small size, low fabrication cost, low power consumption, wide operational band, excellent isolation and exceptionally low signal insertion loss. Gold is often utilized as a contact material for metal-contact MEMS switches due to its excellent electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance. However contact wear and stiction are the two major failure modes for these switches due to its material softness and high surface adhesion energy. To strengthen the contact material, pure gold was alloyed with other metal elements. We designed and constructed a new micro-contacting test facility that closely mimic the typical MEMS operation and utilized this facility to efficiently evaluate optimized contact materials. Au-Ni binary alloy system as the candidate contact material for MEMS switches was systematically investigated. A correlation between contact material properties (etc. microstructure, micro-hardness, electrical resistivity, topology, surface structures and composition) and micro-contacting performance was established. It was demonstrated nano-scale graded two-phase Au-Ni film could possibly yield an improved device performance. Gold micro-contact degradation mechanisms were also systematically investigated by running the MEMS switching tests under a wide range of test conditions. According to our quantitative failure analysis, field evaporation could be the dominant failure mode for highfield (> critical threshold field) hot switching; transient thermal-assisted wear could be the dominant failure mode for low-field hot switching; on the other hand, pure mechanical wear and steady current heating (1 mA) caused much less contact degradation in cold switching tests. Results from low-force (50 muN/micro-contact), low current (0.1 mA) tests on real MEMS switches indicated that continuous adsorbed films from ambient air could degrade the switch contact resistance. Our work also contributes to the field of general nano-science and technology by resolving the transfer directionality of field evaporation of gold in atomic force microscope (AFM)/scanning tunneling microscope (STM).

An Experimental Investigation of Silicone-to-Metal Bond Strength in Composite Space Docking System Seals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaier, James R.; Siamidis, John; Larkin, Elizabeth M. G.

2010-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is currently developing a new universal docking mechanism for future space exploration missions called the Low Impact Docking System (LIDS). A candidate LIDS main interface seal design is a composite assembly of silicone elastomer seals vacuum molded into grooves in an electroless nickel plated aluminum retainer. The strength of the silicone-tometal bond is a critical consideration for the new system, especially due to the presence of small areas of disbond created during the molding process. In the work presented herein, seal-to-retainer bonds of subscale seal specimens with different sizes of intentional disbond were destructively tensile tested. Nominal specimens without intentional disbonds were also tested. Tension was applied either uniformly on the entire seal circumference or locally in one short circumferential length. Bond failure due to uniform tension produced a wide scatter of observable failure modes and measured load-displacement behaviors. Although the preferable failure mode for the seal-to-retainer bond is cohesive failure of the elastomer material, the dominant observed failure mode under the uniform loading condition was found to be the less desirable adhesive failure of the bond in question. The uniform tension case results did not show a correlation between disbond size and bond strength. Localized tension was found to produce failure either as immediate tearing of the elastomer material outside the bond region or as complete peel-out of the seal in one piece. The obtained results represent a valuable benchmark for comparison in the future between adhesion loads under various separation conditions and composite seal bond strength.

Research on Joint Sealant Materials to Improve Installation and Performance : Final Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-12-01

The objectives of this project were to 1) identify failure modes and their mechanisms in joint seals in Texas, and to 2) identify what needs to be done to minimize the failures and improve joint seal performance. To achieve these objectives efficient...

Failure Mechanisms of Hollow Fiber Supported Ionic Liquid Membranes

PubMed Central

Zeh, Matthew; Wickramanayake, Shan; Hopkinson, David

2016-01-01

Hollow fiber supported ionic liquid membranes (SILMs) were tested using the bubble point method to investigate potential failure modes, including the maximum transmembrane pressure before loss of the ionic liquid from the support. Porous hollow fiber supports were fabricated with different pore morphologies using Matrimid® and Torlon® as the polymeric material and 1-hexyl-3-methylimidalzolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide ([C6mim][Tf2N]) as the ionic liquid (IL) component. Hollow fiber SILMs were tested for their maximum pressure before failure, with pressure applied either from the bore side or shell side. It was found that the membranes exhibited one or more of three different modes of failure when pressurized: liquid loss (occurring at the bubble point), rupture, and collapse. PMID:27023620

Fracture resistance and failure mode of posterior fixed dental prostheses fabricated with two zirconia CAD/CAM systems

PubMed Central

López-Suárez, Carlos; Gonzalo, Esther; Peláez, Jesús; Rodríguez, Verónica

2015-01-01

Background In recent years there has been an improvement of zirconia ceramic materials to replace posterior missing teeth. To date little in vitro studies has been carried out on the fracture resistance of zirconia veneered posterior fixed dental prostheses. This study investigated the fracture resistance and the failure mode of 3-unit zirconia-based posterior fixed dental prostheses fabricated with two CAD/CAM systems. Material and Methods Twenty posterior fixed dental prostheses were studied. Samples were randomly divided into two groups (n=10 each) according to the zirconia ceramic analyzed: Lava and Procera. Specimens were loaded until fracture under static load. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon´s rank sum test and Wilcoxon´s signed-rank test (P<0.05). Results Partial fracture of the veneering porcelain occurred in 100% of the samples. Within each group, significant differences were shown between the veneering and the framework fracture resistance (P=0.002). The failure occurred in the connector cervical area in 80% of the cases. Conclusions All fracture load values of the zirconia frameworks could be considered clinically acceptable. The connector area is the weak point of the restorations. Key words:Fixed dental prostheses, zirconium-dioxide, zirconia, fracture resistance, failure mode. PMID:26155341

Failure analysis of thick composite cylinders under external pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caiazzo, A.; Rosen, B. W.

1992-01-01

Failure of thick section composites due to local compression strength and overall structural instability is treated. Effects of material nonlinearity, imperfect fiber architecture, and structural imperfections upon anticipated failure stresses are determined. Comparisons with experimental data for a series of test cylinders are described. Predicting the failure strength of composite structures requires consideration of stability and material strength modes of failure using linear and nonlinear analysis techniques. Material strength prediction requires the accurate definition of the local multiaxial stress state in the material. An elasticity solution for the linear static analysis of thick anisotropic cylinders and rings is used herein to predict the axisymmetric stress state in the cylinders. Asymmetric nonlinear behavior due to initial cylinder out of roundness and the effects of end closure structure are treated using finite element methods. It is assumed that local fiber or ply waviness is an important factor in the initiation of material failure. An analytical model for the prediction of compression failure of fiber composites, which includes the effects of fiber misalignments, matrix inelasticity, and multiaxial applied stresses is used for material strength calculations. Analytical results are compared to experimental data for a series of glass and carbon fiber reinforced epoxy cylinders subjected to external pressure. Recommendations for pretest characterization and other experimental issues are presented. Implications for material and structural design are discussed.

Composite Materials Characterization and Development at AFWAL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Browning, C. E.

1984-01-01

The development of test methodology for characterizing matrix dominated failure modes is discussed emphasizing issues of matrix cracking, delamination under static loading, and the relationship of composite properties to matrix properties. Both strength characterization and classical techniques of linear elastic fracture mechanics were examined. Materials development studies are also discussed. Major areas of interest include acetylene-terminated and bismaleimide resins for 350 to 450 deg use, thermoplastics development, and failure resistant composite concepts.

Mechanical failure modes of chronically implanted planar silicon-based neural probes for laminar recording

PubMed Central

Kozai, Takashi D. Y.; Catt, Kasey; Li, Xia; Gugel, Zhannetta V.; Olafsson, Valur T.; Vazquez, Alberto L.; Cui, X. Tracy

2014-01-01

Penetrating intracortical electrode arrays that record brain activity longitudinally are powerful tools for basic neuroscience research and emerging clinical applications. However, regardless of the technology used, signals recorded by these electrodes degrade over time. The failure mechanisms of these electrodes are understood to be a complex combination of the biological reactive tissue response and material failure of the device over time. While mechanical mismatch between the brain tissue and implanted neural electrodes have been studied as a source of chronic inflammation and performance degradation, the electrode failure caused by mechanical mismatch between different material properties and different structural components within a device have remained poorly characterized. Using Finite Element Model (FEM) we simulate the mechanical strain on a planar silicon electrode. The results presented here demonstrate that mechanical mismatch between iridium and silicon leads to concentrated strain along the border of the two materials. This strain is further focused on small protrusions such as the electrical traces in planar silicon electrodes. These findings are confirmed with chronic in vivo data (133–189 days) in mice by correlating a combination of single-unit electrophysiology, evoked multi-unit recordings, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy from traces and electrode sites with our modeling data. Several modes of mechanical failure of chronically implanted planar silicon electrodes are found that result in degradation and/or loss of recording. These findings highlight the importance of strains and material properties of various subcomponents within an electrode array. PMID:25453935

Fractographic study of epoxy fractured under mode I loading and mixed mode I/III loading

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ren, Fei; Wang, Jy-An John; Bertelsen, Williams D.

2011-01-01

Fiber reinforced polymeric composite materials are widely used in structural components such as wind turbine blades, which are typically subject to complicated loading conditions. Thus, material response under mixed mode loading is of great significance to the reliability of these structures. Epoxy is a thermosetting polymer that is currently used in manufacturing wind turbine blades. The fracture behavior of epoxy is relevant to the mechanical integrity of the wind turbine composite materials. In this study, a novel fracture testing methodology, the spiral notch torsion test (SNTT), was applied to study the fracture behavior of an epoxy material. SNTT samples weremore » tested using either monotonic loading or cyclic loading, while both mode I and mixed mode I/III loading conditions were used. Fractographic examination indicated the epoxy samples included in this study were prone to mode I failure even when the samples were subject to mixed mode loading. Different fatigue precracks were observed on mode I and mixed mode samples, i.e. precracks appeared as a uniform band under mode I loading, and a semi-ellipse under mixed mode loading. Fracture toughness was also estimated using quantitative fractography.« less

Failure Atlas for Rolling Bearings in Wind Turbines

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tallian, T. E.

2006-01-01

This Atlas is structured as a supplement to the book: T.E. Tallian: Failure Atlas for Hertz Contact Machine Elements, 2nd edition, ASME Press New York, (1999). The content of the atlas comprises plate pages from the book that contain bearing failure images, application data, and descriptions of failure mode, image, and suspected failure causes. Rolling bearings are a critical component of the mainshaft system, gearbox and generator in the rapidly developing technology of power generating wind turbines. The demands for long service life are stringent; the design load, speed and temperature regimes are demanding and the environmental conditions including weather,more » contamination, impediments to monitoring and maintenance are often unfavorable. As a result, experience has shown that the rolling bearings are prone to a variety of failure modes that may prevent achievement of design lives. Morphological failure diagnosis is extensively used in the failure analysis and improvement of bearing operation. Accumulated experience shows that the failure appearance and mode of failure causation in wind turbine bearings has many distinguishing features. The present Atlas is a first effort to collect an interpreted database of specifically wind turbine related rolling bearing failures and make it widely available. This Atlas is structured as a supplement to the book: T. E. Tallian: Failure Atlas for Hertz Contact Machine Elements, 2d edition, ASME Press New York, (1999). The main body of that book is a comprehensive collection of self-contained pages called Plates, containing failure images, bearing and application data, and three descriptions: failure mode, image and suspected failure causes. The Plates are sorted by main failure mode into chapters. Each chapter is preceded by a general technical discussion of the failure mode, its appearance and causes. The Plates part is supplemented by an introductory part, describing the appearance classification and failure classification systems used, and by several indexes. The present Atlas is intended as a supplement to the book. It has the same structure but contains only Plate pages, arranged in chapters, each with a chapter heading page giving a short definition of the failure mode illustrated. Each Plate page is self contained, with images, bearing and application data, and descriptions of the failure mode, the images and the suspected causes. Images are provided in two resolutions: The text page includes 6 by 9 cm images. In addition, high resolution image files are attached, to be retrieved by clicking on their 'push pin' icon. While the material in the present Atlas is self-contained, it is nonetheless a supplement to the book and the complete interpretation of the terse image descriptions and of the system underlying the failure code presupposes familiarity with the book. Since this Atlas is a supplement to the book, its chapter numbering follows that of the book. Not all failure modes covered in the book have been found among the observed wind turbines. For that reason, and because of the omission of introductory matter, the chapter numbers in this Atlas are not a continuous sequence.« less

Reliability-Based Design Optimization of a Composite Airframe Component

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pai, Shantaram S.; Coroneos, Rula; Patnaik, Surya N.

2011-01-01

A stochastic optimization methodology (SDO) has been developed to design airframe structural components made of metallic and composite materials. The design method accommodates uncertainties in load, strength, and material properties that are defined by distribution functions with mean values and standard deviations. A response parameter, like a failure mode, has become a function of reliability. The primitive variables like thermomechanical loads, material properties, and failure theories, as well as variables like depth of beam or thickness of a membrane, are considered random parameters with specified distribution functions defined by mean values and standard deviations.

Experimental Investigation of Fibre Reinforced Composite Materials Under Impact Load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koppula, Sravani; Kaviti, Ajay kumar; Namala, Kiran kumar

2018-03-01

Composite materials are extensively used in various engineering applications. They have very high flexibility design which allows prescribe tailoring of material properties by lamination of composite fibres with reinforcement of resin to it. Complex failure condition prevail in the composite materials under the action of impact loads, major modes of failure in composite may include matrix cracking, fibre matrix, fibre breakage, de-bonding or de- lamination between composite plies. This paper describes the mechanical properties of glass fibre reinforced composite material under impact loading conditions through experimental setup. Experimental tests are performed according to ASTM standards using impact testing machines like Charpy test, computerized universal testing machine.

Fatigue Characterization of Fire Resistant Syntactic Foam Core Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Mohammad Mynul

Eco-Core is a fire resistant material for sandwich structural application; it was developed at NC A&T State University. The Eco-Core is made of very small amount of phenolic resin and large volume of flyash by a syntactic process. The process development, static mechanical and fracture, fire and toxicity safety and water absorption properties and the design of sandwich structural panels with Eco-Core material was established and published in the literature. One of the important properties that is needed for application in transportation vehicles is the fatigue performance under different stress states. Fatigue data are not available even for general syntactic foams. The objective of this research is to investigate the fatigue performance of Eco-Core under three types of stress states, namely, cyclic compression, shear and flexure, then document failure modes, and develop empherical equations for predicting fatigue life of Eco-Core under three stress states. Compression-Compression fatigue was performed directly on Eco-Core cylindrical specimen, whereas shear and flexure fatigue tests were performed using sandwich beam made of E glass-Vinyl Ester face sheet and Eco-Core material. Compression-compression fatigue test study was conducted at two values of stress ratios (R=10 and 5), for the maximum compression stress (sigmamin) range of 60% to 90% of compression strength (sigmac = 19.6 +/- 0.25 MPa) for R=10 and 95% to 80% of compression strength for R=5. The failure modes were characterized by the material compliance change: On-set (2% compliance change), propagation (5%) and ultimate failure (7%). The number of load cycles correspond to each of these three damages were characterized as on-set, propagation and total lives. A similar approach was used in shear and flexure fatigue tests with stress ratio of R=0.1. The fatigue stress-number of load cycles data followed the standard power law equation for all three stress states. The constant of the equation were established for the three stress states and three types of the failure modes. This equation was used to estimate endurance limit (106 cycles) of the material. Like metallic materials, the compression fatigue life of Eco-Core was found to be dependent on the stress range instead of maximum or mean cyclic stress. Furthermore shear and flexural ultimate failure of the core material was found to be due to a combination of shear and tensile stress.

Processing, Structural Characterization and Comparative Studies on Uniaxial Tensile Properties of a New Type of Porous Twisted Wire Material

PubMed Central

Wu, Fei; Zhou, Zhaoyao; Duan, Liuyang; Xiao, Zhiyu

2015-01-01

A self-developed rotary multi-cutter device cuts stainless steel wire ropes into segments to fabricate twisted wires. Stainless steel porous twisted wire materials (PTWMs) with a spatial composite intertexture structure are produced by the compaction and subsequent vacuum solid-phase sintering of twisted wires. The stainless steel PTWMs show two types of typical uniaxial tensile failure modes, i.e., a 45° angle fracture mode and an auxetic failure mode (the PTWMs expand along the direction perpendicular to the tension). The effects of the sintering parameters, porosities, wire diameters, and sampling direction on the tensile properties of the PTWMs are carefully investigated. By increasing the sintering temperature from 1130 °C to 1330 °C, the tensile strength of the PTWMs with 70% target porosity increased from 7.7 MPa to 28.6 MPa and the total failure goes down to 50%. When increasing the sintering time from 90 min to 150 min, the tensile strength increases from 12.4 MPa to 19.1 MPa and the total failure elongation drops to 78.6%. The tensile strength of the PTWMs increases from 28.9 MPa to 112.7 MPa with decreasing porosity from 69.5% to 46.0%, and the total failure elongation also increases from 14.8% to 40.7%. The tensile strength and the failure strain of the PTWMs with fine wires are higher than those of the PTWMs with coarse wires under the same porosity. Sampling direction has a small influence on the tensile properties of the PTWMs. PMID:28793526

Processing, Structural Characterization and Comparative Studies on Uniaxial Tensile Properties of a New Type of Porous Twisted Wire Material.

PubMed

Wu, Fei; Zhou, Zhaoyao; Duan, Liuyang; Xiao, Zhiyu

2015-08-27

A self-developed rotary multi-cutter device cuts stainless steel wire ropes into segments to fabricate twisted wires. Stainless steel porous twisted wire materials (PTWMs) with a spatial composite intertexture structure are produced by the compaction and subsequent vacuum solid-phase sintering of twisted wires. The stainless steel PTWMs show two types of typical uniaxial tensile failure modes, i.e. , a 45° angle fracture mode and an auxetic failure mode (the PTWMs expand along the direction perpendicular to the tension). The effects of the sintering parameters, porosities, wire diameters, and sampling direction on the tensile properties of the PTWMs are carefully investigated. By increasing the sintering temperature from 1130 °C to 1330 °C, the tensile strength of the PTWMs with 70% target porosity increased from 7.7 MPa to 28.6 MPa and the total failure goes down to 50%. When increasing the sintering time from 90 min to 150 min, the tensile strength increases from 12.4 MPa to 19.1 MPa and the total failure elongation drops to 78.6%. The tensile strength of the PTWMs increases from 28.9 MPa to 112.7 MPa with decreasing porosity from 69.5% to 46.0%, and the total failure elongation also increases from 14.8% to 40.7%. The tensile strength and the failure strain of the PTWMs with fine wires are higher than those of the PTWMs with coarse wires under the same porosity. Sampling direction has a small influence on the tensile properties of the PTWMs.

Macroscopic Crosslinked Neat Carbon Nanotube Materials and CNT/Carbon Fiber Hybrid Composites: Supermolecular Structure and New Failure Mode Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

Materials; CRC Press, 1997. (70) Zhang, Y.; Zheng, L.; Sun , G.; Zhan, Z.; Liao, K. Failure Mechanisms of Carbon Nanotube Fibers under Different...Buehler, M. J. Mesoscale Modeling of Mechanics of Carbon Nanotubes: Self-Assembly, Self-Folding, and Fracture . J. Mater. Res. 2006, 21 (11), 2855–2869...close surface contact between CNTs to substantially improve the load transfer and mechanical properties. We also revealed that extremely low

True Triaxial Strength and Failure Modes of Cubic Rock Specimens with Unloading the Minor Principal Stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xibing; Du, Kun; Li, Diyuan

2015-11-01

True triaxial tests have been carried out on granite, sandstone and cement mortar using cubic specimens with the process of unloading the minor principal stress. The strengths and failure modes of the three rock materials are studied in the processes of unloading σ 3 and loading σ 1 by the newly developed true triaxial test system under different σ 2, aiming to study the mechanical responses of the rock in underground excavation at depth. It shows that the rock strength increases with the raising of the intermediate principal stress σ 2 when σ 3 is unloaded to zero. The true triaxial strength criterion by the power-law relationship can be used to fit the testing data. The "best-fitting" material parameters A and n ( A > 1.4 and n < 1.0) are almost located in the same range as expected by Al-Ajmi and Zimmerman (Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 563 42(3):431-439, 2005). It indicates that the end effect caused by the height-to-width ratio of the cubic specimens will not significantly affect the testing results under true triaxial tests. Both the strength and failure modes of cubic rock specimens under true triaxial unloading condition are affected by the intermediate principal stress. When σ 2 increases to a critical value for the strong and hard rocks (R4, R5 and R6), the rock failure mode may change from shear to slabbing. However, for medium strong and weak rocks (R3 and R2), even with a relatively high intermediate principal stress, they tend to fail in shear after a large amount of plastic deformation. The maximum extension strain criterion Stacey (Int J Rock Mech Min Sci Geomech Abstr 651 18(6):469-474, 1981) can be used to explain the change of failure mode from shear to slabbing for strong and hard rocks under true triaxial unloading test condition.

Safety analysis of occupational exposure of healthcare workers to residual contaminations of cytotoxic drugs using FMECA security approach.

PubMed

Le, Laetitia Minh Mai; Reitter, Delphine; He, Sophie; Bonle, Franck Té; Launois, Amélie; Martinez, Diane; Prognon, Patrice; Caudron, Eric

2017-12-01

Handling cytotoxic drugs is associated with chemical contamination of workplace surfaces. The potential mutagenic, teratogenic and oncogenic properties of those drugs create a risk of occupational exposure for healthcare workers, from reception of starting materials to the preparation and administration of cytotoxic therapies. The Security Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) was used as a proactive method to assess the risks involved in the chemotherapy compounding process. FMECA was carried out by a multidisciplinary team from 2011 to 2016. Potential failure modes of the process were identified based on the Risk Priority Number (RPN) that prioritizes corrective actions. Twenty-five potential failure modes were identified. Based on RPN results, the corrective actions plan was revised annually to reduce the risk of exposure and improve practices. Since 2011, 16 specific measures were implemented successively. In six years, a cumulative RPN reduction of 626 was observed, with a decrease from 912 to 286 (-69%) despite an increase of cytotoxic compounding activity of around 23.2%. In order to anticipate and prevent occupational exposure, FMECA is a valuable tool to identify, prioritize and eliminate potential failure modes for operators involved in the cytotoxic drug preparation process before the failures occur. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Failure Analysis of Alumina Reinforced Aluminum Microtruss and Tube Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chien, Hsueh Fen (Karen)

The energy absorption capacity of cellular materials can be dramatically increased by applying a structural coating. This thesis examined the failure mechanisms of alumina reinforced 3003 aluminum alloy microtrusses and tubes. Alumina coatings were produced by hard anodizing and by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). The relatively thin and discontinuous oxide coating at the hinge acted as a localized weak spot which triggered a chain reaction of failure, including oxide fracture, oxide spallation, oxide penetration to the aluminum core and severe local plastic deformation of the core. For the PEO microtrusses, delamination occurred within the oxide coating resulting in a global strut buckling failure mode. A new failure mode for the anodized tubes was observed: (i) axisymmetric folding of the aluminum core, (ii) longitudinal fracture, and (iii) alumina pulverization. Overall, the alumina coating enhanced the buckling resistance of the composites, while the aluminum core supported the oxide during the damage propagation.

Failure mechanisms of laminates transversely loaded by bolt push-through

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Waters, W. A., Jr.; Williams, J. G.

1985-01-01

Stiffened composite panels proposed for fuselage and wing design utilize a variety of stiffener-to-skin attachment concepts including mechanical fasteners. The attachment concept is an important factor influencing the panel's strength and can govern its performance following local damage. Mechanical fasteners can be an effective method for preventing stiffener-skin separation. One potential failure mode for bolted panels occurs when the bolts pull through the stiffener attachment flange or skin. The resulting loss of support by the skin to the stiffener and by the stiffener to the skin can result in local buckling and subsequent panel collapse. The characteristic failure modes associated with bolt push-through failure are described and the results of a parametric study of the effects that different material systems, boundary conditions, and laminates have on the forces and displacements required to cause damage and bolt pushthrough failure are presented.

Airframe materials for HSR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bales, Thomas T.

1992-01-01

Vugraphs are presented to show the use of refractory materials for the skin of the High speed Civil Transport (HSCT). Examples are given of skin temperature ranges, failure mode weight distribution, tensile properties as a function of temperature, and components to be constructed from composite materials. The responsibilities of various aircraft companies for specific aircraft components are defined.

Fracture Resistance and Mode of Failure of Ceramic versus Titanium Implant Abutments and Single Implant-Supported Restorations.

PubMed

Sghaireen, Mohd G

2015-06-01

The material of choice for implant-supported restorations is affected by esthetic requirements and type of abutment. This study compares the fracture resistance of different types of implant abutments and implant-supported restorations and their mode of failure. Forty-five Oraltronics Pitt-Easy implants (Oraltronics Dental Implant Technology GmbH, Bremen, Germany) (4 mm diameter, 10 mm length) were embedded in clear autopolymerizing acrylic resin. The implants were randomly divided into three groups, A, B and C, of 15 implants each. In group A, titanium abutments and metal-ceramic crowns were used. In group B, zirconia ceramic abutments and In-Ceram Alumina crowns were used. In group C, zirconia ceramic abutments and IPS Empress Esthetic crowns were used. Specimens were tested to failure by applying load at 130° from horizontal plane using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Subsequently, the mode of failure of each specimen was identified. Fracture resistance was significantly different between groups (p < .05). The highest fracture loads were associated with metal-ceramic crowns supported by titanium abutments (p = .000). IPS Empress crowns supported by zirconia abutments had the lowest fracture loads (p = .000). Fracture modes of metal-ceramic crowns supported by titanium abutments included screw fracture and screw bending. Fracture of both crown and abutment was the dominant mode of failure of In-Ceram/IPS Empress crowns supported by zirconia abutments. Metal-ceramic crowns supported by titanium abutments were more resistant to fracture than In-Ceram crowns supported by zirconia abutments, which in turn were more resistant to fracture than IPS Empress crowns supported by zirconia abutments. In addition, failure modes of restorations supported by zirconia abutments were more catastrophic than those for restorations supported by titanium abutments. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Impact Behavior of Composite Fan Blade Leading Edge Subcomponent with Thermoplastic Polyurethane Interleave

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Sandi G.; Roberts, Gary D.; Kohlman, Lee W.; Heimann, Paula J.; Pereira, J. Michael; Ruggeri, Charles R.; Martin, Richard E.; McCorkle, Linda S.

2015-01-01

Impact damage tolerance and damage resistance is a critical metric for application of polymer matrix composites where failure caused by impact damage could compromise structural performance and safety. As a result, several materials and/or design approaches to improve impact damage tolerance have been investigated over the past several decades. Many composite toughening methodologies impart a trade-off between increased fracture toughness and compromised in-plane strength and modulus. In large part, mechanical tests to evaluate composite damage tolerance include static methods such as Mode I, Mode II, and mixed mode failures. However, ballistic impact damage resistance does not always correlate with static properties. The intent of this paper is to evaluate the influence of a thermoplastic polyurethane veil interleave on the static and dynamic performance of composite test articles. Static coupon tests included tension, compression, double cantilever beam, and end notch flexure. Measurement of the resistance to ballistic impact damage were made to evaluate the composites response to high speed impact. The interlayer material showed a decrease of in-plane performance with only a moderate improvement to Mode I and Mode II fracture toughness. However, significant benefit to impact damage tolerance was observed through ballistic tests.

Investigation of Quasi-Static Indentation Response of Inkjet Printed Sandwich Structures under Various Indenter Geometries

PubMed Central

Dikshit, Vishwesh; Nagalingam, Arun Prasanth; Yap, Yee Ling; Sing, Swee Leong; Yeong, Wai Yee; Wei, Jun

2017-01-01

The objective of this investigation was to determine the quasi-static indentation response and failure mode in three-dimensional (3D) printed trapezoidal core structures, and to characterize the energy absorbed by the structures. In this work, the trapezoidal sandwich structure was designed in the following two ways. Firstly, the trapezoidal core along with its facesheet was 3D printed as a single element comprising a single material for both core and facesheet (type A); Secondly, the trapezoidal core along with facesheet was 3D printed, but with variation in facesheet materials (type B). Quasi-static indentation was carried out using three different indenters, namely standard hemispherical, conical, and flat indenters. Acoustic emission (AE) technique was used to capture brittle cracking in the specimens during indentation. The major failure modes were found to be brittle failure and quasi-brittle fractures. The measured indentation energy was at a maximum when using a conical indenter at 9.40 J and 9.66 J and was at a minimum when using a hemispherical indenter at 6.87 J and 8.82 J for type A and type B series specimens respectively. The observed maximum indenter displacements at failure were the effect of material variations and composite configurations in the facesheet. PMID:28772649

Investigation of Quasi-Static Indentation Response of Inkjet Printed Sandwich Structures under Various Indenter Geometries.

PubMed

Dikshit, Vishwesh; Nagalingam, Arun Prasanth; Yap, Yee Ling; Sing, Swee Leong; Yeong, Wai Yee; Wei, Jun

2017-03-14

The objective of this investigation was to determine the quasi-static indentation response and failure mode in three-dimensional (3D) printed trapezoidal core structures, and to characterize the energy absorbed by the structures. In this work, the trapezoidal sandwich structure was designed in the following two ways. Firstly, the trapezoidal core along with its facesheet was 3D printed as a single element comprising a single material for both core and facesheet (type A); Secondly, the trapezoidal core along with facesheet was 3D printed, but with variation in facesheet materials (type B). Quasi-static indentation was carried out using three different indenters, namely standard hemispherical, conical, and flat indenters. Acoustic emission (AE) technique was used to capture brittle cracking in the specimens during indentation. The major failure modes were found to be brittle failure and quasi-brittle fractures. The measured indentation energy was at a maximum when using a conical indenter at 9.40 J and 9.66 J and was at a minimum when using a hemispherical indenter at 6.87 J and 8.82 J for type A and type B series specimens respectively. The observed maximum indenter displacements at failure were the effect of material variations and composite configurations in the facesheet.

Dielectric elastomer membranes undergoing inhomogeneous deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Tianhu; Zhao, Xuanhe; Suo, Zhigang

2009-10-01

Dielectric elastomers are capable of large deformation subject to an electric voltage and are promising for use as actuators, sensors, and generators. Because of large deformation, nonlinear equations of states, and diverse modes of failure, modeling the process of electromechanical transduction has been challenging. This paper studies a membrane of a dielectric elastomer deformed into an out-of-plane axisymmetric shape, a configuration used in a family of commercial devices known as the universal muscle actuators. The kinematics of deformation and charging, together with thermodynamics, leads to equations that govern the state of equilibrium. Numerical results indicate that the field in the membrane can be very inhomogeneous, and that the membrane is susceptible to several modes of failure, including electrical breakdown, loss of tension, and rupture by stretch. Care is needed in the design to balance the requirements of averting various modes of failure while using the material efficiently.

New understandings of failure modes in SSL luminaires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shepherd, Sarah D.; Mills, Karmann C.; Yaga, Robert; Johnson, Cortina; Davis, J. Lynn

2014-09-01

As SSL products are being rapidly introduced into the market, there is a need to develop standard screening and testing protocols that can be performed quickly and provide data surrounding product lifetime and performance. These protocols, derived from standard industry tests, are known as ALTs (accelerated life tests) and can be performed in a timeframe of weeks to months instead of years. Accelerated testing utilizes a combination of elevated temperature and humidity conditions as well as electrical power cycling to control aging of the luminaires. In this study, we report on the findings of failure modes for two different luminaire products exposed to temperature-humidity ALTs. LEDs are typically considered the determining component for the rate of lumen depreciation. However, this study has shown that each luminaire component can independently or jointly influence system performance and reliability. Material choices, luminaire designs, and driver designs all have significant impacts on the system reliability of a product. From recent data, it is evident that the most common failure modes are not within the LED, but instead occur within resistors, capacitors, and other electrical components of the driver. Insights into failure modes and rates as a result of ALTs are reported with emphasis on component influence on overall system reliability.

Compression failure of angle-ply laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peel, Larry D.; Hyer, Michael W.; Shuart, Mark J.

1991-01-01

The present work deals with modes and mechanisms of failure in compression of angle-ply laminates. Experimental results were obtained from 42 angle-ply IM7/8551-7a specimens with a lay-up of ((plus or minus theta)/(plus or minus theta)) sub 6s where theta, the off-axis angle, ranged from 0 degrees to 90 degrees. The results showed four failure modes, these modes being a function of off-axis angle. Failure modes include fiber compression, inplane transverse tension, inplane shear, and inplane transverse compression. Excessive interlaminar shear strain was also considered as an important mode of failure. At low off-axis angles, experimentally observed values were considerably lower than published strengths. It was determined that laminate imperfections in the form of layer waviness could be a major factor in reducing compression strength. Previously developed linear buckling and geometrically nonlinear theories were used, with modifications and enhancements, to examine the influence of layer waviness on compression response. The wavy layer is described by a wave amplitude and a wave length. Linear elastic stress-strain response is assumed. The geometrically nonlinear theory, in conjunction with the maximum stress failure criterion, was used to predict compression failure and failure modes for the angle-ply laminates. A range of wave length and amplitudes were used. It was found that for 0 less than or equal to theta less than or equal to 15 degrees failure was most likely due to fiber compression. For 15 degrees less than theta less than or equal to 35 degrees, failure was most likely due to inplane transverse tension. For 35 degrees less than theta less than or equal to 70 degrees, failure was most likely due to inplane shear. For theta less than 70 degrees, failure was most likely due to inplane transverse compression. The fiber compression and transverse tension failure modes depended more heavily on wave length than on wave amplitude. Thus using a single parameter, such as a ratio of wave amplitude to wave length, to describe waviness in a laminate would be inaccurate. Throughout, results for AS4/3502, studied previously, are included for comparison. At low off-axis angles, the AS4/3502 material system was found to be less sensitive to layer waviness than IM7/8551-7a. Analytical predictions were also obtained for laminates with waviness in only some of the layers. For this type of waviness, laminate compression strength could also be considered a function of which layers in the laminate were wavy, and where those wavy layers were. Overall, the geometrically nonlinear model correlates well with experimental results.

Structural analysis considerations for wind turbine blades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spera, D. A.

1979-01-01

Approaches to the structural analysis of wind turbine blade designs are reviewed. Specifications and materials data are discussed along with the analysis of vibrations, loads, stresses, and failure modes.

Concepts for improving the damage tolerance of composite compression panels. [aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhodes, M. D.; Williams, J. G.

1984-01-01

The residual strength of specimens with damage and the sensitivity to damage while subjected to an applied inplane compression load were determined for flatplate specimens and blade-stiffened panels. The results suggest that matrix materials that fail by delamination have the lowest damage tolerance capability. Alternate matrix materials or laminates which are transversely reinforced suppress the delamination mode of failure and change the failure mode to transverse shear crippling which occurs at a higher strain value. Several damage-tolerant blade-stiffened panel design concepts are evaluated. Structural efficiency studies conducted show only small mass penalties may result from incorporating these damage-tolerant features in panel design. The implication of test results on the design of aircraft structures was examined with respect to FAR requirements.

Fatigue of notched fiber composite laminates. Part 1: Analytical model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mclaughlin, P. V., Jr.; Kulkarni, S. V.; Huang, S. N.; Rosen, B. W.

1975-01-01

A description is given of a semi-empirical, deterministic analysis for prediction and correlation of fatigue crack growth, residual strength, and fatigue lifetime for fiber composite laminates containing notches (holes). The failure model used for the analysis is based upon composite heterogeneous behavior and experimentally observed failure modes under both static and fatigue loading. The analysis is consistent with the wearout philosophy. Axial cracking and transverse cracking failure modes are treated together in the analysis. Cracking off-axis is handled by making a modification to the axial cracking analysis. The analysis predicts notched laminate failure from unidirectional material fatique properties using constant strain laminate analysis techniques. For multidirectional laminates, it is necessary to know lamina fatique behavior under axial normal stress, transverse normal stress and axial shear stress. Examples of the analysis method are given.

Transient Reliability of Ceramic Structures For Heat Engine Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nemeth, Noel N.; Jadaan, Osama M.

2002-01-01

The objectives of this report was to develop a methodology to predict the time-dependent reliability (probability of failure) of brittle material components subjected to transient thermomechanical loading, taking into account the change in material response with time. This methodology for computing the transient reliability in ceramic components subjected to fluctuation thermomechanical loading was developed, assuming SCG (Slow Crack Growth) as the delayed mode of failure. It takes into account the effect of varying Weibull modulus and materials with time. It was also coded into a beta version of NASA's CARES/Life code, and an example demonstrating its viability was presented.

Fatigue of restorative materials.

PubMed

Baran, G; Boberick, K; McCool, J

2001-01-01

Failure due to fatigue manifests itself in dental prostheses and restorations as wear, fractured margins, delaminated coatings, and bulk fracture. Mechanisms responsible for fatigue-induced failure depend on material ductility: Brittle materials are susceptible to catastrophic failure, while ductile materials utilize their plasticity to reduce stress concentrations at the crack tip. Because of the expense associated with the replacement of failed restorations, there is a strong desire on the part of basic scientists and clinicians to evaluate the resistance of materials to fatigue in laboratory tests. Test variables include fatigue-loading mode and test environment, such as soaking in water. The outcome variable is typically fracture strength, and these data typically fit the Weibull distribution. Analysis of fatigue data permits predictive inferences to be made concerning the survival of structures fabricated from restorative materials under specified loading conditions. Although many dental-restorative materials are routinely evaluated, only limited use has been made of fatigue data collected in vitro: Wear of materials and the survival of porcelain restorations has been modeled by both fracture mechanics and probabilistic approaches. A need still exists for a clinical failure database and for the development of valid test methods for the evaluation of composite materials.

Corrosion of graphite composites in phosphoric acid fuel cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Christner, L. G.; Dhar, H. P.; Farooque, M.; Kush, A. K.

1986-01-01

Polymers, polymer-graphite composites and different carbon materials are being considered for many of the fuel cell stack components. Exposure to concentrated phosphoric acid in the fuel cell environment and to high anodic potential results in corrosion. Relative corrosion rates of these materials, failure modes, plausible mechanisms of corrosion and methods for improvement of these materials are investigated.

STRESS AND FAILURE ANALYSIS OF RAPIDLY ROTATING ASTEROID (29075) 1950 DA

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hirabayashi, Masatoshi; Scheeres, Daniel J., E-mail: masatoshi.hirabayashi@colorado.edu

Rozitis et al. recently reported that near-Earth asteroid (29075) 1950 DA, whose bulk density ranges from 1.0 g cm{sup –3} to 2.4 g cm{sup –3}, is a rubble pile and requires a cohesive strength of at least 44-76 Pa to keep from failing due to its fast spin period. Since their technique for giving failure conditions required the averaged stress over the whole volume, it discarded information about the asteroid's failure mode and internal stress condition. This paper develops a finite element model and revisits the stress and failure analysis of 1950 DA. For the modeling, we do not consider material hardening andmore » softening. Under the assumption of an associated flow rule and uniform material distribution, we identify the deformation process of 1950 DA when its constant cohesion reaches the lowest value that keeps its current shape. The results show that to avoid structural failure the internal core requires a cohesive strength of at least 75-85 Pa. It suggests that for the failure mode of this body, the internal core first fails structurally, followed by the surface region. This implies that if cohesion is constant over the whole volume, the equatorial ridge of 1950 DA results from a material flow going outward along the equatorial plane in the internal core, but not from a landslide as has been hypothesized. This has additional implications for the likely density of the interior of the body.« less

Flexural strength and failure modes of layered ceramic structures.

PubMed

Borba, Márcia; de Araújo, Maico D; de Lima, Erick; Yoshimura, Humberto N; Cesar, Paulo F; Griggs, Jason A; Della Bona, Alvaro

2011-12-01

To evaluate the effect of the specimen design on the flexural strength (σ(f)) and failure mode of ceramic structures, testing the hypothesis that the ceramic material under tension controls the mechanical performance of the structure. Three ceramics used as framework materials for fixed partial dentures (YZ--Vita In-Ceram YZ; IZ--Vita In-Ceram Zirconia; AL--Vita In-Ceram AL) and two veneering porcelains (VM7 and VM9) were studied. Bar-shaped specimens were produced in three different designs (n=10): monolithic, two layers (porcelain-framework) and three layers (TRI) (porcelain-framework-porcelain). Specimens were tested for three-point flexural strength at 1MPa/s in 37°C artificial saliva. For bi-layered design, the specimens were tested in both conditions: with porcelain (PT) or framework ceramic (FT) layer under tension. Fracture surfaces were analyzed using stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Young's modulus (E) and Poisson's ratio (ν) were determined using ultrasonic pulse-echo method. Results were statistically analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and Student-Newman-Keuls tests. Except for VM7 and VM9, significant differences were observed for E values among the materials. YZ showed the highest ν value followed by IZ and AL. YZ presented the highest σ(f). There was no statistical difference in the σ(f) value between IZ and IZ-FT and between AL and AL-FT. σ(f) values for YZ-PT, IZ-PT, IZ-TRI, AL-PT, AL-TRI were similar to the results obtained for VM7 and VM9. Two types of fracture mode were identified: total and partial failure. The mechanical performance of the specimens was determined by the material under tension during testing, confirming the study hypothesis. Copyright © 2011 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanics of rainfall-induced flow failure in unsaturated shallow slopes (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buscarnera, G.

2013-12-01

The increase in pore water pressure due to rain infiltration can be a dominant component in the activation of slope instabilities. This work shows an application of the theory of material stability to the triggering analysis of this important class of natural hazards. The goal is to identify the mechanisms through which the process of rain infiltration promotes instabilities of the flow-type in the soil covers. The interplay between increase in pore water pressure and failure mechanisms is investigated at material point level. To account for multiple failure mechanisms, the second-order energy input is linked to the controllability theory and used to define different types of stability indices, each associated with a specific mode of slope failure. It is shown that the theory can be used to assess both shear failure and static liquefaction in saturated and unsaturated soil covers. In particular, it is shown that these instability modes are regulated by the hydro-mechanical characteristics of the soil covers, as well as by their mutual coupling. This finding discloses the importance of the constitutive functions that simulate the interaction between the response of the solid skeleton and the fluid-retention characteristics of the soil. As a consequence, they suggest that even material properties that are not be to directly associated with the shearing resistance (e.g., the potential for wetting compaction) may play a role in the initiation of catastrophic slope failures. According to the proposed interpretation, the process of pore pressure increase can be seen as the trigger of uncontrolled strains, which can anticipate the onset of frictional failure and promote a solid-to-fluid transition.

Unit-Sphere Multiaxial Stochastic-Strength Model Applied to Anisotropic and Composite Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nemeth, Noel, N.

2013-01-01

Models that predict the failure probability of brittle materials under multiaxial loading have been developed by authors such as Batdorf, Evans, and Matsuo. These "unit-sphere" models assume that the strength-controlling flaws are randomly oriented, noninteracting planar microcracks of specified geometry but of variable size. This methodology has been extended to predict the multiaxial strength response of transversely isotropic brittle materials, including polymer matrix composites (PMCs), by considering (1) flaw-orientation anisotropy, whereby a preexisting microcrack has a higher likelihood of being oriented in one direction over another direction, and (2) critical strength, or K (sub Ic) orientation anisotropy, whereby the level of critical strength or fracture toughness for mode I crack propagation, K (sub Ic), changes with regard to the orientation of the microstructure. In this report, results from finite element analysis of a fiber-reinforced-matrix unit cell were used with the unit-sphere model to predict the biaxial strength response of a unidirectional PMC previously reported from the World-Wide Failure Exercise. Results for nuclear-grade graphite materials under biaxial loading are also shown for comparison. This effort was successful in predicting the multiaxial strength response for the chosen problems. Findings regarding stress-state interactions and failure modes also are provided.

Fracture behavior of W based materials. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hack, J.E.

This report describes the results of a program to investigate the fracture properties of tungsten based materials. In particular, the role of crack velocity on crack instability was determined in a W-Fe-Ni-Co ``heavy alloy`` and pure polycrystalline tungsten. A considerable effort was expended on the development of an appropriate crack velocity gage for use on these materials. Having succeeded in that, the gage technology was employed to determine the crack velocity response to the applied level of stress intensity factor at the onset of crack instability in pre-cracked specimens. The results were also correlated to the failure mode observed inmore » two material systems of interest. Major results include: (1) unstable crack velocity measurements on metallic specimens which require high spatial resolution require the use of brittle, insulating substrates, as opposed to the ductile, polymer based substrates employed in low spatial resolution measurements; and (2) brittle failure modes, such as cleavage, are characterized by relatively slow unstable crack velocities while evidence of high degrees of deformation are associated with failures which proceed at high unstable crack velocities. This latter behavior is consistent with the predictions of the modeling of Hack et al and may have a significant impact on the interpretation of fractographs in general.« less

Degradation, Fatigue, and Failure of Resin Dental Composite Materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Drummond, J.L.

The intent of this article is to review the numerous factors that affect the mechanical properties of particle- or fiber-filler-containing indirect dental resin composite materials. The focus will be on the effects of degradation due to aging in different media, mainly water and water and ethanol, cyclic loading, and mixed-mode loading on flexure strength and fracture toughness. Several selected papers will be examined in detail with respect to mixed and cyclic loading, and 3D tomography with multi-axial compression specimens. The main cause of failure, for most dental resin composites, is the breakdown of the resin matrix and/or the interface betweenmore » the filler and the resin matrix. In clinical studies, it appears that failure in the first 5 years is a restoration issue (technique or material selection); after that time period, failure most often results from secondary decay.« less

Membrane Accelerated Stress Test Development for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Durability Validated Using Field and Drive Cycle Testing

DOE PAGES

Mukundan, Rangachary; Baker, Andrew M.; Kusoglu, Ahmet; ...

2018-03-01

A combined chemical/mechanical accelerated stress test (AST) was developed for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells based on relative humidity cycling (RHC) between dry and saturated gases at open circuit voltage (OCV). Membrane degradation and failure were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering. Changes to membrane thickness, hydrophilic domain spacing, and crystallinity were observed to be most similar between field-operated cells and OCV RHC ASTs, where local thinning and divot-type defects are the primary failure modes. While RHC in air also reproduces these failure modes, it is not aggressive enough to differentiate between different membranemore » types in >1,333 hours (55 days) of testing. Conversely, steady-state OCV tests result in significant ionomer morphology changes and global thinning, which do not replicate field degradation and failure modes. It is inferred that during the OCV RHC AST, the decay of the membrane's mechanical properties is accelerated such that materials can be evaluated in hundreds, instead of thousands, of hours, while replicating the degradation and failure modes of field operation; associated AST protocols are recommended as OCV RHC at 90°C for 500 hours with wet/dry cycle durations of 30s/45s and 2m/2m for automotive and bus operation, respectively.« less

Failure modes and conditions of a cohesive, spherical body due to YORP spin-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirabayashi, Masatoshi

2015-12-01

This paper presents transition of the failure mode of a cohesive, spherical body due to The Yarkovsky-O'Keefe-Radzievskii-Paddack (YORP) spin-up. On the assumption that the distribution of materials in the body is homogeneous, failed regions first appearing in the body at different spin rates are predicted by comparing the yield condition of an elastic stress in the body. It is found that as the spin rate increases, the locations of the failed regions move from the equatorial surface to the central region. To avoid such failure modes, the body should have higher cohesive strength. The results by this model are consistent with those by a plastic finite element model. Then, this model and a two-layered-cohesive model first proposed by Hirabayashi et al. are used to classify possible evolution and disruption of a spherical body. There are three possible pathways to disruption. First, because of a strong structure, failure of the central region is dominant and eventually leads to a breakup into multiple components. Secondly, a weak surface and a weak interior make the body oblate. Thirdly, a strong internal core prevents the body from failing and only allows surface shedding. This implies that observed failure modes may highly depend on the internal structure of an asteroid, which could provide crucial information for giving constraints on the physical properties.

Membrane Accelerated Stress Test Development for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Durability Validated Using Field and Drive Cycle Testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mukundan, Rangachary; Baker, Andrew M.; Kusoglu, Ahmet

A combined chemical/mechanical accelerated stress test (AST) was developed for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells based on relative humidity cycling (RHC) between dry and saturated gases at open circuit voltage (OCV). Membrane degradation and failure were investigated using scanning electron microscopy and small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering. Changes to membrane thickness, hydrophilic domain spacing, and crystallinity were observed to be most similar between field-operated cells and OCV RHC ASTs, where local thinning and divot-type defects are the primary failure modes. While RHC in air also reproduces these failure modes, it is not aggressive enough to differentiate between different membranemore » types in >1,333 hours (55 days) of testing. Conversely, steady-state OCV tests result in significant ionomer morphology changes and global thinning, which do not replicate field degradation and failure modes. It is inferred that during the OCV RHC AST, the decay of the membrane's mechanical properties is accelerated such that materials can be evaluated in hundreds, instead of thousands, of hours, while replicating the degradation and failure modes of field operation; associated AST protocols are recommended as OCV RHC at 90°C for 500 hours with wet/dry cycle durations of 30s/45s and 2m/2m for automotive and bus operation, respectively.« less

Numerical model of thermo-mechanical coupling for the tensile failure process of brittle materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Yu; Wang, Zhe; Ren, Fengyu; Wang, Daguo

2017-10-01

A numerical model of thermal cracking with a thermo-mechanical coupling effect was established. The theory of tensile failure and heat conduction is used to study the tensile failure process of brittle materials, such as rock and concrete under high temperature environment. The validity of the model is verified by thick-wall cylinders with analytical solutions. The failure modes of brittle materials under thermal stresses caused by temperature gradient and different thermal expansion coefficient were studied by using a thick-wall cylinder model and an embedded particle model, respectively. In the thick-wall cylinder model, different forms of cracks induced by temperature gradient were obtained under different temperature boundary conditions. In the embedded particle model, radial cracks were produced in the medium part with lower tensile strength when temperature increased because of the different thermal expansion coefficient. Model results are in good agreement with the experimental results, thereby providing a new finite element method for analyzing the thermal damage process and mechanism of brittle materials.

Thermostructural responses of carbon phenolics in a restrained thermal growth test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, C. Jeff

1992-01-01

The thermostructural response of carbon phenolic components in a solid rocket motor (SRM) is a complex process. It involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer along with chemical reactions in a multiphase system with time-dependent material properties and boundary conditions. In contrast to metals, the fracture of fiber-reinforced composites is characterized by the initiation and progression of multiple failures of different modes such as matrix cracks, interfacial debonding, fiber breaks, and delamination. The investigation of thermostructural responses of SRM carbon phenolics is further complicated by different failure modes under static and dynamic load applications. Historically, there have been several types of post-firing anomalies found in the carbon phenolic composites of the Space Shuttle SRM nozzle. Three major failure modes which have been observed on SRM nozzles are pocketing (spallation), ply-lift, and wedge-out. In order to efficiently control these anomalous phenomena, an investigation of fracture mechanisms under NASA/MSFC RSRM (Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor) and SPIP (Solid Propulsion Integrity Program) programs have been conducted following each anomaly. This report reviews the current progress in understanding the effects of the thermostructural behavior of carbon phenolics on the failure mechanisms of the SRM nozzle. A literature search was conducted and a technical bibliography was developed to support consolidation and assimilation of learning from the RSRM and SPIP investigation efforts. Another important objective of this report is to present a knowledge-based design basis for carbon phenolics that combines the analyses of thermochemical decomposition, pore pressure stresses, and thermostructural properties. Possible areas of application of the knowledge-based design include critical material properties development, nozzle component design, and SRM materials control.

Quantitative Approach to Failure Mode and Effect Analysis for Linear Accelerator Quality Assurance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Daniel, Jennifer C., E-mail: jennifer.odaniel@duke.edu; Yin, Fang-Fang

Purpose: To determine clinic-specific linear accelerator quality assurance (QA) TG-142 test frequencies, to maximize physicist time efficiency and patient treatment quality. Methods and Materials: A novel quantitative approach to failure mode and effect analysis is proposed. Nine linear accelerator-years of QA records provided data on failure occurrence rates. The severity of test failure was modeled by introducing corresponding errors into head and neck intensity modulated radiation therapy treatment plans. The relative risk of daily linear accelerator QA was calculated as a function of frequency of test performance. Results: Although the failure severity was greatest for daily imaging QA (imaging vsmore » treatment isocenter and imaging positioning/repositioning), the failure occurrence rate was greatest for output and laser testing. The composite ranking results suggest that performing output and lasers tests daily, imaging versus treatment isocenter and imaging positioning/repositioning tests weekly, and optical distance indicator and jaws versus light field tests biweekly would be acceptable for non-stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic body radiation therapy linear accelerators. Conclusions: Failure mode and effect analysis is a useful tool to determine the relative importance of QA tests from TG-142. Because there are practical time limitations on how many QA tests can be performed, this analysis highlights which tests are the most important and suggests the frequency of testing based on each test's risk priority number.« less

Application of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis to Intraoperative Radiation Therapy Using Mobile Electron Linear Accelerators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ciocca, Mario, E-mail: mario.ciocca@cnao.it; Cantone, Marie-Claire; Veronese, Ivan

2012-02-01

Purpose: Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) represents a prospective approach for risk assessment. A multidisciplinary working group of the Italian Association for Medical Physics applied FMEA to electron beam intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) delivered using mobile linear accelerators, aiming at preventing accidental exposures to the patient. Methods and Materials: FMEA was applied to the IORT process, for the stages of the treatment delivery and verification, and consisted of three steps: 1) identification of the involved subprocesses; 2) identification and ranking of the potential failure modes, together with their causes and effects, using the risk probability number (RPN) scoring system,more » based on the product of three parameters (severity, frequency of occurrence and detectability, each ranging from 1 to 10); 3) identification of additional safety measures to be proposed for process quality and safety improvement. RPN upper threshold for little concern of risk was set at 125. Results: Twenty-four subprocesses were identified. Ten potential failure modes were found and scored, in terms of RPN, in the range of 42-216. The most critical failure modes consisted of internal shield misalignment, wrong Monitor Unit calculation and incorrect data entry at treatment console. Potential causes of failure included shield displacement, human errors, such as underestimation of CTV extension, mainly because of lack of adequate training and time pressures, failure in the communication between operators, and machine malfunctioning. The main effects of failure were represented by CTV underdose, wrong dose distribution and/or delivery, unintended normal tissue irradiation. As additional safety measures, the utilization of a dedicated staff for IORT, double-checking of MU calculation and data entry and finally implementation of in vivo dosimetry were suggested. Conclusions: FMEA appeared as a useful tool for prospective evaluation of patient safety in radiotherapy. The application of this method to IORT lead to identify three safety measures for risk mitigation.« less

Dynamic plasticity and failure of high-purity alumina under shock loading.

PubMed

Chen, M W; McCauley, J W; Dandekar, D P; Bourne, N K

2006-08-01

Most high-performance ceramics subjected to shock loading can withstand high failure strength and exhibit significant inelastic strain that cannot be achieved under conventional loading conditions. The transition point from elastic to inelastic response prior to failure during shock loading, known as the Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL), has been widely used as an important parameter in the characterization of the dynamic mechanical properties of ceramics. Nevertheless, the underlying micromechanisms that control HEL have been debated for many years. Here we show high-resolution electron microscopy of high-purity alumina, soft-recovered from shock-loading experiments. The change of deformation behaviour from dislocation activity in the vicinity of grain boundaries to deformation twinning has been observed as the impact pressures increase from below, to above HEL. The evolution of deformation modes leads to the conversion of material failure from an intergranular mode to transgranular cleavage, in which twinning interfaces serve as the preferred cleavage planes.

Statistical analysis of lithium iron sulfide status cell cycle life and failure mode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gay, E.C.; Battles, J.E.; Miller, W.E.

1983-08-01

A statistical model was developed for life cycle testing of electrochemical cell life cycle trials and verified experimentally. The Weibull distribution was selected to predict the end of life for a cell, based on a 20 percent loss of initial stabilized capacity or a decrease to less than 95 percent coulombic efficiency. Groups of 12 or more Li-alloy/FeS cells were cycled to determine the mean time to failure (MTTF) and also to identify the failure modes. The cells were all full size electric vehicle batteries with 150-350 A-hr capacity. The Weibull shape factors were determined and verified in prediction ofmore » the number of cell failures in two 10 cell modules. The short circuit failure in the cells with BN-felt and MgO powder separators were found to be caused by the formation of Li-Al protrusions that penetrated the BN-felt separators, and the extrusion of active material at the edge of the electrodes.« less

Progressive Damage Analyses of Skin/Stringer Debonding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daville, Carlos G.; Camanho, Pedro P.; deMoura, Marcelo F.

2004-01-01

The debonding of skin/stringer constructions is analyzed using a step-by-step simulation of material degradation based on strain softening decohesion elements and a ply degradation procedure. Decohesion elements with mixed-mode capability are placed at the interface between the skin and the flange to simulate the initiation and propagation of the delamination. In addition, the initiation and accumulation of fiber failure and matrix damage is modeled using Hashin-type failure criteria and their corresponding material degradation schedules. The debonding predictions using simplified three-dimensional models correlate well with test results.

Shapeable short circuit resistant capacitor

DOEpatents

Taylor, Ralph S.; Myers, John D.; Baney, William J.

2015-10-06

A ceramic short circuit resistant capacitor that is bendable and/or shapeable to provide a multiple layer capacitor that is extremely compact and amenable to desirable geometries. The capacitor that exhibits a benign failure mode in which a multitude of discrete failure events result in a gradual loss of capacitance. Each event is a localized event in which localized heating causes an adjacent portion of one or both of the electrodes to vaporize, physically cleaning away electrode material from the failure site. A first metal electrode, a second metal electrode, and a ceramic dielectric layer between the electrodes are thin enough to be formed in a serpentine-arrangement with gaps between the first electrode and the second electrode that allow venting of vaporized electrode material in the event of a benign failure.

Morphological features (defects) in fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundu, S.; Fowler, M. W.; Simon, L. C.; Grot, S.

Reliability and durability issues in fuel cells are becoming more important as the technology and the industry matures. Although research in this area has increased, systematic failure analysis, such as a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), are very limited in the literature. This paper presents a categorization scheme of causes, modes, and effects related to fuel cell degradation and failure, with particular focus on the role of component quality, that can be used in FMEAs for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The work also identifies component defects imparted on catalyst-coated membranes (CCM) by manufacturing and proposes mechanisms by which they can influence overall degradation and reliability. Six major defects have been identified on fresh CCM materials, i.e., cracks, orientation, delamination, electrolyte clusters, platinum clusters, and thickness variations.

Progressive Failure Studies of Composite Panels with and without Cutouts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaunky, Navin; Ambur, Damodar R.; Davila, Carlos G.; Hilburger, Mark; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Progressive failure analyses results are presented for composite panels with and without a cutout and subjected to in-plane shear loading and compression loading well into their postbuckling regime. Ply damage modes such as matrix cracking, fiber-matrix shear, and fiber failure are modeled by degrading the material properties. Results from finite element analyses are compared with experimental data. Good agreement between experimental data and numerical results are observed for most structural configurations when initial geometric imperfections are appropriately modeled.

Progressive Failure Studies of Composite Panels With and Without Cutouts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ambur, Damodar R.; Jaunky, Navin; Davila, Carlos G.; Hilburger, Mark

2001-01-01

Progressive failure analyses results are presented for composite panels with and without a cutout and are subjected to in-plane shear loading and compression loading well into their post-buckling regime. Ply damage modes such as matrix cracking, fiber-matrix shear, and fiber failure are modeled by degrading the material properties. Results from finite element analyses are compared with experimental data. Good agreement between experimental data and numerical results are observed for most structural configurations when initial geometric imperfections are appropriately modeled.

Surface electrical properties experiment study phase, volume 3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

The reliability and quality assurance system and procedures used in developing test equipment for the Lunar Experiment projects are described. The subjects discussed include the following: (1) documentation control, (2) design review, (3) parts and materials selection, (4) material procurement, (5) inspection procedures, (6) qualification and special testing, and failure modes and effects analysis.

A Framework for Creating a Function-based Design Tool for Failure Mode Identification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arunajadai, Srikesh G.; Stone, Robert B.; Tumer, Irem Y.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Knowledge of potential failure modes during design is critical for prevention of failures. Currently industries use procedures such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree analysis, or Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality analysis (FMECA), as well as knowledge and experience, to determine potential failure modes. When new products are being developed there is often a lack of sufficient knowledge of potential failure mode and/or a lack of sufficient experience to identify all failure modes. This gives rise to a situation in which engineers are unable to extract maximum benefits from the above procedures. This work describes a function-based failure identification methodology, which would act as a storehouse of information and experience, providing useful information about the potential failure modes for the design under consideration, as well as enhancing the usefulness of procedures like FMEA. As an example, the method is applied to fifteen products and the benefits are illustrated.

Panel Stiffener Debonding Analysis using a Shell/3D Modeling Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald; Ratcliffe, James G.; Minguet, Pierre J.

2008-01-01

A shear loaded, stringer reinforced composite panel is analyzed to evaluate the fidelity of computational fracture mechanics analyses of complex structures. Shear loading causes the panel to buckle. The resulting out -of-plane deformations initiate skin/stringer separation at the location of an embedded defect. The panel and surrounding load fixture were modeled with shell elements. A small section of the stringer foot, web and noodle as well as the panel skin near the delamination front were modeled with a local 3D solid model. Across the width of the stringer fo to, the mixed-mode strain energy release rates were calculated using the virtual crack closure technique. A failure index was calculated by correlating the results with a mixed-mode failure criterion of the graphite/epoxy material. The objective was to study the effect of the fidelity of the local 3D finite element model on the computed mixed-mode strain energy release rates and the failure index.

Panel-Stiffener Debonding and Analysis Using a Shell/3D Modeling Technique

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald; Ratcliffe, James G.; Minguet, Pierre J.

2007-01-01

A shear loaded, stringer reinforced composite panel is analyzed to evaluate the fidelity of computational fracture mechanics analyses of complex structures. Shear loading causes the panel to buckle. The resulting out-of-plane deformations initiate skin/stringer separation at the location of an embedded defect. The panel and surrounding load fixture were modeled with shell elements. A small section of the stringer foot, web and noodle as well as the panel skin near the delamination front were modeled with a local 3D solid model. Across the width of the stringer foot, the mixed-mode strain energy release rates were calculated using the virtual crack closure technique. A failure index was calculated by correlating the results with a mixed-mode failure criterion of the graphite/epoxy material. The objective was to study the effect of the fidelity of the local 3D finite element model on the computed mixed-mode strain energy release rates and the failure index.

Fractography of human intact long bone by bending.

PubMed

Kimura, T; Ogawa, K; Kamiya, M

1977-05-27

Human intact tibiae were tested using the static bending method to learn about the relationship between the fracture surface and the failure mode. The bending test was applied to test pieces and to whole bones. The fracture surface was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The bone fracture is closely related to the architecture of the bone substance, especially to the direction of the Haversian canals and the lamellae. The failure mode and the sequence of the break line of the bone can be found out by the observation on the fracture surface. Hardly any crushing effects caused by the compressive force is seen. The mechanical properties of the fractured bone can be estimated to some extend by considering the direction of the break line and the failure mode. The strength calculated by the simple beam formula for elastic materials can not be obtained directly because of the plastic deformation of the bone. The results of the tensile test may be applied to the fracture using the static bending moment.

Shear Fracture of Dual Phase AHSS in the Process of Stamping: Macroscopic Failure Mode and Micro-level Metallographical Observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wurong; Wei, Xicheng; Yang, Jun; Shi, Gang

2011-08-01

Due to its excellent strength and formability combinations, dual phase (DP) steels offer the potential to improve the vehicle crashworthiness performance without increasing car body weight and have been increasingly used into new vehicles. However, a new type of crack mode termed as shear fracture is accompanied with the application of these high strength DP steel sheets. With the cup drawing experiment to identify the limit drawing ratio (LDR) of three DP AHSS with strength level from 600 MPa to 1000 MPa, the study compared and categorized the macroscopic failure mode of these three types of materials. The metallographical observation along the direction of crack was conducted for the DP steels to discover the micro-level propagation mechanism of the fracture.

Composite Structural Analysis of Flat-Back Shaped Blade for Multi-MW Class Wind Turbine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Soo-Hyun; Bang, Hyung-Joon; Shin, Hyung-Ki; Jang, Moon-Seok

2014-06-01

This paper provides an overview of failure mode estimation based on 3D structural finite element (FE) analysis of the flat-back shaped wind turbine blade. Buckling stability, fiber failure (FF), and inter-fiber failure (IFF) analyses were performed to account for delamination or matrix failure of composite materials and to predict the realistic behavior of the entire blade region. Puck's fracture criteria were used for IFF evaluation. Blade design loads applicable to multi-megawatt (MW) wind turbine systems were calculated according to the Germanischer Lloyd (GL) guideline and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-1 standard, under Class IIA wind conditions. After the post-processing of final load results, a number of principal load cases were selected and converted into applied forces at the each section along the blade's radius of the FE model. Nonlinear static analyses were performed for laminate failure, FF, and IFF check. For buckling stability, linear eigenvalue analysis was performed. As a result, we were able to estimate the failure mode and locate the major weak point.

The Need and Requirements for Validating Damage Detection Capability

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

Testing of Airborne Equipment [11], 2) Materials / Structure Certification, 3) NDE (POD) Validation Procedures, 4) Failure Mode Effects and Criticality...Analysis (FMECA), and 5) Cost Benefits Analysis [12]. Existing procedures for environmental testing of airborne equipment ensure flight...e.g. ultrasound or eddy current), damage type or failure conditions to detect, criticality of the damage state (e.g. safety of flight), likelihood of

Comparative Evaluation of Fracture Resistance and Mode of Failure of Zirconia and Titanium Abutments with Different Diameters.

PubMed

Shabanpour, Reza; Mousavi, Niloufar; Ghodsi, Safoura; Alikhasi, Marzieh

2015-08-01

The purpose of the current study was to compare the fracture resistance and mode of failure of zirconia and titanium abutments with different diameters. Fourteen groups of abutments including prefabricated zirconia, copy-milled zirconia and titanium abutments of an implant system (XiVE, Dentsply) were prepared in different diameters. An increasing vertical load was applied to each specimen until failure occurred. Fracture resistance was measured in each group using the universal testing machine. Moreover, the failure modes were studied and categorized as abutment screw fracture, connection area fracture, abutment body fracture, abutment body distortion, screw distortion and connection area distortion. Groups were statistically compared using univariate and post-hoc tests. The level of statistical significance was set at 5%. Fabrication method (p = 0.03) and diameter (p < 0.001) had significant effect on the fracture resistance of abutments. Fracture resistance of abutments with 5.5 mm diameter was higher than other diameters (p < 0.001). The observed modes of failure were dependent on the abutment material as well. All of the prefabricated titanium abutments fractured within the abutment screw. Abutment screw distortion, connection area fracture, and abutment body fracture were the common failure type in other groups. Diameter had a significant effect on fracture resistance of implant abutments, as abutments with greater diameters were more resistant to static loads. Copy-milled abutments showed lower fracture resistance as compared to other experimental groups. Although zirconia abutments have received great popularity among clinicians and even patients selecting them for narrow implants should be with caution.

Peridynamic theory for modeling three-dimensional damage growth in metallic and composite structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ochoa-Ricoux, Juan Pedro

A recently introduced nonlocal peridynamic theory removes the obstacles present in classical continuum mechanics that limit the prediction of crack initiation and growth in materials. It is also applicable at different length scales. This study presents an alternative approach for the derivation of peridynamic equations of motion based on the principle of virtual work. It also presents solutions for the longitudinal vibration of a bar subjected to an initial stretch, propagation of a pre-existing crack in a plate subjected to velocity boundary conditions, and crack initiation and growth in a plate with a circular cutout. Furthermore, damage growth in composites involves complex and progressive failure modes. Current computational tools are incapable of predicting failure in composite materials mainly due to their mathematical structure. However, the peridynamic theory removes these obstacles by taking into account non-local interactions between material points. Hence, an application of the peridynamic theory to predict how damage propagates in fiber reinforced composite materials subjected to mechanical and thermal loading conditions is presented. Finally, an analysis approach based on a merger of the finite element method and the peridynamic theory is proposed. Its validity is established through qualitative and quantitative comparisons against the test results for a stiffened composite curved panel with a central slot under combined internal pressure and axial tension. The predicted initial and final failure loads, as well as the final failure modes, are in close agreement with the experimental observations. This proposed approach demonstrates the capability of the PD approach to assess the durability of complex composite structures.

In Vitro Evaluation and Mechanism Analysis of the Fiber Shedding Property of Textile Pile Debridement Materials

PubMed Central

Fu, Yijun; Xie, Qixue; Lao, Jihong; Wang, Lu

2016-01-01

Fiber shedding is a critical problem in biomedical textile debridement materials, which leads to infection and impairs wound healing. In this work, single fiber pull-out test was proposed as an in vitro evaluation for the fiber shedding property of a textile pile debridement material. Samples with different structural design (pile densities, numbers of ground yarns and coating times) were prepared and estimated under this testing method. Results show that single fiber pull-out test offers an appropriate in vitro evaluation for the fiber shedding property of textile pile debridement materials. Pull-out force for samples without back-coating exhibited a slight escalating trend with the supplement in pile density and number of ground yarn plies, while back-coating process significantly raised the single fiber pull-out force. For fiber shedding mechanism analysis, typical pull-out behavior and failure modes of the single fiber pull-out test were analyzed in detail. Three failure modes were found in this study, i.e., fiber slippage, coating point rupture and fiber breakage. In summary, to obtain samples with desirable fiber shedding property, fabric structural design, preparation process and raw materials selection should be taken into full consideration. PMID:28773428

An experimental method to quantify the impact fatigue behavior of rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Bangbiao; Kanopoulos, Patrick; Luo, Xuedong; Xia, Kaiwen

2014-07-01

Fatigue failure is an important failure mode of engineering materials. The fatigue behavior of both ductile and brittle materials has been under investigation for many years. While the fatigue failure of ductile materials is well established, only a few studies have been carried out on brittle materials. In addition, most fatigue studies on rocks are conducted under quasi-static loading conditions. To address engineering applications involving repeated blasting, this paper proposes a method to quantify the impact fatigue properties of rocks. In this method, a split Hopkinson pressure bar system is adopted to exert impact load on the sample, which is placed in a specially designed steel sleeve to limit the displacement of the sample and thus to enable the recovery of the rock after each impact. The method is then applied to Laurentian granite, which is fine-grained and isotropic material. The results demonstrate that this is a practicable means to conduct impact fatigue tests on rocks and other brittle solids.

Modeling Progressive Damage Using Local Displacement Discontinuities Within the FEAMAC Multiscale Modeling Framework

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ranatunga, Vipul; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Arnold, Steven M.

2010-01-01

A method for performing progressive damage modeling in composite materials and structures based on continuum level interfacial displacement discontinuities is presented. The proposed method enables the exponential evolution of the interfacial compliance, resulting in unloading of the tractions at the interface after delamination or failure occurs. In this paper, the proposed continuum displacement discontinuity model has been used to simulate failure within both isotropic and orthotropic materials efficiently and to explore the possibility of predicting the crack path, therein. Simulation results obtained from Mode-I and Mode-II fracture compare the proposed approach with the cohesive element approach and Virtual Crack Closure Techniques (VCCT) available within the ABAQUS (ABAQUS, Inc.) finite element software. Furthermore, an eccentrically loaded 3-point bend test has been simulated with the displacement discontinuity model, and the resulting crack path prediction has been compared with a prediction based on the extended finite element model (XFEM) approach.

Reliability and mode of failure of bonded monolithic and multilayer ceramics.

PubMed

Alessandretti, Rodrigo; Borba, Marcia; Benetti, Paula; Corazza, Pedro Henrique; Ribeiro, Raissa; Della Bona, Alvaro

2017-02-01

To evaluate the reliability of monolithic and multilayer ceramic structures used in the CAD-on technique (Ivoclar), and the mode of failure produced in ceramic structures bonded to a dentin analog material (NEMA-G10). Ceramic specimens were fabricated as follows (n=30): CAD-on- trilayer structure (IPS e.max ZirCAD/IPS e.max Crystall./Connect/IPS e.max CAD); YLD- bilayer structure (IPS e.max ZirCAD/IPS e.max Ceram); LDC- monolithic structure (IPS e.max CAD); and YZW- monolithic structure (Zenostar Zr Translucent). All ceramic specimens were bonded to G10 and subjected to compressive load in 37°C distilled water until the sound of the first crack, monitored acoustically. Failure load (L f ) values were recorded (N) and statistically analyzed using Weibull distribution, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Student-Newman-Keuls test (α=0.05). L f values of CAD-on and YZW structures were statistically similar (p=0.917), but higher than YLD and LDC (p<0.01). Weibull modulus (m) values were statistically similar for all experimental groups. Monolithic structures (LDC and YZW) failed from radial cracks. Failures in the CAD-on and YLD groups showed, predominantly, both radial and cone cracks. Monolithic zirconia (YZW) and CAD-on structures showed similar failure resistance and reliability, but a different fracture behavior. Copyright © 2016 The Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Structural dynamic analysis of turbine blade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antony, A. Daniel; Gopalsamy, M.; Viswanadh, Chaparala B. V.; Krishnaraj, R.

2017-10-01

In any gas turbine design cycle, blade design is a crucial element which needs maximum attention to meet the aerodynamic performance, structural safety margins, manufacturing feasibility, material availability etc. In present day gas turbine engines, most of the failures occur during engine development test and in-service, in rotor and stator blades due to fatigue and resonance failures. To address this issue, an extensive structural dynamic analysis is carried out to predict the natural frequencies and mode shapes using FE methods. Using the dynamics characteristics, the Campbell diagram is constructed to study the possibility of resonance at various operating speeds. In this work, the feasibility of using composite material in place of titanium alloy from the structural dynamics point of view. This is being attempted in a Low-pressure compressor where the temperatures are relatively low and fixed with the casings. The analysis will be carried out using FE method for different composite material with different lamina orientations chosen through the survey. This study will focus on the sensitivity of blade mode shapes to different laminae orientations, which will be used to alter the natural frequency and tailor the mode shapes. Campbell diagrams of existing titanium alloy are compared with the composite materials with different laminae at all critical operating conditions. The existing manufacturing methods and the proven techniques for blade profiles will also be discussed in this report.

Enhanced Schapery Theory Software Development for Modeling Failure of Fiber-Reinforced Laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pineda, Evan J.; Waas, Anthony M.

2013-01-01

Progressive damage and failure analysis (PDFA) tools are needed to predict the nonlinear response of advanced fiber-reinforced composite structures. Predictive tools should incorporate the underlying physics of the damage and failure mechanisms observed in the composite, and should utilize as few input parameters as possible. The purpose of the Enhanced Schapery Theory (EST) was to create a PDFA tool that operates in conjunction with a commercially available finite element (FE) code (Abaqus). The tool captures the physics of the damage and failure mechanisms that result in the nonlinear behavior of the material, and the failure methodology employed yields numerical results that are relatively insensitive to changes in the FE mesh. The EST code is written in Fortran and compiled into a static library that is linked to Abaqus. A Fortran Abaqus UMAT material subroutine is used to facilitate the communication between Abaqus and EST. A clear distinction between damage and failure is imposed. Damage mechanisms result in pre-peak nonlinearity in the stress strain curve. Four internal state variables (ISVs) are utilized to control the damage and failure degradation. All damage is said to result from matrix microdamage, and a single ISV marks the micro-damage evolution as it is used to degrade the transverse and shear moduli of the lamina using a set of experimentally obtainable matrix microdamage functions. Three separate failure ISVs are used to incorporate failure due to fiber breakage, mode I matrix cracking, and mode II matrix cracking. Failure initiation is determined using a failure criterion, and the evolution of these ISVs is controlled by a set of traction-separation laws. The traction separation laws are postulated such that the area under the curves is equal to the fracture toughness of the material associated with the corresponding failure mechanism. A characteristic finite element length is used to transform the traction-separation laws into stress-strain laws. The ISV evolution equations are derived in a thermodynamically consistent manner by invoking the stationary principle on the total work of the system with respect to each ISV. A novel feature is the inclusion of both pre-peak damage and appropriately scaled, post-peak strain softening failure. Also, the characteristic elements used in the failure degradation scheme are calculated using the element nodal coordinates, rather than simply the square root of the area of the element.

Numerical Implementation of a Multiple-ISV Thermodynamically-Based Work Potential Theory for Modeling Progressive Damage and Failure in Fiber-Reinforced Laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pineda, Evan J.; Waas, Anthony M.

2011-01-01

A thermodynamically-based work potential theory for modeling progressive damage and failure in fiber-reinforced laminates is presented. The current, multiple-internal state variable (ISV) formulation, enhanced Schapery theory (EST), utilizes separate ISVs for modeling the effects of damage and failure. Damage is considered to be the effect of any structural changes in a material that manifest as pre-peak non-linearity in the stress versus strain response. Conversely, failure is taken to be the effect of the evolution of any mechanisms that results in post-peak strain softening. It is assumed that matrix microdamage is the dominant damage mechanism in continuous fiber-reinforced polymer matrix laminates, and its evolution is controlled with a single ISV. Three additional ISVs are introduced to account for failure due to mode I transverse cracking, mode II transverse cracking, and mode I axial failure. Typically, failure evolution (i.e., post-peak strain softening) results in pathologically mesh dependent solutions within a finite element method (FEM) setting. Therefore, consistent character element lengths are introduced into the formulation of the evolution of the three failure ISVs. Using the stationarity of the total work potential with respect to each ISV, a set of thermodynamically consistent evolution equations for the ISVs is derived. The theory is implemented into commercial FEM software. Objectivity of total energy dissipated during the failure process, with regards to refinements in the FEM mesh, is demonstrated. The model is also verified against experimental results from two laminated, T800/3900-2 panels containing a central notch and different fiber-orientation stacking sequences. Global load versus displacement, global load versus local strain gage data, and macroscopic failure paths obtained from the models are compared to the experiments.

A Thermodynamically-Based Mesh Objective Work Potential Theory for Predicting Intralaminar Progressive Damage and Failure in Fiber-Reinforced Laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pineda, Evan J.; Waas, Anthony M.

2012-01-01

A thermodynamically-based work potential theory for modeling progressive damage and failure in fiber-reinforced laminates is presented. The current, multiple-internal state variable (ISV) formulation, enhanced Schapery theory (EST), utilizes separate ISVs for modeling the effects of damage and failure. Damage is considered to be the effect of any structural changes in a material that manifest as pre-peak non-linearity in the stress versus strain response. Conversely, failure is taken to be the effect of the evolution of any mechanisms that results in post-peak strain softening. It is assumed that matrix microdamage is the dominant damage mechanism in continuous fiber-reinforced polymer matrix laminates, and its evolution is controlled with a single ISV. Three additional ISVs are introduced to account for failure due to mode I transverse cracking, mode II transverse cracking, and mode I axial failure. Typically, failure evolution (i.e., post-peak strain softening) results in pathologically mesh dependent solutions within a finite element method (FEM) setting. Therefore, consistent character element lengths are introduced into the formulation of the evolution of the three failure ISVs. Using the stationarity of the total work potential with respect to each ISV, a set of thermodynamically consistent evolution equations for the ISVs is derived. The theory is implemented into commercial FEM software. Objectivity of total energy dissipated during the failure process, with regards to refinements in the FEM mesh, is demonstrated. The model is also verified against experimental results from two laminated, T800/3900-2 panels containing a central notch and different fiber-orientation stacking sequences. Global load versus displacement, global load versus local strain gage data, and macroscopic failure paths obtained from the models are compared to the experiments.

A numerical procedure for failure mode detection of masonry arches reinforced with fiber reinforced polymeric materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galassi, S.

2018-05-01

In this paper a mechanical model of masonry arches strengthened with fibre-reinforced composite materials and the relevant numerical procedure for the analysis are proposed. The arch is modelled by using an assemblage of rigid blocks that are connected together and, also to the supporting structures, by mortar joints. The presence of the reinforcement, usually a sheet placed at the intrados or the extrados, prevents the occurrence of cracks that could activate possible collapse mechanisms, due to tensile failure of the mortar joints. Therefore, in a reinforced arch failure generally occurs in a different way from the URM arch. The numerical procedure proposed checks, as a function of an external incremental load, the inner stress state in the arch, in the reinforcement and in the adhesive layer. In so doing, it then provides a prediction of failure modes. Results obtained from experimental tests, carried out on four in-scale models performed in a laboratory, have been compared with those provided by the numerical procedure, implemented in ArchiVAULT, a software developed by the author. In this regard, the numerical procedure is an extension of previous works. Although additional experimental investigations are necessary, these former results confirm that the proposed numerical procedure is promising.

Voltage- and current-activated metal-insulator transition in VO2-based electrical switches: a lifetime operation analysis.

PubMed

Crunteanu, Aurelian; Givernaud, Julien; Leroy, Jonathan; Mardivirin, David; Champeaux, Corinne; Orlianges, Jean-Christophe; Catherinot, Alain; Blondy, Pierre

2010-12-01

Vanadium dioxide is an intensively studied material that undergoes a temperature-induced metal-insulator phase transition accompanied by a large change in electrical resistivity. Electrical switches based on this material show promising properties in terms of speed and broadband operation. The exploration of the failure behavior and reliability of such devices is very important in view of their integration in practical electronic circuits. We performed systematic lifetime investigations of two-terminal switches based on the electrical activation of the metal-insulator transition in VO 2 thin films. The devices were integrated in coplanar microwave waveguides (CPWs) in series configuration. We detected the evolution of a 10 GHz microwave signal transmitted through the CPW, modulated by the activation of the VO 2 switches in both voltage- and current-controlled modes. We demonstrated enhanced lifetime operation of current-controlled VO 2 -based switching (more than 260 million cycles without failure) compared with the voltage-activated mode (breakdown at around 16 million activation cycles). The evolution of the electrical self-oscillations of a VO 2 -based switch induced in the current-operated mode is a subtle indicator of the material properties modification and can be used to monitor its behavior under various external stresses in sensor applications.

Surface modification for enhanced silanation of zirconia ceramics.

PubMed

Piascik, J R; Swift, E J; Thompson, J Y; Grego, S; Stoner, B R

2009-09-01

The overall goal of this research was to develop a practical method to chemically modify the surface of high strength dental ceramics (i.e. zirconia) to facilitate viable, robust adhesive bonding using commercially available silanes and resin cements. Investigation focused on a novel approach to surface functionalize zirconia with a Si(x)O(y) "seed" layer that would promote chemical bonding with traditional silanes. ProCAD and ZirCAD blocks were bonded to a dimensionally similar composite block using standard techniques designed for silica-containing materials (silane and resin cement). ZirCAD blocks were treated with SiCl4 by vapor deposition under two different conditions prior to bonding. Microtensile bars were prepared and subjected to tensile forces at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze fracture surfaces and determine failure mode; either composite cohesive failure (partial or complete cohesive failure within composite) or adhesive failure (partial or complete adhesive failure). Peak stress values were analyzed using single-factor ANOVA (p<0.05). Microtensile testing results revealed that zirconia with a surface treatment of 2.6 nm Si(x)O(y) thick "seed" layer was similar in strength to the porcelain group (control). Analysis of failure modes indicated the above groups displayed higher percentages of in-composite failures. Other groups tested had lower strength values and displayed adhesive failure characteristics. Mechanical data support that utilizing a gas-phase chloro-silane pretreatment to deposit ultra-thin silica-like seed layers can improve adhesion to zirconia using traditional silanation and bonding techniques. This technology could have clinical impact on how high strength dental materials are used today.

Energy absorption capability and crashworthiness of composite material structures: A review

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carruthers, J.J.; Kettle, A.P.; Robinson, A.M.

1998-10-01

The controlled brittle failure of thermosetting fiber-reinforced polymer composites can provide a very efficient energy absorption mechanism. Consequently, the use of these materials in crashworthy vehicle designs has been the subject of considerable interest. In this respect, their more widespread application has been limited by the complexity of their collapse behavior. This article reviews the current level of understanding i this field, including the correlations between failure mode and energy absorption, the principal material, geometric, and physical parameters relevant to crashworthy design and methods of predicting the energy absorption capability of polymer composites. Areas which require further investigation are identified.more » This review article contains 70 references.« less

Influence of Temperature on the Biomechanical Stability of Titanium, PEEK, Poly-L-Lactic Acid, and β-Tricalcium Phosphate Poly-L-Lactic Acid Suture Anchors Tested on Human Humeri In Vitro in a Wet Environment.

PubMed

Güleçyüz, Mehmet F; Mazur, Alexandra; Schröder, Christian; Braun, Christian; Ficklscherer, Andreas; Roßbach, Björn P; Müller, Peter E; Pietschmann, Matthias F

2015-06-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the biomechanical integrity of suture anchors of different materials (titanium, PEEK [polyether ether ketone], poly-L-lactic acid [PLLA], and β-tricalcium phosphate PLLA) and almost identical design for rotator cuff repair in human humeri positioned in a water bath at room and body temperature undergoing cyclic loading rather than single-pull or static tests. Four different anchor models (n = 6) were tested using healthy human cadaveric humeri in a water bath thermostatically regulated at 20°C and 37°C. A cyclic testing protocol was used. The maximum failure load, the system displacement, and the respective mode of failure were recorded. There were no significant differences regarding the maximum failure load values between the 20°C groups and 37°C groups for the 4 different anchor materials. The displacement values for the 20°C groups and 37°C groups also were not statistically significant. Anchor and suture dislocations were the predominant modes of failure; suture ruptures were observed in few cases. This study shows that there are no significantly relevant differences regarding the maximum failure loads and the displacement values of the tested suture anchor systems in a wet environment at 20°C or 37°C. The temperature differences do not seem to affect the modes of failure either. Titanium, PEEK, PLLA, and β-tricalcium phosphate PLLA suture anchors for rotator cuff repair can be expected-on the basis of this investigation comparing laboratory temperature with body temperature and a wet environment-to perform in vivo similar to in vitro testing. Copyright © 2015 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Basic failure mechanisms in advanced composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mullin, J. V.; Mazzio, V. F.; Mehan, R. L.

1972-01-01

Failure mechanisms in carbon-epoxy composites are identified as a basis for more reliable prediction of the performance of these materials. The approach involves both the study of local fracture events in model specimens containing small groups of filaments and fractographic examination of high fiber content engineering composites. Emphasis is placed on the correlation of model specimen observations with gross fracture modes. The effects of fiber surface treatment, resin modification and fiber content are studied and acoustic emission methods are applied. Some effort is devoted to analysis of the failure process in composite/metal specimens.

(abstract) A Brief, Selective Review of Thermal Cycling Fatigue in Eutectic Tin-Lead Solder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winslow, J. W.; Silveira, C. de

1993-01-01

This paper reviews selected parts of the current literature relevant to thermo-mechanical fatigue mechanisms in eutectic tin-lead solder, and suggests a general outline to account for some observed failures. The field is found to be complex. One recent experimental study finds some failure modes to be sensitive to joint geometry. Attempts to extrapolate from test environments to service environments have had only limited success. Much work remains to be done before fatigue failures in this material can be considered as under practical control.

Effective properties of dispersed phase reinforced composite materials with perfect and imperfect interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Ru

This thesis focuses on the analysis of dispersed phase reinforced composite materials with perfect as well as imperfect interfaces using the Boundary Element Method (BEM). Two problems of interest are considered, namely, to determine the limitations in the use of effective properties and the analysis of failure progression at the inclusion-matrix interface. The effective moduli (effective Young's modulus, effective Poisson's ratio, effective shear modulus, and effective bulk modulus) of composite materials can be determined at the mesoscopic level using three-dimensional parallel BEM simulations. By comparing the mesoscopic BEM results and the macroscopic results based on effective properties, limitations in the effective property approach can be determined. Decohesion is an important failure mode associated with fiber-reinforced composite materials. Analysis of failure progression at the fiber-matrix interface in fiber-reinforced composite materials is considered using a softening decohesion model consistent with thermodynamic concepts. In this model, the initiation of failure is given directly by a failure criterion. Damage is interpreted by the development of a discontinuity of displacement. The formulation describing the potential development of damage is governed by a discrete decohesive constitutive equation. Numerical simulations are performed using the direct boundary element method. Incremental decohesion simulations illustrate the progressive evolution of debonding zones and the propagation of cracks along the interfaces. The effect of decohesion on the macroscopic response of composite materials is also investigated.

Analysis and Test Correlation of Proof of Concept Box for Blended Wing Body-Low Speed Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spellman, Regina L.

2003-01-01

The Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) is a 14.2% scale remotely piloted vehicle of the revolutionary Blended Wing Body concept. The design of the LSV includes an all composite airframe. Due to internal manufacturing capability restrictions, room temperature layups were necessary. An extensive materials testing and manufacturing process development effort was underwent to establish a process that would achieve the high modulus/low weight properties required to meet the design requirements. The analysis process involved a loads development effort that incorporated aero loads to determine internal forces that could be applied to a traditional FEM of the vehicle and to conduct detailed component analyses. A new tool, Hypersizer, was added to the design process to address various composite failure modes and to optimize the skin panel thickness of the upper and lower skins for the vehicle. The analysis required an iterative approach as material properties were continually changing. As a part of the material characterization effort, test articles, including a proof of concept wing box and a full-scale wing, were fabricated. The proof of concept box was fabricated based on very preliminary material studies and tested in bending, torsion, and shear. The box was then tested to failure under shear. The proof of concept box was also analyzed using Nastran and Hypersizer. The results of both analyses were scaled to determine the predicted failure load. The test results were compared to both the Nastran and Hypersizer analytical predictions. The actual failure occurred at 899 lbs. The failure was predicted at 1167 lbs based on the Nastran analysis. The Hypersizer analysis predicted a lower failure load of 960 lbs. The Nastran analysis alone was not sufficient to predict the failure load because it does not identify local composite failure modes. This analysis has traditionally been done using closed form solutions. Although Hypersizer is typically used as an optimizer for the design process, the failure prediction was used to help gain acceptance and confidence in this new tool. The correlated models and process were to be used to analyze the full BWB-LSV airframe design. The analysis and correlation with test results of the proof of concept box is presented here, including the comparison of the Nastran and Hypersizer results.

An investigation of the constituent elements and modes of fracture of in vivo fractured metallic posts.

PubMed

Fox, Kathryn; Wood, David J; Youngson, Callum C

2007-01-01

The objective of this investigation was to determine the materials used in metallic post and core construction and investigate and the modes of failure that occurred resulting in post fracture. Eighty-five fractured metal posts were clinically retrieved over a 5-year period. The tooth with the fractured post, and relevant clinical details were recorded. Investigation of the fractured posts was undertaken to determine their constituent elements and modes of fracture using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The results showed that 77% of the posts were cast and 23% wrought. The modes of fracture were ductile (67%) or brittle (52%) although some posts exhibited both within the same specimen. In addition, evidence of fatigue was present in 20% of posts and porosity in 48%. A large variety of materials were used in the construction of post and cores although low-gold silver-palladium alloy most commonly encountered. Their failure was predominantly ductile in nature although a significant amount of brittle fracture was also noted. Porosity within castings also appeared to be a contributory factor in some cases and this was particularly evident in high-palladium castings. Evidence of fatigue was noted in a minority of posts.

Failure modes of single and multi-bolted joint in the pultruded fiber reinforced polymer composite members

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, S. Y.; Yoo, J. H.; Kim, H. K.; Shin, K. Y.; Yoon, S. J.

2018-06-01

In this paper, we discussed the structural behavior of bolted lap-joint connections in pultruded FRP structural members. Especially, bolted connections in pultruded FRP members are investigated for their failure modes and strength. Specimens with single and multiple bolt-holes are tested in tension under bolt-loading conditions. All of the specimens are instrumented with strain gages and the load-strain responses are monitored. The failed specimens are examined for the cracks and failure patterns. The purpose of this paper is to predict the failure strength by using the ratio of the results obtained by the experiment and the finite element analysis. In the study, several tests are conducted to determine the mechanical properties of pultruded FRP materials before the main experiment. The results are used in the finite element analysis for single and multiple bolted lap-joint specimens. The results obtained by the experiment are compared with the results obtained by the finite element analysis.

Packaging-induced failure of semiconductor lasers and optical telecommunications components

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sharps, J.A.

1996-12-31

Telecommunications equipment for field deployment generally have specified lifetimes of > 100,000 hr. To achieve this high reliability, it is common practice to package sensitive components in hermetic, inert gas environments. The intent is to protect components from particulate and organic contamination, oxidation, and moisture. However, for high power density 980 nm diode lasers used in optical amplifiers, the authors found that hermetic, inert gas packaging induced a failure mode not observed in similar, unpackaged lasers. They refer to this failure mode as packaging-induced failure, or PIF. PIF is caused by nanomole amounts of organic contamination which interact with highmore » intensity 980 nm light to form solid deposits over the emitting regions of the lasers. These deposits absorb 980 nm light, causing heating of the laser, narrowing of the band gap, and eventual thermal runaway. The authors have found PIF is averted by packaging with free O{sub 2} and/or a getter material that sequesters organics.« less

Comparison of tensile strength among simple interrupted, cruciate, intradermal, and subdermal suture patterns for incision closure in ex vivo canine skin specimens.

PubMed

Zellner, Eric M; Hedlund, Cheryl S; Kraus, Karl H; Burton, Andrew F; Kieves, Nina R

2016-06-15

OBJECTIVE To compare suture placement time, tension at skin separation and suture line failure, and mode of failure among 4 suture patterns. DESIGN Randomized trial. SAMPLE 60 skin specimens from the pelvic limbs of 30 purpose-bred Beagles. PROCEDURES Skin specimens were harvested within 2 hours after euthanasia and tested within 6 hours after harvest. An 8-cm incision was made in each specimen and sutured with 1 of 4 randomly assigned suture patterns (simple interrupted, cruciate, intradermal, or subdermal). Suture placement time and percentage of skin apposition were evaluated. Specimens were mounted in a calibrated material testing machine and distracted until suture line failure. Tensile strength at skin-edge separation and suture-line failure and mode of failure were compared among the 4 patterns. RESULTS Mean suture placement time for the cruciate pattern was significantly less than that for other patterns. Percentage of skin apposition did not differ among the 4 patterns. Mean tensile strength at skin-edge separation and suture-line failure for the simple interrupted and cruciate patterns were significantly higher than those for the intradermal and subdermal patterns. Mean tensile strength at skin-edge separation and suture-line failure did not differ significantly between the intradermal and subdermal patterns or the simple interrupted and cruciate patterns. The primary mode of failure for the simple interrupted pattern was suture breakage, whereas that for the cruciate, intradermal, and subdermal patterns was tissue failure. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested external skin sutures may be preferred for closure of incisions under tension to reduce risk of dehiscence.

Failure modes in electroactive polymer thin films with elastic electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Tommasi, D.; Puglisi, G.; Zurlo, G.

2014-02-01

Based on an energy minimization approach, we analyse the elastic deformations of a thin electroactive polymer (EAP) film sandwiched by two elastic electrodes with non-negligible stiffness. We analytically show the existence of a critical value of the electrode voltage for which non-homogeneous solutions bifurcate from the homogeneous equilibrium state, leading to the pull-in phenomenon. This threshold strongly decreases the limit value proposed in the literature considering only homogeneous deformations. We explicitly discuss the influence of geometric and material parameters together with boundary conditions in the attainment of the different failure modes observed in EAP devices. In particular, we obtain the optimum values of these parameters leading to the maximum activation performances of the device.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vaysset, Adrien; Manfrini, Mauricio; Pourtois, Geoffrey

The functionality of a cross-shaped Spin Torque Majority Gate is explored by means of micromagnetic simulations. The different input combinations are simulated varying material parameters, current density and size. The main failure mode is identified: above a critical size, a domain wall can be pinned at the center of the cross, preventing further propagation of the information. By simulating several phase diagrams, the key parameters are obtained and the operating condition is deduced. A simple relation between the domain wall width and the size of the Spin Torque Majority Gate determines the working range. Finally, a correlation is found betweenmore » the energy landscape and the main failure mode. We demonstrate that a macrospin behavior ensures a reliable majority gate operation.« less

Degradation, fatigue and failure of resin dental composite materials

PubMed Central

Drummond, James L.

2008-01-01

The intent of this article is to review the numerous factors that affect the mechanical properties of particle or fiber filler containing, indirect dental resin composite materials. The focus will be on degradation due to aging in different media, mainly water and water and ethanol, cyclic loading, and mixed mode loading on the flexure strength and fracture toughness. Next several selected papers will be examined in detail with respect to mixed and cyclic loading and then an examination of 3D tomography using multiaxial compression specimens. The main cause of failure, for most dental resin composites, is the breakdown of the resin matrix and or the interface between the filler and the resin matrix. In clinical studies, it appears that failure in the first 5 years is a restoration issue (technique or material selection) and after that time period from secondary decay. PMID:18650540

On the fractography of overload, stress corrosion, and cyclic fatigue failures in pyrolytic-carbon materials used in prosthetic heart-valve devices.

PubMed

Ritchie, R O; Dauskardt, R H; Pennisi, F J

1992-01-01

A scanning electron microscopy study is reported of the nature and morphology of fracture surfaces in pyrocarbons commonly used for the manufacture of mechanical heart-valve prostheses. Specifically, silicon-alloyed low-temperature-isotropic (LTI)-pyrolytic carbon is examined, both as a coating on graphite and as a monolithic material, following overload, stress corrosion (static fatigue), and cyclic fatigue failures in a simulated physiological environment of 37 degrees C Ringer's solution. It is found that, in contrast to most metallic materials yet in keeping with many ceramics, there are no distinct fracture morphologies in pyro-carbons which are characteristic of a specific mode of loading; fracture surfaces appear to be identical for both catastrophic and subcritical crack growth under either sustained or cyclic loading. We conclude that caution should be used in assigning the likely cause of failure of pyrolytic carbon heart-valve components using fractographic examination.

Materials Test Program, Contact Power Collection for High Speed Tracked Vehicles

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1971-01-01

A test program is defined for determining the failure modes and wear characteristics for brushes used to collect electrical power from the wayside for high speed tracked vehicles. Simulation of running conditions and the necessary instrumentation for...

Engineering long term clinical success of advanced ceramic prostheses.

PubMed

Rekow, Dianne; Thompson, Van P

2007-01-01

Biocompatability and, in some applications, esthetics make all-ceramic prostheses compelling choices but despite significant improvements in materials properties and toughening mechanisms, these still have significant failure rates. Factors that contribute to the degradation in strength and survival include material selection and prosthesis design which set the upper limit for performance. However, fabrication operations introduce damage that can be exacerbated by environmental conditions and clinical function. Using all-ceramic dental crowns as an example, experimentally derived models provide insight into the relationships between materials properties and initial critical loads to failure. Analysis of fabrication operations suggests strategies to minimize damage. Environmental conditions can create viscoplastic flow of supporting components which can contribute additional stress within the prosthesis. Fatigue is a particularly challenging problem, not only providing the energy to propagate existing damage but, when combined with the wet environment, can create new damage modes. While much is known, the influence of these new damage modes has not been completely elucidated. The role of complex prosthesis geometry and its interaction with other factors on damage initiation and propagation has yet to be well characterized.

Risk Based Reliability Centered Maintenance of DOD Fire Protection Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

2.2.3 Failure Mode and Effect Analysis ( FMEA )............................ 2.2.4 Failure Mode Risk Characterization...Step 2 - System functions and functional failures definition Step 3 - Failure mode and effect analysis ( FMEA ) Step 4 - Failure mode risk...system). The Interface Location column identifies the location where the FMEA of the fire protection system began or stopped. For example, for the fire

Application of Function-Failure Similarity Method to Rotorcraft Component Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Rory A.; Stone, Robert E.; Tumer, Irem Y.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Performance and safety are the top concerns of high-risk aerospace applications at NASA. Eliminating or reducing performance and safety problems can be achieved with a thorough understanding of potential failure modes in the designs that lead to these problems. The majority of techniques use prior knowledge and experience as well as Failure Modes and Effects as methods to determine potential failure modes of aircraft. During the design of aircraft, a general technique is needed to ensure that every potential failure mode is considered, while avoiding spending time on improbable failure modes. In this work, this is accomplished by mapping failure modes to specific components, which are described by their functionality. The failure modes are then linked to the basic functions that are carried within the components of the aircraft. Using this technique, designers can examine the basic functions, and select appropriate analyses to eliminate or design out the potential failure modes. The fundamentals of this method were previously introduced for a simple rotating machine test rig with basic functions that are common to a rotorcraft. In this paper, this technique is applied to the engine and power train of a rotorcraft, using failures and functions obtained from accident reports and engineering drawings.

Probability of survival of implant-supported metal ceramic and CAD/CAM resin nanoceramic crowns.

PubMed

Bonfante, Estevam A; Suzuki, Marcelo; Lorenzoni, Fábio C; Sena, Lídia A; Hirata, Ronaldo; Bonfante, Gerson; Coelho, Paulo G

2015-08-01

To evaluate the probability of survival and failure modes of implant-supported resin nanoceramic relative to metal-ceramic crowns. Resin nanoceramic molar crowns (LU) (Lava Ultimate, 3M ESPE, USA) were milled and metal-ceramic (MC) (Co-Cr alloy, Wirobond C+, Bego, USA) with identical anatomy were fabricated (n=21). The metal coping and a burnout-resin veneer were created by CAD/CAM, using an abutment (Stealth-abutment, Bicon LLC, USA) and a milled crown from the LU group as models for porcelain hot-pressing (GC-Initial IQ-Press, GC, USA). Crowns were cemented, the implants (n=42, Bicon) embedded in acrylic-resin for mechanical testing, and subjected to single-load to fracture (SLF, n=3 each) for determination of step-stress profiles for accelerated-life testing in water (n=18 each). Weibull curves (50,000 cycles at 200N, 90% CI) were plotted. Weibull modulus (m) and characteristic strength (η) were calculated and a contour plot used (m versus η) for determining differences between groups. Fractography was performed in SEM and polarized-light microscopy. SLF mean values were 1871N (±54.03) for MC and 1748N (±50.71) for LU. Beta values were 0.11 for MC and 0.49 for LU. Weibull modulus was 9.56 and η=1038.8N for LU, and m=4.57 and η=945.42N for MC (p>0.10). Probability of survival (50,000 and 100,000 cycles at 200 and 300N) was 100% for LU and 99% for MC. Failures were cohesive within LU. In MC crowns, porcelain veneer fractures frequently extended to the supporting metal coping. Probability of survival was not different between crown materials, but failure modes differed. In load bearing regions, similar reliability should be expected for metal ceramics, known as the gold standard, and resin nanoceramic crowns over implants. Failure modes involving porcelain veneer fracture and delamination in MC crowns are less likely to be successfully repaired compared to cohesive failures in resin nanoceramic material. Copyright © 2015 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of the Edge Crack Torsion (ECT) Test for Mode III Fracture Toughness Measurement of Laminated Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratcliffe, James G.

2004-01-01

The edge crack torsion (ECT) test is designed to initiate mode III delamination growth in composite laminates. An ECT specimen is a rectangular laminate, containing an edge delamination at the laminate mid-plane. Torsion load is applied to the specimens, resulting in relative transverse shear sliding of the delaminated faces. The test data reduction schemes are intended to yield initiation values of critical mode III strain energy release rate, G(sub IIIc), that are constant with delamination length. The test has undergone several design changes during its development. The objective of this paper was to determine the suitability of the current ECT test design as a mode III fracture test. To this end, ECT tests were conducted on specimens manufactured from IM7/8552 and specimens made from S2/8552 tape laminates. Several specimens, each with different delamination lengths are tested. Detailed, three-dimensional finite element analyses of the specimens were performed. The analysis results were used to calculate the distribution of mode I, mode II, and mode III strain energy release rate along the delamination front. The results indicated that mode III-dominated delamination growth would be initiated from the specimen center. However, in specimens of both material types, the measured values of G(sub IIIc) exhibited significant dependence on delamination length. Furthermore, there was a large amount of scatter in the data. Load-displacement response of the specimens exhibited significant deviation from linearity before specimen failure. X-radiographs of a sample of specimens revealed that damage was initiated in the specimens prior to failure. Further inspection of the failure surfaces is required to identify the damage and determine that mode III delamination is initiated in the specimens.

On the Theory and Numerical Simulation of Cohesive Crack Propagation with Application to Fiber-Reinforced Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudraraju, Siva Shankar; Garikipati, Krishna; Waas, Anthony M.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.

2013-01-01

The phenomenon of crack propagation is among the predominant modes of failure in many natural and engineering structures, often leading to severe loss of structural integrity and catastrophic failure. Thus, the ability to understand and a priori simulate the evolution of this failure mode has been one of the cornerstones of applied mechanics and structural engineering and is broadly referred to as "fracture mechanics." The work reported herein focuses on extending this understanding, in the context of through-thickness crack propagation in cohesive materials, through the development of a continuum-level multiscale numerical framework, which represents cracks as displacement discontinuities across a surface of zero measure. This report presents the relevant theory, mathematical framework, numerical modeling, and experimental investigations of through-thickness crack propagation in fiber-reinforced composites using the Variational Multiscale Cohesive Method (VMCM) developed by the authors.

Acoustic testing of high temperature panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leatherwood, Jack D.; Clevenson, Sherman A.; Powell, Clemans A.; Daniels, Edward F.

1990-01-01

Results are presented of a series of thermal-acoustic tests conducted on the NASA Langley Research Center Thermal-Acoustic Test Apparatus to (1) investigate techniques for obtaining strain measurements on metallic and carbon-carbon materials at elevated temperature; (2) document the dynamic strain response characteristics of several superalloy honeycomb thermal protection system panels at elevated temperatures of up to 1200 F; and (3) determine the strain response and sonic fatigue behavior of four carbon-carbon panels at both ambient and elevated temperatures. A second study tested four carbon-carbon panels to document panel dynamic response characteristics at ambient and elevated temperature, determine time to failure and faliure modes, and collect continuous strain data up to panel failure. Strain data are presented from both types of panels, and problems encountered in obtaining reliable strain data on the carbon-carbon panels are described. The failure modes of the carbon-carbon panels are examined.

Failure detection system risk reduction assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aguilar, Robert B. (Inventor); Huang, Zhaofeng (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A process includes determining a probability of a failure mode of a system being analyzed reaching a failure limit as a function of time to failure limit, determining a probability of a mitigation of the failure mode as a function of a time to failure limit, and quantifying a risk reduction based on the probability of the failure mode reaching the failure limit and the probability of the mitigation.

Deriving Function-failure Similarity Information for Failure-free Rotorcraft Component Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Rory A.; Stone, Robert B.; Tumer, Irem Y.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Performance and safety are the top concerns of high-risk aerospace applications at NASA. Eliminating or reducing performance and safety problems can be achieved with a thorough understanding of potential failure modes in the design that lead to these problems. The majority of techniques use prior knowledge and experience as well as Failure Modes and Effects as methods to determine potential failure modes of aircraft. The aircraft design needs to be passed through a general technique to ensure that every potential failure mode is considered, while avoiding spending time on improbable failure modes. In this work, this is accomplished by mapping failure modes to certain components, which are described by their functionality. In turn, the failure modes are then linked to the basic functions that are carried within the components of the aircraft. Using the technique proposed in this paper, designers can examine the basic functions, and select appropriate analyses to eliminate or design out the potential failure modes. This method was previously applied to a simple rotating machine test rig with basic functions that are common to a rotorcraft. In this paper, this technique is applied to the engine and power train of a rotorcraft, using failures and functions obtained from accident reports and engineering drawings.

Compression After Impact on Honeycomb Core Sandwich Panels with Thin Facesheets, Part 2: Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcquigg, Thomas D.; Kapania, Rakesh K.; Scotti, Stephen J.; Walker, Sandra P.

2012-01-01

A two part research study has been completed on the topic of compression after impact (CAI) of thin facesheet honeycomb core sandwich panels. The research has focused on both experiments and analysis in an effort to establish and validate a new understanding of the damage tolerance of these materials. Part 2, the subject of the current paper, is focused on the analysis, which corresponds to the CAI testings described in Part 1. Of interest, are sandwich panels, with aerospace applications, which consist of very thin, woven S2-fiberglass (with MTM45-1 epoxy) facesheets adhered to a Nomex honeycomb core. Two sets of materials, which were identical with the exception of the density of the honeycomb core, were tested in Part 1. The results highlighted the need for analysis methods which taken into account multiple failure modes. A finite element model (FEM) is developed here, in Part 2. A commercial implementation of the Multicontinuum Failure Theory (MCT) for progressive failure analysis (PFA) in composite laminates, Helius:MCT, is included in this model. The inclusion of PFA in the present model provided a new, unique ability to account for multiple failure modes. In addition, significant impact damage detail is included in the model. A sensitivity study, used to assess the effect of each damage parameter on overall analysis results, is included in an appendix. Analysis results are compared to the experimental results for each of the 32 CAI sandwich panel specimens tested to failure. The failure of each specimen is predicted using the high-fidelity, physicsbased analysis model developed here, and the results highlight key improvements in the understanding of honeycomb core sandwich panel CAI failure. Finally, a parametric study highlights the strength benefits compared to mass penalty for various core densities.

Influence of different transitional restorations on the fracture resistance of premolar teeth.

PubMed

Qualtrough, A J; Cawte, S G; Wilson, N H

2001-01-01

Controversy exists over the most favorable material and type of restoration to be used to transitionally restore teeth destined to be crowned. This in vitro study uses fracture resistance testing to compare eight different transitional restorations in maxillary premolars. Ninety sound maxillary premolars were randomly selected and allocated to nine groups, each comprising 10 teeth. One group remained unrestored and was used as the control. Teeth in the remaining groups were prepared to a standard cavity form using: a copy milling process removing the palatal cusp. Restorations were placed using amalgam with dentin pins and cavity varnish; amalgam with an amalgam bonding agent; resin composite with dentin pins and a dentin bonding agent; resin composite with a dentin bonding agent only; resin-modified glass ionomer with dentin pins; resin-modified glass ionomer cement alone and cermet with dentin pins and cermet alone. Each restored tooth was then subjected to axial loading via a bar contacting the buccal and restored palatal cusps until failure of the restored tooth occurred. The mean load-to-fracture values were statistically compared and the modes of failure recorded. It was found that the choice of restorative material and type of restoration had little effect on the fracture resistance of the restored tooth with the exception of those teeth restored with reinforced glass ionomer cement alone, which exhibited a significantly lower resistance to fracture than the other restored teeth. However, the choice of restorative material/technique did influence the mode of failure. Failure in teeth restored with resin-modified glass ionomer cement alone produced the least damage to the remaining tooth tissue when failure occurred. Consequently, this material may offer the most favorable range of properties for the transitional restoration of extensively broken-down maxillary premolar teeth destined to be crowned. Furthermore, the findings of this study fail to support the use of dentin pins in the placement of bonded build-up restorations.

Elasticity, strength, and toughness of single crystal silicon carbide, ultrananocrystalline diamond, and hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous carbon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Espinosa, H. D.; Peng, B.; Moldovan, N.; Friedmann, T. A.; Xiao, X.; Mancini, D. C.; Auciello, O.; Carlisle, J.; Zorman, C. A.; Merhegany, M.

2006-08-01

In this work, the authors report the mechanical properties of three emerging materials in thin film form: single crystal silicon carbide (3C-SiC), ultrananocrystalline diamond, and hydrogen-free tetrahedral amorphous carbon. The materials are being employed in micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. Several reports addressed some of the mechanical properties of these materials but they are based in different experimental approaches. Here, they use a single testing method, the membrane deflection experiment, to compare these materials' Young's moduli, characteristic strengths, fracture toughnesses, and theoretical strengths. Furthermore, they analyze the applicability of Weibull theory [Proc. Royal Swedish Inst. Eng. Res. 153, 1 (1939); ASME J. Appl. Mech. 18, 293 (1951)] in the prediction of these materials' failure and document the volume- or surface-initiated failure modes by fractographic analysis. The findings are of particular relevance to the selection of micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems materials for various applications of interest.

Compression After Impact on Honeycomb Core Sandwich Panels With Thin Facesheets. Part 1; Experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McQuigg, Thomas D.; Kapania, Rakesh K.; Scotti, Stephen J.; Walker, Sandra P.

2012-01-01

A two part research study has been completed on the topic of compression after impact (CAI) of thin facesheet honeycomb core sandwich panels. The research has focused on both experiments and analysis in an effort to establish and validate a new understanding of the damage tolerance of these materials. Part one, the subject of the current paper, is focused on the experimental testing. Of interest are sandwich panels, with aerospace applications, which consist of very thin, woven S2-fiberglass (with MTM45-1 epoxy) facesheets adhered to a Nomex honeycomb core. Two sets of specimens, which were identical with the exception of the density of the honeycomb core, were tested. Static indentation and low velocity impact using a drop tower are used to study damage formation in these materials. A series of highly instrumented CAI tests was then completed. New techniques used to observe CAI response and failure include high speed video photography, as well as digital image correlation (DIC) for full-field deformation measurement. Two CAI failure modes, indentation propagation, and crack propagation, were observed. From the results, it can be concluded that the CAI failure mode of these panels depends solely on the honeycomb core density.

Correlation of electrical reactor cable failure with materials degradation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stuetzer, O.M.

1986-03-01

Complete circuit failure (shortout) of electrical cables typically used in nuclear power plant containments is investigated. Failure modes are correlated with the mechanical deterioration of the elastomeric cable materials. It is found that for normal reactor operation, electrical cables are reliable and safe over very long periods. During high temperature excursions, however, cables pulled across corners under high stress may short out due to conductor creep. Severe cracking will occur in short times during high temperatures (>150/sup 0/C) and in times of the order of years at elevated temperatures (100/sup 0/C to 140/sup 0/C). A theoretical treatment of stress distributionmore » responsible for creep and for cracking by J.E. Reaugh of Science Applications, Inc. is contained in the Appendix. 29 refs., 32 figs.« less

Predicting the Lifetimes of Nuclear Waste Containers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

King, Fraser

2014-03-01

As for many aspects of the disposal of nuclear waste, the greatest challenge we have in the study of container materials is the prediction of the long-term performance over periods of tens to hundreds of thousands of years. Various methods have been used for predicting the lifetime of containers for the disposal of high-level waste or spent fuel in deep geological repositories. Both mechanical and corrosion-related failure mechanisms need to be considered, although until recently the interactions of mechanical and corrosion degradation modes have not been considered in detail. Failure from mechanical degradation modes has tended to be treated through suitable container design. In comparison, the inevitable loss of container integrity due to corrosion has been treated by developing specific corrosion models. The most important aspect, however, is to be able to justify the long-term predictions by demonstrating a mechanistic understanding of the various degradation modes.

Structural Assessment of Externally Strengthened Bridge Deck Panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sim, Jongsung; Oh, Hongseob; Meyer, Christian

2006-03-01

Deteriorated concrete bridge decks are strengthened with external bonding technique using either steel plate or various FRPs to enhance the decreased load carrying capacity and serviceability. But the failure characteristics of bridge decks strengthened with various materials can be changed according to mechanical properties of strengthening materials or strengthening scheme as well as the strengthening amount. In this paper, strengthening effect of deck strengthened with carbon fiber sheets, glass fiber sheets or steel plates is compared. And the theoretical load carrying capacity are evaluated using yield line theory and punching shear model properly modified for the strengthened RC member. The panels strengthened with sheet type FRP materials failed more often in a ductile mode, indicating that the failure developed after the rebar yielded.

The Effect of Food-Simulating Agents on the Bond Strength of Hard Chairside Reline Materials to Denture Base Resin.

PubMed

Fatemi, Farzaneh Sadat; Vojdani, Mahroo; Khaledi, Amir Ali Reza

2018-06-08

To investigate the influence of food-simulating agents on the shear bond strength between direct hard liners and denture base acrylic resin. In addition, mode of failure was evaluated. One hundred fifty cylindrical columns of denture base resin were fabricated and bonded to three types of hard reline materials (Hard GC Reline, Tokuyama Rebase II Fast, TDV Cold Liner Rebase). Specimens of each reline material were divided into five groups (n = 10) to undergo 12-day immersion in distilled water, 0.02 N citric acid aqueous solution, heptane, and 40% ethanol/water solution at 37°C. The control group was not immersed in any solution. The shear bond strength test was performed, and the failure mode was determined. Statistics were analyzed with two-way ANOVA and chi-square test (α = 0.05). Significant interaction was found between the hard liners and food simulating agents (p < 0.001). The shear bond strength of Tokuyama in 40% ethanol and TDV in heptane decreased significantly (p = 0.001, p < 0.001 respectively); however, none of the solutions could significantly affect the shear bond strength of Hard GC Reline (p = 0.208). The mixed failure mode occurred more frequently in Hard GC Reline compared with the other liners (p < 0.001) and was predominant in specimens with higher bond strength values (p = 0.012). Food simulating agents did not adversely affect the shear bond strength of Hard GC Reline; however, ethanol and heptane decreased the bond strength of Tokuyama and TDV, respectively. These findings may provide support to dentists to recommend restricted consumption of some foods and beverages for patients who have to use dentures relined with certain hard liners. © 2018 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Numerical Model for the Study of the Strength and Failure Modes of Rock Containing Non-Persistent Joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergara, Maximiliano R.; Van Sint Jan, Michel; Lorig, Loren

2016-04-01

The mechanical behavior of rock containing parallel non-persistent joint sets was studied using a numerical model. The numerical analysis was performed using the discrete element software UDEC. The use of fictitious joints allowed the inclusion of non-persistent joints in the model domain and simulating the progressive failure due to propagation of existing fractures. The material and joint mechanical parameters used in the model were obtained from experimental results. The results of the numerical model showed good agreement with the strength and failure modes observed in the laboratory. The results showed the large anisotropy in the strength resulting from variation of the joint orientation. Lower strength of the specimens was caused by the coalescence of fractures belonging to parallel joint sets. A correlation was found between geometrical parameters of the joint sets and the contribution of the joint sets strength in the global strength of the specimen. The results suggest that for the same dip angle with respect to the principal stresses; the uniaxial strength depends primarily on the joint spacing and the angle between joints tips and less on the length of the rock bridges (persistency). A relation between joint geometrical parameters was found from which the resulting failure mode can be predicted.

An Abrupt Transition to an Intergranular Failure Mode in the Near-Threshold Fatigue Crack Growth Regime in Ni-Based Superalloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Telesman, J.; Smith, T. M.; Gabb, T. P.; Ring, A. J.

2018-06-01

Cyclic near-threshold fatigue crack growth (FCG) behavior of two disk superalloys was evaluated and was shown to exhibit an unexpected sudden failure mode transition from a mostly transgranular failure mode at higher stress intensity factor ranges to an almost completely intergranular failure mode in the threshold regime. The change in failure modes was associated with a crossover of FCG resistance curves in which the conditions that produced higher FCG rates in the Paris regime resulted in lower FCG rates and increased ΔK th values in the threshold region. High-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to carefully characterize the crack tips at these near-threshold conditions. Formation of stable Al-oxide followed by Cr-oxide and Ti-oxides was found to occur at the crack tip prior to formation of unstable oxides. To contrast with the threshold failure mode regime, a quantitative assessment of the role that the intergranular failure mode has on cyclic FCG behavior in the Paris regime was also performed. It was demonstrated that even a very limited intergranular failure content dominates the FCG response under mixed mode failure conditions.

The Application of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis Methodology to Intrathecal Drug Delivery for Pain Management

PubMed Central

Patel, Teresa; Fisher, Stanley P.

2016-01-01

Objective This study aimed to utilize failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) to transform clinical insights into a risk mitigation plan for intrathecal (IT) drug delivery in pain management. Methods The FMEA methodology, which has been used for quality improvement, was adapted to assess risks (i.e., failure modes) associated with IT therapy. Ten experienced pain physicians scored 37 failure modes in the following categories: patient selection for therapy initiation (efficacy and safety concerns), patient safety during IT therapy, and product selection for IT therapy. Participants assigned severity, probability, and detection scores for each failure mode, from which a risk priority number (RPN) was calculated. Failure modes with the highest RPNs (i.e., most problematic) were discussed, and strategies were proposed to mitigate risks. Results Strategic discussions focused on 17 failure modes with the most severe outcomes, the highest probabilities of occurrence, and the most challenging detection. The topic of the highest‐ranked failure mode (RPN = 144) was manufactured monotherapy versus compounded combination products. Addressing failure modes associated with appropriate patient and product selection was predicted to be clinically important for the success of IT therapy. Conclusions The methodology of FMEA offers a systematic approach to prioritizing risks in a complex environment such as IT therapy. Unmet needs and information gaps are highlighted through the process. Risk mitigation and strategic planning to prevent and manage critical failure modes can contribute to therapeutic success. PMID:27477689

Failure mode and effects analysis: an empirical comparison of failure mode scoring procedures.

PubMed

Ashley, Laura; Armitage, Gerry

2010-12-01

To empirically compare 2 different commonly used failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) scoring procedures with respect to their resultant failure mode scores and prioritization: a mathematical procedure, where scores are assigned independently by FMEA team members and averaged, and a consensus procedure, where scores are agreed on by the FMEA team via discussion. A multidisciplinary team undertook a Healthcare FMEA of chemotherapy administration. This included mapping the chemotherapy process, identifying and scoring failure modes (potential errors) for each process step, and generating remedial strategies to counteract them. Failure modes were scored using both an independent mathematical procedure and a team consensus procedure. Almost three-fifths of the 30 failure modes generated were scored differently by the 2 procedures, and for just more than one-third of cases, the score discrepancy was substantial. Using the Healthcare FMEA prioritization cutoff score, almost twice as many failure modes were prioritized by the consensus procedure than by the mathematical procedure. This is the first study to empirically demonstrate that different FMEA scoring procedures can score and prioritize failure modes differently. It found considerable variability in individual team members' opinions on scores, which highlights the subjective and qualitative nature of failure mode scoring. A consensus scoring procedure may be most appropriate for FMEA as it allows variability in individuals' scores and rationales to become apparent and to be discussed and resolved by the team. It may also yield team learning and communication benefits unlikely to result from a mathematical procedure.

Compression failure mechanisms of uni-ply composite plates with a circular cutout

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khamseh, A. R.; Waas, A. M.

1992-01-01

The effect of circular-hole size on the failure mode of uniply graphite-epoxy composite plates is investigated experimentally and analytically for uniaxial compressive loading. The test specimens are sandwiched between polyetherimide plastic for nondestructive evaluations of the uniply failure mechanisms associated with a range of hole sizes. Finite-element modeling based on classical lamination theory is conducted for the corresponding materials and geometries to reproduce the experimental results analytically. The type of compressive failure is found to be a function of hole size, with fiber buckling/kinking at the hole being the dominant failure mechanism for hole diam/plate width ratios exceeding 0.062. The results of the finite-element analysis supported the experimental data for these failure mechanisms and for those corresponding to smaller hole sizes.

Impact Testing of Aluminum 2024 and Titanium 6Al-4V for Material Model Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pereira, J. Michael; Revilock, Duane M.; Lerch, Bradley A.; Ruggeri, Charles R.

2013-01-01

One of the difficulties with developing and verifying accurate impact models is that parameters such as high strain rate material properties, failure modes, static properties, and impact test measurements are often obtained from a variety of different sources using different materials, with little control over consistency among the different sources. In addition there is often a lack of quantitative measurements in impact tests to which the models can be compared. To alleviate some of these problems, a project is underway to develop a consistent set of material property, impact test data and failure analysis for a variety of aircraft materials that can be used to develop improved impact failure and deformation models. This project is jointly funded by the NASA Glenn Research Center and the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center. Unique features of this set of data are that all material property data and impact test data are obtained using identical material, the test methods and procedures are extensively documented and all of the raw data is available. Four parallel efforts are currently underway: Measurement of material deformation and failure response over a wide range of strain rates and temperatures and failure analysis of material property specimens and impact test articles conducted by The Ohio State University; development of improved numerical modeling techniques for deformation and failure conducted by The George Washington University; impact testing of flat panels and substructures conducted by NASA Glenn Research Center. This report describes impact testing which has been done on aluminum (Al) 2024 and titanium (Ti) 6Al-4vanadium (V) sheet and plate samples of different thicknesses and with different types of projectiles, one a regular cylinder and one with a more complex geometry incorporating features representative of a jet engine fan blade. Data from this testing will be used in validating material models developed under this program. The material tests and the material models developed in this program will be published in separate reports.

Suppression of Material Failure Modes in Titanium Armors

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-12-01

Little follow-on work with larger threats was conducted due to the prohibitive cost of the titanium. Recently, the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Research...PRETORIA 0001 SOUTH AFRICA 1 BATTELLE INGENIEURTECHNIKGMBH W FUCKE DUESSELDORFFER STR 9 D 65760 ESCHBORN GERMANY 1 CARLOS III

Management of reliability and maintainability; a disciplined approach to fleet readiness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Willoughby, W. J., Jr.

1981-01-01

Material acquisition fundamentals were reviewed and include: mission profile definition, stress analysis, derating criteria, circuit reliability, failure modes, and worst case analysis. Military system reliability was examined with emphasis on the sparing of equipment. The Navy's organizational strategy for 1980 is presented.

Analytical Method to Evaluate Failure Potential During High-Risk Component Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Irem Y.; Stone, Robert B.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

Communicating failure mode information during design and manufacturing is a crucial task for failure prevention. Most processes use Failure Modes and Effects types of analyses, as well as prior knowledge and experience, to determine the potential modes of failures a product might encounter during its lifetime. When new products are being considered and designed, this knowledge and information is expanded upon to help designers extrapolate based on their similarity with existing products and the potential design tradeoffs. This paper makes use of similarities and tradeoffs that exist between different failure modes based on the functionality of each component/product. In this light, a function-failure method is developed to help the design of new products with solutions for functions that eliminate or reduce the potential of a failure mode. The method is applied to a simplified rotating machinery example in this paper, and is proposed as a means to account for helicopter failure modes during design and production, addressing stringent safety and performance requirements for NASA applications.

Failure Mode Identification Through Clustering Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arunajadai, Srikesh G.; Stone, Robert B.; Tumer, Irem Y.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Research has shown that nearly 80% of the costs and problems are created in product development and that cost and quality are essentially designed into products in the conceptual stage. Currently, failure identification procedures (such as FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), FMECA (Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis) and FTA (Fault Tree Analysis)) and design of experiments are being used for quality control and for the detection of potential failure modes during the detail design stage or post-product launch. Though all of these methods have their own advantages, they do not give information as to what are the predominant failures that a designer should focus on while designing a product. This work uses a functional approach to identify failure modes, which hypothesizes that similarities exist between different failure modes based on the functionality of the product/component. In this paper, a statistical clustering procedure is proposed to retrieve information on the set of predominant failures that a function experiences. The various stages of the methodology are illustrated using a hypothetical design example.

A Summary of Taxonomies of Digital System Failure Modes Provided by the DigRel Task Group

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu T. L.; Yue M.; Postma, W.

2012-06-25

Recently, the CSNI directed WGRisk to set up a task group called DIGREL to initiate a new task on developing a taxonomy of failure modes of digital components for the purposes of PSA. It is an important step towards standardized digital I&C reliability assessment techniques for PSA. The objective of this paper is to provide a comparison of the failure mode taxonomies provided by the participants. The failure modes are classified in terms of their levels of detail. Software and hardware failure modes are discussed separately.

Acoustic emission measurements of aerospace materials and structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sachse, Wolfgang; Gorman, Michael R.

1993-01-01

A development status evaluation is given for aerospace applications of AE location, detection, and source characterization. Attention is given to the neural-like processing of AE signals for graphite/epoxy. It is recommended that development efforts for AE make connections between the material failure process and source dynamics, and study the effects of composite material anisotropy and inhomogeneity on the propagation of AE waves. Broadband, as well as frequency- and wave-mode selective sensors, need to be developed.

Concepts for improving the damage tolerance of composite compression panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhodes, M. D.; Williams, J. G.

1981-01-01

The results of an experimental evaluation of graphite-epoxy composite compression panel impact damage tolerance and damage propagation arrest concepts are reported. The tests were conducted on flat plate specimens and blade-stiffened structural panels such as those used in commercial aircraft wings, and the residual strength of damaged specimens and their sensitivity to damage while subjected to in-plane compression loading were determined. Results suggest that matrix materials that fail by delamination have the lowest damage tolerance, and it is concluded that alternative matrix materials with transverse reinforcement to suppress the delamination failure mode and yield the higher-strain value transverse shear crippling mode should be developed.

Materials testing protocol for small joint prostheses.

PubMed

Savory, K M; Hutchinson, D T; Bloebaum, R

1994-10-01

In this article, a protocol for the evaluation of new materials for small joint prostheses is introduced. The testing methods employed in the protocol were developed by reviewing reported clinical failure modes and conditions found in vivo. The methods developed quantitatively evaluates the fatigue, fatigue crack propagation, and wear resistance properties of materials. For this study, a silicone elastomer similar to Dow Corning Silastic HP100, a radiation stable polypropylene, and a copolymer of polypropylene and ethylene propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) are evaluated. None of the materials tested demonstrated the ideal properties that are sought in a self-hinging joint prostheses. The silicone elastomer had excellent wear properties; however, cracks quickly propagated, causing catastrophic failure when fatigued. Conversely, the copolymer showed excellent fatigue crack propagation resistance and less than favorable wear properties. The polypropylene did not perform well in any evaluation.

Oblique impacts into low impedance layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stickle, A. M.; Schultz, P. H.

2009-12-01

Planetary impacts occur indiscriminately, in all locations and materials. Varied geologic settings can have significant effects on the impact process, including the coupling between the projectile and target, the final damage patterns and modes of deformation that occur. For example, marine impact craters are not identical to impacts directly into bedrock or into sedimentary materials, though many of the same fundamental processes occur. It is therefore important, especially when considering terrestrial impacts, to understand how a low impedance sedimentary layer over bedrock affects the deformation process during and after a hypervelocity impact. As a first step, detailed comparisons between impacts and hydrocode models were performed. Experiments performed at the NASA Ames Vertical Gun Range of oblique impacts into polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) targets with low impedance layers were performed and compared to experiments of targets without low impedance layers, as well as to hydrocode models under identical conditions. Impact velocities ranged from 5 km/s to 5.6 km/s, with trajectories from 30 degrees to 90 degrees above the horizontal. High-speed imaging provided documentation of the sequence and location of failure due to impact, which was compared to theoretical models. Plasticine and ice were used to construct the low impedance layers. The combination of experiments and models reveals the modes of failure due to a hypervelocity impact. How such failure is manifested at large scales can present a challenge for hydrocodes. CTH models tend to overestimate the amount of damage occurring within the targets and have difficulties perfectly reproducing morphologies; nevertheless, they provide significant and useful information about the failure modes and style within the material. CTH models corresponding to the experiments allow interpretation of the underlying processes involved as well as provide a benchmark for the experimental analysis. The transparency of PMMA allows a clear view of failure patterns within the target, providing a 3D picture of the final damage, as well as damage formation and propagation. Secondly, PMMA has mechanical properties similar to those of brittle rocks in the upper crust, making it an appropriate material for comparison to geologic materials. An impact into a PMMA target with a one-projectile-diameter thick plasticine layer causes damage distinct from an impact into a PMMA target without a low impedance layer. The extent of the final damage is much less in the target with the low impedance layer and begins to form at later times, there is little to no crater visible on the surface, and the formation and propagation of the damage is completely different, creating distinct subsurface damage patterns. Three-dimensional CTH hydrocode models show that the pressure history of material around and underneath the impact point is also different when a low impedance layer is present, leading to the variations in damage forming within the targets.

SU-F-T-247: Collision Risks in a Modern Radiation Oncology Department: An Efficient Approach to Failure Modes and Effects Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schubert, L; Westerly, D; Vinogradskiy, Y

Purpose: Collisions between treatment equipment and patients are potentially catastrophic. Modern technology now commonly involves automated remote motion during imaging and treatment, yet a systematic assessment to identify and mitigate collision risks has yet to be performed. Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a method of risk assessment that has been increasingly used in healthcare, yet can be resource intensive. This work presents an efficient approach to FMEA to identify collision risks and implement practical interventions within a modern radiation therapy department. Methods: Potential collisions (e.g. failure modes) were assessed for all treatment and simulation rooms by teams consistingmore » of physicists, therapists, and radiation oncologists. Failure modes were grouped into classes according to similar characteristics. A single group meeting was held to identify implementable interventions for the highest priority classes of failure modes. Results: A total of 60 unique failure modes were identified by 6 different teams of physicists, therapists, and radiation oncologists. Failure modes were grouped into four main classes: specific patient setups, automated equipment motion, manual equipment motion, and actions in QA or service mode. Two of these classes, unusual patient setups and automated machine motion, were identified as being high priority in terms severity of consequence and addressability by interventions. The two highest risk classes consisted of 33 failure modes (55% of the total). In a single one hour group meeting, 6 interventions were identified. Those interventions addressed 100% of the high risk classes of failure modes (55% of all failure modes identified). Conclusion: A class-based approach to FMEA was developed to efficiently identify collision risks and implement interventions in a modern radiation oncology department. Failure modes and interventions will be listed, and a comparison of this approach against traditional FMEA methods will be presented.« less

Improving the treatment planning and delivery process of Xoft electronic skin brachytherapy.

PubMed

Manger, Ryan; Rahn, Douglas; Hoisak, Jeremy; Dragojević, Irena

2018-05-14

To develop an improved Xoft electronic skin brachytherapy process and identify areas of further improvement. A multidisciplinary team conducted a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) by developing a process map and a corresponding list of failure modes. The failure modes were scored for their occurrence, severity, and detectability, and a risk priority number (RPN) was calculated for each failure mode as the product of occurrence, severity, and detectability. Corrective actions were implemented to address the higher risk failure modes, and a revised process was generated. The RPNs of the failure modes were compared between the initial process and final process to assess the perceived benefits of the corrective actions. The final treatment process consists of 100 steps and 114 failure modes. The FMEA took approximately 20 person-hours (one physician, three physicists, and two therapists) to complete. The 10 most dangerous failure modes had RPNs ranging from 336 to 630. Corrective actions were effective at addressing most failure modes (10 riskiest RPNs ranging from 189 to 310), yet the RPNs were higher than those published for alternative systems. Many of these high-risk failure modes remained due to hardware design limitations. FMEA helps guide process improvement efforts by emphasizing the riskiest steps. Significant risks are apparent when using a Xoft treatment unit for skin brachytherapy due to hardware limitations such as the lack of several interlocks, a short source lifespan, and variability in source output. The process presented in this article is expected to reduce but not eliminate these risks. Copyright © 2018 American Brachytherapy Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decomposition-Based Failure Mode Identification Method for Risk-Free Design of Large Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tumer, Irem Y.; Stone, Robert B.; Roberts, Rory A.; Clancy, Daniel (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

When designing products, it is crucial to assure failure and risk-free operation in the intended operating environment. Failures are typically studied and eliminated as much as possible during the early stages of design. The few failures that go undetected result in unacceptable damage and losses in high-risk applications where public safety is of concern. Published NASA and NTSB accident reports point to a variety of components identified as sources of failures in the reported cases. In previous work, data from these reports were processed and placed in matrix form for all the system components and failure modes encountered, and then manipulated using matrix methods to determine similarities between the different components and failure modes. In this paper, these matrices are represented in the form of a linear combination of failures modes, mathematically formed using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) decomposition. The PCA decomposition results in a low-dimensionality representation of all failure modes and components of interest, represented in a transformed coordinate system. Such a representation opens the way for efficient pattern analysis and prediction of failure modes with highest potential risks on the final product, rather than making decisions based on the large space of component and failure mode data. The mathematics of the proposed method are explained first using a simple example problem. The method is then applied to component failure data gathered from helicopter, accident reports to demonstrate its potential.

Risk analysis of analytical validations by probabilistic modification of FMEA.

PubMed

Barends, D M; Oldenhof, M T; Vredenbregt, M J; Nauta, M J

2012-05-01

Risk analysis is a valuable addition to validation of an analytical chemistry process, enabling not only detecting technical risks, but also risks related to human failures. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) can be applied, using a categorical risk scoring of the occurrence, detection and severity of failure modes, and calculating the Risk Priority Number (RPN) to select failure modes for correction. We propose a probabilistic modification of FMEA, replacing the categorical scoring of occurrence and detection by their estimated relative frequency and maintaining the categorical scoring of severity. In an example, the results of traditional FMEA of a Near Infrared (NIR) analytical procedure used for the screening of suspected counterfeited tablets are re-interpretated by this probabilistic modification of FMEA. Using this probabilistic modification of FMEA, the frequency of occurrence of undetected failure mode(s) can be estimated quantitatively, for each individual failure mode, for a set of failure modes, and the full analytical procedure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) of insulin in a mother-child university-affiliated health center].

PubMed

Berruyer, M; Atkinson, S; Lebel, D; Bussières, J-F

2016-01-01

Insulin is a high-alert drug. The main objective of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to evaluate the risks associated with insulin use in healthcare centers. The secondary objective was to propose corrective measures to reduce the main risks associated with the most critical failure modes in the analysis. We conducted a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) in obstetrics-gynecology, neonatology and pediatrics. Five multidisciplinary meetings occurred in August 2013. A total of 44 out of 49 failure modes were analyzed. Nine out of 44 (20%) failure modes were deemed critical, with a criticality score ranging from 540 to 720. Following the multidisciplinary meetings, everybody agreed that an FMEA was a useful tool to identify failure modes and their relative importance. This approach identified many corrective measures. This shared experience increased awareness of safety issues with insulin in our mother-child center. This study identified the main failure modes and associated corrective measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Experimental Tests on the Composite Foam Sandwich Pipes Subjected to Axial Load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Feng; Zhao, QiLin; Xu, Kang; Zhang, DongDong

2015-12-01

Compared to the composite thin-walled tube, the composite foam sandwich pipe has better local flexural rigidity, which can take full advantage of the high strength of composite materials. In this paper, a series of composite foam sandwich pipes with different parameters were designed and manufactured using the prefabricated polyurethane foam core-skin co-curing molding technique with E-glass fabric prepreg. The corresponding axial-load compressive tests were conducted to investigate the influence factors that experimentally determine the axial compressive performances of the tubes. In the tests, the detailed failure process and the corresponding load-displacement characteristics were obtained; the influence rules of the foam core density, surface layer thickness, fiber ply combination and end restraint on the failure modes and ultimate bearing capacity were studied. Results indicated that: (1) the fiber ply combination, surface layer thickness and end restraint have a great influence on the ultimate load bearing capacity; (2) a reasonable fiber ply combination and reliable interfacial adhesion not only optimize the strength but also transform the failure mode from brittle failure to ductile failure, which is vital to the fully utilization of the composite strength of these composite foam sandwich pipes.

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Fiber Reinforced Laminated Composites Subject to Low-Velocity Impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorsson, Solver I.

Foreign object impact on composite materials continues to be an active field due to its importance in the design of load bearing composite aerostructures. The problem has been studied by many through the decades. Extensive experimental studies have been performed to characterize the impact damage and failure mechanisms. Leaders in aerospace industry are pushing for reliable, robust and efficient computational methods for predicting impact response of composite structures. Experimental and numerical investigations on the impact response of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite (FRPC) laminates are presented. A detailed face-on and edge-on impact experimental study is presented. A novel method for conducting coupon-level edge-on impact experiments is introduced. The research is focused on impact energy levels that are in the vicinity of the barely visible impact damage (BVID) limit of the material system. A detailed post-impact damage study is presented where non-destructive inspection (NDI) methods such as ultrasound scanning and computed tomography (CT) are used. Detailed fractography studies are presented for further investigation of the through-the-thickness damage due to the impact event. Following the impact study, specimens are subjected to compression after impact (CAI) to establish the effect of BVID on the compressive strength after impact (CSAI). A modified combined loading compression (CLC) test method is proposed for compression testing following an edge-on impact. Experimental work on the rate sensitivity of the mode I and mode II inter-laminar fracture toughness is also investigated. An improved wedge-insert fracture (WIF) method for conducting mode I inter-laminar fracture at elevated loading rates is introduced. Based on the experimental results, a computational modeling approach for capturing face-on impact and CAI is developed. The model is then extended to edge-on impact and CAI. Enhanced Schapery Theory (EST) is utilized for modeling the full field damage and failure present in a unidirectional (UD) lamina within a laminate. Schapery Theory (ST) is a thermodynamically based work potential material model which captures the pre-peak softening due to matrix micro-cracking such as hackling, micro fissures, etc. The Crack Band (CB) method is utilized to capture macroscopic matrix and fiber failure modes such as ply splitting and fiber rupture. Discrete Cohesive Zone Method (DCZM) elements are implemented for capturing inter-laminar delaminations, using discrete nodal traction-separation governed interactions. The model is verified against the impact experimental results and the associated CAI procedures. The model results are in good agreement with experimental findings. The model proved capable of predicting the representative experimental failure modes.

Modelling of catastrophic flashing releases.

PubMed

Deaves, D M; Gilham, S; Mitchell, B H; Woodburn, P; Shepherd, A M

2001-11-16

Several low boiling point materials are stored in closed vessels at ambient temperature, using their own vapour pressure to maintain a liquid state. These materials are often toxic, flammable, or both, and thus any uncontrolled release can have potentially disastrous consequences. There are many ways in which an accidental release can occur, the most severe being due to catastrophic vessel failure. Although not the most common, this mode of failure has the potential to result in an instantaneous loss of the entire vessel inventory in the form of a rapidly expanding, two-phase, vaporising cloud. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the physical processes of existing models and of available experimental and incident data to model such scenarios. Subsequently, this has enabled the development of an improved methodology for the characterisation of the source conditions following catastrophic vessel failures.

Mechanical Failure Mode of Metal Nanowires: Global Deformation versus Local Deformation

PubMed Central

Ho, Duc Tam; Im, Youngtae; Kwon, Soon-Yong; Earmme, Youn Young; Kim, Sung Youb

2015-01-01

It is believed that the failure mode of metal nanowires under tensile loading is the result of the nucleation and propagation of dislocations. Such failure modes can be slip, partial slip or twinning and therefore they are regarded as local deformation. Here we provide numerical and theoretical evidences to show that global deformation is another predominant failure mode of nanowires under tensile loading. At the global deformation mode, nanowires fail with a large contraction along a lateral direction and a large expansion along the other lateral direction. In addition, there is a competition between global and local deformations. Nanowires loaded at low temperature exhibit global failure mode first and then local deformation follows later. We show that the global deformation originates from the intrinsic instability of the nanowires and that temperature is a main parameter that decides the global or local deformation as the failure mode of nanowires. PMID:26087445

Subject specific finite element modeling of periprosthetic femoral fracture using element deactivation to simulate bone failure.

PubMed

Miles, Brad; Kolos, Elizabeth; Walter, William L; Appleyard, Richard; Shi, Angela; Li, Qing; Ruys, Andrew J

2015-06-01

Subject-specific finite element (FE) modeling methodology could predict peri-prosthetic femoral fracture (PFF) for cementless hip arthoplasty in the early postoperative period. This study develops methodology for subject-specific finite element modeling by using the element deactivation technique to simulate bone failure and validate with experimental testing, thereby predicting peri-prosthetic femoral fracture in the early postoperative period. Material assignments for biphasic and triphasic models were undertaken. Failure modeling with the element deactivation feature available in ABAQUS 6.9 was used to simulate a crack initiation and propagation in the bony tissue based upon a threshold of fracture strain. The crack mode for the biphasic models was very similar to the experimental testing crack mode, with a similar shape and path of the crack. The fracture load is sensitive to the friction coefficient at the implant-bony interface. The development of a novel technique to simulate bone failure by element deactivation of subject-specific finite element models could aid prediction of fracture load in addition to fracture risk characterization for PFF. Copyright © 2015 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of improving MEMS-type VOA reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Seok K.; Lee, Yeong G.; Park, Moo Y.

2003-12-01

MEMS technologies have been applied to a lot of areas, such as optical communications, Gyroscopes and Bio-medical components and so on. In terms of the applications in the optical communication field, MEMS technologies are essential, especially, in multi dimensional optical switches and Variable Optical Attenuators(VOAs). This paper describes the process for the development of MEMS type VOAs with good optical performance and improved reliability. Generally, MEMS VOAs have been fabricated by silicon micro-machining process, precise fibre alignment and sophisticated packaging process. Because, it is composed of many structures with various materials, it is difficult to make devices reliable. We have developed MEMS type VOSs with many failure mode considerations (FMEA: Failure Mode Effect Analysis) in the initial design step, predicted critical failure factors and revised the design, and confirmed the reliability by preliminary test. These predicted failure factors were moisture, bonding strength of the wire, which wired between the MEMS chip and TO-CAN and instability of supplied signals. Statistical quality control tools (ANOVA, T-test and so on) were used to control these potential failure factors and produce optimum manufacturing conditions. To sum up, we have successfully developed reliable MEMS type VOAs with good optical performances by controlling potential failure factors and using statistical quality control tools. As a result, developed VOAs passed international reliability standards (Telcodia GR-1221-CORE).

Investigation of improving MEMS-type VOA reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Seok K.; Lee, Yeong G.; Park, Moo Y.

2004-01-01

MEMS technologies have been applied to a lot of areas, such as optical communications, Gyroscopes and Bio-medical components and so on. In terms of the applications in the optical communication field, MEMS technologies are essential, especially, in multi dimensional optical switches and Variable Optical Attenuators(VOAs). This paper describes the process for the development of MEMS type VOAs with good optical performance and improved reliability. Generally, MEMS VOAs have been fabricated by silicon micro-machining process, precise fibre alignment and sophisticated packaging process. Because, it is composed of many structures with various materials, it is difficult to make devices reliable. We have developed MEMS type VOSs with many failure mode considerations (FMEA: Failure Mode Effect Analysis) in the initial design step, predicted critical failure factors and revised the design, and confirmed the reliability by preliminary test. These predicted failure factors were moisture, bonding strength of the wire, which wired between the MEMS chip and TO-CAN and instability of supplied signals. Statistical quality control tools (ANOVA, T-test and so on) were used to control these potential failure factors and produce optimum manufacturing conditions. To sum up, we have successfully developed reliable MEMS type VOAs with good optical performances by controlling potential failure factors and using statistical quality control tools. As a result, developed VOAs passed international reliability standards (Telcodia GR-1221-CORE).

High Pressure Hydrogen Pressure Relief Devices: Accelerated Life Testing and Application Best Practices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Burgess, Robert M.; Post, Matthew B.; Buttner, William J.

Pressure relief devices (PRDs ) are used to protect high pressure systems from burst failure caused by overpressurization. Codes and standards require the use of PRDs for the safe design of many pressurized systems. These systems require high reliability due to the risks associated with a burst failure. Hydrogen service can increase the risk of PRD failure due to material property degradation caused by hydrogen attack. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has conducted an accelerated life test on a conventional spring loaded PRD. Based on previous failures in the field, the nozzles specific to these PRDs are of particularmore » interest. A nozzle in a PRD is a small part that directs the flow of fluid toward the sealing surface to maintain the open state of the valve once the spring force is overcome. The nozzle in this specific PRD is subjected to the full tensile force of the fluid pressure. These nozzles are made from 440C material, which is a type of hardened steel that is commonly chosen for high pressure applications because of its high strength properties. In a hydrogen environment, however, 440C is considered a worst case material since hydrogen attack results in a loss of almost all ductility and thus 440C is prone to fatigue and material failure. Accordingly, 440C is not recommended for hydrogen service. Conducting an accelerated life test on a PRD with 440C material provides information on necessary and sufficient conditions required to produce crack initiation and failure. The accelerated life test also provides information on other PRD failure modes that are somewhat statistically random in nature.« less

Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA)

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-01

Preliminary Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) of the Brayton Isotope Power System Ground Demonstration System, Report No. TID 27301...No. TID/SNA - 3015, Aeroject Nuclear Systems Co., Sacramento, California: 1970. 95. Taylor , J.R. A Formalization of Failure Mode Analysis of Control...Roskilde, Denmark: 1973. 96. Taylor , J.R. A Semi-Automatic Method for Oualitative Failure Mode Analysis. Report No. RISO-M-1707. Available from a

Design Criteria for X-CRV Honeycomb Panels: A Preliminary Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Caccese, Vincent; Verinder, Irene

1997-01-01

The objective of this project is to perform the first step in developing structural design criteria for composite sandwich panels that are to be used in the aeroshell of the crew return vehicle (X-CRV). The preliminary concept includes a simplified method for assessing the allowable strength in the laminate material. Ultimately, it is intended that the design criteria be extended to address the global response of the vehicle. This task will require execution of a test program as outlined in the recommendation section of this report. The aeroshell of the X-CRV is comprised of composite sandwich panels consisting of fiberite face sheets and a phenolic honeycomb core. The function of the crew return vehicle is to enable the safe return of injured or ill crewpersons from space station, the evacuation of crew in case of emergency or the return of crew if an orbiter is not available. A significant objective of the X-CRV project is to demonstrate that this vehicle can be designed, built and operated at lower cost and at a significantly faster development time. Development time can be reduced by driving out issues in both structural design and manufacturing concurrently. This means that structural design and analysis progresses in conjunction with manufacturing and testing. Preliminary tests results on laminate coupons are presented in the report. Based on these results a method for detection material failure in the material is presented. In the long term, extrapolation of coupon data to large scale structures may be inadequate. Test coupons used to develop failure criteria at the material scale are typically small when compared to the overall structure. Their inherent small size indicates that the material failure criteria can be used to predict localized failure of the structure, however, it can not be used to predict failure for all failure modes. Some failure modes occur only when the structure or one of its sub-components are studied as a whole. Conversely, localized failure may not indicate failure of the structure as a whole and the amount of reserve capacity, if any, should be assessed. To develop a complete design criteria experimental studies of the sandwich panel are needed. Only then can a conservative and accurate design criteria be developed. This criteria should include effects of flaws and defects, and environmental factors such as temperature and moisture. Preliminary results presented in this report suggest that a simplified analysis can be used to predict the strength of a laminate. Testing for environmental effects have yet to be included in this work. The so called 'rogue flaw test' appears to be a promising method for assessing the effect of a defect in a laminate. This method fits in quite well with the philosophy of achieving a damage tolerant design.

Analysis for the Progressive Failure Response of Textile Composite Fuselage Frames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Eric R.; Boitnott, Richard L. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A part of aviation accident mitigation is a crashworthy airframe structure, and an important measure of merit for a crashworthy structure is the amount of kinetic energy that can be absorbed in the crush of the structure. Prediction of the energy absorbed from finite element analyses requires modeling the progressive failure sequence. Progressive failure modes may include material degradation, fracture and crack growth, and buckling and collapse. The design of crashworthy airframe components will benefit from progressive failure analyses that have been validated by tests. The subject of this research is the development of a progressive failure analysis for a textile composite, circumferential fuselage frame subjected to a quasi-static, crash-type load. The test data for the frame are reported, and these data are used to develop and to validate methods for the progressive failure response.

Effect of ozone gas on the shear bond strength to enamel

PubMed Central

PIRES, Patrícia Teixeira; FERREIRA, João Cardoso; OLIVEIRA, Sofia Arantes; SILVA, Mário Jorge; MELO, Paulo Ribeiro

2013-01-01

Ozone is an important disinfecting agent, however its influence on enamel adhesion has not yet been clarified. Objective: Evaluate the influence of ozone pretreatment on the shear strength of an etch-and-rinse and a self-etch system to enamel and analyze the respective failure modes. Material and Methods: Sixty sound bovine incisors were used. Specimens were randomly assigned to four experimental groups (n=15): Group G1 (Excite® with ozone) and group G3 (AdheSE® with ozone) were prepared with ozone gas from the HealOzone unit (Kavo®) for 20 s prior to adhesion, and groups G2 (Excite®) and G4 (AdheSE®) were used as control. Teeth were bisected and polished to simulate a smear layer just before the application of the adhesive systems. The adhesives were applied according to the manufacturer's instructions to a standardized 3 mm diameter surface, and a composite (Synergy D6, Coltene Whaledent) cylinder with 2 mm increments was build. Specimens were stored in 100% humidity for 24 h at 37º C and then subjected to a thermal cycling regimen of 500 cycles. Shear bond tests were performed with a Watanabe device in a universal testing machine at 5 mm/min. The failure mode was analyzed under scanning electron microscope. Means and standard deviation of shear bond strength (SBS) were calculated and difference between the groups was analyzed using ANOVA, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Levene and Bonferroni. Chi-squared statistical tests were used to evaluate the failure modes. Results: Mean bond strength values and failure modes were as follows: G1- 26.85±6.18 MPa (33.3% of adhesive cohesive failure); G2 - 27.95±5.58 MPa (53.8% of adhesive failures between enamel and adhesive); G3 - 15.0±3.84 MPa (77.8% of adhesive failures between enamel and adhesive) and G4 - 13.1±3.68 MPa (36.4% of adhesive failures between enamel and adhesive). Conclusions: Shear bond strength values of both adhesives tested on enamel were not influenced by the previous application of ozone gas. PMID:23739859

How to make the most of failure mode and effect analysis.

PubMed

Stalhandske, Erik; DeRosier, Joseph; Patail, Bryanne; Gosbee, John

2003-01-01

Current accreditation standards issued by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) require hospitals to carry out a proactive risk assessment on at least 1 high-risk activity each year for each accredited program. Because hospital risk managers and patient safety managers generally do not have the knowledge or level of comfort for conducting a proactive risk assessment, they will appreciate the expertise offered by biomedical equipment technicians (BMETs), occupational safety and health professionals, and others. The skills that have been developed by BMETs and others while conducting job safety analyses or failure mode effect analysis can now be applied to a health care proactive analysis. This article touches on the Health Care Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) model that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Center for Patient Safety developed for proactive risk assessment within the health care community. The goal of this article is to enlighten BMETs and others on the growth of proactive risk assessment within health care and also on the support documents and materials produced by the VA. For additional information on HFMEA, visit the VA website at www.patientsafety.gov/HFMEA.html.

Estimation of limit strains in disk-type flywheels made of a compliant elastomeric matrix composite undergoing radial creep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Portnov, G. G.; Bakis, Ch. E.

2000-01-01

Fiber reinforced elastomeric matrix composites (EMCs) offer several potential advantages for construction of rotors for flywheel energy storage systems. One potential advantage, for safety considerations, is the existence of maximum stresses near the outside radius of thick circumferentially wound EMC disks, which could lead to a desirable self-arresting failure mode at ultimate speeds. Certain unidirectionally reinforced EMCs, however, have been noted to creep readily under the influence of stress transverse to the fibers. In this paper, stress redistribution in a spinning thick disk made of a circumferentially filament wound EMC material on a small rigid hub has been analyzed with the assumption of total radial stress relaxation due to radial creep. It is shown that, following complete relaxation, the circumferential strains and stresses are maximized at the outside radius of the disk. Importantly, the radial tensile strains are three times greater than the circumferential strains at any given radius. Therefore, a unidirectional EMC material system that can safely endure transverse tensile creep strains of at least three times the elastic longitudinal strain capacity of the same material is likely to maintain the theoretically safe failure mode despite complete radial stress relaxation.

Stochastic damage evolution in textile laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dzenis, Yuris A.; Bogdanovich, Alexander E.; Pastore, Christopher M.

1993-01-01

A probabilistic model utilizing random material characteristics to predict damage evolution in textile laminates is presented. Model is based on a division of each ply into two sublaminas consisting of cells. The probability of cell failure is calculated using stochastic function theory and maximal strain failure criterion. Three modes of failure, i.e. fiber breakage, matrix failure in transverse direction, as well as matrix or interface shear cracking, are taken into account. Computed failure probabilities are utilized in reducing cell stiffness based on the mesovolume concept. A numerical algorithm is developed predicting the damage evolution and deformation history of textile laminates. Effect of scatter of fiber orientation on cell properties is discussed. Weave influence on damage accumulation is illustrated with the help of an example of a Kevlar/epoxy laminate.

Catastrophic optical bulk degradation in high-power single- and multi-mode InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers: part II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sin, Yongkun; Ayvazian, Talin; Brodie, Miles; Lingley, Zachary

2018-03-01

High-power single-mode (SM) and multi-mode (MM) InGaAs-AlGaAs strained quantum well (QW) lasers are critical components for both terrestrial and space satellite communications systems. Since these lasers predominantly fail by catastrophic and sudden degradation due to catastrophic optical damage (COD), it is especially crucial for space satellite applications to investigate reliability, failure modes, precursor signatures of failure, and degradation mechanisms of these lasers. Our group reported a new failure mode in MM and SM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers in 2009 and 2016, respectively. Our group also reported in 2017 that bulk failure due to catastrophic optical bulk damage (COBD) is the dominant failure mode of both SM and MM lasers that were subject to long-term life-tests. For the present study, we continued our physics of failure investigation by performing long-term life-tests followed by failure mode analysis (FMA) using nondestructive and destructive micro-analytical techniques. We performed long-term accelerated life-tests on state-of-the-art SM and MM InGaAs- AlGaAs strained QW lasers under ACC mode. Our life-tests have accumulated over 25,000 test hours for SM lasers and over 35,000 test hours for MM lasers. We first employed electron beam induced current (EBIC) technique to identify failure modes of degraded SM lasers by observing dark line defects. All the SM failures that we studied showed catastrophic and sudden degradation and all of these failures were bulk failures. Since degradation mechanisms responsible for COBD are still not well understood, we also employed other techniques including focused ion beam (FIB) and high-resolution TEM to further study dark line defects and dislocations in post-aged lasers. Keywor

Fractography of composite delamination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bascom, W. D.

1989-01-01

Delamination is a major failure mode of carbon fiber organic matrix composites. It can occur under a variety of loading conditions. Efforts to develop predictive models of the delamination of carbon fiber composites are hampered by a lack of information about the micromechanics of impact damage and delamination growth. Crack formation and propagation in these materials cannot be observed in sufficient detail to determine micro-damage using currently available nondestructive methods such as acoustic backscattering or x ray imaging. Consequently, destructive methods are required. Delamination of composites in Mode I, Mode II and after low energy impact loads were investigated using metallographic techniques of potting the failed specimens, sectioning and examining the cut sections for damage modes.

Localizing softness and stress along loops in 3D topological metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baardink, Guido; Souslov, Anton; Paulose, Jayson; Vitelli, Vincenzo

2018-01-01

Topological states can be used to control the mechanical properties of a material along an edge or around a localized defect. The rigidity of elastic networks is characterized by a topological invariant called the polarization; materials with a well-defined uniform polarization display a dramatic range of edge softness depending on the orientation of the polarization relative to the terminating surface. However, in all 3D mechanical metamaterials proposed to date, the topological modes are mixed with bulk soft modes, which organize themselves in Weyl loops. Here, we report the design of a 3D topological metamaterial without Weyl lines and with a uniform polarization that leads to an asymmetry between the number of soft modes on opposing surfaces. We then use this construction to localize topological soft modes in interior regions of the material by including defect lines—dislocation loops—that are unique to three dimensions. We derive a general formula that relates the difference in the number of soft modes and states of self-stress localized along the dislocation loop to the handedness of the vector triad formed by the lattice polarization, Burgers vector, and dislocation-line direction. Our findings suggest a strategy for preprogramming failure and softness localized along lines in 3D, while avoiding extended soft Weyl modes.

A review of the success and failure characteristics of resin-bonded bridges.

PubMed

Miettinen, M; Millar, B J

2013-07-01

This literature review was designed to assess and compare the success rates and modes of failure of metal-framed, fibre-reinforced composite and all-ceramic resin-bonded bridges. A Medline search (Ovid), supplemented by hand searching, was conducted to identify prospective and retrospective cohort studies on different resin-bonded bridges within the last 16 years. A total of 49 studies met the pre-set inclusion criteria. Success rates of 25 studies on metal-framed, 17 studies on fibre-reinforced composite and 7 studies on all-ceramic resin-bonded bridges were analysed and characteristics of failures were identified. The analysis of the studies indicated an estimation of annual failure rates per year to be 4.6% (±1.3%, 95% CI) for metal-framed, 4.1% (±2.1%, 95% CI) for fibre-reinforced and 11.7% (±1.8%, 95% CI) for all-ceramic resin-bonded bridges. The most frequent complications were: debonding for metal-framed, resin-bonded bridges (93% of all failures); delamination of the composite veneering material for the fibre-reinforced bridges (41%) and fracture of the framework for the all-ceramic bridges (57%). All types of resin-bonded bridges provide an effective short- to medium-term option, with all-ceramic performing least well and having the least favourable mode of failure. The methods of failures were different for different bridges with metal frameworks performing the best over time.

Three-year clinical follow-up of posterior teeth restored with leucite-reinforced ips empress onlays and partial veneer crowns.

PubMed

Murgueitio, Rafael; Bernal, Guillermo

2012-07-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the survival rate and failure mode of IPS leucite-reinforced ceramic onlays and partial veneer crowns regarding thickness under the following clinical conditions: vital versus nonvital teeth, tooth location, and type of opposing dentition. Teeth were prepared according to established guidelines for ceramic onlays and partial veneer crowns. Before cementation, the restorations were measured for occlusal thickness at the central fossa, mesial, and distal marginal ridges, and functional and nonfunctional cusps. A total of 210 ceramic restorations were cemented in 99 patients within a mean observation period of 2.9 ± 1.89 years. The mode of failure was classified and evaluated as (1) adhesive, (2) cohesive, (3) combined failure, (4) decementation, (5) tooth sensitivity, and (6) pulpal necrosis. Kaplan, log-rank, and Cox regression tests were used for statistical analysis. The failure rate was 3.33% (7/210). Increased material thickness produced less probability of failures. Vital teeth were less likely to fail than nonvital teeth. Second molars were five times more susceptible to failure than first molars. Tooth sensitivity postcementation and the type of opposing dentition were not statistically significant in this study. In this study, thickness of the restorations, tooth vitality, and location of teeth in the dental arch influenced restoration failures. © 2012 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

[Failure mode effect analysis applied to preparation of intravenous cytostatics].

PubMed

Santos-Rubio, M D; Marín-Gil, R; Muñoz-de la Corte, R; Velázquez-López, M D; Gil-Navarro, M V; Bautista-Paloma, F J

2016-01-01

To proactively identify risks in the preparation of intravenous cytostatic drugs, and to prioritise and establish measures to improve safety procedures. Failure Mode Effect Analysis methodology was used. A multidisciplinary team identified potential failure modes of the procedure through a brainstorming session. The impact associated with each failure mode was assessed with the Risk Priority Number (RPN), which involves three variables: occurrence, severity, and detectability. Improvement measures were established for all identified failure modes, with those with RPN>100 considered critical. The final RPN (theoretical) that would result from the proposed measures was also calculated and the process was redesigned. A total of 34 failure modes were identified. The initial accumulated RPN was 3022 (range: 3-252), and after recommended actions the final RPN was 1292 (range: 3-189). RPN scores >100 were obtained in 13 failure modes; only the dispensing sub-process was free of critical points (RPN>100). A final reduction of RPN>50% was achieved in 9 failure modes. This prospective risk analysis methodology allows the weaknesses of the procedure to be prioritised, optimize use of resources, and a substantial improvement in the safety of the preparation of cytostatic drugs through the introduction of double checking and intermediate product labelling. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Deep flaws in weldments of aluminum and titanium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Masters, J. N.; Engstrom, W. L.; Bixler, W. D.

1974-01-01

Surface flawed specimens of 2219-T87 and 6Al-4V STA titanium weldments were tested to determine static failure modes, failure strength, and fatigue flaw growth characteristics. Thicknesses selected for this study were purposely set at values where, for most test conditions, abrupt instability of the flaw at fracture would not be expected. Static tests for the aluminum weldments were performed at room, LN2 and LH2 temperatures. Titanium static tests for tests were performed at room and LH2 temperatures. Results of the static tests were used to plot curves relating initial flaw size to leakage- or failure-stresses (i.e. "failure" locus curves). Cyclic tests, for both materials, were then performed at room temperature, using initial flaws only slightly below the previously established failure locus for typical proof stress levels. Cyclic testing was performed on pairs of specimens, one with and one without a simulated proof test cycle. Comparisons were made then to determine the value and effect of proof testing as affected by the various variables of proof and operating stress, flaw shape, material thickness, and alloy.

Why Do Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasties Fail Today?

PubMed

van der List, Jelle P; Zuiderbaan, Hendrik A; Pearle, Andrew D

2016-05-01

Failure rates are higher in medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) than total knee arthroplasty. To improve these failure rates, it is important to understand why medial UKA fail. Because individual studies lack power to show failure modes, a systematic review was performed to assess medial UKA failure modes. Furthermore, we compared cohort studies with registry-based studies, early with midterm and late failures and fixed-bearing with mobile-bearing implants. Databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane and annual registries were searched for medial UKA failures. Studies were included when they reported >25 failures or when they reported early (<5 years), midterm (5-10 years), or late failures (>10 years). Thirty-seven cohort studies (4 level II studies and 33 level III studies) and 2 registry-based studies were included. A total of 3967 overall failures, 388 time-dependent failures, and 1305 implant design failures were identified. Aseptic loosening (36%) and osteoarthritis (OA) progression (20%) were the most common failure modes. Aseptic loosening (26%) was most common early failure mode, whereas OA progression was more commonly seen in midterm and late failures (38% and 40%, respectively). Polyethylene wear (12%) and instability (12%) were more common in fixed-bearing implants, whereas pain (14%) and bearing dislocation (11%) were more common in mobile-bearing implants. This level III systematic review identified aseptic loosening and OA progression as the major failure modes. Aseptic loosening was the main failure mode in early years and mobile-bearing implants, whereas OA progression caused most failures in late years and fixed-bearing implants. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mechanics of dual-mode dilative failure in subaqueous sediment deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Yao; Flemings, Peter; Mohrig, David

2014-07-01

We introduce dual-mode dilative failure with flume experiments. Dual-mode dilative failure combines slow and steady release of sediments by breaching with periodic sliding, which rapidly releases an internally coherent wedge of sediments. It occurs in dilative sandy deposits. This periodic slope failure results from cyclic evolution of the excess pore pressure in the deposit. Sliding generates large, transient, negative excess pore pressure that strengthens the deposit and allows breaching to occur. During breaching, negative excess pore pressure dissipates, the deposit weakens, and ultimately sliding occurs once again. We show that the sliding frequency is proportional to the coefficient of consolidation. We find that thicker deposits are more susceptible to dual-mode dilative failure. Discovery of dual-mode dilative failure provides a new mechanism to consider when interpreting the sedimentary deposits linked to submarine slope failures.

The Use of Doublers in Delamination Toughness Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeder, James R.; Demarco, Kevin; Whitley, Karen S.

2002-01-01

In this paper, the data reduction equations for common delamination toughness tests are rederived for use with specimens which have bonded doublers. The common toughness tests considered here are the double cantilever beam (DCB) for mode I toughness; the end notch flexure (3ENF) and 4 point ENF (4ENF) for mode II toughness; and the mixed mode bending (MMB) test for testing under combined mode I and mode II loading. Because the addition of the doublers changes the bending stiffness of the specimens, these data reduction equations may need to be corrected. Doublers were added to the delamination test specimens to solve a premature failure problem. Delamination toughness is normally tested using a beam with an imbedded insert so that one end of the specimen is split into two arms. If the specimen is too thin, or if the toughness of the material is too high, an arm of the specimen may fail in bending before the delamination grows. When this occurs, the toughness of the material cannot be determined. To delay the bending failure so that delamination growth occurs, doubler plates were bonded to both top and bottom surfaces of the specimen. A doubler parameter, beta, which describes how much the use of doubler plates changed the ratio of full thickness to delaminated bending stiffnesses, was defined. When changes to the data reduction equations were required, the changes were minor when written in terms of the beta parameter. The doubler plate technique was demonstrated by measuring the mixed-mode fracture toughness of a carbon-carbon composite using test specimens which would otherwise have failed before delamination growth occurred. The doubler plate technique may solve several problems that can be encountered when testing delamination fracture toughness.

Common Cause Failures and Ultra Reliability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Harry W.

2012-01-01

A common cause failure occurs when several failures have the same origin. Common cause failures are either common event failures, where the cause is a single external event, or common mode failures, where two systems fail in the same way for the same reason. Common mode failures can occur at different times because of a design defect or a repeated external event. Common event failures reduce the reliability of on-line redundant systems but not of systems using off-line spare parts. Common mode failures reduce the dependability of systems using off-line spare parts and on-line redundancy.

Plastic Behavior of Metallic Damping Materials under Cyclical Shear Loading

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chaofeng; Wang, Longfei; Wu, Meiping; Zhao, Junhua

2016-01-01

Metallic shear panel dampers (SPDs) have been widely adopted in seismic engineering. In this study, axial and torsional specimens of four types of metallic damping materials, including three conventional metallic steels as well as low yield strength steel 160 (LYS160), were tested in order to investigate the material response under repeated large plastic strain and low cycle fatigue between 10 and 30 cycles. The present study demonstrated that both the deformation capacity and fatigue performance of LYS160 were underestimated by the conversion from the traditional uniaxial tensile test. The main difference in the failure mechanism between LYS160 and the three conventional materials was determined from the scanning electron microscopy data. The dominant failure mode in LYS160 is stable interlaminate slip and not bucking. Our results provide physical insights into the origin of the large deformation capacity, which is an important foundation for the lightweight design of SPDs. PMID:28773618

Interlayer shear behaviors of graphene-carbon nanotube network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Huasong; Liu, Yilun

2017-09-01

The interlayer shear resistance plays an important role in graphene related applications, and different mechanisms have been proposed to enhance its interlayer load capacity. In this work, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and theoretical analysis to study interlayer shear behaviors of three dimensional graphene-carbon (3D-GC) nanotube networks. The shear mechanical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) crosslink with different diameters are obtained which is one order of magnitude larger than that of other types of crosslinks. Under shear loading, 3D-GC exhibits two failure modes, i.e., fracture of graphene sheet and failure of CNT crosslink, determined by the diameter of CNT crosslink, crosslink density, and length of 3D-GC. A modified tension-shear chain model is proposed to predict the shear mechanical properties and failure mode of 3D-GC, which agrees well with MD simulation results. The results presented in this work may provide useful insights for future development of high-performance 3D-GC materials.

Failure-Modes-And-Effects Analysis Of Software Logic

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garcia, Danny; Hartline, Thomas; Minor, Terry; Statum, David; Vice, David

1996-01-01

Rigorous analysis applied early in design effort. Method of identifying potential inadequacies and modes and effects of failures caused by inadequacies (failure-modes-and-effects analysis or "FMEA" for short) devised for application to software logic.

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Introductory Overview

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-14

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis ( FMEA ) Introductory Overview TARDEC Systems Engineering Risk Management Team POC: Kadry Rizk or Gregor Ratajczak...2. REPORT TYPE Briefing Charts 3. DATES COVERED 01-05-2012 to 23-05-2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Failure Mode and Effects Analysis ( FMEA ) 5a...18 WELCOME Welcome to “An introductory overview of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis ( FMEA )”, A brief concerning the use and benefits of FMEA

Simulations of stress evolution and the current density scaling of electromigration-induced failure times in pure and alloyed interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Young-Joon; Andleigh, Vaibhav K.; Thompson, Carl V.

1999-04-01

An electromigration model is developed to simulate the reliability of Al and Al-Cu interconnects. A polynomial expression for the free energy of solution by Murray [Int. Met. Rev. 30, 211 (1985)] was used to calculate the chemical potential for Al and Cu while the diffusivities were defined based on a Cu-trapping model by Rosenberg [J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 9, 263 (1972)]. The effects of Cu on stress evolution and lifetime were investigated in all-bamboo and near-bamboo stud-to-stud structures. In addition, the significance of the effect of mechanical stress on the diffusivity of both Al and Cu was determined in all-bamboo and near-bamboo lines. The void nucleation and growth process was simulated in 200 μm, stud-to-stud lines. Current density scaling behavior for void-nucleation-limited failure and void-growth-limited failure modes was simulated in long, stud-to-stud lines. Current density exponents of both n=2 for void nucleation and n=1 for void growth failure modes were found in both pure Al and Al-Cu lines. Limitations of the most widely used current density scaling law (Black's equation) in the analysis of the reliability of stud-to-stud lines are discussed. By modifying the input materials properties used in this model (when they are known), this model can be adapted to predict the reliability of other interconnect materials such as pure Cu and Cu alloys.

TU-FG-201-12: Designing a Risk-Based Quality Assurance Program for a Newly Implemented Y-90 Microspheres Procedure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vile, D; Zhang, L; Cuttino, L

2016-06-15

Purpose: To create a quality assurance program based upon a risk-based assessment of a newly implemented SirSpheres Y-90 procedure. Methods: A process map was created for a newly implemented SirSpheres procedure at a community hospital. The process map documented each step of this collaborative procedure, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each member. From the process map, different potential failure modes were determined as well as any current controls in place. From this list, a full failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) was performed by grading each failure mode’s likelihood of occurrence, likelihood of detection, and potential severity.more » These numbers were then multiplied to compute the risk priority number (RPN) for each potential failure mode. Failure modes were then ranked based on their RPN. Additional controls were then added, with failure modes corresponding to the highest RPNs taking priority. Results: A process map was created that succinctly outlined each step in the SirSpheres procedure in its current implementation. From this, 72 potential failure modes were identified and ranked according to their associated RPN. Quality assurance controls and safety barriers were then added for failure modes associated with the highest risk being addressed first. Conclusion: A quality assurance program was created from a risk-based assessment of the SirSpheres process. Process mapping and FMEA were effective in identifying potential high-risk failure modes for this new procedure, which were prioritized for new quality assurance controls. TG 100 recommends the fault tree analysis methodology to design a comprehensive and effective QC/QM program, yet we found that by simply introducing additional safety barriers to address high RPN failure modes makes the whole process simpler and safer.« less

Failure mode and effects analysis and fault tree analysis of surface image guided cranial radiosurgery.

PubMed

Manger, Ryan P; Paxton, Adam B; Pawlicki, Todd; Kim, Gwe-Ya

2015-05-01

Surface image guided, Linac-based radiosurgery (SIG-RS) is a modern approach for delivering radiosurgery that utilizes optical stereoscopic imaging to monitor the surface of the patient during treatment in lieu of using a head frame for patient immobilization. Considering the novelty of the SIG-RS approach and the severity of errors associated with delivery of large doses per fraction, a risk assessment should be conducted to identify potential hazards, determine their causes, and formulate mitigation strategies. The purpose of this work is to investigate SIG-RS using the combined application of failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and fault tree analysis (FTA), report on the effort required to complete the analysis, and evaluate the use of FTA in conjunction with FMEA. A multidisciplinary team was assembled to conduct the FMEA on the SIG-RS process. A process map detailing the steps of the SIG-RS was created to guide the FMEA. Failure modes were determined for each step in the SIG-RS process, and risk priority numbers (RPNs) were estimated for each failure mode to facilitate risk stratification. The failure modes were ranked by RPN, and FTA was used to determine the root factors contributing to the riskiest failure modes. Using the FTA, mitigation strategies were formulated to address the root factors and reduce the risk of the process. The RPNs were re-estimated based on the mitigation strategies to determine the margin of risk reduction. The FMEA and FTAs for the top two failure modes required an effort of 36 person-hours (30 person-hours for the FMEA and 6 person-hours for two FTAs). The SIG-RS process consisted of 13 major subprocesses and 91 steps, which amounted to 167 failure modes. Of the 91 steps, 16 were directly related to surface imaging. Twenty-five failure modes resulted in a RPN of 100 or greater. Only one of these top 25 failure modes was specific to surface imaging. The riskiest surface imaging failure mode had an overall RPN-rank of eighth. Mitigation strategies for the top failure mode decreased the RPN from 288 to 72. Based on the FMEA performed in this work, the use of surface imaging for monitoring intrafraction position in Linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) did not greatly increase the risk of the Linac-based SRS process. In some cases, SIG helped to reduce the risk of Linac-based RS. The FMEA was augmented by the use of FTA since it divided the failure modes into their fundamental components, which simplified the task of developing mitigation strategies.

Risk assessment of failure modes of gas diffuser liner of V94.2 siemens gas turbine by FMEA method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mirzaei Rafsanjani, H.; Rezaei Nasab, A.

2012-05-01

Failure of welding connection of gas diffuser liner and exhaust casing is one of the failure modes of V94.2 gas turbines which are happened in some power plants. This defect is one of the uncertainties of customers when they want to accept the final commissioning of this product. According to this, the risk priority of this failure evaluated by failure modes and effect analysis (FMEA) method to find out whether this failure is catastrophic for turbine performance and is harmful for humans. By using history of 110 gas turbines of this model which are used in some power plants, the severity number, occurrence number and detection number of failure determined and consequently the Risk Priority Number (RPN) of failure determined. Finally, critically matrix of potential failures is created and illustrated that failure modes are located in safe zone.

Postbuckling failure of composite plates with central holes. Interim Report, Feb. 1990 - Dec. 1991 Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, H. H.; Hyer, M. W.

1992-01-01

The postbuckling failure of square composite plates with central holes is analyzed numerically and experimentally. The particular plates studies have stacking sequences of: (+ and - 45/0/90)(sub 2S); (+ and - 45/0(sub 2))(sub 2S); (+ and - 45/0(sub 6))(sub S); and (+ and - 45)(sub 4S). A simple plate geometry, one with a hole diameter to plate width ratio of 0.3 is compared. Failure load, failure mode, and failure location are predicted numerically by using the finite element method. Predictions are compared with experimental results. In numerical failure analysis the interlaminar shear stresses, as well as the inplane stresses are taken into account. An issue addressed in this study is the possible mode shape change of the plate during loading. It is predicted that the first three laminates fail due to excessive stresses in the fiber direction, and more importantly, that the load level is independent of whether the laminate is deformed in a one-half or two-half wave configuration. It is predicted that the fourth laminate fails due to excessive inplane shear stress. Interlaminar shear failure is not predicted for any laminates. For the first two laminates the experimental observations correlated well with the predictions. Experimentally, the third laminate failed along the side support due to interlaminar shear strength S(sub 23). The fourth experimental laminate failed due to inplane shear in the location predicted, however material softening resulted in a different failure load from predictions.

An efficient scan diagnosis methodology according to scan failure mode for yield enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jung-Tae; Seo, Nam-Sik; Oh, Ghil-Geun; Kim, Dae-Gue; Lee, Kyu-Taek; Choi, Chi-Young; Kim, InSoo; Min, Hyoung Bok

2008-12-01

Yield has always been a driving consideration during fabrication of modern semiconductor industry. Statistically, the largest portion of wafer yield loss is defective scan failure. This paper presents efficient failure analysis methods for initial yield ramp up and ongoing product with scan diagnosis. Result of our analysis shows that more than 60% of the scan failure dies fall into the category of shift mode in the very deep submicron (VDSM) devices. However, localization of scan shift mode failure is very difficult in comparison to capture mode failure because it is caused by the malfunction of scan chain. Addressing the biggest challenge, we propose the most suitable analysis method according to scan failure mode (capture / shift) for yield enhancement. In the event of capture failure mode, this paper describes the method that integrates scan diagnosis flow and backside probing technology to obtain more accurate candidates. We also describe several unique techniques, such as bulk back-grinding solution, efficient backside probing and signal analysis method. Lastly, we introduce blocked chain analysis algorithm for efficient analysis of shift failure mode. In this paper, we contribute to enhancement of the yield as a result of the combination of two methods. We confirm the failure candidates with physical failure analysis (PFA) method. The direct feedback of the defective visualization is useful to mass-produce devices in a shorter time. The experimental data on mass products show that our method produces average reduction by 13.7% in defective SCAN & SRAM-BIST failure rates and by 18.2% in wafer yield rates.

Flexible materials technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steurer, W. H.

1980-01-01

A survey of all presently defined or proposed large space systems indicated an ever increasing demand for flexible components and materials, primarily as a result of the widening disparity between the stowage space of launch vehicles and the size of advanced systems. Typical flexible components and material requirements were identified on the basis of recurrence and/or functional commonality. This was followed by the evaluation of candidate materials and the search for material capabilities which promise to satisfy the postulated requirements. Particular attention was placed on thin films, and on the requirements of deployable antennas. The assessment of the performance of specific materials was based primarily on the failure mode, derived from a detailed failure analysis. In view of extensive on going work on thermal and environmental degradation effects, prime emphasis was placed on the assessment of the performance loss by meteoroid damage. Quantitative data were generated for tension members and antenna reflector materials. A methodology was developed for the representation of the overall materials performance as related to systems service life. A number of promising new concepts for flexible materials were identified.

Biaxial tests of flat graphite/epoxy laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liebowitz, H.; Jones, D. L.

1981-01-01

The influence of biaxially applied loads on the strength of composite materials containing holes was analyzed. The analysis was performed through the development of a three dimensional, finite element computer program that is capable of evaluating fiber breakage, delamination, and matrix failure. Realistic failure criteria were established for each of the failure modes, and the influence of biaxial loading on damage accumulation under monotonically increasing loading was examined in detail. Both static and fatigue testing of specially designed biaxial specimens containing central holes were performed. Static tests were performed to obtain an understanding of the influence of biaxial loads on the fracture strength of composite materials and to provide correlation with the analytical predictions. The predicted distributions and types of damage are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. A number of fatigue tests were performed to determine the influence of cyclic biaxial loads on the fatigue life and residual strength of several composite laminates.

Forensic engineering: applying materials and mechanics principles to the investigation of product failures.

PubMed

Hainsworth, S V; Fitzpatrick, M E

2007-06-01

Forensic engineering is the application of engineering principles or techniques to the investigation of materials, products, structures or components that fail or do not perform as intended. In particular, forensic engineering can involve providing solutions to forensic problems by the application of engineering science. A criminal aspect may be involved in the investigation but often the problems are related to negligence, breach of contract, or providing information needed in the redesign of a product to eliminate future failures. Forensic engineering may include the investigation of the physical causes of accidents or other sources of claims and litigation (for example, patent disputes). It involves the preparation of technical engineering reports, and may require giving testimony and providing advice to assist in the resolution of disputes affecting life or property.This paper reviews the principal methods available for the analysis of failed components and then gives examples of different component failure modes through selected case studies.

Register of experts for information on mechanics of structural failure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carpenter, J. L., Jr.; Stuhrke, W. F.

1975-01-01

This register is comprised of a list of approximately 300 experts from approximately 90 organizations who have published results of theoretical and/or experimental research related to six problem areas in the mechanics of structural failure: (1) life prediction for structural materials, (2) fracture toughness testing, (3) fracture mechanics analysis; (4) hydrogen embrittlement; (5) protective coatings; and (6) composite materials. The criteria for the selection of names for the register are recent contributions to the literature, participation in or support of relevant research programs, and referral by peers. Each author included is listed by organizational affiliation, address, and principal field of expertise. The purpose of the register is to present, in easy reference form, sources for dependable information regarding failure modes and mechanisms of aerospace structures. The register includes two indexes; an alphabetical listing of the experts and an alphabetical listing of the organizations with whom they are affiliated.

Effect of the infrastructure material on the failure behavior of prosthetic crowns.

PubMed

Sonza, Queli Nunes; Della Bona, Alvaro; Borba, Márcia

2014-05-01

To evaluate the effect of infrastructure (IS) material on the fracture behavior of prosthetic crowns. Restorations were fabricated using a metal die simulating a prepared tooth. Four groups were evaluated: YZ-C, Y-TZP (In-Ceram YZ, Vita) IS produced by CAD-CAM; IZ-C, In-Ceram Zirconia (Vita) IS produced by CAD-CAM; IZ-S, In-Ceram Zirconia (Vita) IS produced by slip-cast; MC, metal IS (control). The IS were veneered with porcelain and resin cemented to fiber-reinforced composite dies. Specimens were loaded in compression to failure using a universal testing machine. The 30° angle load was applied by a spherical piston, in 37°C distilled water. Fractography was performed using stereomicroscope and SEM. Data were statistically analyzed with Anova and Student-Newman-Keuls tests (α=0.05). Significant differences were found between groups (p=0.022). MC showed the highest mean failure load, statistically similar to YZ-C. There was no statistical difference between YZ-C, IZ-C and IZ-S. MC and YZ-C showed no catastrophic failure. IZ-C and IZ-S showed chipping and catastrophic failures. The fracture behavior is similar to reported clinical failures. Considering the ceramic systems evaluated, YZ-C and MC crowns present greater fracture load and a more favorable failure mode than In-Ceram Zirconia crowns, regardless of the fabrication type (CAD-CAM or slip-cast). Copyright © 2014 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Weighted Fuzzy Risk Priority Number Evaluation of Turbine and Compressor Blades Considering Failure Mode Correlations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gan, Luping; Li, Yan-Feng; Zhu, Shun-Peng; Yang, Yuan-Jian; Huang, Hong-Zhong

2014-06-01

Failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) and Fault tree analysis (FTA) are powerful tools to evaluate reliability of systems. Although single failure mode issue can be efficiently addressed by traditional FMECA, multiple failure modes and component correlations in complex systems cannot be effectively evaluated. In addition, correlated variables and parameters are often assumed to be precisely known in quantitative analysis. In fact, due to the lack of information, epistemic uncertainty commonly exists in engineering design. To solve these problems, the advantages of FMECA, FTA, fuzzy theory, and Copula theory are integrated into a unified hybrid method called fuzzy probability weighted geometric mean (FPWGM) risk priority number (RPN) method. The epistemic uncertainty of risk variables and parameters are characterized by fuzzy number to obtain fuzzy weighted geometric mean (FWGM) RPN for single failure mode. Multiple failure modes are connected using minimum cut sets (MCS), and Boolean logic is used to combine fuzzy risk priority number (FRPN) of each MCS. Moreover, Copula theory is applied to analyze the correlation of multiple failure modes in order to derive the failure probabilities of each MCS. Compared to the case where dependency among multiple failure modes is not considered, the Copula modeling approach eliminates the error of reliability analysis. Furthermore, for purpose of quantitative analysis, probabilities importance weight from failure probabilities are assigned to FWGM RPN to reassess the risk priority, which generalize the definition of probability weight and FRPN, resulting in a more accurate estimation than that of the traditional models. Finally, a basic fatigue analysis case drawn from turbine and compressor blades in aeroengine is used to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the presented method. The result provides some important insights on fatigue reliability analysis and risk priority assessment of structural system under failure correlations.

Failure mode analysis to predict product reliability.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zemanick, P. P.

1972-01-01

The failure mode analysis (FMA) is described as a design tool to predict and improve product reliability. The objectives of the failure mode analysis are presented as they influence component design, configuration selection, the product test program, the quality assurance plan, and engineering analysis priorities. The detailed mechanics of performing a failure mode analysis are discussed, including one suggested format. Some practical difficulties of implementation are indicated, drawn from experience with preparing FMAs on the nuclear rocket engine program.

Hysteresis heating based induction bonding of composite materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suwanwatana, Witchuda

The viability of using magnetic particulate susceptor materials for induction heating during bonding of polymer matrix composites is well established in this work. The unique ability to offer localized heating, geometric flexibility, and self-controlled temperature is the major advantage of this technique. Hysteresis heating is tailored through careful design of the microstructure of nickel particulate polymer films (Ni/PSU). An excellent heating rate can be attained in the frequency range of 1 to 10 MHz for particle volume fraction below percolation of 0.26. The diameter of nickel particle should be kept between 65 nm to 10 mum to ensure multi-domain heating, Curie temperature control, negligible shielding effect, minimum eddy current, and slight particle oxidation. The hysteresis heating behavior of the Ni/PSU films is found to be volumetric in nature and proportional to the cube of applied magnetic field. On the other hand, heat generation is inversely proportional to the size of the multi-domain particles. The frequency effect; however, provide maximum heat generation at the domain wall resonance frequency. Curie temperature control is observed when sufficiently high magnetic fields (˜138 Oe) are applied. The master curves of AC heat generation in Ni/PSU films are established and show a strong particle size effect. Hysteresis fusion bonding of glass/polyphenylene sulfide thermoplastic composites using a magnetic film as the thermoplastic adhesive shows that the bond strength of hysteresis-welded materials is comparable to that of autoclave-welded materials while offering an order of magnitude reduction in cycle time. The relative contribution of the intimate contact and healing mechanisms to the fusion bonding process indicates that hysteresis bonding is controlled by intimate contact. The macroscopic failure modes vary from mostly adhesive composite/film (low bond strength) to a combination of adhesive composite/film, cohesive film, cohesive composite and mostly cohesive composite (high bond strength). Inspection of the microscopic failure at the nickel particle/polymer interface in the film indicates quasi-brittle failure mode. The amount of adhesive failure increases with decreasing particle size and increasing particle volume fraction. The XPS peaks confirm nickel oxide in the form of NiO on the failure surface of particle/polymer debonding of hysteresis susceptor film.

Risk analysis by FMEA as an element of analytical validation.

PubMed

van Leeuwen, J F; Nauta, M J; de Kaste, D; Odekerken-Rombouts, Y M C F; Oldenhof, M T; Vredenbregt, M J; Barends, D M

2009-12-05

We subjected a Near-Infrared (NIR) analytical procedure used for screening drugs on authenticity to a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), including technical risks as well as risks related to human failure. An FMEA team broke down the NIR analytical method into process steps and identified possible failure modes for each step. Each failure mode was ranked on estimated frequency of occurrence (O), probability that the failure would remain undetected later in the process (D) and severity (S), each on a scale of 1-10. Human errors turned out to be the most common cause of failure modes. Failure risks were calculated by Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs)=O x D x S. Failure modes with the highest RPN scores were subjected to corrective actions and the FMEA was repeated, showing reductions in RPN scores and resulting in improvement indices up to 5.0. We recommend risk analysis as an addition to the usual analytical validation, as the FMEA enabled us to detect previously unidentified risks.

Structural failure; International Symposium on Structural Crashworthiness, 2nd, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, June 6-8, 1988, Invited Lectures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wierzbicki, T.; Jones, N.

1989-01-01

The book discusses the fragmentation of solids under dynamic loading, the debris-impact protection of space structures, the controlled fracturing of structures by shock-wave interaction and focusing, the tearing of thin metal sheets, and the dynamic inelastic failure of beams, and dynamic rupture of shells. Consideration is also given to investigations of the failure of brittle and composite materials by numerical methods, the energy absorption of polymer matrix composite structures (frictional effects), the mechanics of deep plastic collapse of thin-walled structures, the denting and bending of tubular beams under local loads, the dynamic bending collapse of strain-softening cantilever beams, and themore » failure of bar structures under repeated loading. Other topics discussed are on the behavior of composite and metallic superstructures under blast loading, the catastrophic failure modes of marine structures, and industrial experience with structural failure.« less

Analysis for the Progressive Failure Response of Textile Composite Fuselage Frames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Eric R.; Boitnott, Richard L. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A part of aviation accident mitigation is a crash worthy airframe structure, and an important measure of merit for a crash worthy structure is the amount of kinetic energy that can be absorbed in the crush of the structure. Prediction of the energy absorbed from finite element analyses requires modeling the progressive failure sequence. Progressive failure modes may include material degradation, fracture and crack growth, and buckling and collapse. The design of crash worthy airframe components will benefit from progressive failure analyses that have been validated by tests. The subject of this research is the development of a progressive failure analysis for textile composite. circumferential fuselage frames subjected to a quasi-static, crash-type load. The test data for these frames are reported, and these data, along with stub column test data, are to be used to develop and to validate methods for the progressive failure response.

Some Aspects of the Failure Mechanisms in BaTiO3-Based Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, David Donhang; Sampson, Michael J.

2012-01-01

The objective of this presentation is to gain insight into possible failure mechanisms in BaTiO3-based ceramic capacitors that may be associated with the reliability degradation that accompanies a reduction in dielectric thickness, as reported by Intel Corporation in 2010. The volumetric efficiency (microF/cm3) of a multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) has been shown to not increase limitlessly due to the grain size effect on the dielectric constant of ferroelectric ceramic BaTiO3 material. The reliability of an MLCC has been discussed with respect to its structure. The MLCCs with higher numbers of dielectric layers will pose more challenges for the reliability of dielectric material, which is the case for most base-metal-electrode (BME) capacitors. A number of MLCCs manufactured using both precious-metal-electrode (PME) and BME technology, with 25 V rating and various chip sizes and capacitances, were tested at accelerated stress levels. Most of these MLCCs had a failure behavior with two mixed failure modes: the well-known rapid dielectric wearout, and so-called 'early failures." The two failure modes can be distinguished when the testing data were presented and normalized at use-level using a 2-parameter Weibull plot. The early failures had a slope parameter of Beta >1, indicating that the early failures are not infant mortalities. Early failures are triggered due to external electrical overstress and become dominant as dielectric layer thickness decreases, accompanied by a dramatic reduction in reliability. This indicates that early failures are the main cause of the reliability degradation in MLCCs as dielectric layer thickness decreases. All of the early failures are characterized by an avalanche-like breakdown leakage current. The failures have been attributed to the extrinsic minor construction defects introduced during fabrication of the capacitors. A reliability model including dielectric thickness and extrinsic defect feature size is proposed in this presentation. The model can be used to explain the Intel-reported reliability degradation in MLCCs with respect to the reduction of dielectric thickness. It can also be used to estimate the reliability of a MLCC based on its construction and microstructure parameters such as dielectric thickness, average grain size, and number of dielectric layers. Measures for preventing early failures are also discussed in this document.

WE-G-BRA-08: Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) for Gamma Knife Radiosurgery

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Y; Bhatnagar, J; Bednarz, G

2015-06-15

Purpose: To perform a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) study for Gamma Knife (GK) radiosurgery processes at our institution based on our experience with the treatment of more than 13,000 patients. Methods: A team consisting of medical physicists, nurses, radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and an external physicist expert was formed for the FMEA study. A process tree and a failure mode table were created for the GK procedures using the Leksell GK Perfexion and 4C units. Three scores for the probability of occurrence (O), the severity (S), and the probability of no detectionmore » (D) for failure modes were assigned to each failure mode by each professional on a scale from 1 to 10. The risk priority number (RPN) for each failure mode was then calculated (RPN = OxSxD) as the average scores from all data sets collected. Results: The established process tree for GK radiosurgery consists of 10 sub-processes and 53 steps, including a sub-process for frame placement and 11 steps that are directly related to the frame-based nature of the GK radiosurgery. Out of the 86 failure modes identified, 40 failure modes are GK specific, caused by the potential for inappropriate use of the radiosurgery head frame, the imaging fiducial boxes, the GK helmets and plugs, and the GammaPlan treatment planning system. The other 46 failure modes are associated with the registration, imaging, image transfer, contouring processes that are common for all radiation therapy techniques. The failure modes with the highest hazard scores are related to imperfect frame adaptor attachment, bad fiducial box assembly, overlooked target areas, inaccurate previous treatment information and excessive patient movement during MRI scan. Conclusion: The implementation of the FMEA approach for Gamma Knife radiosurgery enabled deeper understanding of the overall process among all professionals involved in the care of the patient and helped identify potential weaknesses in the overall process.« less

Torque Limits for Fasteners in Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhao, Yi

2002-01-01

The two major classes of laminate joints are bonded and bolted. Often the two classes are combined as bonded-bolted joints. Several characteristics of fiber reinforced composite materials render them more susceptible to joint problems than conventional metals. These characteristics include weakness in in-plane shear, transverse tension/compression, interlaminar shear, and bearing strength relative to the strength and stiffness in the fiber direction. Studies on bolted joints of composite materials have been focused on joining assembly subject to in-plane loads. Modes of failure under these loading conditions are net-tension failure, cleavage tension failure, shear-out failure, bearing failure, etc. Although the studies of torque load can be found in literature, they mainly discussed the effect of the torque load on in-plane strength. Existing methods for calculating torque limit for a mechanical fastener do not consider connecting members. The concern that a composite member could be crushed by a preload inspired the initiation of this study. The purpose is to develop a fundamental knowledge base on how to determine a torque limit when a composite member is taken into account. Two simplified analytical models were used: a stress failure analysis model based on maximum stress criterion, and a strain failure analysis model based on maximum strain criterion.

A Framework for Final Drive Simultaneous Failure Diagnosis Based on Fuzzy Entropy and Sparse Bayesian Extreme Learning Machine

PubMed Central

Ye, Qing; Pan, Hao; Liu, Changhua

2015-01-01

This research proposes a novel framework of final drive simultaneous failure diagnosis containing feature extraction, training paired diagnostic models, generating decision threshold, and recognizing simultaneous failure modes. In feature extraction module, adopt wavelet package transform and fuzzy entropy to reduce noise interference and extract representative features of failure mode. Use single failure sample to construct probability classifiers based on paired sparse Bayesian extreme learning machine which is trained only by single failure modes and have high generalization and sparsity of sparse Bayesian learning approach. To generate optimal decision threshold which can convert probability output obtained from classifiers into final simultaneous failure modes, this research proposes using samples containing both single and simultaneous failure modes and Grid search method which is superior to traditional techniques in global optimization. Compared with other frequently used diagnostic approaches based on support vector machine and probability neural networks, experiment results based on F 1-measure value verify that the diagnostic accuracy and efficiency of the proposed framework which are crucial for simultaneous failure diagnosis are superior to the existing approach. PMID:25722717

Comparison of mode of failure between primary and revision total knee arthroplasties.

PubMed

Liang, H; Bae, J K; Park, C H; Kim, K I; Bae, D K; Song, S J

2018-04-01

Cognizance of common reasons for failure in primary and revision TKA, together with their time course, facilitates prevention. However, there have been few reports specifically comparing modes of failure for primary vs. revision TKA using a single prosthesis. The goal of the study was to compare the survival rates, modes of failure, and time periods associated with each mode of failure, of primary vs. revision TKA. The survival rates, modes of failure, time period for each mode of failure, and risk factors would differ between primary and revision TKA. Data from a consecutive cohort comprising 1606 knees (1174 patients) of primary TKA patients, and 258 knees (224 patients) of revision TKA patients, in all of whom surgery involved a P.F.C ® prosthesis (Depuy, Johnson & Johnson, Warsaw, IN), was retrospectively reviewed. The mean follow-up periods of primary and revision TKAs were 9.2 and 9.8 years, respectively. The average 10- and 15-year survival rates for primary TKA were 96.7% (CI 95%,±0.7%) and 85.4% (CI 95%,±2.0%), and for revision TKA 91.4% (CI 95%,±2.5%) and 80.5% (CI 95%,±4.5%). Common modes of failure included polyethylene wear, loosening, and infection. The most common mode of failure was polyethylene wear in primary TKA, and infection in revision TKA. The mean periods (i.e., latencies) of polyethylene wear and loosening did not differ between primary and revision TKAs, but the mean period of infection was significantly longer for revision TKA (1.2 vs. 4.8 years, P=0.003). Survival rates decreased with time, particularly more than 10 years post-surgery, for both primary and revision TKAs. Continuous efforts are required to prevent and detect the various modes of failure during long-term follow-up. Greater attention is necessary to detect late infection-induced failure following revision TKA. Case-control study, Level III. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the surface effects on adhesion in MEMS structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, F.; Pustan, M.; Bîrleanu, C.; Müller, R.; Voicu, R.; Baracu, A.

2015-12-01

One of the main failure causes in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is stiction. Stiction is the adhesion of contacting surfaces due to surface forces. Adhesion force depends on the operating conditions and is influenced by the contact area. In this study, the adhesion force between MEMS materials and the AFM tips is analyzed using the spectroscopy in point mode of the AFM. The aim is to predict the stiction failure mode in MEMS. The investigated MEMS materials are silicon, polysilicon, platinum, aluminum, and gold. Three types of investigations were conducted. The first one aimed to determine the variation of the adhesion force with respect to the variation of the roughness. The roughness has a strong influence on the adhesion because the contact area between components increases if the roughness decreases. The second type of investigation aimed to determine the adhesion force in multiple points of each considered sample. The values obtained experimentally for the adhesion force were also validated using the JKR and DMT models. The third type of investigation was conducted with the purpose of determining the influence of the temperature on the adhesion force.

Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) Applications to Identify Iron Sand Reject and Losses in Cement Industry : A Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helia, V. N.; Wijaya, W. N.

2017-06-01

One of the main raw materials required in the manufacture of cement is iron sand. Data from the Procurement Department on XYZ Company shows that the number of defective iron sand (reject) fluctuates every month. Iron sand is an important raw material in the cement production process, so that the amount of iron sand reject and losses got financial and non-financial impact. This study aims to determine the most dominant activity as the cause of rejection and losses of iron sands and suggest improvements that can be made by using the approach of FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis). Data collection techniques in this study was using the method of observation, interviews, and focus group discussion (FGD) as well as the assessment of the experts to identify it. Results from this study is there are four points of the most dominant cause of the defect of iron sand (mining activities, acceptance, examination and delivery). Recommendation for overcoming these problem is presented (vendor improvement).

Mod 1 wind turbine generator failure modes and effects analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

A failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) was directed primarily at identifying those critical failure modes that would be hazardous to life or would result in major damage to the system. Each subsystem was approached from the top down, and broken down to successive lower levels where it appeared that the criticality of the failure mode warranted more detail analysis. The results were reviewed by specialists from outside the Mod 1 program, and corrective action taken wherever recommended.

Efficient Simulation and Abuse Modeling of Mechanical-Electrochemical-Thermal Phenomena in Lithium-Ion Batteries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Santhanagopalan, Shriram; Smith, Kandler A; Graf, Peter A

NREL's Energy Storage team is exploring the effect of mechanical crush of lithium ion cells on their thermal and electrical safety. PHEV cells, fresh as well as ones aged over 8 months under different temperatures, voltage windows, and charging rates, were subjected to destructive physical analysis. Constitutive relationship and failure criteria were developed for the electrodes, separator as well as packaging material. The mechanical models capture well, the various modes of failure across different cell components. Cell level validation is being conducted by Sandia National Laboratories.

Catastrophic optical bulk degradation (COBD) in high-power single- and multi-mode InGaAs-AlGaAs strained quantum well lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sin, Yongkun; Lingley, Zachary; Brodie, Miles; Presser, Nathan; Moss, Steven C.

2017-02-01

High-power single-mode (SM) and multi-mode (MM) InGaAs-AlGaAs strained quantum well (QW) lasers are critical components for both telecommunications and space satellite communications systems. However, little has been reported on failure modes and degradation mechanisms of high-power SM and MM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers although it is crucial to understand failure modes and underlying degradation mechanisms in developing these lasers that meet lifetime requirements for space satellite systems, where extremely high reliability of these lasers is required. Our present study addresses the aforementioned issues by performing long-term life-tests followed by failure mode analysis (FMA) and physics of failure investigation. We performed long-term accelerated life-tests on state-of-the-art SM and MM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers under ACC (automatic current control) mode. Our life-tests have accumulated over 25,000 test hours for SM lasers and over 35,000 test hours for MM lasers. FMA was performed on failed SM lasers using electron beam induced current (EBIC). This technique allowed us to identify failure types by observing dark line defects. All the SM failures we studied showed catastrophic and sudden degradation and all of these failures were bulk failures. Our group previously reported that bulk failure or COBD (catastrophic optical bulk damage) is the dominant failure mode of MM InGaAs-AlGaAs strained QW lasers. Since degradation mechanisms responsible for COBD are still not well understood, we also employed other techniques including focused ion beam (FIB) processing and high-resolution TEM to further study dark line defects and dislocations in post-aged lasers. Our long-term life-test results and FMA results are reported.

C-Coupon Studies of CMCS: Fracture Behavior and Microstructural Characterization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurwitz, Frances I.; Calomino, Anthony M.; McCue, Terry R.; Abdul-Aziz, Ali

2001-01-01

A curved beam 'C-coupon' was used to assess fracture behavior in a Sylramic(tm)/melt infiltration (MI) SiC matrix composite. Failure stresses and fracture mechanisms, as determined by optical and scanning electron microstructural analysis, are compared with finite element stress calculations to analyze failure modes. Material microstructure was found to have a strong influence on mechanical behavior. Fracture occurs in interlaminar tension (ILT), provided that the ratio of ILT to tensile strength for the material is less than the ratio of radial to hoop stresses for the C-coupon geometry. Utilization of 3D architectures to improve interlaminar strength requires significant development efforts to incorporate through thickness fibers in regions with high curvatures while maintaining uniform thickness, radius, and microstructure.

Mechanics of a granular skin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karmakar, Somnath; Sane, Anit; Bhattacharya, S.; Ghosh, Shankar

2017-04-01

Magic sand, a hydrophobic toy granular material, is widely used in popular science instructions because of its nonintuitive mechanical properties. A detailed study of the failure of an underwater column of magic sand shows that these properties can be traced to a single phenomenon: the system self-generates a cohesive skin that encapsulates the material inside. The skin, consisting of pinned air-water-grain interfaces, shows multiscale mechanical properties: they range from contact-line dynamics in the intragrain roughness scale, to plastic flow at the grain scale, all the way to sample-scale mechanical responses. With decreasing rigidity of the skin, the failure mode transforms from brittle to ductile (both of which are collective in nature) to a complete disintegration at the single-grain scale.

Laser Beam Failure Mode Effects and Analysis (FMEA) of the Solid State Heat Capacity Laser (SSHCL)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

King, J.

2015-09-07

A laser beam related FMEA of the SSHCL was performed to determine potential personnel and equipment safety issues. As part of the FMEA, a request was made to test a sample of the drywall material used for walls in the room for burn-through. This material was tested with a full power beam for five seconds. The surface paper material burned off and the inner calcium carbonate turned from white to brown. The result of the test is shown in the photo below.

The Mysteries of Real Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laub, Bernard

2012-01-01

The presentation will consist of showing arc jet data mysterious to the modelers. It will show pictures from an arc jet test where a material (unidentified) exhibited a failure mode that nobody understands followed by thermocouple data from arc jet tests on another (unidentified) material of interest in which the T/Cs exhibit repeatable, consistent, fascinating yet frustrating response characteristics that have the modelers stumped. This all happens between RT and 200 F. Unless we figure out what the responsible phenomenology is and can model it, we can't size the TPS with any confidence.

Response of Honeycomb Core Sandwich Panel with Minimum Gage GFRP Face-Sheets to Compression Loading After Impact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McQuigg, Thomas D.; Kapania, Rakesh K.; Scotti, Stephen J.; Walker, Sandra P.

2011-01-01

A compression after impact study has been conducted to determine the residual strength of three sandwich panel constructions with two types of thin glass fiber reinforced polymer face-sheets and two hexagonal honeycomb Nomex core densities. Impact testing is conducted to first determine the characteristics of damage resulting from various impact energy levels. Two modes of failure are found during compression after impact tests with the density of the core precipitating the failure mode present for a given specimen. A finite element analysis is presented for prediction of the residual compressive strength of the impacted specimens. The analysis includes progressive damage modeling in the face-sheets. Preliminary analysis results were similar to the experimental results; however, a higher fidelity core material model is expected to improve the correlation.

Cycles till failure of silver-zinc cells with competing failure modes - Preliminary data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sidik, S. M.; Leibecki, H. F.; Bozek, J. M.

1980-01-01

The data analysis of cycles to failure of silver-zinc electrochemical cells with competing failure modes is presented. The test ran 129 cells through charge-discharge cycles until failure; preliminary data analysis consisted of response surface estimate of life. Batteries fail through low voltage condition and an internal shorting condition; a competing failure modes analysis was made using maximum likelihood estimation for the extreme value life distribution. Extensive residual plotting and probability plotting were used to verify data quality and selection of model.

Clinical risk analysis with failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) model in a dialysis unit.

PubMed

Bonfant, Giovanna; Belfanti, Pietro; Paternoster, Giuseppe; Gabrielli, Danila; Gaiter, Alberto M; Manes, Massimo; Molino, Andrea; Pellu, Valentina; Ponzetti, Clemente; Farina, Massimo; Nebiolo, Pier E

2010-01-01

The aim of clinical risk management is to improve the quality of care provided by health care organizations and to assure patients' safety. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a tool employed for clinical risk reduction. We applied FMEA to chronic hemodialysis outpatients. FMEA steps: (i) process study: we recorded phases and activities. (ii) Hazard analysis: we listed activity-related failure modes and their effects; described control measures; assigned severity, occurrence and detection scores for each failure mode and calculated the risk priority numbers (RPNs) by multiplying the 3 scores. Total RPN is calculated by adding single failure mode RPN. (iii) Planning: we performed a RPNs prioritization on a priority matrix taking into account the 3 scores, and we analyzed failure modes causes, made recommendations and planned new control measures. (iv) Monitoring: after failure mode elimination or reduction, we compared the resulting RPN with the previous one. Our failure modes with the highest RPN came from communication and organization problems. Two tools have been created to ameliorate information flow: "dialysis agenda" software and nursing datasheets. We scheduled nephrological examinations, and we changed both medical and nursing organization. Total RPN value decreased from 892 to 815 (8.6%) after reorganization. Employing FMEA, we worked on a few critical activities, and we reduced patients' clinical risk. A priority matrix also takes into account the weight of the control measures: we believe this evaluation is quick, because of simple priority selection, and that it decreases action times.

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis.

PubMed

Ford, Eric C; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie; Croog, Victoria; Gollamudi, Smitha; Gage, Irene; Keck, Jordie; DeWeese, Theodore; Sibley, Greg

2014-06-01

Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and used to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes had RPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed.

Boundary Layer Transition Protuberance Tests at NASA JSC Arc-Jet Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larin, Max E.; Marichalar, Jeremiah J.; Kinder, Gerald R.; Campbell, Charles H.; Riccio, Joseph R.; Nguyen, Tien Q.; Del Papa, Steven V.; Pulsonetti, Maria V.

2010-01-01

A series of tests conducted recently at the NASA JSC arc -jet test facility demonstrated that a protruding tile material can survive the exposure to the high enthalpy flows characteristic of the Space Shuttle Orbiter re-entry environments. The tests provided temperature data for the protuberance and the surrounding smooth tile surfaces, as well as the tile bond line. The level of heating needed to slump the protuberance material was achieved. Protuberance failure mode was demonstrated.

A Mixed-Mode (I-II) Fracture Criterion for AS4/8552 Carbon/Epoxy Composite Laminate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karnati, Sidharth Reddy

A majority of aerospace structures are subjected to bending and stretching loads that introduce peel and shear stresses between the plies of a composite laminate. These two stress components cause a combination of mode I and II fracture modes in the matrix layer of the composite laminate. The most common failure mode in laminated composites is delamination that affects the structural integrity of composite structures. Damage tolerant designs of structures require two types of materials data: mixed-mode (I-II) delamination fracture toughness that predicts failure and delamination growth rate that predicts the life of the structural component. This research focuses determining mixed-mode (I-II) fracture toughness under a combination of mode I and mode II stress states and then a fracture criterion for AS4/8552 composite laminate, which is widely used in general aviation. The AS4/8552 prepreg was supplied by Hexcel Corporation and autoclave fabricated into a 20-ply unidirectional laminate with an artificial delamination by a Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) film at the mid-plane. Standard split beam specimens were prepared and tested in double cantilever beam (DCB) and end notched flexure modes to determine mode I (GIC) and II (GIIC) fracture toughnesses, respectively. The DCB specimens were also tested in a modified mixed-mode bending apparatus at GIIm /GT ratios of 0.18, 0.37, 0.57 and 0.78, where GT is total and GIIm is the mode II component of energy release rates. The measured fracture toughness, GC, was found to follow the locus a power law equation. The equation was validated for the present and literature experimental data.

Progressive Failure Studies of Stiffened Panels Subjected to Shear Loading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ambur, Damodar R.; Jaunky, Navin; Hilburger, Mark W.; Bushnell, Dennis M. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Experimental and analytical results are presented for progressive failure of stiffened composite panels with and without a notch and subjected to in plane shear loading well into their postbuckling regime. Initial geometric imperfections are included in the finite element models. Ply damage modes such as matrix cracking, fiber-matrix shear, and fiber failure are modeled by degrading the material properties. Experimental results from the test include strain field data from video image correlation in three dimensions in addition to other strain and displacement measurements. Results from nonlinear finite element analyses are compared with experimental data. Good agreement between experimental data and numerical results are observed for the stitched stiffened composite panels studied.

Health management system for rocket engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nemeth, Edward

1990-01-01

The functional framework of a failure detection algorithm for the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) is developed. The basic algorithm is based only on existing SSME measurements. Supplemental measurements, expected to enhance failure detection effectiveness, are identified. To support the algorithm development, a figure of merit is defined to estimate the likelihood of SSME criticality 1 failure modes and the failure modes are ranked in order of likelihood of occurrence. Nine classes of failure detection strategies are evaluated and promising features are extracted as the basis for the failure detection algorithm. The failure detection algorithm provides early warning capabilities for a wide variety of SSME failure modes. Preliminary algorithm evaluation, using data from three SSME failures representing three different failure types, demonstrated indications of imminent catastrophic failure well in advance of redline cutoff in all three cases.

Detection of system failures in multi-axes tasks. [pilot monitored instrument approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ephrath, A. R.

1975-01-01

The effects of the pilot's participation mode in the control task on his workload level and failure detection performance were examined considering a low visibility landing approach. It is found that the participation mode had a strong effect on the pilot's workload, the induced workload being lowest when the pilot acted as a monitoring element during a coupled approach and highest when the pilot was an active element in the control loop. The effects of workload and participation mode on failure detection were separated. The participation mode was shown to have a dominant effect on the failure detection performance, with a failure in a monitored (coupled) axis being detected significantly faster than a comparable failure in a manually controlled axis.

Use of failure mode and effects analysis for proactive identification of communication and handoff failures from organ procurement to transplantation.

PubMed

Steinberger, Dina M; Douglas, Stephen V; Kirschbaum, Mark S

2009-09-01

A multidisciplinary team from the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics transplant program used failure mode and effects analysis to proactively examine opportunities for communication and handoff failures across the continuum of care from organ procurement to transplantation. The team performed a modified failure mode and effects analysis that isolated the multiple linked, serial, and complex information exchanges occurring during the transplantation of one solid organ. Failure mode and effects analysis proved effective for engaging a diverse group of persons who had an investment in the outcome in analysis and discussion of opportunities to improve the system's resilience for avoiding errors during a time-pressured and complex process.

Capturing the Energy Absorbing Mechanisms of Composite Structures under Crash Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wade, Bonnie

As fiber reinforced composite material systems become increasingly utilized in primary aircraft and automotive structures, the need to understand their contribution to the crashworthiness of the structure is of great interest to meet safety certification requirements. The energy absorbing behavior of a composite structure, however, is not easily predicted due to the great complexity of the failure mechanisms that occur within the material. Challenges arise both in the experimental characterization and in the numerical modeling of the material/structure combination. At present, there is no standardized test method to characterize the energy absorbing capability of composite materials to aide crashworthy structural design. In addition, although many commercial finite element analysis codes exist and offer a means to simulate composite failure initiation and propagation, these models are still under development and refinement. As more metallic structures are replaced by composite structures, the need for both experimental guidelines to characterize the energy absorbing capability of a composite structure, as well as guidelines for using numerical tools to simulate composite materials in crash conditions has become a critical matter. This body of research addresses both the experimental characterization of the energy absorption mechanisms occurring in composite materials during crushing, as well as the numerical simulation of composite materials undergoing crushing. In the experimental investigation, the specific energy absorption (SEA) of a composite material system is measured using a variety of test element geometries, such as corrugated plates and tubes. Results from several crush experiments reveal that SEA is not a constant material property for laminated composites, and varies significantly with the geometry of the test specimen used. The variation of SEA measured for a single material system requires that crush test data must be generated for a range of different test geometries in order to define the range of its energy absorption capability. Further investigation from the crush tests has led to the development of a direct link between geometric features of the crush specimen and its resulting SEA. Through micrographic analysis, distinct failure modes are shown to be guided by the geometry of the specimen, and subsequently are shown to directly influence energy absorption. A new relationship between geometry, failure mode, and SEA has been developed. This relationship has allowed for the reduction of the element-level crush testing requirement to characterize the composite material energy absorption capability. In the numerical investigation, the LS-DYNA composite material model MAT54 is selected for its suitability to model composite materials beyond failure determination, as required by crush simulation, and its capability to remain within the scope of ultimately using this model for large-scale crash simulation. As a result of this research, this model has been thoroughly investigated in depth for its capacity to simulate composite materials in crush, and results from several simulations of the element-level crush experiments are presented. A modeling strategy has been developed to use MAT54 for crush simulation which involves using the experimental data collected from the coupon- and element-level crush tests to directly calibrate the crush damage parameter in MAT54 such that it may be used in higher-level simulations. In addition, the source code of the material model is modified to improve upon its capability. The modifications include improving the elastic definition such that the elastic response to multi-axial load cases can be accurately portrayed simultaneously in each element, which is a capability not present in other composite material models. Modifications made to the failure determination and post-failure model have newly emphasized the post-failure stress degradation scheme rather than the failure criterion which is traditionally considered the most important composite material model definition for crush simulation. The modification efforts have also validated the use of the MAT54 failure criterion and post-failure model for crash modeling when its capabilities and limitations are well understood, and for this reason guidelines for using MAT54 for composite crush simulation are presented. This research has effectively (a) developed and demonstrated a procedure that defines a set of experimental crush results that characterize the energy absorption capability of a composite material system, (b) used the experimental results in the development and refinement of a composite material model for crush simulation, (c) explored modifying the material model to improve its use in crush modeling, and (d) provided experimental and modeling guidelines for composite structures under crush at the element-level in the scope of the Building Block Approach.

SU-E-T-421: Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) of Xoft Electronic Brachytherapy for the Treatment of Superficial Skin Cancers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoisak, J; Manger, R; Dragojevic, I

Purpose: To perform a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) of the process for treating superficial skin cancers with the Xoft Axxent electronic brachytherapy (eBx) system, given the recent introduction of expanded quality control (QC) initiatives at our institution. Methods: A process map was developed listing all steps in superficial treatments with Xoft eBx, from the initial patient consult to the completion of the treatment course. The process map guided the FMEA to identify the failure modes for each step in the treatment workflow and assign Risk Priority Numbers (RPN), calculated as the product of the failure mode’s probability ofmore » occurrence (O), severity (S) and lack of detectability (D). FMEA was done with and without the inclusion of recent QC initiatives such as increased staffing, physics oversight, standardized source calibration, treatment planning and documentation. The failure modes with the highest RPNs were identified and contrasted before and after introduction of the QC initiatives. Results: Based on the FMEA, the failure modes with the highest RPN were related to source calibration, treatment planning, and patient setup/treatment delivery (Fig. 1). The introduction of additional physics oversight, standardized planning and safety initiatives such as checklists and time-outs reduced the RPNs of these failure modes. High-risk failure modes that could be mitigated with improved hardware and software interlocks were identified. Conclusion: The FMEA analysis identified the steps in the treatment process presenting the highest risk. The introduction of enhanced QC initiatives mitigated the risk of some of these failure modes by decreasing their probability of occurrence and increasing their detectability. This analysis demonstrates the importance of well-designed QC policies, procedures and oversight in a Xoft eBx programme for treatment of superficial skin cancers. Unresolved high risk failure modes highlight the need for non-procedural quality initiatives such as improved planning software and more robust hardware interlock systems.« less

Validating FMEA output against incident learning data: A study in stereotactic body radiation therapy.

PubMed

Yang, F; Cao, N; Young, L; Howard, J; Logan, W; Arbuckle, T; Sponseller, P; Korssjoen, T; Meyer, J; Ford, E

2015-06-01

Though failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is becoming more widely adopted for risk assessment in radiation therapy, to our knowledge, its output has never been validated against data on errors that actually occur. The objective of this study was to perform FMEA of a stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatment planning process and validate the results against data recorded within an incident learning system. FMEA on the SBRT treatment planning process was carried out by a multidisciplinary group including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, and IT technologists. Potential failure modes were identified through a systematic review of the process map. Failure modes were rated for severity, occurrence, and detectability on a scale of one to ten and risk priority number (RPN) was computed. Failure modes were then compared with historical reports identified as relevant to SBRT planning within a departmental incident learning system that has been active for two and a half years. Differences between FMEA anticipated failure modes and existing incidents were identified. FMEA identified 63 failure modes. RPN values for the top 25% of failure modes ranged from 60 to 336. Analysis of the incident learning database identified 33 reported near-miss events related to SBRT planning. Combining both methods yielded a total of 76 possible process failures, of which 13 (17%) were missed by FMEA while 43 (57%) identified by FMEA only. When scored for RPN, the 13 events missed by FMEA ranked within the lower half of all failure modes and exhibited significantly lower severity relative to those identified by FMEA (p = 0.02). FMEA, though valuable, is subject to certain limitations. In this study, FMEA failed to identify 17% of actual failure modes, though these were of lower risk. Similarly, an incident learning system alone fails to identify a large number of potentially high-severity process errors. Using FMEA in combination with incident learning may render an improved overview of risks within a process.

Modes of failure in disordered solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Subhadeep; Biswas, Soumyajyoti; Ray, Purusattam

2017-12-01

The two principal ingredients determining the failure modes of disordered solids are the strength of heterogeneity and the length scale of the region affected in the solid following a local failure. While the latter facilitates damage nucleation, the former leads to diffused damage—the two extreme natures of the failure modes. In this study, using the random fiber bundle model as a prototype for disordered solids, we classify all failure modes that are the results of interplay between these two effects. We obtain scaling criteria for the different modes and propose a general phase diagram that provides a framework for understanding previous theoretical and experimental attempts of interpolation between these modes. As the fiber bundle model is a long-standing model for interpreting various features of stressed disordered solids, the general phase diagram can serve as a guiding principle in anticipating the responses of disordered solids in general.

Global Failure Modes in High Temperature Composite Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Knauss, W. G.

1998-01-01

Composite materials have been considered for many years as the major advance in the construction of energy efficient aerospace structures. Notable advances have been made in understanding the special design considerations that set composites apart from the usual "isotropic" engineering materials such as the metals. As a result, a number of significant engineering designs have been accomplished. However, one shortcoming of the currently favored composites is their relatively unforgiving behavior with respect to failure (brittleness) under seemingly mild impact conditions and large efforts are underway to rectify that situation, much along the lines of introducing thermoplastic matrix materials. Because of their relatively more pronounced (thermo) viscoelastic behavior these materials respond with "toughness" in fracture situations. From the point of view of applications requiring material strength, this property is highly desirable. This feature impacts several important and distinct engineering problems which have been' considered under this grant and cover the 1) effect of impact damage on structural (buckling) stability of composite panels, the 2) effect of time dependence on the progression of buckling instabilities, and the 3) evolution of damage and fracture at generic thickness discontinuities in structures. The latter topic has serious implications for structural stability problems (buckling failure in reinforced shell structures) as well as failure progression in stringer-reinforced shell structures. This grant has dealt with these issues. Polymer "toughness" is usually associated with uncrosslinked or thermo-plastic polymers. But, by comparison with their thermoset counterparts they tend to exhibit more pronounced time dependent material behavior; also, that time dependence can occur at lower temperatures which places restriction in the high temperature use of these "newer and tougher" materials that are not quite so serious with the thermoset matrix materials. From a structural point of view the implications of this material behavior are potentially severe in that structural failure characteristics are no longer readily observed in short term qualification tests so characteristic for aerospace structures built from typical engineering metals.

Creep/Stress Rupture Behavior and Failure Mechanisms of Full CVI and Full PIP SiC/SiC Composites at Elevated Temperatures in Air

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, R. T.; Kiser, J. D.

2017-01-01

SiC/SiC composites fabricated by melt infiltration are being considered as potential candidate materials for next generation turbine components. However these materials are limited to 2400 F application because of the presence of residual silicon in the SiC matrix. Currently there is an increasing interest in developing and using silicon free SiC/SiC composites for structural aerospace applications above 2400 F. Full PIP or full CVI or CVI + PIP hybrid SiC/SiC composites can be fabricated without excess silicon, but the upper temperature stress capabilities of these materials are not fully known. In this study, the on-axis creep and rupture properties of the state-of-the-art full CVI and full PIP SiC/SiC composites with Sylramic-iBN fibers were measured at temperatures to 2700 F in air and their failure modes examined. In this presentation creep rupture properties, failure mechanisms and upper temperature capabilities of these two systems will be discussed and compared with the literature data.

Stingray Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis: WEC Risk Registers

DOE Data Explorer

Ken Rhinefrank

2016-07-25

Analysis method to systematically identify all potential failure modes and their effects on the Stingray WEC system. This analysis is incorporated early in the development cycle such that the mitigation of the identified failure modes can be achieved cost effectively and efficiently. The FMECA can begin once there is enough detail to functions and failure modes of a given system, and its interfaces with other systems. The FMECA occurs coincidently with the design process and is an iterative process which allows for design changes to overcome deficiencies in the analysis.Risk Registers for major subsystems completed according to the methodology described in "Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis Risk Reduction Program Plan.pdf" document below, in compliance with the DOE Risk Management Framework developed by NREL.

Ultrasonic nonlinear guided wave inspection of microscopic damage in a composite structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Li; Borigo, Cody; Owens, Steven; Lissenden, Clifford; Rose, Joseph; Hakoda, Chris

2017-02-01

Sudden structural failure is a severe safety threat to many types of military and industrial composite structures. Because sudden structural failure may occur in a composite structure shortly after macroscale damage initiates, reliable early diagnosis of microdamage formation in the composite structure is critical to ensure safe operation and to reduce maintenance costs. Ultrasonic guided waves have been widely used for long-range defect detection in various structures. When guided waves are generated under certain excitation conditions, in addition to the traditional linear wave mode (known as the fundamental harmonic wave mode), a number of nonlinear higher-order harmonic wave modes are also be generated. Research shows that the nonlinear parameters of a higher-order harmonic wave mode could have excellent sensitivity to microstructural changes in a material. In this work, we successfully employed a nonlinear guided wave structural health monitoring (SHM) method to detect microscopic impact damage in a 32-layer carbon/epoxy fiber-reinforced composite plate. Our effort has demonstrated that, utilizing appropriate transducer design, equipment, excitation signals, and signal processing techniques, nonlinear guided wave parameter measurements can be reliably used to monitor microdamage initiation and growth in composite structures.

FATIGUE OF DENTAL CERAMICS

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yu; Sailer, Irena; Lawn, Brian R

2013-01-01

Objectives Clinical data on survival rates reveal that all-ceramic dental prostheses are susceptible to fracture from repetitive occlusal loading. The objective of this review is to examine the underlying mechanisms of fatigue in current and future dental ceramics. Data/sources The nature of various fatigue modes is elucidated using fracture test data on ceramic layer specimens from the dental and biomechanics literature. Conclusions Failure modes can change over a lifetime, depending on restoration geometry, loading conditions and material properties. Modes that operate in single-cycle loading may be dominated by alternative modes in multi-cycle loading. While post-mortem examination of failed prostheses can determine the sources of certain fractures, the evolution of these fractures en route to failure remains poorly understood. Whereas it is commonly held that loss of load-bearing capacity of dental ceramics in repetitive loading is attributable to chemically-assisted 'slow crack growth' in the presence of water, we demonstrate the existence of more deleterious fatigue mechanisms, mechanical rather than chemical in nature. Neglecting to account for mechanical fatigue can lead to gross overestimates in predicted survival rates. Clinical significance Strategies for prolonging the clinical lifetimes of ceramic restorations are proposed based on a crack-containment philosophy. PMID:24135295

Fatigue of dental ceramics.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Sailer, Irena; Lawn, Brian R

2013-12-01

Clinical data on survival rates reveal that all-ceramic dental prostheses are susceptible to fracture from repetitive occlusal loading. The objective of this review is to examine the underlying mechanisms of fatigue in current and future dental ceramics. The nature of various fatigue modes is elucidated using fracture test data on ceramic layer specimens from the dental and biomechanics literature. Failure modes can change over a lifetime, depending on restoration geometry, loading conditions and material properties. Modes that operate in single-cycle loading may be dominated by alternative modes in multi-cycle loading. While post-mortem examination of failed prostheses can determine the sources of certain fractures, the evolution of these fractures en route to failure remains poorly understood. Whereas it is commonly held that loss of load-bearing capacity of dental ceramics in repetitive loading is attributable to chemically assisted 'slow crack growth' in the presence of water, we demonstrate the existence of more deleterious fatigue mechanisms, mechanical rather than chemical in nature. Neglecting to account for mechanical fatigue can lead to gross overestimates in predicted survival rates. Strategies for prolonging the clinical lifetimes of ceramic restorations are proposed based on a crack-containment philosophy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nanowire failure: long = brittle and short = ductile.

PubMed

Wu, Zhaoxuan; Zhang, Yong-Wei; Jhon, Mark H; Gao, Huajian; Srolovitz, David J

2012-02-08

Experimental studies of the tensile behavior of metallic nanowires show a wide range of failure modes, ranging from ductile necking to brittle/localized shear failure-often in the same diameter wires. We performed large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of copper nanowires with a range of nanowire lengths and provide unequivocal evidence for a transition in nanowire failure mode with change in nanowire length. Short nanowires fail via a ductile mode with serrated stress-strain curves, while long wires exhibit extreme shear localization and abrupt failure. We developed a simple model for predicting the critical nanowire length for this failure mode transition and showed that it is in excellent agreement with both the simulation results and the extant experimental data. The present results provide a new paradigm for the design of nanoscale mechanical systems that demarcates graceful and catastrophic failure. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Roles of Shape and Internal Structure in Rotational Disruption of Asteroids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirabayashi, Masatoshi; Scheeres, Daniel Jay

2015-08-01

An active research area over the last decade has been to explore configuration changes of rubble pile asteroids due to rotationally induced disruption, initially driven by the remarkable fact that there is a spin period threshold of 2 hr for asteroids larger than a few hundred meters in size. Several different disruption modes due to rapid rotation can be identified, as surface shedding, fission and failure of the internal structure. Relevant to these discussions are many observations of asteroid shapes that have revealed a diversity of forms such as oblate spheroids with equatorial ridges, strongly elongated shapes and contact binaries, to say nothing of multi-body systems. With consideration that rotationally induced deformation is one of the primary drivers of asteroid evolution, we have been developing two techniques for investigating the structure of asteroids, while accounting for their internal mechanical properties through plastic theory. The first technique developed is an analytical model based on limit analysis, which provides rigorous bounds on the asteroid mechanical properties for their shapes to remain stable. The second technique applies finite element model analysis that accounts for plastic deformation. Combining these models, we have explored the correlation between unique shape features and failure modes. First, we have been able to show that contact binary asteroids preferentially fail at their narrow necks at a relatively slow spin period, due to stress concentration. Second, applying these techniques to the breakup event of active asteroid P/2013 R3, we have been able to develop explicit constraints on the cohesion within rubble pile asteroids. Third, by probing the effect of inhomogeneous material properties, we have been able to develop conditions for whether an oblate body will fail internally or through surface shedding. These different failure modes can be tested by measuring the density distribution within a rubble pile body through determination of its gravity field. This talk will explore these different modes of failure and motivate divergent theories of failure that depend on properties of rubble piles.

A Reliability Model for Ni-BaTiO3-Based (BME) Ceramic Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Donhang

2014-01-01

The evaluation of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) with base-metal electrodes (BMEs) for potential NASA space project applications requires an in-depth understanding of their reliability. The reliability of an MLCC is defined as the ability of the dielectric material to retain its insulating properties under stated environmental and operational conditions for a specified period of time t. In this presentation, a general mathematic expression of a reliability model for a BME MLCC is developed and discussed. The reliability model consists of three parts: (1) a statistical distribution that describes the individual variation of properties in a test group of samples (Weibull, log normal, normal, etc.), (2) an acceleration function that describes how a capacitors reliability responds to external stresses such as applied voltage and temperature (All units in the test group should follow the same acceleration function if they share the same failure mode, independent of individual units), and (3) the effect and contribution of the structural and constructional characteristics of a multilayer capacitor device, such as the number of dielectric layers N, dielectric thickness d, average grain size r, and capacitor chip size S. In general, a two-parameter Weibull statistical distribution model is used in the description of a BME capacitors reliability as a function of time. The acceleration function that relates a capacitors reliability to external stresses is dependent on the failure mode. Two failure modes have been identified in BME MLCCs: catastrophic and slow degradation. A catastrophic failure is characterized by a time-accelerating increase in leakage current that is mainly due to existing processing defects (voids, cracks, delamination, etc.), or the extrinsic defects. A slow degradation failure is characterized by a near-linear increase in leakage current against the stress time; this is caused by the electromigration of oxygen vacancies (intrinsic defects). The two identified failure modes follow different acceleration functions. Catastrophic failures follow the traditional power-law relationship to the applied voltage. Slow degradation failures fit well to an exponential law relationship to the applied electrical field. Finally, the impact of capacitor structure on the reliability of BME capacitors is discussed with respect to the number of dielectric layers in an MLCC unit, the number of BaTiO3 grains per dielectric layer, and the chip size of the capacitor device.

Application of ICH Q9 Quality Risk Management Tools for Advanced Development of Hot Melt Coated Multiparticulate Systems.

PubMed

Stocker, Elena; Becker, Karin; Hate, Siddhi; Hohl, Roland; Schiemenz, Wolfgang; Sacher, Stephan; Zimmer, Andreas; Salar-Behzadi, Sharareh

2017-01-01

This study aimed to apply quality risk management based on the The International Conference on Harmonisation guideline Q9 for the early development stage of hot melt coated multiparticulate systems for oral administration. N-acetylcysteine crystals were coated with a formulation composing tripalmitin and polysorbate 65. The critical quality attributes (CQAs) were initially prioritized using failure mode and effects analysis. The CQAs of the coated material were defined as particle size, taste-masking efficiency, and immediate release profile. The hot melt coated process was characterized via a flowchart, based on the identified potential critical process parameters (CPPs) and their impact on the CQAs. These CPPs were prioritized using a process failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis and their critical impact on the CQAs was experimentally confirmed using a statistical design of experiments. Spray rate, atomization air pressure, and air flow rate were identified as CPPs. Coating amount and content of polysorbate 65 in the coating formulation were identified as critical material attributes. A hazard and critical control points analysis was applied to define control strategies at the critical process points. A fault tree analysis evaluated causes for potential process failures. We successfully demonstrated that a standardized quality risk management approach optimizes the product development sustainability and supports the regulatory aspects. Copyright © 2016 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SU-F-T-246: Evaluation of Healthcare Failure Mode And Effect Analysis For Risk Assessment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harry, T; University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA; Manger, R

Purpose: To evaluate the differences between the Veteran Affairs Healthcare Failure Modes and Effect Analysis (HFMEA) and the AAPM Task Group 100 Failure and Effect Analysis (FMEA) risk assessment techniques in the setting of a stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) procedure were compared respectively. Understanding the differences in the techniques methodologies and outcomes will provide further insight into the applicability and utility of risk assessments exercises in radiation therapy. Methods: HFMEA risk assessment analysis was performed on a stereotactic radiosurgery procedure. A previous study from our institution completed a FMEA of our SRS procedure and the process map generated from this workmore » was used for the HFMEA. The process of performing the HFMEA scoring was analyzed, and the results from both analyses were compared. Results: The key differences between the two risk assessments are the scoring criteria for failure modes and identifying critical failure modes for potential hazards. The general consensus among the team performing the analyses was that scoring for the HFMEA was simpler and more intuitive then the FMEA. The FMEA identified 25 critical failure modes while the HFMEA identified 39. Seven of the FMEA critical failure modes were not identified by the HFMEA and 21 of the HFMEA critical failure modes were not identified by the FMEA. HFMEA as described by the Veteran Affairs provides guidelines on which failure modes to address first. Conclusion: HFMEA is a more efficient model for identifying gross risks in a process than FMEA. Clinics with minimal staff, time and resources can benefit from this type of risk assessment to eliminate or mitigate high risk hazards with nominal effort. FMEA can provide more in depth details but at the cost of elevated effort.« less

DESENSITIZING BIOACTIVE AGENTS IMPROVES BOND STRENGTH OF INDIRECT RESIN-CEMENTED RESTORATIONS: PRELIMINARY RESULTS

PubMed Central

Pires-De-Souza, Fernanda de Carvalho Panzeri; de Marco, Fabíola Fiorezi; Casemiro, Luciana Assirati; Panzeri, Heitor

2007-01-01

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the bond strength of indirect composite restorations cemented with a resin-based cement associated with etch-and-rinse and self-etching primer adhesive systems to dentin treated or not with a bioactive material. Materials and Method: Twenty bovine incisor crowns had the buccal enamel removed and the dentin ground flat. The teeth were assigned to 4 groups (n=5): Group I: acid etching + Prime & Bond NT (Dentsply); Group II: application of a bioactive glass (Biosilicato®)+ acid etching + Prime & Bond NT; Group III: One-up Bond F (J Morita); Group IV: Biosilicato® + One-up Bond F. Indirect composite resin (Artglass, Kulzer) cylinders (6x10mm) were fabricated and cemented to the teeth with a dualcure resin-based cement (Enforce, Dentsply). After cementation, the specimens were stored in artificial saliva at 37oC for 30 days and thereafter tested in tensile strength in a universal testing machine (EMIC) with 50 kgf load cell at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. Failure modes were assessed under scanning electron microscopy. Data were analyzed statistically by ANOVA and Tukey's test (95% level of confidence). Results: Groups I, II and III had statistically similar results (p>0.05). Group IV had statistically significant higher bond strength means (p<0.05) than the other groups. The analysis of the debonded surfaces showed a predominance of adhesive failure mode for Group III and mixed failure mode for the other groups. Conclusion: The use of desensitizing agent did not affect negatively the bonding of the indirect composite restorations to dentin, independently of the tested adhesive systems. PMID:19089114

Multi-Dimensional Simulation of LWR Fuel Behavior in the BISON Fuel Performance Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williamson, R. L.; Capps, N. A.; Liu, W.; Rashid, Y. R.; Wirth, B. D.

2016-11-01

Nuclear fuel operates in an extreme environment that induces complex multiphysics phenomena occurring over distances ranging from inter-atomic spacing to meters, and times scales ranging from microseconds to years. To simulate this behavior requires a wide variety of material models that are often complex and nonlinear. The recently developed BISON code represents a powerful fuel performance simulation tool based on its material and physical behavior capabilities, finite-element versatility of spatial representation, and use of parallel computing. The code can operate in full three dimensional (3D) mode, as well as in reduced two dimensional (2D) modes, e.g., axisymmetric radial-axial ( R- Z) or plane radial-circumferential ( R- θ), to suit the application and to allow treatment of global and local effects. A BISON case study was used to illustrate analysis of Pellet Clad Mechanical Interaction failures from manufacturing defects using combined 2D and 3D analyses. The analysis involved commercial fuel rods and demonstrated successful computation of metrics of interest to fuel failures, including cladding peak hoop stress and strain energy density. In comparison with a failure threshold derived from power ramp tests, results corroborate industry analyses of the root cause of the pellet-clad interaction failures and illustrate the importance of modeling 3D local effects around fuel pellet defects, which can produce complex effects including cold spots in the cladding, stress concentrations, and hot spots in the fuel that can lead to enhanced cladding degradation such as hydriding, oxidation, CRUD formation, and stress corrosion cracking.

Multi-Dimensional Simulation of LWR Fuel Behavior in the BISON Fuel Performance Code

DOE PAGES

Williamson, R. L.; Capps, N. A.; Liu, W.; ...

2016-09-27

Nuclear fuel operates in an extreme environment that induces complex multiphysics phenomena occurring over distances ranging from inter-atomic spacing to meters, and times scales ranging from microseconds to years. To simulate this behavior requires a wide variety of material models that are often complex and nonlinear. The recently developed BISON code represents a powerful fuel performance simulation tool based on its material and physical behavior capabilities, finite-element versatility of spatial representation, and use of parallel computing. The code can operate in full three dimensional (3D) mode, as well as in reduced two dimensional (2D) modes, e.g., axisymmetric radial-axial (R-Z) ormore » plane radial-circumferential (R-θ), to suit the application and to allow treatment of global and local effects. A BISON case study was used in this paper to illustrate analysis of Pellet Clad Mechanical Interaction failures from manufacturing defects using combined 2D and 3D analyses. The analysis involved commercial fuel rods and demonstrated successful computation of metrics of interest to fuel failures, including cladding peak hoop stress and strain energy density. Finally, in comparison with a failure threshold derived from power ramp tests, results corroborate industry analyses of the root cause of the pellet-clad interaction failures and illustrate the importance of modeling 3D local effects around fuel pellet defects, which can produce complex effects including cold spots in the cladding, stress concentrations, and hot spots in the fuel that can lead to enhanced cladding degradation such as hydriding, oxidation, CRUD formation, and stress corrosion cracking.« less

Failure mode and effects analysis drastically reduced potential risks in clinical trial conduct.

PubMed

Lee, Howard; Lee, Heechan; Baik, Jungmi; Kim, Hyunjung; Kim, Rachel

2017-01-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a risk management tool to proactively identify and assess the causes and effects of potential failures in a system, thereby preventing them from happening. The objective of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of FMEA applied to an academic clinical trial center in a tertiary care setting. A multidisciplinary FMEA focus group at the Seoul National University Hospital Clinical Trials Center selected 6 core clinical trial processes, for which potential failure modes were identified and their risk priority number (RPN) was assessed. Remedial action plans for high-risk failure modes (RPN >160) were devised and a follow-up RPN scoring was conducted a year later. A total of 114 failure modes were identified with an RPN score ranging 3-378, which was mainly driven by the severity score. Fourteen failure modes were of high risk, 11 of which were addressed by remedial actions. Rescoring showed a dramatic improvement attributed to reduction in the occurrence and detection scores by >3 and >2 points, respectively. FMEA is a powerful tool to improve quality in clinical trials. The Seoul National University Hospital Clinical Trials Center is expanding its FMEA capability to other core clinical trial processes.

Prediction of Composite Laminate Strength Properties Using a Refined Zigzag Plate Element

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barut, Atila; Madenci, Erdogan; Tessler, Alexander

2013-01-01

This study presents an approach that uses the refined zigzag element, RZE(exp2,2) in conjunction with progressive failure criteria to predict the ultimate strength of composite laminates based on only ply-level strength properties. The methodology involves four major steps: (1) Determination of accurate stress and strain fields under complex loading conditions using RZE(exp2,2)-based finite element analysis, (2) Determination of failure locations and failure modes using the commonly accepted Hashin's failure criteria, (3) Recursive degradation of the material stiffness, and (4) Non-linear incremental finite element analysis to obtain stress redistribution until global failure. The validity of this approach is established by considering the published test data and predictions for (1) strength of laminates under various off-axis loading, (2) strength of laminates with a hole under compression, and (3) strength of laminates with a hole under tension.

Modelling the side impact of carbon fibre tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sudharsan, Ms R.; Rolfe, B. F., Dr; Hodgson, P. D., Prof

2010-06-01

Metallic tubes have been extensively studied for their crashworthiness as they closely resemble automotive crash rails. Recently, the demand to improve fuel economy and reduce vehicle emissions has led automobile manufacturers to explore the crash properties of light weight materials such as fibre reinforced polymer composites, metallic foams and sandwich structures in order to use them as crash barriers. This paper discusses the response of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) tubes and their failure mechanisms during side impact. The energy absorption of CFRP tubes is compared to similar Aluminium tubes. The response of the CFRP tubes during impact was modelled using Abaqus finite element software with a composite fabric material model. The material inputs were given based on standard tension and compression test results and the in-plane damage was defined based on cyclic shear tests. The failure modes and energy absorption observed during the tests were well represented by the finite element model.

A streamlined failure mode and effects analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ford, Eric C., E-mail: eford@uw.edu; Smith, Koren; Terezakis, Stephanie

Purpose: Explore the feasibility and impact of a streamlined failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) using a structured process that is designed to minimize staff effort. Methods: FMEA for the external beam process was conducted at an affiliate radiation oncology center that treats approximately 60 patients per day. A structured FMEA process was developed which included clearly defined roles and goals for each phase. A core group of seven people was identified and a facilitator was chosen to lead the effort. Failure modes were identified and scored according to the FMEA formalism. A risk priority number,RPN, was calculated and usedmore » to rank failure modes. Failure modes with RPN > 150 received safety improvement interventions. Staff effort was carefully tracked throughout the project. Results: Fifty-two failure modes were identified, 22 collected during meetings, and 30 from take-home worksheets. The four top-ranked failure modes were: delay in film check, missing pacemaker protocol/consent, critical structures not contoured, and pregnant patient simulated without the team's knowledge of the pregnancy. These four failure modes hadRPN > 150 and received safety interventions. The FMEA was completed in one month in four 1-h meetings. A total of 55 staff hours were required and, additionally, 20 h by the facilitator. Conclusions: Streamlined FMEA provides a means of accomplishing a relatively large-scale analysis with modest effort. One potential value of FMEA is that it potentially provides a means of measuring the impact of quality improvement efforts through a reduction in risk scores. Future study of this possibility is needed.« less

SU-E-T-627: Failure Modes and Effect Analysis for Monthly Quality Assurance of Linear Accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xie, J; Xiao, Y; Wang, J

2014-06-15

Purpose: To develop and implement a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) on routine monthly Quality Assurance (QA) tests (physical tests part) of linear accelerator. Methods: A systematic failure mode and effect analysis method was performed for monthly QA procedures. A detailed process tree of monthly QA was created and potential failure modes were defined. Each failure mode may have many influencing factors. For each factor, a risk probability number (RPN) was calculated from the product of probability of occurrence (O), the severity of effect (S), and detectability of the failure (D). The RPN scores are in a range ofmore » 1 to 1000, with higher scores indicating stronger correlation to a given influencing factor of a failure mode. Five medical physicists in our institution were responsible to discuss and to define the O, S, D values. Results: 15 possible failure modes were identified and all RPN scores of all influencing factors of these 15 failue modes were from 8 to 150, and the checklist of FMEA in monthly QA was drawn. The system showed consistent and accurate response to erroneous conditions. Conclusion: The influencing factors of RPN greater than 50 were considered as highly-correlated factors of a certain out-oftolerance monthly QA test. FMEA is a fast and flexible tool to develop an implement a quality management (QM) frame work of monthly QA, which improved the QA efficiency of our QA team. The FMEA work may incorporate more quantification and monitoring fuctions in future.« less

Consistency of FMEA used in the validation of analytical procedures.

PubMed

Oldenhof, M T; van Leeuwen, J F; Nauta, M J; de Kaste, D; Odekerken-Rombouts, Y M C F; Vredenbregt, M J; Weda, M; Barends, D M

2011-02-20

In order to explore the consistency of the outcome of a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) in the validation of analytical procedures, an FMEA was carried out by two different teams. The two teams applied two separate FMEAs to a High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Diode Array Detection-Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-MS) analytical procedure used in the quality control of medicines. Each team was free to define their own ranking scales for the probability of severity (S), occurrence (O), and detection (D) of failure modes. We calculated Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) and we identified the failure modes above the 90th percentile of RPN values as failure modes needing urgent corrective action; failure modes falling between the 75th and 90th percentile of RPN values were identified as failure modes needing necessary corrective action, respectively. Team 1 and Team 2 identified five and six failure modes needing urgent corrective action respectively, with two being commonly identified. Of the failure modes needing necessary corrective actions, about a third were commonly identified by both teams. These results show inconsistency in the outcome of the FMEA. To improve consistency, we recommend that FMEA is always carried out under the supervision of an experienced FMEA-facilitator and that the FMEA team has at least two members with competence in the analytical method to be validated. However, the FMEAs of both teams contained valuable information that was not identified by the other team, indicating that this inconsistency is not always a drawback. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reaction propagation test. Evaluation of the behavior of nonmetallic materials in hydrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, I. D.

1972-01-01

Results of tests conducted to evaluate the behavior of nonmetallic materials in hydrogen are described. The reaction propagation test simulates the conditions resulting from the interaction of an electrical wire in an overload condition in contract with a material in the test medium. The test is designed to evaluate the behavior of a material subjected to an energy input (usually heat) sufficient to cause a reaction which propagates to consume larger quantities of the material. Ten nonmetallic materials were evaluated to establish baseline data on the behavior of nonmetallic materials in hydrogen and to characterize, on an initial basis, one mode of material failure considered to be a factor pertinent to the safe use of a material in hydrogen.

Development of STS/Centaur failure probabilities liftoff to Centaur separation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, J. M.

1982-01-01

The results of an analysis to determine STS/Centaur catastrophic vehicle response probabilities for the phases of vehicle flight from STS liftoff to Centaur separation from the Orbiter are presented. The analysis considers only category one component failure modes as contributors to the vehicle response mode probabilities. The relevant component failure modes are grouped into one of fourteen categories of potential vehicle behavior. By assigning failure rates to each component, for each of its failure modes, the STS/Centaur vehicle response probabilities in each phase of flight can be calculated. The results of this study will be used in a DOE analysis to ascertain the hazard from carrying a nuclear payload on the STS.

Extended Testability Analysis Tool

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Melcher, Kevin; Maul, William A.; Fulton, Christopher

2012-01-01

The Extended Testability Analysis (ETA) Tool is a software application that supports fault management (FM) by performing testability analyses on the fault propagation model of a given system. Fault management includes the prevention of faults through robust design margins and quality assurance methods, or the mitigation of system failures. Fault management requires an understanding of the system design and operation, potential failure mechanisms within the system, and the propagation of those potential failures through the system. The purpose of the ETA Tool software is to process the testability analysis results from a commercial software program called TEAMS Designer in order to provide a detailed set of diagnostic assessment reports. The ETA Tool is a command-line process with several user-selectable report output options. The ETA Tool also extends the COTS testability analysis and enables variation studies with sensor sensitivity impacts on system diagnostics and component isolation using a single testability output. The ETA Tool can also provide extended analyses from a single set of testability output files. The following analysis reports are available to the user: (1) the Detectability Report provides a breakdown of how each tested failure mode was detected, (2) the Test Utilization Report identifies all the failure modes that each test detects, (3) the Failure Mode Isolation Report demonstrates the system s ability to discriminate between failure modes, (4) the Component Isolation Report demonstrates the system s ability to discriminate between failure modes relative to the components containing the failure modes, (5) the Sensor Sensor Sensitivity Analysis Report shows the diagnostic impact due to loss of sensor information, and (6) the Effect Mapping Report identifies failure modes that result in specified system-level effects.

Characteristics of shear damage for 60Sn-40Pb solder material

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fang, H.E.; Chow, C.L.; Wei, Y.

This paper presents an investigation of the development of a continuum damage model capable of accurately analyzing shear damage in 60Sn-40Pb solder material. Based on the theory of damage mechanics, an internal state variable known as the damage variable is introduced to characterize material degradation caused by the change of material microstructures under load. A damage surface in stress space is proposed to quantify damage initiation and its successive expanding surfaces to represent damage hardening. With the aid of irreversible thermodynamics, the damage-coupled constitutive equations and the damage evolution equations are established. A failure criterion is proposed based on themore » accumulation of overall damage in the material. The damage model is implemented in a general purpose finite element program ABAQUS through its user-defined material subroutine UMAT. The program is applied to predict shear deformation in a notched specimen. The predicted failure mode and maximum load agree well with those measured experimentally. The effect of finite element meshing on the numerical results is also examined and discussed.« less

Dynamic Loading and Characterization of Fiber-Reinforced Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sierakowski, Robert L.; Chaturvedi, Shive K.

1997-02-01

Emphasizing polymer based fiber-reinforced composites, this book is designed to provide readers with a significant understanding of the complexities involved in characterizing dynamic events and the corresponding response of advanced fiber composite materials and structures. These elements include dynamic loading devices, material properties characterization, analytical and experimental techniques to assess the damage and failure modes associated with various dynamic loading events. Concluding remarks are presented throughout the text which summarize key points and raise issues related to important research needed.

Comprehensive Deployment Method for Technical Characteristics Base on Multi-failure Modes Correlation Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, W.; Gao, J. M.; Wang, R. X.; Chen, K.; Jiang, Y.

2017-12-01

This paper put forward a new method of technical characteristics deployment based on Reliability Function Deployment (RFD) by analysing the advantages and shortages of related research works on mechanical reliability design. The matrix decomposition structure of RFD was used to describe the correlative relation between failure mechanisms, soft failures and hard failures. By considering the correlation of multiple failure modes, the reliability loss of one failure mode to the whole part was defined, and a calculation and analysis model for reliability loss was presented. According to the reliability loss, the reliability index value of the whole part was allocated to each failure mode. On the basis of the deployment of reliability index value, the inverse reliability method was employed to acquire the values of technology characteristics. The feasibility and validity of proposed method were illustrated by a development case of machining centre’s transmission system.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the crew equipment subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinclair, Susan; Graham, L.; Richard, Bill; Saxon, H.

1987-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical (PCIs) items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. The independent analysis results coresponding to the Orbiter crew equipment hardware are documented. The IOA analysis process utilized available crew equipment hardware drawings and schematics for defining hardware assemblies, components, and hardware items. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. Of the 352 failure modes analyzed, 78 were determined to be PCIs.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the purge, vent and drain subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bynum, M. C., III

1987-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter PV and D (Purge, Vent and Drain) Subsystem hardware. The PV and D Subsystem controls the environment of unpressurized compartments and window cavities, senses hazardous gases, and purges Orbiter/ET Disconnect. The subsystem is divided into six systems: Purge System (controls the environment of unpressurized structural compartments); Vent System (controls the pressure of unpressurized compartments); Drain System (removes water from unpressurized compartments); Hazardous Gas Detection System (HGDS) (monitors hazardous gas concentrations); Window Cavity Conditioning System (WCCS) (maintains clear windows and provides pressure control of the window cavities); and External Tank/Orbiter Disconnect Purge System (prevents cryo-pumping/icing of disconnect hardware). Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. Four of the sixty-two failure modes analyzed were determined as single failures which could result in the loss of crew or vehicle. A possible loss of mission could result if any of twelve single failures occurred. Two of the criticality 1/1 failures are in the Window Cavity Conditioning System (WCCS) outer window cavity, where leakage and/or restricted flow will cause failure to depressurize/repressurize the window cavity. Two criticality 1/1 failures represent leakage and/or restricted flow in the Orbiter/ET disconnect purge network which prevent cryopumping/icing of disconnect hardware. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode.

Cyclic Load Effects on Long Term Behavior of Polymer Matrix Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shah, A. R.; Chamis, C. C.

1996-01-01

A methodology to compute the fatigue life for different ratios, r, of applied stress to the laminate strength based on first ply failure criteria combined with thermal cyclic loads has been developed and demonstrated. Degradation effects resulting from long term environmental exposure and thermo-mechanical cyclic loads are considered in the simulation process. A unified time-stress dependent multi-factor interaction equation model developed at NASA Lewis Research Center has been used to account for the degradation of material properties caused by cyclic and aging loads. Effect of variation in the thermal cyclic load amplitude on a quasi-symmetric graphite/epoxy laminate has been studied with respect to the impending failure modes. The results show that, for the laminate under consideration, the fatigue life under combined mechanical and low thermal amplitude cyclic loads is higher than that due to mechanical loads only. However, as the thermal amplitude increases, the life also decreases. The failure mode changes from tensile under mechanical loads only to the compressive and shear at high mechanical and thermal loads. Also, implementation of the developed methodology in the design process has been discussed.

CELFE: Coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian Finite Element program for high velocity impact. Part 1: Theory and formulation. [hydroelasto-viscoplastic model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, C. H.

1978-01-01

A 3-D finite element program capable of simulating the dynamic behavior in the vicinity of the impact point, together with predicting the dynamic response in the remaining part of the structural component subjected to high velocity impact is discussed. The finite algorithm is formulated in a general moving coordinate system. In the vicinity of the impact point contained by a moving failure front, the relative velocity of the coordinate system will approach the material particle velocity. The dynamic behavior inside the region is described by Eulerian formulation based on a hydroelasto-viscoplastic model. The failure front which can be regarded as the boundary of the impact zone is described by a transition layer. The layer changes the representation from the Eulerian mode to the Lagrangian mode outside the failure front by varying the relative velocity of the coordinate system to zero. The dynamic response in the remaining part of the structure described by the Lagrangian formulation is treated using advanced structural analysis. An interfacing algorithm for coupling CELFE with NASTRAN is constructed to provide computational capabilities for large structures.

Failure mode prediction for composite structural insulated panels with MgO board facings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smakosz, Łukasz; Kreja, Ireneusz

2018-01-01

Sandwich panels are readily used in civil engineering due to their high strength to weight ratio and the ease and speed of assembly. The idea of a sandwich section is to combine thin and durable facings with a light-weight core and the choice of materials used allows obtaining the desired behaviour. Panels in consideration consist of MgO (magnesium oxide) board facings and expanded polystyrene core and are characterized by immunity to biological corrosion, a high thermal insulation and a relatively low impact on environment. Customizing the range of panels to meet market needs requires frequent size changes, leading to different failure modes, which are identified in a series of costly full-scale laboratory tests. A nonlinear numerical model was created with a use of a commercial ABAQUS code and a user-defined procedure, which is able to reproduce observed failure mechanisms; its parameters were established on the basis of small-scale tests and numerical experiments. The model was validated by a comparison with the results of the full-scale bending and compression tests. The results obtained were in satisfactory agreement with the test data.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mossahebi, S; Feigenberg, S; Nichols, E

Purpose: GammaPod™, the first stereotactic radiotherapy device for early stage breast cancer treatment, has been recently installed and commissioned at our institution. A multidisciplinary working group applied the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) approach to perform a risk analysis. Methods: FMEA was applied to the GammaPod™ treatment process by: 1) generating process maps for each stage of treatment; 2) identifying potential failure modes and outlining their causes and effects; 3) scoring the potential failure modes using the risk priority number (RPN) system based on the product of severity, frequency of occurrence, and detectability (ranging 1–10). An RPN of highermore » than 150 was set as the threshold for minimal concern of risk. For these high-risk failure modes, potential quality assurance procedures and risk control techniques have been proposed. A new set of severity, occurrence, and detectability values were re-assessed in presence of the suggested mitigation strategies. Results: In the single-day image-and-treat workflow, 19, 22, and 27 sub-processes were identified for the stages of simulation, treatment planning, and delivery processes, respectively. During the simulation stage, 38 potential failure modes were found and scored, in terms of RPN, in the range of 9-392. 34 potential failure modes were analyzed in treatment planning with a score range of 16-200. For the treatment delivery stage, 47 potential failure modes were found with an RPN score range of 16-392. The most critical failure modes consisted of breast-cup pressure loss and incorrect target localization due to patient upper-body alignment inaccuracies. The final RPN score of these failure modes based on recommended actions were assessed to be below 150. Conclusion: FMEA risk analysis technique was applied to the treatment process of GammaPod™, a new stereotactic radiotherapy technology. Application of systematic risk analysis methods is projected to lead to improved quality of GammaPod™ treatments. Ying Niu and Cedric Yu are affiliated with Xcision Medical Systems.« less

Material characterization of structural adhesives in the lap shear mode

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sancaktar, E.; Schenck, S. C.

1983-01-01

A general method for characterizing structual adhesives in the bonded lap shear mode is proposed. Two approaches in the form of semiempirical and theoretical approaches are used. The semiempirical approach includes Ludwik's and Zhurkov's equations to describe respectively, the failure stresses in the constant strain rate and constant stress loading modes with the inclusion of the temperature effects. The theoretical approach is used to describe adhesive shear stress-strain behavior with the use of viscoelastic or nonlinear elastic constitutive equations. Two different model adhesives are used in the single lap shear mode with titanium adherends. These adhesives (one of which was developed at NASA Langley Research Center) are currently considered by NASA for possible aerospace applications. Use of different model adhesives helps in assessment of the generality of the method.

Advanced Composite Wind Turbine Blade Design Based on Durability and Damage Tolerance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Abumeri, Galib; Abdi, Frank

2012-02-16

The objective of the program was to demonstrate and verify Certification-by-Analysis (CBA) capability for wind turbine blades made from advanced lightweight composite materials. The approach integrated durability and damage tolerance analysis with robust design and virtual testing capabilities to deliver superior, durable, low weight, low cost, long life, and reliable wind blade design. The GENOA durability and life prediction software suite was be used as the primary simulation tool. First, a micromechanics-based computational approach was used to assess the durability of composite laminates with ply drop features commonly used in wind turbine applications. Ply drops occur in composite joints andmore » closures of wind turbine blades to reduce skin thicknesses along the blade span. They increase localized stress concentration, which may cause premature delamination failure in composite and reduced fatigue service life. Durability and damage tolerance (D&DT) were evaluated utilizing a multi-scale micro-macro progressive failure analysis (PFA) technique. PFA is finite element based and is capable of detecting all stages of material damage including initiation and propagation of delamination. It assesses multiple failure criteria and includes the effects of manufacturing anomalies (i.e., void, fiber waviness). Two different approaches have been used within PFA. The first approach is Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) PFA while the second one is strength-based. Constituent stiffness and strength properties for glass and carbon based material systems were reverse engineered for use in D&DT evaluation of coupons with ply drops under static loading. Lamina and laminate properties calculated using manufacturing and composite architecture details matched closely published test data. Similarly, resin properties were determined for fatigue life calculation. The simulation not only reproduced static strength and fatigue life as observed in the test, it also showed composite damage and fracture modes that resemble those reported in the tests. The results show that computational simulation can be relied on to enhance the design of tapered composite structures such as the ones used in turbine wind blades. A computational simulation for durability, damage tolerance (D&DT) and reliability of composite wind turbine blade structures in presence of uncertainties in material properties was performed. A composite turbine blade was first assessed with finite element based multi-scale progressive failure analysis to determine failure modes and locations as well as the fracture load. D&DT analyses were then validated with static test performed at Sandia National Laboratories. The work was followed by detailed weight analysis to identify contribution of various materials to the overall weight of the blade. The methodology ensured that certain types of failure modes, such as delamination progression, are contained to reduce risk to the structure. Probabilistic analysis indicated that composite shear strength has a great influence on the blade ultimate load under static loading. Weight was reduced by 12% with robust design without loss in reliability or D&DT. Structural benefits obtained with the use of enhanced matrix properties through nanoparticles infusion were also assessed. Thin unidirectional fiberglass layers enriched with silica nanoparticles were applied to the outer surfaces of a wind blade to improve its overall structural performance and durability. The wind blade was a 9-meter prototype structure manufactured and tested subject to three saddle static loading at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL). The blade manufacturing did not include the use of any nano-material. With silica nanoparticles in glass composite applied to the exterior surfaces of the blade, the durability and damage tolerance (D&DT) results from multi-scale PFA showed an increase in ultimate load of the blade by 9.2% as compared to baseline structural performance (without nano). The use of nanoparticles lead to a delay in the onset of delamination. Load-displacement relationships obtained from testing of the blade with baseline neat material were compared to the ones from analytical simulation using neat resin and using silica nanoparticles in the resin. Multi-scale PFA results for the neat material construction matched closely those from test for both load displacement and location and type of damage and failure. AlphaSTAR demonstrated that wind blade structures made from advanced composite materials can be certified with multi-scale progressive failure analysis by following building block verification approach.« less

The assessment of low probability containment failure modes using dynamic PRA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunett, Acacia Joann

Although low probability containment failure modes in nuclear power plants may lead to large releases of radioactive material, these modes are typically crudely modeled in system level codes and have large associated uncertainties. Conventional risk assessment techniques (i.e. the fault-tree/event-tree methodology) are capable of accounting for these failure modes to some degree, however, they require the analyst to pre-specify the ordering of events, which can vary within the range of uncertainty of the phenomena. More recently, dynamic probabilistic risk assessment (DPRA) techniques have been developed which remove the dependency on the analyst. Through DPRA, it is now possible to perform a mechanistic and consistent analysis of low probability phenomena, with the timing of the possible events determined by the computational model simulating the reactor behavior. The purpose of this work is to utilize DPRA tools to assess low probability containment failure modes and the driving mechanisms. Particular focus is given to the risk-dominant containment failure modes considered in NUREG-1150, which has long been the standard for PRA techniques. More specifically, this work focuses on the low probability phenomena occurring during a station blackout (SBO) with late power recovery in the Zion Nuclear Power Plant, a Westinghouse pressurized water reactor (PWR). Subsequent to the major risk study performed in NUREG-1150, significant experimentation and modeling regarding the mechanisms driving containment failure modes have been performed. In light of this improved understanding, NUREG-1150 containment failure modes are reviewed in this work using the current state of knowledge. For some unresolved mechanisms, such as containment loading from high pressure melt ejection and combustion events, additional analyses are performed using the accident simulation tool MELCOR to explore the bounding containment loads for realistic scenarios. A dynamic treatment in the characterization of combustible gas ignition is also presented in this work. In most risk studies, combustion is treated simplistically in that it is assumed an ignition occurs if the gas mixture achieves a concentration favorable for ignition under the premise that an adequate ignition source is available. However, the criteria affecting ignition (such as the magnitude, location and frequency of the ignition sources) are complicated. This work demonstrates a technique for characterizing the properties of an ignition source to determine a probability of ignition. The ignition model developed in this work and implemented within a dynamic framework is utilized to analyze the implications and risk significance of late combustion events. This work also explores the feasibility of using dynamic event trees (DETs) with a deterministic sampling approach to analyze low probability phenomena. The flexibility of this approach is demonstrated through the rediscretization of containment fragility curves used in construction of the DET to show convergence to a true solution. Such a rediscretization also reduces the computational burden introduced through extremely fine fragility curve discretization by subsequent refinement of fragility curve regions of interest. Another advantage of the approach is the ability to perform sensitivity studies on the cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) used to determine branching probabilities without the need for rerunning the simulation code. Through review of the NUREG-1150 containment failure modes using the current state of knowledge, it is found that some failure modes, such as Alpha and rocket, can be excluded from further studies; other failure modes, such as failure to isolate, bypass, high pressure melt ejection (HPME), combustion-induced failure and overpressurization are still concerns to varying degrees. As part of this analysis, scoping studies performed in MELCOR show that HPME and the resulting direct containment heating (DCH) do not impose a significant threat to containment integrity. Additional scoping studies regarding the effect of recovery actions on in-vessel hydrogen generation show that reflooding a partially degraded core do not significantly affect hydrogen generation in-vessel, and the NUREG-1150 assumption that insufficient hydrogen is generated in-vessel to produce an energetic deflagration is confirmed. The DET analyses performed in this work show that very late power recovery produces the potential for very energetic combustion events which are capable of failing containment with a non-negligible probability, and that containment cooling systems have a significant impact on core concrete attack, and therefore combustible gas generation ex-vessel. Ultimately, the overall risk of combustion-induced containment failure is low, but its conditional likelihood can have a significant effect on accident mitigation strategies. It is also shown in this work that DETs are particularly well suited to examine low probability events because of their ability to rediscretize CDFs and observe solution convergence.

Repairability of CAD/CAM high-density PMMA- and composite-based polymers.

PubMed

Wiegand, Annette; Stucki, Lukas; Hoffmann, Robin; Attin, Thomas; Stawarczyk, Bogna

2015-11-01

The study aimed to analyse the shear bond strength of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)- and composite-based polymer materials repaired with a conventional methacrylate-based composite after different surface pretreatments. Each 48 specimens was prepared from six different CAD/CAM polymer materials (Ambarino high-class, artBloc Temp, CAD-Temp, Lava Ultimate, Telio CAD, Everest C-Temp) and a conventional dimethacrylate-based composite (Filtek Supreme XTE, control) and aged by thermal cycling (5000 cycles, 5-55 °C). The surfaces were left untreated or were pretreated by mechanical roughening, aluminium oxide air abrasion or silica coating/silanization (each subgroup n = 12). The surfaces were further conditioned with an etch&rinse adhesive (OptiBond FL) before the repair composite (Filtek Supreme XTE) was adhered to the surface. After further thermal cycling, shear bond strength was tested, and failure modes were assessed. Shear bond strength was statistically analysed by two- and one-way ANOVAs and Weibull statistics, failure mode by chi(2) test (p ≤ 0.05). Shear bond strength was highest for silica coating/silanization > aluminium oxide air abrasion = mechanical roughening > no surface pretreatment. Independently of the repair pretreatment, highest bond strength values were observed in the control group and for the composite-based Everest C-Temp and Ambarino high-class, while PMMA-based materials (artBloc Temp, CAD-Temp and Telio CAD) presented significantly lowest values. For all materials, repair without any surface pretreatment resulted in adhesive failures only, which mostly were reduced when surface pretreatment was performed. Repair of CAD/CAM high-density polymers requires surface pretreatment prior to adhesive and composite application. However, four out of six of the tested CAD/CAM materials did not achieve the repair bond strength of a conventional dimethacrylate-based composite. Repair of PMMA- and composite-based polymers can be achieved by surface pretreatment followed by application of an adhesive and a conventional methacrylate-based composite.

Compendium of Mechanical Limit-States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kowal, Michael

1996-01-01

A compendium was compiled and is described to provide a diverse set of limit-state relationships for use in demonstrating the application of probabilistic reliability methods to mechanical systems. The different limit-state relationships can be used to analyze the reliability of a candidate mechanical system. In determining the limit-states to be included in the compendium, a comprehensive listing of the possible failure modes that could affect mechanical systems reliability was generated. Previous literature defining mechanical modes of failure was studied, and cited failure modes were included. From this, classifications for failure modes were derived and are described in some detail.

Static Strength of Adhesively-bonded Woven Fabric Kenaf Composite Plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilton, Ahmad; Lee, Sim Yee; Supar, Khairi

2017-06-01

Natural fibers are potentially used as reinforcing materials and combined with epoxy resin as matrix system to form a superior specific strength (or stiffness) materials known as composite materials. The advantages of implementing natural fibers such as kenaf fibers are renewable, less hazardous during fabrication and handling process; and relatively cheap compared to synthetic fibers. The aim of current work is to conduct a parametric study on static strength of adhesively bonded woven fabric kenaf composite plates. Fabrication of composite panels were conducted using hand lay-up techniques, with variation of stacking sequence, over-lap length, joint types and lay-up types as identified in testing series. Quasi-static testing was carried out using mechanical testing following code of practice. Load-displacement profiles were analyzed to study its structural response prior to ultimate failures. It was found that cross-ply lay-up demonstrates better static strength compared to quasi-isotropic lay-up counterparts due to larger volume of 0° plies exhibited in cross-ply lay-up. Consequently, larger overlap length gives better joining strength, as expected, however this promotes to weight penalty in the joining structure. Most samples showed failures within adhesive region known as cohesive failure modes, however, few sample demonstrated interface failure. Good correlations of parametric study were found and discussed in the respective section.

How to apply clinical cases and medical literature in the framework of a modified "failure mode and effects analysis" as a clinical reasoning tool--an illustration using the human biliary system.

PubMed

Wong, Kam Cheong

2016-04-06

Clinicians use various clinical reasoning tools such as Ishikawa diagram to enhance their clinical experience and reasoning skills. Failure mode and effects analysis, which is an engineering methodology in origin, can be modified and applied to provide inputs into an Ishikawa diagram. The human biliary system is used to illustrate a modified failure mode and effects analysis. The anatomical and physiological processes of the biliary system are reviewed. Failure is defined as an abnormality caused by infective, inflammatory, obstructive, malignancy, autoimmune and other pathological processes. The potential failures, their effect(s), main clinical features, and investigation that can help a clinician to diagnose at each anatomical part and physiological process are reviewed and documented in a modified failure mode and effects analysis table. Relevant medical and surgical cases are retrieved from the medical literature and weaved into the table. A total of 80 clinical cases which are relevant to the modified failure mode and effects analysis for the human biliary system have been reviewed and weaved into a designated table. The table is the backbone and framework for further expansion. Reviewing and updating the table is an iterative and continual process. The relevant clinical features in the modified failure mode and effects analysis are then extracted and included in the relevant Ishikawa diagram. This article illustrates an application of engineering methodology in medicine, and it sows the seeds of potential cross-pollination between engineering and medicine. Establishing a modified failure mode and effects analysis can be a teamwork project or self-directed learning process, or a mix of both. Modified failure mode and effects analysis can be deployed to obtain inputs for an Ishikawa diagram which in turn can be used to enhance clinical experiences and clinical reasoning skills for clinicians, medical educators, and students.

Stress intensity factors of eccentric cracks in bi-materials plate under mode I loading

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ismail, A. E.

2015-05-15

Bi-material plates were generally used to joint electronic devices or mechanical components requiring dissimilar materials to be attached. During services, mechanical failure can be occurred due to the formation of cracks at the interfacial joint or away from the centre. Generally, linear elastic fracture mechanics approach is used to characterize these cracks based on stress intensity factors (SIF). Based on the literature survey, the SIFs for the central cracks were easily available. However, the SIFs for eccentric cracks were difficult to obtain. Therefore, this paper presented the SIFs for eccentric cracks subjected to mode I tension loading. Three important parametersmore » were used such as relative crack depth, a/L, relative offset distance, b/L and elastic mismatch, E{sub 1}/E{sub 2} or α. It was found that such parameters significantly affected the characteristic of SIFs and it was depend on the location of cracks.« less

Short-wavelength buckling and shear failures for compression-loaded composite laminates. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shuart, M. J.

1985-01-01

The short-wavelength buckling (or the microbuckling) and the interlaminar and inplane shear failures of multi-directional composite laminates loaded in uniaxial compression are investigated. A laminate model is presented that idealizes each lamina. The fibers in the lamina are modeled as a plate, and the matrix in the lamina is modeled as an elastic foundation. The out-of-plane w displacement for each plate is expressed as a trigonometric series in the half-wavelength of the mode shape for laminate short-wavelength buckling. Nonlinear strain-displacement relations are used. The model is applied to symmetric laminates having linear material behavior. The laminates are loaded in uniform end shortening and are simply supported. A linear analysis is used to determine the laminate stress, strain, and mode shape when short-wavelength buckling occurs. The equations for the laminate compressive stress at short-wavelength buckling are dominated by matrix contributions.

Comparisons of modified Vasco X-2 and AISI 9310 gear steels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Townsend, D. P.; Zaretsky, E. V.

1980-01-01

Endurance tests were conducted with four groups of spur gears manufactured from three heats of consumable electrode vacuum melted (CVM) modified Vasco X-2. Endurance tests were also conducted with gears manufactured from CVM AISI 9310. Bench type rolling element fatigue tests were conducted with both materials. Hardness measurements were made to 811 K. There was no statistically significant life difference between the two materials. Life differences between the different heats of modified Vasco X-2 can be attributed to heat treat variation and resultant hardness. Carburization of gear flanks only can eliminate tooth fracture as a primary failure mode for modified Vasco X-2. However, a tooth surface fatigue spall can act as a nucleus of a tooth fracture failure for the modified Vasco X-2.

Knot Security of 5 Metric (USP 2) Sutures: Influence of Knotting Technique, Suture Material, and Incubation Time for 14 and 28 Days in Phosphate Buffered Saline and Inflamed Equine Peritoneal Fluid.

PubMed

Sanders, Ruth E; Kearney, Clodagh M; Buckley, Conor T; Jenner, Florien; Brama, Pieter A

2015-08-01

To evaluate knot security for 3 knot types created in 3 commonly used 5 metric suture materials incubated in physiological and pathological fluids. In vitro mechanical study. Knotted suture loops (n = 5/group). Loops of 3 different suture materials (glycolide/lactide copolymer; polyglactin 910; polydioxanone) were created around a 20 mm rod using 3 knot types (square [SQ], surgeon's [SK], and triple knot [TK]) and were tested to failure in distraction (6 mm/min) after tying (day 0) and after being incubated for 14 and 28 days in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or inflamed peritoneal fluid. Failure load (N) and mode were recorded and compared. For polydioxanone, significant differences in force to knot failure were found between SQ and SK/TK but not between SK and TK. The force required to break all constructs increased after incubation in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). With glycolide/lactide copolymer no differences in force to knot failure were observed. With polyglactin 910, a significant difference between SQ and TK was observed, which was not seen between the other knot types. Incubation in inflamed peritoneal fluid caused a larger and more rapid decrease in force required to cause knot failure than incubation in PBS. Mechanical properties of suture materials have significant effects on knot security. For polydioxanone, SQ is insufficient to create a secure knot. Additional wraps above a SK confer extra stability in some materials, but this increase may not be clinically relevant or justifiable. Glycolide/lactide copolymer had excellent knot security. © Copyright 2015 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

75 FR 51931 - Airworthiness Directives; Dassault-Aviation Model FALCON 7X Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-24

... root cause: A leakage failure mode of Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) diodes used on Power... condition is a leakage failure mode of TVS diodes used on PDCU cards or GCU cards in the PPDB, which in... discovery of a common root cause: A leakage failure mode of Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) diodes used...

Failure strength of the bovine caudal disc under internal hydrostatic pressure.

PubMed

Schechtman, Helio; Robertson, Peter A; Broom, Neil D

2006-01-01

The structure of the disc is both complex and inhomogeneous, and it functions as a successful load-bearing organ by virtue of the integration of its various structural regions. These same features also render it impossible to assess the failure strength of the disc from isolated tissue samples, which at best can only yield material properties. This study investigated the intrinsic failure strength of the intact bovine caudal disc under a simple mode of internal hydrostatic pressure. Using a hydraulic actuator, coloured hydrogel was injected under monitored pressure into the nucleus through a hollow screw insert which passed longitudinally through one of the attached vertebrae. Failure did not involve vertebra/endplate structures. Rather, failure of the disc annulus was indicated by the simultaneous manifestation of a sudden loss of gel pressure, a flood of gel colouration appearing in the outer annulus and audible fibrous tearing. A mean hydrostatic failure pressure of 18+/-3 MPa was observed which was approximated as a thick-wall hoop stress of 45+/-7 MPa. The experiment provides a measurement of the intrinsic strength of the disc using a method of internal hydrostatic loading which avoids any disruption of the complex architecture of the annular wall. Although the disc in vivo is subjected to a much more complex pattern of loading than is achieved using simple hydrostatic pressurization, this latter mode provides a useful tool for investigating alterations in intrinsic disc strength associated with prior loading history or degeneration.

Predicting remaining life by fusing the physics of failure modeling with diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kacprzynski, G. J.; Sarlashkar, A.; Roemer, M. J.; Hess, A.; Hardman, B.

2004-03-01

Technology that enables failure prediction of critical machine components (prognostics) has the potential to significantly reduce maintenance costs and increase availability and safety. This article summarizes a research effort funded through the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Naval Air System Command aimed at enhancing prognostic accuracy through more advanced physics-of-failure modeling and intelligent utilization of relevant diagnostic information. H-60 helicopter gear is used as a case study to introduce both stochastic sub-zone crack initiation and three-dimensional fracture mechanics lifing models along with adaptive model updating techniques for tuning key failure mode variables at a local material/damage site based on fused vibration features. The overall prognostic scheme is aimed at minimizing inherent modeling and operational uncertainties via sensed system measurements that evolve as damage progresses.

Failure evolution in granular material retained by rigid wall in active mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietrzak, Magdalena; Leśniewska, Danuta

2012-10-01

This paper presents a detailed study of a selected small scale model test, performed on a sample of surrogate granular material, retained by a rigid wall (typical geotechnical problem of earth thrust on a retaining wall). The experimental data presented in this paper show that the deformation of granular sample behind retaining wall can undergo some cyclic changes. The nature of these cycles is not clear - it is probably related to some micromechanical features of granular materials, which are recently extensively studied in many research centers in the world. Employing very precise DIC (PIV) method can help to relate micro and macro-scale behavior of granular materials.

Failure mode and effects analysis based risk profile assessment for stereotactic radiosurgery programs at three cancer centers in Brazil.

PubMed

Teixeira, Flavia C; de Almeida, Carlos E; Saiful Huq, M

2016-01-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety and quality management program for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatment processes at three radiotherapy centers in Brazil by using three industrial engineering tools (1) process mapping, (2) failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and (3) fault tree analysis. The recommendations of Task Group 100 of American Association of Physicists in Medicine were followed to apply the three tools described above to create a process tree for SRS procedure for each radiotherapy center and then FMEA was performed. Failure modes were identified for all process steps and values of risk priority number (RPN) were calculated from O, S, and D (RPN = O × S × D) values assigned by a professional team responsible for patient care. The subprocess treatment planning was presented with the highest number of failure modes for all centers. The total number of failure modes were 135, 104, and 131 for centers I, II, and III, respectively. The highest RPN value for each center is as follows: center I (204), center II (372), and center III (370). Failure modes with RPN ≥ 100: center I (22), center II (115), and center III (110). Failure modes characterized by S ≥ 7, represented 68% of the failure modes for center III, 62% for center II, and 45% for center I. Failure modes with RPNs values ≥100 and S ≥ 7, D ≥ 5, and O ≥ 5 were considered as high priority in this study. The results of the present study show that the safety risk profiles for the same stereotactic radiotherapy process are different at three radiotherapy centers in Brazil. Although this is the same treatment process, this present study showed that the risk priority is different and it will lead to implementation of different safety interventions among the centers. Therefore, the current practice of applying universal device-centric QA is not adequate to address all possible failures in clinical processes at different radiotherapy centers. Integrated approaches to device-centric and process specific quality management program specific to each radiotherapy center are the key to a safe quality management program.

Failure mode and effect analysis-based quality assurance for dynamic MLC tracking systems

PubMed Central

Sawant, Amit; Dieterich, Sonja; Svatos, Michelle; Keall, Paul

2010-01-01

Purpose: To develop and implement a failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA)-based commissioning and quality assurance framework for dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) tumor tracking systems. Methods: A systematic failure mode and effect analysis was performed for a prototype real-time tumor tracking system that uses implanted electromagnetic transponders for tumor position monitoring and a DMLC for real-time beam adaptation. A detailed process tree of DMLC tracking delivery was created and potential tracking-specific failure modes were identified. For each failure mode, a risk probability number (RPN) was calculated from the product of the probability of occurrence, the severity of effect, and the detectibility of the failure. Based on the insights obtained from the FMEA, commissioning and QA procedures were developed to check (i) the accuracy of coordinate system transformation, (ii) system latency, (iii) spatial and dosimetric delivery accuracy, (iv) delivery efficiency, and (v) accuracy and consistency of system response to error conditions. The frequency of testing for each failure mode was determined from the RPN value. Results: Failures modes with RPN≥125 were recommended to be tested monthly. Failure modes with RPN<125 were assigned to be tested during comprehensive evaluations, e.g., during commissioning, annual quality assurance, and after major software∕hardware upgrades. System latency was determined to be ∼193 ms. The system showed consistent and accurate response to erroneous conditions. Tracking accuracy was within 3%–3 mm gamma (100% pass rate) for sinusoidal as well as a wide variety of patient-derived respiratory motions. The total time taken for monthly QA was ∼35 min, while that taken for comprehensive testing was ∼3.5 h. Conclusions: FMEA proved to be a powerful and flexible tool to develop and implement a quality management (QM) framework for DMLC tracking. The authors conclude that the use of FMEA-based QM ensures efficient allocation of clinical resources because the most critical failure modes receive the most attention. It is expected that the set of guidelines proposed here will serve as a living document that is updated with the accumulation of progressively more intrainstitutional and interinstitutional experience with DMLC tracking. PMID:21302802

Application of failure mode and effects analysis to intracranial stereotactic radiation surgery by linear accelerator.

PubMed

Masini, Laura; Donis, Laura; Loi, Gianfranco; Mones, Eleonora; Molina, Elisa; Bolchini, Cesare; Krengli, Marco

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the application of the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) to intracranial stereotactic radiation surgery (SRS) by linear accelerator in order to identify the potential failure modes in the process tree and adopt appropriate safety measures to prevent adverse events (AEs) and near-misses, thus improving the process quality. A working group was set up to perform FMEA for intracranial SRS in the framework of a quality assurance program. FMEA was performed in 4 consecutive tasks: (1) creation of a visual map of the process; (2) identification of possible failure modes; (3) assignment of a risk probability number (RPN) to each failure mode based on tabulated scores of severity, frequency of occurrence and detectability; and (4) identification of preventive measures to minimize the risk of occurrence. The whole SRS procedure was subdivided into 73 single steps; 116 total possible failure modes were identified and a score of severity, occurrence, and detectability was assigned to each. Based on these scores, RPN was calculated for each failure mode thus obtaining values from 1 to 180. In our analysis, 112/116 (96.6%) RPN values were <60, 2 (1.7%) between 60 and 125 (63, 70), and 2 (1.7%) >125 (135, 180). The 2 highest RPN scores were assigned to the risk of using the wrong collimator's size and incorrect coordinates on the laser target localizer frame. Failure modes and effects analysis is a simple and practical proactive tool for systematic analysis of risks in radiation therapy. In our experience of SRS, FMEA led to the adoption of major changes in various steps of the SRS procedure.

FMEA of manual and automated methods for commissioning a radiotherapy treatment planning system.

PubMed

Wexler, Amy; Gu, Bruce; Goddu, Sreekrishna; Mutic, Maya; Yaddanapudi, Sridhar; Olsen, Lindsey; Harry, Taylor; Noel, Camille; Pawlicki, Todd; Mutic, Sasa; Cai, Bin

2017-09-01

To evaluate the level of risk involved in treatment planning system (TPS) commissioning using a manual test procedure, and to compare the associated process-based risk to that of an automated commissioning process (ACP) by performing an in-depth failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). The authors collaborated to determine the potential failure modes of the TPS commissioning process using (a) approaches involving manual data measurement, modeling, and validation tests and (b) an automated process utilizing application programming interface (API) scripting, preloaded, and premodeled standard radiation beam data, digital heterogeneous phantom, and an automated commissioning test suite (ACTS). The severity (S), occurrence (O), and detectability (D) were scored for each failure mode and the risk priority numbers (RPN) were derived based on TG-100 scale. Failure modes were then analyzed and ranked based on RPN. The total number of failure modes, RPN scores and the top 10 failure modes with highest risk were described and cross-compared between the two approaches. RPN reduction analysis is also presented and used as another quantifiable metric to evaluate the proposed approach. The FMEA of a MTP resulted in 47 failure modes with an RPN ave of 161 and S ave of 6.7. The highest risk process of "Measurement Equipment Selection" resulted in an RPN max of 640. The FMEA of an ACP resulted in 36 failure modes with an RPN ave of 73 and S ave of 6.7. The highest risk process of "EPID Calibration" resulted in an RPN max of 576. An FMEA of treatment planning commissioning tests using automation and standardization via API scripting, preloaded, and pre-modeled standard beam data, and digital phantoms suggests that errors and risks may be reduced through the use of an ACP. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

The unifying role of dissipative action in the dynamic failure of solids

DOE PAGES

Grady, Dennis

2015-05-19

Dissipative action, the product of dissipation energy and transport time, is fundamental to the dynamic failure of solids. Invariance of the dissipative action underlies the fourth-power nature of structured shock waves observed in selected solid metals and compounds. Dynamic failure through shock compaction, tensile spall and adiabatic shear are also governed by a constancy of the dissipative action. This commonality underlying the various modes of dynamic failure is described and leads to deeper insights into failure of solids in the intense shock wave event. These insights are in turn leading to a better understanding of the shock deformation processes underlyingmore » the fourth-power law. Experimental result and material models encompassing the dynamic failure of solids are explored for the purpose of demonstrating commonalities leading to invariance of the dissipation action. As a result, calculations are extended to aluminum and uranium metals with the intent of predicting micro-scale energetics and spatial scales in the structured shock wave.« less

Application of failure mode and effect analysis in an assisted reproduction technology laboratory.

PubMed

Intra, Giulia; Alteri, Alessandra; Corti, Laura; Rabellotti, Elisa; Papaleo, Enrico; Restelli, Liliana; Biondo, Stefania; Garancini, Maria Paola; Candiani, Massimo; Viganò, Paola

2016-08-01

Assisted reproduction technology laboratories have a very high degree of complexity. Mismatches of gametes or embryos can occur, with catastrophic consequences for patients. To minimize the risk of error, a multi-institutional working group applied failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to each critical activity/step as a method of risk assessment. This analysis led to the identification of the potential failure modes, together with their causes and effects, using the risk priority number (RPN) scoring system. In total, 11 individual steps and 68 different potential failure modes were identified. The highest ranked failure modes, with an RPN score of 25, encompassed 17 failures and pertained to "patient mismatch" and "biological sample mismatch". The maximum reduction in risk, with RPN reduced from 25 to 5, was mostly related to the introduction of witnessing. The critical failure modes in sample processing were improved by 50% in the RPN by focusing on staff training. Three indicators of FMEA success, based on technical skill, competence and traceability, have been evaluated after FMEA implementation. Witnessing by a second human operator should be introduced in the laboratory to avoid sample mix-ups. These findings confirm that FMEA can effectively reduce errors in assisted reproduction technology laboratories. Copyright © 2016 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Failure mode and effects analysis drastically reduced potential risks in clinical trial conduct

PubMed Central

Baik, Jungmi; Kim, Hyunjung; Kim, Rachel

2017-01-01

Background Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a risk management tool to proactively identify and assess the causes and effects of potential failures in a system, thereby preventing them from happening. The objective of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of FMEA applied to an academic clinical trial center in a tertiary care setting. Methods A multidisciplinary FMEA focus group at the Seoul National University Hospital Clinical Trials Center selected 6 core clinical trial processes, for which potential failure modes were identified and their risk priority number (RPN) was assessed. Remedial action plans for high-risk failure modes (RPN >160) were devised and a follow-up RPN scoring was conducted a year later. Results A total of 114 failure modes were identified with an RPN score ranging 3–378, which was mainly driven by the severity score. Fourteen failure modes were of high risk, 11 of which were addressed by remedial actions. Rescoring showed a dramatic improvement attributed to reduction in the occurrence and detection scores by >3 and >2 points, respectively. Conclusions FMEA is a powerful tool to improve quality in clinical trials. The Seoul National University Hospital Clinical Trials Center is expanding its FMEA capability to other core clinical trial processes. PMID:29089745

Rock Fracture Toughness Study Under Mixed Mode I/III Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aliha, M. R. M.; Bahmani, A.

2017-07-01

Fracture growth in underground rock structures occurs under complex stress states, which typically include the in- and out-of-plane sliding deformation of jointed rock masses before catastrophic failure. However, the lack of a comprehensive theoretical and experimental fracture toughness study for rocks under contributions of out-of plane deformations (i.e. mode III) is one of the shortcomings of this field. Therefore, in this research the mixed mode I/III fracture toughness of a typical rock material is investigated experimentally by means of a novel cracked disc specimen subjected to bend loading. It was shown that the specimen can provide full combinations of modes I and III and consequently a complete set of mixed mode I/III fracture toughness data were determined for the tested marble rock. By moving from pure mode I towards pure mode III, fracture load was increased; however, the corresponding fracture toughness value became smaller. The obtained experimental fracture toughness results were finally predicted using theoretical and empirical fracture models.

Fatigue behavior of a cross-ply metal matrix composite at elevated temperature under strain controlled mode. Master`s thesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dennis, L.B.

1994-12-01

This research extends the existing knowledge of cross-ply metal matrix composites (MMC) to include fatigue behavior under strain-controlled fully reversed loading. This study investigated fatigue life, failure modes and damage mechanisms of the SCS-6/Ti-15-3, (O/9O)2s, MMC. The laminate was subjected to fully reversed fatigue at elevated temperature (427 deg C) at various strain levels. Stress, strain and modulus data were analyzed to characterize the macro-mechanical behavior of the composite. Microscopy and fractography were accomplished to identify and characterize the damage mechanisms at the microscopic level. Failure modes varied according to the maximum applied strain level showing either mixed mode (i.e.more » combination of both fiber and matrix dominated modes) or matrix dominated fatigue failures. As expected, higher strain loadings resulted in more ductility of the matrix at failure, evidenced by fracture surface features. For testing of the same composite laminate, the fatigue life under strain controlled mode slightly increased, compared to its load-controlled mode counterpart, using the effective strain range comparison basis. However, the respective fatigue life curves converged in the high cycle region, suggesting that the matrix dominated failure mode produces equivalent predicted fatigue lives for both control modes.« less

Effects of intra- and inter-laminar resin content on the mechanical properties of toughened composite materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grande, Dodd H.; Ilcewicz, Larry B.; Avery, William B.; Bascom, Willard D.

1991-01-01

Composite materials having multiphase toughened matrix systems and laminate architectures characterized by resin-rich interlaminar layers (RIL) have been the subject of much recent attention. Such materials are likely to find applications in thick compressively loaded structures such as the keel area of commercial aircraft fuselages. The effects of resin content and its interlaminar and intralaminar distribution on mechanical properties were investigated with test and analysis of two carbon-epoxy systems. The RIL was found to reduce the in situ strengthening effect for matrix cracking in laminates. Mode 2 fracture toughness was found to increase with increasing RIL thickness over the range investigated, and Mode 1 interlaminar toughness was negligibly affected. Compressive failure strains were found to increase with increasing resin content for specimens having no damage, holes, and impact damage. Analytical tools for predicting matrix cracking of off-axis plies and damage tolerance in compression after impact (CAI) were successfully applied to materials with RIL.

High-throughput sequencing: a failure mode analysis.

PubMed

Yang, George S; Stott, Jeffery M; Smailus, Duane; Barber, Sarah A; Balasundaram, Miruna; Marra, Marco A; Holt, Robert A

2005-01-04

Basic manufacturing principles are becoming increasingly important in high-throughput sequencing facilities where there is a constant drive to increase quality, increase efficiency, and decrease operating costs. While high-throughput centres report failure rates typically on the order of 10%, the causes of sporadic sequencing failures are seldom analyzed in detail and have not, in the past, been formally reported. Here we report the results of a failure mode analysis of our production sequencing facility based on detailed evaluation of 9,216 ESTs generated from two cDNA libraries. Two categories of failures are described; process-related failures (failures due to equipment or sample handling) and template-related failures (failures that are revealed by close inspection of electropherograms and are likely due to properties of the template DNA sequence itself). Preventative action based on a detailed understanding of failure modes is likely to improve the performance of other production sequencing pipelines.

Biomarkers of Myocardial Stress and Fibrosis as Predictors of Mode of Death in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

PubMed Central

Ahmad, Tariq; Fiuzat, Mona; Neely, Ben; Neely, Megan; Pencina, Michael J.; Kraus, William E.; Zannad, Faiez; Whellan, David J.; Donahue, Mark; Piña, Ileana L.; Adams, Kirkwood; Kitzman, Dalane W.; O’Connor, Christopher M.; Felker, G. Michael

2014-01-01

Objective To determine whether biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis improve prediction of mode of death in patients with chronic heart failure. Background The two most common modes of death in patients with chronic heart failure are pump failure and sudden cardiac death. Prediction of mode of death may facilitate treatment decisions. The relationship between NT-proBNP, galectin-3, and ST2, biomarkers that reflect different pathogenic pathways in heart failure (myocardial stress and fibrosis), and mode of death is unknown. Methods HF-ACTION was a randomized controlled trial of exercise training vs. usual care in patients with chronic heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVEF<35%). An independent clinical events committee prospectively adjudicated mode of death. NT-proBNP, galectin-3, and ST2 levels were assessed at baseline in 813 subjects. Associations between biomarkers and mode of death were assessed using cause-specific Cox-proportional hazards modeling, and interaction testing was used to measure differential association between biomarkers and pump failure versus sudden cardiac death. Discrimination and risk reclassification metrics were used to assess the added value of galectin-3 and ST2 in predicting mode of death risk beyond a clinical model that included NT-proBNP. Results After a median follow up of 2.5 years, there were 155 deaths: 49 from pump failure 42 from sudden cardiac death, and 64 from other causes. Elevations in all biomarkers were associated with increased risk of both pump failure and sudden cardiac death in both adjusted and unadjusted analyses. In each case, increases in the biomarker had a stronger association with pump failure than sudden cardiac death but this relationship was attenuated after adjustment for clinical risk factors. Clinical variables along with NT-proBNP levels were stronger predictors of pump failure (C statistic: 0.87) than sudden cardiac death (C statistic: 0.73). Addition of ST2 and galectin-3 led to improved net risk classification of 11% for sudden cardiac death, but not pump failure. Conclusions Clinical predictors along with NT-proBNP levels were strong predictors of pump failure risk, with insignificant incremental contributions of ST2 and galectin-3. Predictability of sudden cardiac death risk was less robust and enhanced by information provided by novel biomarkers. PMID:24952693

Fatigue failure of osteocyte cellular processes: implications for the repair of bone.

PubMed

Dooley, C; Cafferky, D; Lee, T C; Taylor, D

2014-01-25

The physical effects of fatigue failure caused by cyclic strain are important and for most materials well understood. However, nothing is known about this mode of failure in living cells. We developed a novel method that allowed us to apply controlled levels of cyclic displacement to networks of osteocytes in bone. We showed that under cyclic loading, fatigue failure takes place in the dendritic processes of osteocytes at cyclic strain levels as low as one tenth of the strain needed for instantaneous rupture. The number of cycles to failure was inversely correlated with the strain level. Further experiments demonstrated that these failures were not artefacts of our methods of sample preparation and testing, and that fatigue failure of cell processes also occurs in vivo. This work is significant as it is the first time it has been possible to conduct fatigue testing on cellular material of any kind. Many types of cells experience repetitive loading which may cause failure or damage requiring repair. It is clinically important to determine how cyclic strain affects cells and how they respond in order to gain a deeper understanding of the physiological processes stimulated in this manner. The more we understand about the natural repair process in bone the more targeted the intervention methods may become if disruption of the repair process occurred. Our results will help to understand how the osteocyte cell network is disrupted in the vicinity of matrix damage, a crucial step in bone remodelling.

Effects of process parameters on friction self-piercing riveting of dissimilar materials

DOE PAGES

Liu, Xun; Lim, Yong Chae; Li, Yongbing; ...

2016-05-24

In the present work, a recently developed solid state joining technique, Friction self-piercing riveting (F-SPR), has been applied for joining high strength aluminum alloy AA7075-T6 to magnesium alloy AZ31B. The process was performed on a specially designed machine where the spindle can achieve the motion of sudden stop. Effects of rivet rotating rate and punch speed on axial plunge force, torque, joint microstructure and quality have been analyzed systematically. During F-SPR, higher rotating rate and slower punch speed can reduce axial force and torque, which correspondingly results in a slightly smaller interlock between rivet leg and joined materials. Improved localmore » flowability of both aluminum and magnesium alloys under a higher rotating speed results in a thicker aluminum layer surrounding the rivet leg, where formation of Al-Mg intermetallics was observed. Equivalent joint strength obtained in this study are higher than the yield strength of the AZ31 Mg alloy. One of the tensile failure modes is the rivet fracture, which is due to local softening of rivet leg from frictional heat. Lastly, other two failure modes include rivet pullout and shear through of bottom sheet.« less

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) for Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

PubMed

Xu, Andy Yuanguang; Bhatnagar, Jagdish; Bednarz, Greg; Flickinger, John; Arai, Yoshio; Vacsulka, Jonet; Feng, Wenzheng; Monaco, Edward; Niranjan, Ajay; Lunsford, L Dade; Huq, M Saiful

2017-11-01

Gamma Knife radiosurgery is a highly precise and accurate treatment technique for treating brain diseases with low risk of serious error that nevertheless could potentially be reduced. We applied the AAPM Task Group 100 recommended failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) tool to develop a risk-based quality management program for Gamma Knife radiosurgery. A team consisting of medical physicists, radiation oncologists, neurosurgeons, radiation safety officers, nurses, operating room technologists, and schedulers at our institution and an external physicist expert on Gamma Knife was formed for the FMEA study. A process tree and a failure mode table were created for the Gamma Knife radiosurgery procedures using the Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion and 4C units. Three scores for the probability of occurrence (O), the severity (S), and the probability of no detection for failure mode (D) were assigned to each failure mode by 8 professionals on a scale from 1 to 10. An overall risk priority number (RPN) for each failure mode was then calculated from the averaged O, S, and D scores. The coefficient of variation for each O, S, or D score was also calculated. The failure modes identified were prioritized in terms of both the RPN scores and the severity scores. The established process tree for Gamma Knife radiosurgery consists of 10 subprocesses and 53 steps, including a subprocess for frame placement and 11 steps that are directly related to the frame-based nature of the Gamma Knife radiosurgery. Out of the 86 failure modes identified, 40 Gamma Knife specific failure modes were caused by the potential for inappropriate use of the radiosurgery head frame, the imaging fiducial boxes, the Gamma Knife helmets and plugs, the skull definition tools as well as other features of the GammaPlan treatment planning system. The other 46 failure modes are associated with the registration, imaging, image transfer, contouring processes that are common for all external beam radiation therapy techniques. The failure modes with the highest hazard scores are related to imperfect frame adaptor attachment, bad fiducial box assembly, unsecured plugs/inserts, overlooked target areas, and undetected machine mechanical failure during the morning QA process. The implementation of the FMEA approach for Gamma Knife radiosurgery enabled deeper understanding of the overall process among all professionals involved in the care of the patient and helped identify potential weaknesses in the overall process. The results of the present study give us a basis for the development of a risk based quality management program for Gamma Knife radiosurgery. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

How oral environment simulation affects ceramic failure behavior.

PubMed

Lodi, Ediléia; Weber, Kátia R; Benetti, Paula; Corazza, Pedro H; Della Bona, Álvaro; Borba, Márcia

2018-05-01

Investigating the mechanical behavior of ceramics in a clinically simulated scenario contributes to the development of new and tougher materials, improving the clinical performance of restorations. The optimal in vitro environment for testing is unclear. The purpose of this in vitro study was to investigate the failure behavior of a leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic under compression loading and fatigue in different simulated oral environment conditions. Fifty-three plate-shaped ceramic specimens were produced from computer-aided design and computer-aided manufactured (CAD-CAM) blocks and adhesively cemented onto a dentin analog substrate. For the monotonic test (n=23), a gradual compressive load (0.5 mm/min) was applied to the center of the specimens, immersed in 37ºC water, using a universal testing machine. The initial crack was detected with an acoustic system. The fatigue test was performed in a mechanical cycling machine (37ºC water, 2 Hz) using the boundary technique (n=30). Two lifetimes were evaluated (1×10 6 and 2×10 6 cycles). Failure analysis was performed using transillumination. Weibull distribution was used to evaluate compressive load data. A cumulative damage model with an inverse power law (IPL) lifetime-stress relationship was used to fit the fatigue data. A characteristic failure load of 1615 N and a Weibull modulus of 5 were obtained with the monotonic test. The estimated probability of failure (P f ) for 1×10 6 cycles at 100 N was 31%, at 150 N it was 55%, and at 200 N it was 75%. For 2×10 6 cycles, the P f increased approximately 20% in comparison with the values predicted for 1×10 6 cycles, which was not significant. The most frequent failure mode was a radial crack from the intaglio surface. For fatigue, combined failure modes were also found (radial crack combined with cone crack or chipping). Fatigue affects the fracture load and failure mode of leucite-reinforced glass-ceramic. Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Assistant Tool Feasibility Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flores, Melissa; Malin, Jane T.

2013-01-01

An effort to determine the feasibility of a software tool to assist in Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) has been completed. This new and unique approach to FMEA uses model based systems engineering concepts to recommend failure modes, causes, and effects to the user after they have made several selections from pick lists about a component s functions and inputs/outputs. Recommendations are made based on a library using common failure modes identified over the course of several major human spaceflight programs. However, the tool could be adapted for use in a wide range of applications from NASA to the energy industry.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) Assistant Tool Feasibility Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores, Melissa D.; Malin, Jane T.; Fleming, Land D.

2013-09-01

An effort to determine the feasibility of a software tool to assist in Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) has been completed. This new and unique approach to FMEA uses model based systems engineering concepts to recommend failure modes, causes, and effects to the user after they have made several selections from pick lists about a component's functions and inputs/outputs. Recommendations are made based on a library using common failure modes identified over the course of several major human spaceflight programs. However, the tool could be adapted for use in a wide range of applications from NASA to the energy industry.

Durability of Polymeric Encapsulation Materials for a PMMA/glass Concentrator Photovoltaic System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, David C.; Kempe, Michael D.; Muller, Matthew T

2014-04-08

The durability of polymeric encapsulation materials was examined using outdoor exposure at the nominal geometric concentration of 500 suns. The results for 36 months cumulative field deployment are presented for materials including: poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate), (EVA); polyvinyl butyral (PVB); ionomer; polyethylene/ polyoctene copolymer (PO); thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU); poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS); poly(diphenyl dimethyl siloxane) (PDPDMS); and poly(phenyl-methyl siloxane) (PPMS). Measurements of the field conditions including ambient temperature and ultraviolet (UV) dose were recorded at the test site during the experiment. Measurements for the experiment included optical transmittance (with subsequent analysis of solar-weighted transmittance, UV cut-off wavelength, and yellowness index), mass, visual photography, photoelasticmore » imaging, and fluorescence spectroscopy. While the results to date for EVA are presented and discussed, examination here focuses more on the siloxane materials. A specimen recently observed to fail by thermal decomposition is discussed in terms of the implementation of the experiment as well as its fluorescence signature, which was observed to become more pronounced with age. Modulated thermogravimetry (allowing determination of the activation energy of thermal decomposition) was performed on a subset of the siloxanes to quantify the propensity for decomposition at elevated temperatures. Supplemental, Pt-catalyst- and primer-solutions as well as peroxide-cured PDMS specimens were examined to assess the source of the luminescence. The results of the study including the change in optical transmittance, observed failure modes, and subsequent analyses of the failure modes are described in the conclusions.« less

Durability of polymeric encapsulation materials in a PMMA/glass concentrator photovoltaic system

DOE PAGES

Miller, David C.; Kempe, Michael D.; Muller, Matthew T.; ...

2016-07-13

We examined the durability of polymeric encapsulation materials using outdoor exposure at the nominal geometric concentration of 500 suns. The results for 36-month cumulative field deployment are presented for materials including: poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate), (EVA); polyvinyl butyral (PVB); ionomer; polyethylene/polyoctene copolymer (PO); thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU); poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS); poly(diphenyl dimethyl siloxane) (PDPDMS); and poly(phenyl-methyl siloxane) (PPMS). Measurements of the field conditions including ambient temperature and ultraviolet (UV) dose were recorded at the test site during the experiment. Our measurements for the experiment included optical transmittance (with subsequent analysis of solar-weighted transmittance, UV cut-off wavelength, and yellowness index), mass, visual photography, photoelastic imaging,more » and fluorescence spectroscopy. While the results to date for EVA are presented and discussed, examination here focuses more on the siloxane materials. A specimen recently observed to fail by thermal decomposition is discussed in terms of the implementation of the experiment as well as its fluorescence signature, which was observed to become more pronounced with age. Modulated thermogravimetry (allowing determination of the activation energy of thermal decomposition) was performed on a subset of the siloxanes to quantify the propensity for decomposition at elevated temperatures. Supplemental, Pt-catalyst- and primer-solutions as well as peroxide-cured PDMS specimens were examined to assess the source of the luminescence. Furthermore, our results, including the change in optical transmittance, observed failure modes, and subsequent analyses of the failure modes are described in the conclusions.« less

Development of a clinically validated bulk failure test for ceramic crowns.

PubMed

Kelly, J Robert; Rungruanganunt, Patchnee; Hunter, Ben; Vailati, Francesca

2010-10-01

Traditional testing of ceramic crowns creates a stress state and damage modes that differ greatly from those seen clinically. There is a need to develop and communicate an in vitro testing protocol that is clinically valid. The purpose of this study was to develop an in vitro failure test for ceramic single-unit prostheses that duplicates the failure mechanism and stress state observed in clinically failed prostheses. This article first compares characteristics of traditional load-to-failure tests of ceramic crowns with the growing body of evidence regarding failure origins and stress states at failure from the examination of clinically failed crowns, finite element analysis (FEA), and data from clinical studies. Based on this analysis, an experimental technique was systematically developed and test materials were identified to recreate key aspects of clinical failure in vitro. One potential dentin analog material (an epoxy filled with woven glass fibers; NEMA grade G10) was evaluated for elastic modulus in blunt contact and for bond strength to resin cement as compared to hydrated dentin. Two bases with different elastic moduli (nickel chrome and resin-based composite) were tested for influence on failure loads. The influence of water during storage and loading (both monotonic and cyclic) was examined. Loading piston materials (G10, aluminum, stainless steel) and piston designs were varied to eliminate Hertzian cracking and to improve performance. Testing was extended from a monolayer ceramic (leucite-filled glass) to a bilayer ceramic system (glass-infiltrated alumina). The influence of cyclic rate on mean failure loads was examined (2 Hz, 10 Hz, 20 Hz) with the extremes compared statistically (t test; α=.05). Failure loads were highly influenced by base elastic modulus (t test; P<.001). Cyclic loading while in water significantly decreased mean failure loads (1-way ANOVA; P=.003) versus wet storage/dry cycling (350 N vs. 1270 N). G10 was not significantly different from hydrated dentin in terms of blunt contact elastic behavior or resin cement bond strength. Testing was successful with the bilayered ceramic, and the cycling rate altered mean failure loads only slightly (approximately 5%). Test methods and materials were developed to validly simulate many aspects of clinical failure. Copyright © 2010 The Editorial Council of the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Acoustic emission monitoring of degradation of cross ply laminates.

PubMed

Aggelis, D G; Barkoula, N M; Matikas, T E; Paipetis, A S

2010-06-01

The scope of this study is to relate the acoustic activity of damage in composites to the failure mechanisms associated with these materials. Cross ply fiber reinforced composites were subjected to tensile loading with recording of their acoustic activity. Acoustic emission (AE) parameters were employed to monitor the transition of the damage mechanism from transverse cracking (mode I) to delamination (mode II). Wave propagation measurements in between loading steps revealed an increase in the relative amplitude of the propagated wave, which was attributed to the development of delamination that confined the wave to the top longitudinal plies of the composite.

Fatigue of concrete subjected to biaxial loading in the tension region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramaniam, Kolluru V. L.

Rigid airport pavement structures are subjected to repeated high-amplitude loads resulting from passing aircraft. The resulting stress-state in the concrete is a biaxial combination of compression and tension. It is of interest to model the response of plain concrete to such loading conditions and develop accurate fatigue-based material models for implementation in mechanistic pavement design procedures. The objective of this work is to characterize the quasi-static and low-cycle fatigue response of concrete subjected to biaxial stresses in the tensile-compression-tension (t-C-T) region, where the principal tensile stress is larger in magnitude than the principal compressive stress. An experimental investigation of material behavior in the biaxial t-C-T region is conducted. The experimental setup consists of the following test configurations: (a) notched concrete beams tested in three-point bend configuration, and (b) hollow concrete cylinders subjected to torsion with or without superimposed axial tensile force. The damage imparted to the material is examined using mechanical measurements and an independent nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique based on vibration measurements. The failure of concrete in t-C-T region is shown to be a local phenomenon under quasi-static and fatigue loading, wherein the specimen fails owing to a single crack. The crack propagation is studied using the principles of fracture mechanics. It is shown that the crack propagation resulting from the t-C-T loading can be predicted using mode I fracture parameters. It is observed that crack growth in constant amplitude fatigue loading is a two-phase process: a deceleration phase followed by an acceleration stage. The quasi-static load envelope is shown to predict the crack length at fatigue failure. A fracture-based fatigue failure criterion is proposed, wherein the fatigue failure can be predicted using the critical mode I stress intensity factor. A material model for the damage evolution during fatigue loading of concrete in terms of crack propagation is proposed. The crack growth acceleration stage is shown to follow Paris law. The model parameters obtained from uniaxial fatigue tests are shown to be sufficient for predicting the considered biaxial fatigue response.

Savannah River Site generic data base development

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blanton, C.H.; Eide, S.A.

This report describes the results of a project to improve the generic component failure data base for the Savannah River Site (SRS). A representative list of components and failure modes for SRS risk models was generated by reviewing existing safety analyses and component failure data bases and from suggestions from SRS safety analysts. Then sources of data or failure rate estimates were identified and reviewed for applicability. A major source of information was the Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability, or NUCLARR. This source includes an extensive collection of failure data and failure rate estimates for commercial nuclear powermore » plants. A recent Idaho National Engineering Laboratory report on failure data from the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant was also reviewed. From these and other recent sources, failure data and failure rate estimates were collected for the components and failure modes of interest. This information was aggregated to obtain a recommended generic failure rate distribution (mean and error factor) for each component failure mode.« less

Failure mode and bending moment of canine pancarpal arthrodesis constructs stabilized with two different implant systems.

PubMed

Wininger, Fred A; Kapatkin, Amy S; Radin, Alex; Shofer, Frances S; Smith, Gail K

2007-12-01

To compare failure mode and bending moment of a canine pancarpal arthrodesis construct using either a 2.7 mm/3.5 mm hybrid dynamic compression plate (HDCP) or a 3.5 mm dynamic compression plate (DCP). Paired in vitro biomechanical testing of canine pancarpal arthrodesis constructs stabilized with either a 2.7/3.5 HDCP or 3.5 DCP. Paired cadaveric canine antebrachii (n=5). Pancarpal arthrodesis constructs were loaded to failure (point of maximum load) in 4-point bending using a materials-testing machine. Using this point of failure, bending moments were calculated from system variables for each construct and the 2 plating systems compared using a paired t-test. To examine the relationship between metacarpal diameter and screw diameter failure loads, linear regression was used and Pearson' correlation coefficient was calculated. Significance was set at P<.05. HDCP failed at higher loads than DCP for 9 of 10 constructs. The absolute difference in failure rates between the 2 plates was 0.552+/-0.182 N m, P=.0144 (95% confidence interval: -0.58 to 1.68). This is an 8.1% mean difference in bending strength. There was a significant linear correlation r=0.74 (P-slope=.014) and 0.8 (P-slope=.006) between metacarpal diameter and failure loads for the HDCP and 3.5 DCP, respectively. There was a small but significant difference between bending moment at failure between 2.7/3.5 HDCP and 3.5 DCP constructs; however, the difference may not be clinically evident in all patients. The 2.7/3.5 HDCP has physical and mechanical properties making it a more desirable plate for pancarpal arthrodesis.

Modes of failure of Osteonics constrained tripolar implants: a retrospective analysis of forty-three failed implants.

PubMed

Guyen, Olivier; Lewallen, David G; Cabanela, Miguel E

2008-07-01

The Osteonics constrained tripolar implant has been one of the most commonly used options to manage recurrent instability after total hip arthroplasty. Mechanical failures were expected and have been reported. The purpose of this retrospective review was to identify the observed modes of failure of this device. Forty-three failed Osteonics constrained tripolar implants were revised at our institution between September 1997 and April 2005. All revisions related to the constrained acetabular component only were considered as failures. All of the devices had been inserted for recurrent or intraoperative instability during revision procedures. Seven different methods of implantation were used. Operative reports and radiographs were reviewed to identify the modes of failure. The average time to failure of the forty-three implants was 28.4 months. A total of five modes of failure were observed: failure at the bone-implant interface (type I), which occurred in eleven hips; failure at the mechanisms holding the constrained liner to the metal shell (type II), in six hips; failure of the retaining mechanism of the bipolar component (type III), in ten hips; dislocation of the prosthetic head at the inner bearing of the bipolar component (type IV), in three hips; and infection (type V), in twelve hips. The mode of failure remained unknown in one hip that had been revised at another institution. The Osteonics constrained tripolar total hip arthroplasty implant is a complex device involving many parts. We showed that failure of this device can occur at most of its interfaces. It would therefore appear logical to limit its application to salvage situations.

Quality Issues in Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McCarty, John P.; Lyles, Garry M.

1997-01-01

Propulsion system quality is defined in this paper as having high reliability, that is, quality is a high probability of within-tolerance performance or operation. Since failures are out-of-tolerance performance, the probability of failures and their occurrence is the difference between high and low quality systems. Failures can be described at 3 levels: the system failure (which is the detectable end of a failure), the failure mode (which is the failure process), and the failure cause (which is the start). Failure causes can be evaluated & classified by type. The results of typing flight history failures shows that most failures are in unrecognized modes and result from human error or noise, i.e. failures are when engineers learn how things really work. Although the study based on US launch vehicles, a sampling of failures from other countries indicates the finding has broad application. The parameters of the design of a propulsion system are not single valued, but have dispersions associated with the manufacturing of parts. Many tests are needed to find failures, if the dispersions are large relative to tolerances, which could contribute to the large number of failures in unrecognized modes.

Characterizing the dynamic strength of materials for ballistic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazamias, James Ulysses

We unambiguously verified the hypothesis that normal penetration in brittle materials may be represented as a bi-modal process. The first mode is governed by fundamental strength properties of the target, while the second mode is governed by the fracture kinetics. We investigated the failure response of glass under impact loading. We observed a drop in the failure wave velocity by a factor of 1/2 after unloading. While not unexpected, this drop had not been clearly observed previously. In contradiction to literature values, we observed a drop in sound speed behind the failure wave. Finally, despite the common perception that the failed material is comminuted, we observed a finite tensile strength. We proposed a new variant of the Taylor test using scaled rods to examine strain rate effects. For armor steel, we observed changes in strength greater than what would be expected from a logarithmic dependence of strength on strain rate although not enough to account for scale effects. For tungsten penetrators, we observed that smaller scale tungsten rods appeared to have more work hardening than the large scale rods which might account for scale effects. We examined the square Taylor impact problem. We showed that the square Taylor test is a new way to study shear localization under compressive-shear loading. We performed the first shock characterization of AlON. We observed that the bar impact experiment appears to differentiate between different thicknesses of ceramic tile in qualitative agreement with subscale and full scale penetration experiments. We present data supporting the lower yield strength estimate of 4.3 GPa for alumina. We performed the first bar impact characterization of AlON.

Analyses of Buckling and Stable Tearing in Thin-Sheet Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seshadri, B. R.; Newman, J. C., Jr.

1998-01-01

This paper was to verify the STAGS (general shell, geometric and material nonlinear) code and the critical crack tip opening angle (CTOA) fracture criterion for predicting stable tearing in cracked panels that fail with severe out of plane buckling. Materials considered ranged from brittle to ductile behavior. Test data used in this study are reported elsewhere. The STAGS code was used to model stable tearing using a critical CTOA value that was determined from a cracked panel that was 'restrained' from buckling. ne analysis methodology was then used to predict the influence of buckling on stable tearing and failure loads. Parameters like crack length to specimen width ratio, crack configuration, thickness, and material tensile properties had a significant influence on the buckling behavior of cracked thin sheet materials. Experimental and predicted results showed a varied buckling response for different crack length to sheet thickness ratios because different buckling modes were activated. Effects of material tensile properties and fracture toughness on buckling response were presented. The STAGS code and the CTOA fracture criterion were able to predict the influence of buckling on stable tearing behavior and failure loads on a variety of materials and crack configurations.

Global resilience analysis of water distribution systems.

PubMed

Diao, Kegong; Sweetapple, Chris; Farmani, Raziyeh; Fu, Guangtao; Ward, Sarah; Butler, David

2016-12-01

Evaluating and enhancing resilience in water infrastructure is a crucial step towards more sustainable urban water management. As a prerequisite to enhancing resilience, a detailed understanding is required of the inherent resilience of the underlying system. Differing from traditional risk analysis, here we propose a global resilience analysis (GRA) approach that shifts the objective from analysing multiple and unknown threats to analysing the more identifiable and measurable system responses to extreme conditions, i.e. potential failure modes. GRA aims to evaluate a system's resilience to a possible failure mode regardless of the causal threat(s) (known or unknown, external or internal). The method is applied to test the resilience of four water distribution systems (WDSs) with various features to three typical failure modes (pipe failure, excess demand, and substance intrusion). The study reveals GRA provides an overview of a water system's resilience to various failure modes. For each failure mode, it identifies the range of corresponding failure impacts and reveals extreme scenarios (e.g. the complete loss of water supply with only 5% pipe failure, or still meeting 80% of demand despite over 70% of pipes failing). GRA also reveals that increased resilience to one failure mode may decrease resilience to another and increasing system capacity may delay the system's recovery in some situations. It is also shown that selecting an appropriate level of detail for hydraulic models is of great importance in resilience analysis. The method can be used as a comprehensive diagnostic framework to evaluate a range of interventions for improving system resilience in future studies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Investigation of advanced fault insertion and simulator methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunn, W. R.; Cottrell, D.

1986-01-01

The cooperative agreement partly supported research leading to the open-literature publication cited. Additional efforts under the agreement included research into fault modeling of semiconductor devices. Results of this research are presented in this report which is summarized in the following paragraphs. As a result of the cited research, it appears that semiconductor failure mechanism data is abundant but of little use in developing pin-level device models. Failure mode data on the other hand does exist but is too sparse to be of any statistical use in developing fault models. What is significant in the failure mode data is that, unlike classical logic, MSI and LSI devices do exhibit more than 'stuck-at' and open/short failure modes. Specifically they are dominated by parametric failures and functional anomalies that can include intermittent faults and multiple-pin failures. The report discusses methods of developing composite pin-level models based on extrapolation of semiconductor device failure mechanisms, failure modes, results of temperature stress testing and functional modeling. Limitations of this model particularly with regard to determination of fault detection coverage and latency time measurement are discussed. Indicated research directions are presented.

Compressive Properties of Metal Matrix Syntactic Foams in Free and Constrained Compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orbulov, Imre Norbert; Májlinger, Kornél

2014-06-01

Metal matrix syntactic foam (MMSF) blocks were produced by an inert gas-assisted pressure infiltration technique. MMSFs are advanced hollow sphere reinforced-composite materials having promising application in the fields of aviation, transport, and automotive engineering, as well as in civil engineering. The produced blocks were investigated in free and constrained compression modes, and besides the characteristic mechanical properties, their deformation mechanisms and failure modes were studied. In the tests, the chemical composition of the matrix material, the size of the reinforcing ceramic hollow spheres, the applied heat treatment, and the compression mode were considered as investigation parameters. The monitored mechanical properties were the compressive strength, the fracture strain, the structural stiffness, the fracture energy, and the overall absorbed energy. These characteristics were strongly influenced by the test parameters. By the proper selection of the matrix and the reinforcement and by proper design, the mechanical properties of the MMSFs can be effectively tailored for specific and given applications.

Reconfigurable Polymer Networks for Improved Treatment of Intracranial Aneurysms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ninh, Chi Suze Q.

Endovascular embolization of intracranial aneurysms is a minimally invasive treatment in which an implanted material forms a clot to isolate the weakened vessel. Current strategy suffers from long-term potential failure modes. These potential failure modes include (1) enzymatic degradation of the fibrin clot that leads to compaction of the embolic agent, (2) incomplete filling of the aneurysm sac by embolic agent, and (3) challenging geometry of wide neck aneurysms. In the case of wide neck aneurysms, usually an assisting metal stent is used to help open the artery. However, metal stents with much higher modulus in comparison to the soft blood vessel can cause biocompatibilities issues in the long term such as infection and scarring. Motivated to solve these challenges associated with endovascular embolization, strategies to synthesize and engineer reconfigurable and biodegradable polymers as alternative therapies are evaluated in this thesis. (1) Reconfiguration of fibrin gel's modulus was achieved through crosslinking with genipin released from a biodegradable polymer matrix. (2) Reconfigurability can also be achieved by transforming triblock co-polymer hydrogel into photoresponsive material through incorporation of melanin nanoparticles as efficient photosensitizers. (3) Finally, reconfigurability can be conferred on biodegradable polyester networks via Diels-Alder coupling of furan pendant groups and dimaleimide crosslinking agent. Taken all together, this thesis describes strategies to transform a broad class of polymer networks into reconfigurable materials for improved treatment of intracranial aneurysms as well as for other biomedical applications.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, David C.; Kempe, Michael D.; Muller, Matthew T.

We examined the durability of polymeric encapsulation materials using outdoor exposure at the nominal geometric concentration of 500 suns. The results for 36-month cumulative field deployment are presented for materials including: poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate), (EVA); polyvinyl butyral (PVB); ionomer; polyethylene/polyoctene copolymer (PO); thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU); poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS); poly(diphenyl dimethyl siloxane) (PDPDMS); and poly(phenyl-methyl siloxane) (PPMS). Measurements of the field conditions including ambient temperature and ultraviolet (UV) dose were recorded at the test site during the experiment. Our measurements for the experiment included optical transmittance (with subsequent analysis of solar-weighted transmittance, UV cut-off wavelength, and yellowness index), mass, visual photography, photoelastic imaging,more » and fluorescence spectroscopy. While the results to date for EVA are presented and discussed, examination here focuses more on the siloxane materials. A specimen recently observed to fail by thermal decomposition is discussed in terms of the implementation of the experiment as well as its fluorescence signature, which was observed to become more pronounced with age. Modulated thermogravimetry (allowing determination of the activation energy of thermal decomposition) was performed on a subset of the siloxanes to quantify the propensity for decomposition at elevated temperatures. Supplemental, Pt-catalyst- and primer-solutions as well as peroxide-cured PDMS specimens were examined to assess the source of the luminescence. Furthermore, our results, including the change in optical transmittance, observed failure modes, and subsequent analyses of the failure modes are described in the conclusions.« less

Mechanical characteristics of box-section beam made of sliced-laminated Asian bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) in bending failure mode under transversal load

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karyadi, Susanto, Prijono Bagus

2017-09-01

A box-section beam has a larger moment of inertia than solid beam for the same amount of materials, so, it is expected the box-section beams has larger strength and stiffness compared to the solid beam. In other hand, research about the box-section beams, especially from bamboo lamination material, is limited. For the reason the research was done. The research aimed at finding mechanical characteristic of box-section beams made of sliced-laminated Asian bamboo in bending failure mode under transversal load. The results showed that the strength and stiffness of the box-section beams increase according to the increasing moment of inertia. The strength of the box-section beam increase up to ratio between the section height (h) and section width (b) reach 1.50. Larger than the ratio the strength of the beam will decrease. The average of bending stress at the time of beam collapse reached 106.5MPa and the average of flexural of elastic modulus reached 14.504MPa. The serviceability load reached 8.64% of the maximum load. Based on the results it can be concluded that the box-section beams made of sliced-laminated Asian bamboo more efficient in receiving the transversal load compared to the solid beam for the same amount of materials.

Biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis as predictors of mode of death in patients with chronic heart failure.

PubMed

Ahmad, Tariq; Fiuzat, Mona; Neely, Benjamin; Neely, Megan L; Pencina, Michael J; Kraus, William E; Zannad, Faiez; Whellan, David J; Donahue, Mark P; Piña, Ileana L; Adams, Kirkwood F; Kitzman, Dalane W; O'Connor, Christopher M; Felker, G Michael

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis improve prediction of the mode of death in patients with chronic heart failure. The 2 most common modes of death in patients with chronic heart failure are pump failure and sudden cardiac death. Prediction of the mode of death may facilitate treatment decisions. The relationship between amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), galectin-3, and ST2, biomarkers that reflect different pathogenic pathways in heart failure (myocardial stress and fibrosis), and mode of death is unknown. HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) was a randomized controlled trial of exercise training versus usual care in patients with chronic heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35%). An independent clinical events committee prospectively adjudicated mode of death. NT-proBNP, galectin-3, and ST2 levels were assessed at baseline in 813 subjects. Associations between biomarkers and mode of death were assessed using cause-specific Cox proportional hazards modeling, and interaction testing was used to measure differential associations between biomarkers and pump failure versus sudden cardiac death. Discrimination and risk reclassification metrics were used to assess the added value of galectin-3 and ST2 in predicting mode of death risk beyond a clinical model that included NT-proBNP. After a median follow-up period of 2.5 years, there were 155 deaths: 49 from pump failure, 42 from sudden cardiac death, and 64 from other causes. Elevations in all biomarkers were associated with increased risk for both pump failure and sudden cardiac death in both adjusted and unadjusted analyses. In each case, increases in the biomarker had a stronger association with pump failure than sudden cardiac death, but this relationship was attenuated after adjustment for clinical risk factors. Clinical variables along with NT-proBNP levels were stronger predictors of pump failure (C statistic: 0.87) than sudden cardiac death (C statistic: 0.73). Addition of ST2 and galectin-3 led to improved net risk classification of 11% for sudden cardiac death, but not pump failure. Clinical predictors along with NT-proBNP levels were strong predictors of pump failure risk, with insignificant incremental contributions of ST2 and galectin-3. Predictability of sudden cardiac death risk was less robust and enhanced by information provided by novel biomarkers. Copyright © 2014 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A maximum entropy fracture model for low and high strain-rate fracture in TinSilverCopper alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Dennis K.

SnAgCu solder alloys exhibit significant rate-dependent constitutive behavior. Solder joints made of these alloys exhibit failure modes that are also rate-dependent. Solder joints are an integral part of microelectronic packages and are subjected to a wide variety of loading conditions which range from thermo-mechanical fatigue to impact loading. Consequently, there is a need for non-empirical rate-dependent failure theory that is able to accurately predict fracture in these solder joints. In the present thesis, various failure models are first reviewed. But, these models are typically empirical or are not valid for solder joints due to limiting assumptions such as elastic behavior. Here, the development and validation of a maximum entropy fracture model (MEFM) valid for low strain-rate fracture in SnAgCu solders is presented. To this end, work on characterizing SnAgCu solder behavior at low strain-rates using a specially designed tester to estimate parameters for constitutive models is presented. Next, the maximum entropy fracture model is reviewed. This failure model uses a single damage accumulation parameter and relates the risk of fracture to accumulated inelastic dissipation. A methodology is presented to extract this model parameter through a custom-built microscale mechanical tester for Sn3.8Ag0.7Cu solder. This single parameter is used to numerically simulate fracture in two solder joints with entirely different geometries. The simulations are compared to experimentally observed fracture in these same packages. Following the simulations of fracture at low strain rate, the constitutive behavior of solder alloys across nine decades of strain rates through MTS compression tests and split-Hopkinson bar are presented. Preliminary work on using orthogonal machining as novel technique of material characterization at high strain rates is also presented. The resultant data from the MTS compression and split-Hopkinson bar tester is used to demonstrate the localization of stress to the interface of solder joints at high strain rates. The MEFM is further extended to predict failure in brittle materials. Such an extension allows for fracture prediction within intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in solder joints. It has been experimentally observed that the failure mode shifts from bulk solder to the IMC layer with increasing loading rates. The extension of the MEFM would allow for prediction of the fracture mode within the solder joint under different loading conditions. A fracture model capable of predicting failure modes at higher strain rates is necessary, as mobile electronics are becoming ubiquitous. Mobile devices are prone to being dropped which can induce loading rates within solder joints that are much larger than experienced under thermo-mechanical fatigue. A range of possible damage accumulation parameters for Cu6Sn 5 is determined for the MEFM. A value within the aforementioned range is used to demonstrate the increasing likelihood of IMC fracture in solder joints with larger loading rates. The thesis is concluded with remarks about ongoing work that include determining a more accurate damage accumulation parameter for Cu6Sn 5 IMC, and on using machining as a technique for extracting failure parameters for the MEFM.

Fiber-Optic Sensor And Smart Structures Research At Florida Institute Of Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grossman, Barry G.; Alavie, A. Tino; Ham, Fredric M.; Franke, Jorge E.; Thursby, Michael H.

1990-02-01

This paper discusses the fundamental issues being investigated by Florida Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) to implement the technology of smart structural systems for DoD, NASA, and commercial applications. Embedded sensors and actuators controlled by processors can provide a modification of the mechanical characteristics of composite structures to produce smart structures1-3. Recent advances in material science have spurred the development and use of composite materials in a wide range of applications from rotocraft blades and advanced tactical fighter aircraft to undersea and aerospace structures. Along with the advantages of an increased strength-to-weight ratio, the use of these materials has raised a number of questions related to understanding their failure mechanisms. Also, being able to predict structural failures far enough in advance to prevent them and to provide real-time structural health and damage monitoring has become a realistic possibility. Unfortunately, conventional sensors, actuators, and digital processors, although highly developed and well proven for other systems, may not be best suited for most smart structure applications. Our research has concentrated on few-mode and polarimetric single-fiber strain sensors4-7 and optically activated shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators controlled by artificial neural processors. We have constructed and characterized both few-mode and polarimetric sensors for a variety of fiber types, including standard single-mode, high-birefringence polarization preserving, and low-birefringence polarization insensitive fibers. We have investigated signal processing techniques for these sensors and have demonstrated active phase tracking for the high- and low-birefringence polarimetric sensors through the incorporation into the system of an electrooptic modulator designed and fabricated at F.I.T.. We have also started the design and testing of neural network architectures for processing the sensor signal outputs to calculate strain magnitude and actuator control signals for simple structures.

Time- and temperature-dependent failures of a bonded joint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sihn, Sangwook

This dissertation summarizes my study of time- and temperature-dependent behavior of a tubular lap bonded joint to provide a design methodology for windmill blade structures. The bonded joint is between a cast-iron rod and a GFRP composite pipe. The adhesive material is an epoxy containing chopped glass fibers. We proposed a new fabrication method to make concentric and void-less specimens of the tubular joint with a thick adhesive bondline to stimulate the root bond of a blade. The thick bondline facilitates the joint assembly of actual blades. For a better understanding of the behavior of the bonded joint, we studied viscoelastic behavior of the adhesive materials by measuring creep compliance at several temperatures during loading period. We observed that the creep compliance depends highly on the period of loading and the temperature. We applied time-temperature equivalence to the creep compliance of the adhesive material to obtain time-temperature shift factors. We also performed constant-rate of monotonically increased uniaxial tensile tests to measure static strength of the tubular lap joint at several temperatures and different strain-rates. We observed two failure modes from load-deflection curves and failed specimens. One is the brittle mode, which was caused by weakness of the interfacial strength occurring at low temperature and short period of loading. The other is the ductile mode, which was caused by weakness of the adhesive material at high temperature and long period of loading. Transition from the brittle to the ductile mode appeared as the temperature or the loading period increased. We also performed tests under uniaxial tensile-tensile cyclic loadings to measure fatigue strength of the bonded joint at several temperatures, frequencies and stress ratios. The fatigue data are analyzed statistically by applying the residual strength degradation model to calculate statistical distribution of the fatigue life. Combining the time-temperature equivalence and the residual strength degradation model enables us to estimate the fatigue life of the bonded joint at different load levels, frequencies and temperatures with a certain probability. A numerical example shows how to apply the life estimation method to a structure subjected to a random load history by rainflow cycle counting.

A biomechanical comparison of three sternotomy closure techniques.

PubMed

Cohen, David J; Griffin, Lanny V

2002-02-01

A biomechanical study of three sternotomy closure techniques (figure-of-eight stainless-steel wires, Pectofix Dynamic Sternal Fixation [DSF] stainless-steel plates, and figure-of-eight stainless-steel cables) was conducted to compare strength and stiffness variables in three clinically relevant loading modes (anterior-posterior shear, longitudinal shear, and lateral distraction). All tests were conducted on polyurethane foam sternal models that simulate the properties of cancellous bone. Each model was divided longitudinally and reconstructed using one of the sternotomy closure repair techniques. Tests were performed using a materials testing system that applies a continuously increasing amount of force in one direction to the model until it catastrophically breaks. A total of six trials of each fixation type in each of three test groups were prepared and tested, for a total of 54 tests. Strength and stiffness variables as well as a post-yield analysis of failure were evaluated. Sternums repaired using the DSF plate system are a more rigid construct than sternums repaired using the stainless-steel wires or cables in the distraction and transverse shear modes and they are not significantly different from sternums repaired with wires or cables in the longitudinal shear mode. The DSF plate system offers a 25% improvement in resistance to failure (yield) compared to wires when a transverse shear force is applied to the model. The cable system had a higher resistance to failure than the wires in all modes although the differences were not statistically significant. Additionally, the DSF plate system provides substantial reduction of the implant's cutting into the sternal model under loading as evidenced by the post-yield displacement when compared with either cables or wires for the distraction and longitudinal shear modes. For the transverse shear mode, the cables or wires would completely fail at the load for which cutting begins for the DSF. Both the DSF plate system and the stainless-steel cable system offer important advantages over figure-of-eight wire for sternal closure.

Continuous fiber ceramic matrix composites for heat engine components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tripp, David E.

1988-01-01

High strength at elevated temperatures, low density, resistance to wear, and abundance of nonstrategic raw materials make structural ceramics attractive for advanced heat engine applications. Unfortunately, ceramics have a low fracture toughness and fail catastrophically because of overload, impact, and contact stresses. Ceramic matrix composites provide the means to achieve improved fracture toughness while retaining desirable characteristics, such as high strength and low density. Materials scientists and engineers are trying to develop the ideal fibers and matrices to achieve the optimum ceramic matrix composite properties. A need exists for the development of failure models for the design of ceramic matrix composite heat engine components. Phenomenological failure models are currently the most frequently used in industry, but they are deterministic and do not adequately describe ceramic matrix composite behavior. Semi-empirical models were proposed, which relate the failure of notched composite laminates to the stress a characteristic distance away from the notch. Shear lag models describe composite failure modes at the micromechanics level. The enhanced matrix cracking stress occurs at the same applied stress level predicted by the two models of steady state cracking. Finally, statistical models take into consideration the distribution in composite failure strength. The intent is to develop these models into computer algorithms for the failure analysis of ceramic matrix composites under monotonically increasing loads. The algorithms will be included in a postprocessor to general purpose finite element programs.

On the strength of random fiber networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deogekar, S.; Picu, R. C.

2018-07-01

Damage accumulation and failure in random fiber networks is of importance in a variety of applications, from design of synthetic materials, such as paper and non-wovens, to accidental tearing of biological tissues. In this work we study these processes using three-dimensional models of athermal fiber networks, focusing attention on the modes of failure and on the relationship between network strength and network structural parameters. We consider network failure at small and large strains associated with the rupture of inter-fiber bonds. It is observed that the strength increases linearly with the network volume fraction and with the bond strength, while the stretch at peak stress is inversely related to these two parameters. A small fraction of the bonds rupture before peak stress and this fraction increases with increasing failure stretch. Rendering the bond strength stochastic causes a reduction of the network strength. However, heterogeneity retards damage localization and increases the stretch at peak stress, therefore promoting ductility.

Mechanical Properties of Transgenic Silkworm Silk Under High Strain Rate Tensile Loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, J.-M.; Claus, B.; Chen, W.

2017-12-01

Studies have shown that transgenic silkworm silk may be capable of having similar properties of spider silk while being mass-producible. In this research, the tensile stress-strain response of transgenic silkworm silk fiber is systematically characterized using a quasi-static load frame and a tension Kolsky bar over a range of strain-rates between 10^{-3} and 700/s. The results show that transgenic silkworm silk tends to have higher overall ultimate stress and failure strain at high strain rate (700/s) compared to quasi-static strain rates, indicating rate sensitivity of the material. The failure strain at the high strain rate is higher than that of spider silk. However, the stress levels are significantly below that of spider silk, and far below that of high-performance fiber. Failure surfaces are examined via scanning electron microscopy and reveal that the failure modes are similar to those of spider silk.

Cycles till failure of silver-zinc cells with completing failures modes: Preliminary data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sidik, S. M.; Leibecki, H. F.; Bozek, J. M.

1980-01-01

One hundred and twenty nine cells were run through charge-discharge cycles until failure. The experiment design was a variant of a central composite factorial in five factors. Preliminary data analysis consisted of response surface estimation of life. Batteries fail under two basic modes; a low voltage condition and an internal shorting condition. A competing failure modes analysis using maximum likelihood estimation for the extreme value life distribution was performed. Extensive diagnostics such as residual plotting and probability plotting were employed to verify data quality and choice of model.

Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA): A Bibliography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2000-01-01

Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is a bottom-up analytical process that identifies process hazards, which helps managers understand vulnerabilities of systems, as well as assess and mitigate risk. It is one of several engineering tools and techniques available to program and project managers aimed at increasing the likelihood of safe and successful NASA programs and missions. This bibliography references 465 documents in the NASA STI Database that contain the major concepts, failure modes or failure analysis, in either the basic index of the major subject terms.

Investigation of damage mechanisms in a cross-ply metal-matrix composite under thermomechanical loading. Master's thesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schubbe, J.J.

1990-12-01

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are rapidly becoming strong candidates for high temperature and high stiffness structural applications such as the Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF). This study systematically investigated the failure modes and associated damage in a cross-ply, (0/90)2s SCS6/Ti-15-3 metal matrix composite under in-phase and out-of-phase thermomechanic fatigue. Initiation and progression of fatigue damage were recorded and correlated to changes in Young's Modulus of the composite material. Experimental results show an internal stabilization of reaction zone size but degradation and separation from constituent materials under extended cyclic thermal loading. Critical to damage were transverse cracks initiating in the 90 degreesmore » plies, growing and coalescing from fiber/matrix interfaces internal to the specimen, progressing outward through the 0 degree plies before failure. Maximum mechanical strain at failure was determined to be approximately 0.0075 mm/mm. A correlation was made relating maximum matrix stress to failure life, resulting in a fatigue threshold limit of 280 MPa. An attempt was made to correlate the degradation in Young's Modulus (Damage=1-E/Eo) with the applied life cycles from different TMF tests.« less

Graduate engineering research participation in aeronautics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, A. S., Jr.

1984-01-01

Graduate student engineering research in aeronautics at Old Dominion University is surveyed. Student participation was facilitated through a NASA sponsored university program which enabled the students to complete degrees. Research summaries are provided and plans for the termination of the grant program are outlined. Project topics include: Failure modes for mechanically fastened joints in composite materials; The dynamic stability of an earth orbiting satellite deploying hinged appendages; The analysis of the Losipescu shear test for composite materials; and the effect of boundary layer structure on wing tip vortex formation and decay.

Woven TPS Mechanical Property Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzales, Gregory Lewis; Kao, David Jan-Woei; Stackpoole, Margaret M.

2013-01-01

Woven Thermal Protection Systems (WTPS) is a relatively new program funded by the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT). The WTPS approach to producing TPS architectures uses precisely engineered 3-D weaving techniques that allow tailoring material characteristics needed to meet specific mission requirements. A series of mechanical tests were performed to evaluate performance of different weave types, and get a better understanding of failure modes expected in these three-dimensional architectures. These properties will aid in material down selection and guide selection of the appropriate WTPS for a potential mission.

Researchers at NREL Find Fewer Failures of PV Panels and Different

Science.gov Websites

10, 2017 Overall failure rates for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels have fallen dramatically when Failures of PV Panels and Different Degradation Modes in Systems Installed after 2000 Researchers at NREL Find Fewer Failures of PV Panels and Different Degradation Modes in Systems Installed after 2000 April

Orbiter subsystem hardware/software interaction analysis. Volume 8: Forward reaction control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Becker, D. D.

1980-01-01

The results of the orbiter hardware/software interaction analysis for the AFT reaction control system are presented. The interaction between hardware failure modes and software are examined in order to identify associated issues and risks. All orbiter subsystems and interfacing program elements which interact with the orbiter computer flight software are analyzed. The failure modes identified in the subsystem/element failure mode and effects analysis are discussed.

Evaluating the operational risks of biomedical waste using failure mode and effects analysis.

PubMed

Chen, Ying-Chu; Tsai, Pei-Yi

2017-06-01

The potential problems and risks of biomedical waste generation have become increasingly apparent in recent years. This study applied a failure mode and effects analysis to evaluate the operational problems and risks of biomedical waste. The microbiological contamination of biomedical waste seldom receives the attention of researchers. In this study, the biomedical waste lifecycle was divided into seven processes: Production, classification, packaging, sterilisation, weighing, storage, and transportation. Twenty main failure modes were identified in these phases and risks were assessed based on their risk priority numbers. The failure modes in the production phase accounted for the highest proportion of the risk priority number score (27.7%). In the packaging phase, the failure mode 'sharp articles not placed in solid containers' had the highest risk priority number score, mainly owing to its high severity rating. The sterilisation process is the main difference in the treatment of infectious and non-infectious biomedical waste. The failure modes in the sterilisation phase were mainly owing to human factors (mostly related to operators). This study increases the understanding of the potential problems and risks associated with biomedical waste, thereby increasing awareness of how to improve the management of biomedical waste to better protect workers, the public, and the environment.

Bonding Effectiveness of Luting Composites to Different CAD/CAM Materials.

PubMed

Peumans, Marleen; Valjakova, Emilija Bajraktarova; De Munck, Jan; Mishevska, Cece Bajraktarova; Van Meerbeek, Bart

To evaluate the influence of different surface treatments of six novel CAD/CAM materials on the bonding effectiveness of two luting composites. Six different CAD/CAM materials were tested: four ceramics - Vita Mark II; IPS Empress CAD and IPS e.max CAD; Celtra Duo - one hybrid ceramic, Vita Enamic, and one composite CAD/CAM block, Lava Ultimate. A total of 60 blocks (10 per material) received various mechanical surface treatments: 1. 600-grit SiC paper; 2. sandblasting with 30-μm Al2O3; 3. tribochemical silica coating (CoJet). Subsequent chemical surface treatments involved either no further treatment (control), HF acid etching (HF), silanization (S, or HF acid etching followed by silanization (HF+S). Two specimens with the same surface treatment were bonded together using two dual-curing luting composites: Clearfil Esthetic Cement (self-etching) or Panavia SA Cement (self-adhesive). After 1 week of water storage, the microtensile bond strength of the sectioned microspecimens was measured and the failure mode was evaluated. The bonding performance of the six CAD/CAM materials was significantly influenced by surface treatment (linear mixed models, p < 0.05). The luting cement had a significant influence on bond strength for Celtra Duo and Lava Ultimate (linear mixed models, p < 0.05). Mechanical surface treatment significantly influenced the bond strength for Celtra Duo (p = 0.0117), IPS e.max CAD (p = 0.0115), and Lava Ultimate (p < 0.0001). Different chemical surface treatments resulted in the highest bond strengths for the six CAD/CAM materials: Vita Mark II and IPS Empress CAD: S, HF+S; Celtra Duo: HF, HF+S; IPS e.max CAD: HF+S; Vita Enamic: HF+S, S. For Lava Ultimate, the highest bond strengths were obtained with HF, S, HF+S. Failure analysis showed a relation between bond strength and failure type: more mixed failures were observed with higher bond strengths. Mainly adhesive failures were noticed if no further surface treatment was done. The percentage of adhesive failures was higher for CAD/CAM materials with higher flexural strength (Celtra Duo, IPS e.max CAD, and Lava Ultimate). The bond strength of luting composites to novel CAD/CAM materials is influenced by surface treatment. For each luting composite, an adhesive cementation protocol can be specified in order to obtain the highest bond to the individual CAD/CAM materials.

Safety and feasibility of STAT RAD: Improvement of a novel rapid tomotherapy-based radiation therapy workflow by failure mode and effects analysis.

PubMed

Jones, Ryan T; Handsfield, Lydia; Read, Paul W; Wilson, David D; Van Ausdal, Ray; Schlesinger, David J; Siebers, Jeffrey V; Chen, Quan

2015-01-01

The clinical challenge of radiation therapy (RT) for painful bone metastases requires clinicians to consider both treatment efficacy and patient prognosis when selecting a radiation therapy regimen. The traditional RT workflow requires several weeks for common palliative RT schedules of 30 Gy in 10 fractions or 20 Gy in 5 fractions. At our institution, we have created a new RT workflow termed "STAT RAD" that allows clinicians to perform computed tomographic (CT) simulation, planning, and highly conformal single fraction treatment delivery within 2 hours. In this study, we evaluate the safety and feasibility of the STAT RAD workflow. A failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) was performed on the STAT RAD workflow, including development of a process map, identification of potential failure modes, description of the cause and effect, temporal occurrence, and team member involvement in each failure mode, and examination of existing safety controls. A risk probability number (RPN) was calculated for each failure mode. As necessary, workflow adjustments were then made to safeguard failure modes of significant RPN values. After workflow alterations, RPN numbers were again recomputed. A total of 72 potential failure modes were identified in the pre-FMEA STAT RAD workflow, of which 22 met the RPN threshold for clinical significance. Workflow adjustments included the addition of a team member checklist, changing simulation from megavoltage CT to kilovoltage CT, alteration of patient-specific quality assurance testing, and allocating increased time for critical workflow steps. After these modifications, only 1 failure mode maintained RPN significance; patient motion after alignment or during treatment. Performing the FMEA for the STAT RAD workflow before clinical implementation has significantly strengthened the safety and feasibility of STAT RAD. The FMEA proved a valuable evaluation tool, identifying potential problem areas so that we could create a safer workflow. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Radiation Oncology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification and analysis of factors affecting thermal shock resistance of ceramic materials in solar receivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hasselman, D. P. H.; Singh, J. P.; Satyamurthy, K.

1980-01-01

An analysis was conducted of the possible modes of thermal stress failure of brittle ceramics for potential use in point-focussing solar receivers. The pertinent materials properties which control thermal stress resistance were identified for conditions of steady-state and transient heat flow, convective and radiative heat transfer, thermal buckling and thermal fatigue as well as catastrophic crack propagation. Selection rules for materials with optimum thermal stress resistance for a particular thermal environment were identified. Recommendations for materials for particular components were made. The general requirements for a thermal shock testing program quantitatively meaningful for point-focussing solar receivers were outlined. Recommendations for follow-on theoretical analyses were made.

Operating Experience and Reliability Improvements on the 5 kW CW Klystron at Jefferson Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nelson, R.; Holben, S.

1997-05-01

With substantial operating hours on the RF system, considerable information on reliability of the 5 kW CW klystrons has been obtained. High early failure rates led to examination of the operating conditions and failure modes. Internal ceramic contamination caused premature failure of gun potting material and ultimate tube demise through arcing or ceramic fracture. A planned course of repotting and reconditioning of approximately 300 klystrons, plus careful attention to operating conditions and periodic analysis of operational data, has substantially reduced the failure rate. It is anticipated that implementation of planned supplemental monitoring systems for the klystrons will allow most catastrophic failures to be avoided. By predicting end of life, tubes can be changed out before they fail, thus minimizing unplanned downtime. Initial tests have also been conducted on this same klystron operated at higher voltages with resultant higher output power. The outcome of these tests will provide information to be considered for future upgrades to the accelerator.

On the Use of Biaxial Properties in Modeling Annulus as a Holzapfel–Gasser–Ogden Material

PubMed Central

Momeni Shahraki, Narjes; Fatemi, Ali; Goel, Vijay K.; Agarwal, Anand

2015-01-01

Besides the biology, stresses and strains within the tissue greatly influence the location of damage initiation and mode of failure in an intervertebral disk. Finite element models of a functional spinal unit (FSU) that incorporate reasonably accurate geometry and appropriate material properties are suitable to investigate such issues. Different material models and techniques have been used to model the anisotropic annulus fibrosus, but the abilities of these models to predict damage initiation in the annulus and to explain clinically observed phenomena are unclear. In this study, a hyperelastic anisotropic material model for the annulus with two different sets of material constants, experimentally determined using uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions, were incorporated in a 3D finite element model of a ligamentous FSU. The purpose of the study was to highlight the biomechanical differences (e.g., intradiscal pressure, motion, forces, stresses, strains, etc.) due to the dissimilarity between the two sets of material properties (uniaxial and biaxial). Based on the analyses, the biaxial constants simulations resulted in better agreements with the in vitro and in vivo data, and thus are more suitable for future damage analysis and failure prediction of the annulus under complex multiaxial loading conditions. PMID:26090359

Performance et caracterisation a l'arrachement des tiges en FRP de carbone utilisees pour renforcement au cisaillement par la methode ETS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ammar Khodja, L'Hady

The rehabilitation and strengthening concrete structures in shear using composite materials such as externally bonded (EB) or near surface mounted rebar (NSMR) are well established techniques. However, debonding of these strengthening materials is still present and constitute the principal cause of shear failure of beams strengthened with composite materials. A new method called ETS (Embedded Through Section) was recently developed in order to avoid premature failures due to debonding of composite materials. The objective of this study is to highlight the importance and influence of important parameters on the behavior of CFRP bars anchorages subjected to pullout forces. These parameters are: concrete strength, anchorage length of CFRP bars, hole diameter in concrete, diameter of the bar and CFRP surface type (smooth versus sanded). Understanding the influence of these parameters on the relationship between the pullout force and the slip is paramount. This allows an accurate description of the behavior of all elements that contribute to the resistance of the CFRP bars pullout. A series of 25 specimens were subjected to pullout tests. The impact of these parameters on the pullout performance of CFRP rods is summarized in terms of failure mode, ultimate tensile strength and loading force slip relationship. The results of these investigations show that using the ETS method, failure of the anchors can be avoided by providing adequate anchorage length and concrete strength. The method provides greater confinement and thus leads to a substantial improvement in the performance of anchors. As a result, designers will be able to avoid failures that are due to debonding of anchors using thereby the full capabilities of reinforced beams strengthened in shear with EB FRP. Keywords: ETS method, shear, strengthening, anchor, slip, FRP, NSM.

Using failure mode and effects analysis to improve the safety of neonatal parenteral nutrition.

PubMed

Arenas Villafranca, Jose Javier; Gómez Sánchez, Araceli; Nieto Guindo, Miriam; Faus Felipe, Vicente

2014-07-15

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) was used to identify potential errors and to enable the implementation of measures to improve the safety of neonatal parenteral nutrition (PN). FMEA was used to analyze the preparation and dispensing of neonatal PN from the perspective of the pharmacy service in a general hospital. A process diagram was drafted, illustrating the different phases of the neonatal PN process. Next, the failures that could occur in each of these phases were compiled and cataloged, and a questionnaire was developed in which respondents were asked to rate the following aspects of each error: incidence, detectability, and severity. The highest scoring failures were considered high risk and identified as priority areas for improvements to be made. The evaluation process detected a total of 82 possible failures. Among the phases with the highest number of possible errors were transcription of the medical order, formulation of the PN, and preparation of material for the formulation. After the classification of these 82 possible failures and of their relative importance, a checklist was developed to achieve greater control in the error-detection process. FMEA demonstrated that use of the checklist reduced the level of risk and improved the detectability of errors. FMEA was useful for detecting medication errors in the PN preparation process and enabling corrective measures to be taken. A checklist was developed to reduce errors in the most critical aspects of the process. Copyright © 2014 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.

Determination of Turbine Blade Life from Engine Field Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaretsky, Erwin V.; Litt, Jonathan S.; Hendricks, Robert C.; Soditus, Sherry M.

2013-01-01

It is probable that no two engine companies determine the life of their engines or their components in the same way or apply the same experience and safety factors to their designs. Knowing the failure mode that is most likely to occur minimizes the amount of uncertainty and simplifies failure and life analysis. Available data regarding failure mode for aircraft engine blades, while favoring low-cycle, thermal-mechanical fatigue (TMF) as the controlling mode of failure, are not definitive. Sixteen high-pressure turbine (HPT) T-1 blade sets were removed from commercial aircraft engines that had been commercially flown by a single airline and inspected for damage. Each set contained 82 blades. The damage was cataloged into three categories related to their mode of failure: (1) TMF, (2) Oxidation/erosion (O/E), and (3) Other. From these field data, the turbine blade life was determined as well as the lives related to individual blade failure modes using Johnson-Weibull analysis. A simplified formula for calculating turbine blade life and reliability was formulated. The L10 blade life was calculated to be 2427 cycles (11 077 hr). The resulting blade life attributed to O/E equaled that attributed to TMF. The category that contributed most to blade failure was Other. If there were no blade failures attributed to O/E and TMF, the overall blade L(sub 10) life would increase approximately 11 to 17 percent.

Gear Crack Propagation Path Studies-- Guidelines Developed for Ultrasafe Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lewicki, David G.

2002-01-01

Effective gear designs balance strength, durability, reliability, size, weight, and cost. However, unexpected gear failures may occur even with adequate gear tooth design. To design an extremely safe system, the designer must ask and address the question "What happens when a failure occurs?" With regard to gear-tooth bending fatigue, tooth or rim fractures may occur. For aircraft, a crack that propagated through a rim would be catastrophic, leading to the disengagement of a rotor or propeller, the loss of an aircraft, and possible fatalities. This failure mode should be avoided. However, a crack that propagated through a tooth might or might not be catastrophic, depending on the design and operating conditions. Also, early warning of this failure mode might be possible because of advances in modern diagnostic systems. An analysis was performed at the NASA Glenn Research Center to develop design guidelines to prevent catastrophic rim fracture failure modes in the event of gear-tooth bending fatigue. The finite element method was used with principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics. Crack propagation paths were predicted for a variety of gear tooth and rim configurations. The effects of rim and web thicknesses, initial crack locations, and gear-tooth geometry factors such as diametral pitch, number of teeth, pitch radius, and tooth pressure angle were considered. Design maps of tooth and rim fracture modes, including the effects of gear geometry, applied load, crack size, and material properties were developed. The occurrence of rim fractures significantly increased as the backup ratio (rim thickness divided by tooth height) decreased. The occurrence of rim fractures also increased as the initial crack location was moved down the root of the tooth. Increased rim and web compliance increased the occurrence of rim fractures. For gears with constant-pitch radii, coarser-pitch teeth increased the occurrence of tooth fractures over rim fractures. Also, 25 degree pressure angle teeth increased the occurrence of tooth fractures over rim fractures in comparison to 20 pressure angle teeth. For gears with a constant number of teeth or for gears with constant diametral pitch, varying size had little or no effect on crack propagation paths.

Failure mode and effects analysis of skin electronic brachytherapy using Esteya® unit

PubMed Central

Bautista-Ballesteros, Juan Antonio; Bonaque, Jorge; Celada, Francisco; Lliso, Françoise; Carmona, Vicente; Gimeno-Olmos, Jose; Ouhib, Zoubir; Rosello, Joan; Perez-Calatayud, Jose

2016-01-01

Purpose Esteya® (Nucletron, an Elekta company, Elekta AB, Stockholm, Sweden) is an electronic brachytherapy device used for skin cancer lesion treatment. In order to establish an adequate level of quality of treatment, a risk analysis of the Esteya treatment process has been done, following the methodology proposed by the TG-100 guidelines of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). Material and methods A multidisciplinary team familiar with the treatment process was formed. This team developed a process map (PM) outlining the stages, through which a patient passed when subjected to the Esteya treatment. They identified potential failure modes (FM) and each individual FM was assessed for the severity (S), frequency of occurrence (O), and lack of detection (D). A list of existing quality management tools was developed and the FMs were consensually reevaluated. Finally, the FMs were ranked according to their risk priority number (RPN) and their S. Results 146 FMs were identified, 106 of which had RPN ≥ 50 and 30 had S ≥ 7. After introducing the quality management tools, only 21 FMs had RPN ≥ 50. The importance of ensuring contact between the applicator and the surface of the patient’s skin was emphasized, so the setup was reviewed by a second individual before each treatment session with periodic quality control to ensure stability of the applicator pressure. Some of the essential quality management tools are already being implemented in the installation are the simple templates for reproducible positioning of skin applicators, that help marking the treatment area and positioning of X-ray tube. Conclusions New quality management tools have been established as a result of the application of the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) treatment. However, periodic update of the FMEA process is necessary, since clinical experience has suggested occurring of further new possible potential failure modes. PMID:28115958

Innovative fabrication processing of advanced composite materials concepts for primary aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kassapoglou, Christos; Dinicola, Al J.; Chou, Jack C.

1992-01-01

The autoclave based THERM-X(sub R) process was evaluated by cocuring complex curved panels with frames and stiffeners. The process was shown to result in composite parts of high quality with good compaction at sharp radius regions and corners of intersecting parts. The structural properties of the postbuckled panels fabricated were found to be equivalent to those of conventionally tooled hand laid-up parts. Significant savings in bagging time over conventional tooling were documented. Structural details such as cocured shear ties and embedded stiffener flanges in the skin were found to suppress failure modes such as failure at corners of intersecting members and skin stiffeners separation.

Low temperature impact toughness of the main gas pipeline steel after long-term degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruschak, Pavlo O.; Danyliuk, Iryna M.; Bishchak, Roman T.; Vuherer, Tomaž

2014-12-01

The correlation of microstructure, temperature and Charpy V-notch impact properties of a steel 17G1S pipeline steel was investigated in this study. Within the concept of physical mesomechanics, the dynamic failure of specimens is represented as a successive process of the loss of shear stability, which takes place at different structural/scale levels of the material. Characteristic stages are analyzed for various modes of failure, moreover, typical levels of loading and oscillation periods, etc. are determined. Relations between low temperature derived through this test, microstructures and Charpy (V-notch) toughness test results are also discussed in this paper.

Investigation of Variability in Fatigue Crack Nucleation and Propagation in Alpha+Beta Ti-6Al-4V

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

4 ], Laz et al. [5], and Jha et al. [ 6 -7]. Jha has shown that materials often exhibit a dual failure mode that is...000–000 5 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 10 4 10 5 10 6 10 7 10 8 EP LSG EP Mean Figure 3: Fatigue test data at R = 0.1 with solid lines on the means of...failures are the subject of further research. 500 550 600 650 700 750 800 10 4 10 5 10 6 10 7 10 8 EP LSG EP, FM Figure 5: Fatigue test data with

Status and Evaluation of Microwave Furnace Capabilities at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lizcano, Maricela; Mackey, Jonathan A.

2014-01-01

The microwave (MW) furnace is a HY-Tech Microwave Systems, 2 kW 2.45 GHz Single Mode Microwave Applicator operating in continuous wave (CW) with variable power. It is located in Cleveland, Ohio at NASA Glenn Research Center. Until recently, the furnace capabilities had not been fully realized due to unknown failure that subsequently damaged critical furnace components. Although the causes of the problems were unknown, an assessment of the furnace itself indicated operational failure may have been partially caused by power quality. This report summarizes the status of the MW furnace and evaluates its capabilities in materials processing.

Instrumentation Cables Test Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muna, Alice Baca; LaFleur, Chris Bensdotter

A fire at a nuclear power plant (NPP) has the potential to damage structures, systems, and components important to safety, if not promptly detected and suppressed. At Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant on March 22, 1975, a fire in the reactor building damaged electrical power and control systems. Damage to instrumentation cables impeded the function of both normal and standby reactor coolant systems, and degraded the operators’ plant monitoring capability. This event resulted in additional NRC involvement with utilities to ensure that NPPs are properly protected from fire as intended by the NRC principle design criteria (i.e., general design criteriamore » 3, Fire Protection). Current guidance and methods for both deterministic and performance based approaches typically make conservative (bounding) assumptions regarding the fire-induced failure modes of instrumentation cables and those failure modes effects on component and system response. Numerous fire testing programs have been conducted in the past to evaluate the failure modes and effects of electrical cables exposed to severe thermal conditions. However, that testing has primarily focused on control circuits with only a limited number of tests performed on instrumentation circuits. In 2001, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted a series of cable fire tests designed to address specific aspects of the cable failure and circuit fault issues of concern1. The NRC was invited to observe and participate in that program. The NRC sponsored Sandia National Laboratories to support this participation, whom among other things, added a 4-20 mA instrumentation circuit and instrumentation cabling to six of the tests. Although limited, one insight drawn from those instrumentation circuits tests was that the failure characteristics appeared to depend on the cable insulation material. The results showed that for thermoset insulated cables, the instrument reading tended to drift and fluctuate, while the thermoplastic insulated cables, the instrument reading fell off-scale rapidly. From an operational point of view, the latter failure characteristics would likely be identified as a failure from the effects of fire, while the former may result in inaccurate readings.« less

Failure strengths of denture teeth fabricated on injection molded or compression molded denture base resins.

PubMed

Robison, Nathan E; Tantbirojn, Daranee; Versluis, Antheunis; Cagna, David R

2016-08-01

Denture tooth fracture or debonding remains a common problem in removable prosthodontics. The purpose of this in vitro study was to explore factors determining failure strengths for combinations of different denture tooth designs (shape, materials) and injection or compression molded denture base resins. Three central incisor denture tooth designs were tested: nanohybrid composite (NHC; Ivoclar Phonares II), interpenetrating network (IPN; Dentsply Portrait), and microfiller reinforced polyacrylic (MRP; VITA Physiodens). Denture teeth of each type were processed on an injection molded resin (IvoBase HI; Ivoclar Vivadent AG) or a compression molded resin (Lucitone 199; Dentsply Intl) (n=11 or 12). The denture teeth were loaded at 45 degrees on the incisal edge. The failure load was recorded and analyzed with 2-way ANOVA (α=.05), and the fracture mode was categorized from observed fracture surfaces as cohesive, adhesive, or mixed failure. The following failure loads (mean ±SD) were recorded: NHC/injection molded 280 ±52 N; IPN/injection molded 331 ±41 N; MRP/injection molded 247 ±23 N; NHC/compression molded 204 ±31 N; IPN/compression molded 184 ±17 N; MRP/compression molded 201 ±16 N. Injection molded resin yielded significantly higher failure strength for all denture teeth (P<.001), among which IPN had the highest strength. Failure was predominantly cohesive in the teeth, with the exception of mixed mode for the IPN/compression group. When good bonding was achieved, the strength of the structure (denture tooth/base resin combination) was determined by the strength of the denture teeth, which may be affected by the processing technique. Copyright © 2016 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Structural health monitoring of wind turbine blades : SE 265 Final Project.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Barkley, W. C.; Jacobs, Laura D.; Rutherford, A. C.

2006-03-23

ACME Wind Turbine Corporation has contacted our dynamic analysis firm regarding structural health monitoring of their wind turbine blades. ACME has had several failures in previous years. Examples are shown in Figure 1. These failures have resulted in economic loss for the company due to down time of the turbines (lost revenue) and repair costs. Blade failures can occur in several modes, which may depend on the type of construction and load history. Cracking and delamination are some typical modes of blade failure. ACME warranties its turbines and wishes to decrease the number of blade failures they have to repairmore » and replace. The company wishes to implement a real time structural health monitoring system in order to better understand when blade replacement is necessary. Because of warranty costs incurred to date, ACME is interested in either changing the warranty period for the blades in question or predicting imminent failure before it occurs. ACME's current practice is to increase the number of physical inspections when blades are approaching the end of their fatigue lives. Implementation of an in situ monitoring system would eliminate or greatly reduce the need for such physical inspections. Another benefit of such a monitoring system is that the life of any given component could be extended since real conditions would be monitored. The SHM system designed for ACME must be able to operate while the wind turbine is in service. This means that wireless communication options will likely be implemented. Because blade failures occur due to cyclic stresses in the blade material, the sensing system will focus on monitoring strain at various points.« less

Fatigue crack growth in an aluminum alloy-fractographic study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salam, I.; Muhammad, W.; Ejaz, N.

2016-08-01

A two-fold approach was adopted to understand the fatigue crack growth process in an Aluminum alloy; fatigue crack growth test of samples and analysis of fractured surfaces. Fatigue crack growth tests were conducted on middle tension M(T) samples prepared from an Aluminum alloy cylinder. The tests were conducted under constant amplitude loading at R ratio 0.1. The stress applied was from 20,30 and 40 per cent of the yield stress of the material. The fatigue crack growth data was recorded. After fatigue testing, the samples were subjected to detailed scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis. The resulting fracture surfaces were subjected to qualitative and quantitative fractographic examinations. Quantitative fracture analysis included an estimation of crack growth rate (CGR) in different regions. The effect of the microstructural features on fatigue crack growth was examined. It was observed that in stage II (crack growth region), the failure mode changes from intergranular to transgranular as the stress level increases. In the region of intergranular failure the localized brittle failure was observed and fatigue striations are difficult to reveal. However, in the region of transgranular failure the crack path is independent of the microstructural features. In this region, localized ductile failure mode was observed and well defined fatigue striations were present in the wake of fatigue crack. The effect of interaction of growing fatigue crack with microstructural features was not substantial. The final fracture (stage III) was ductile in all the cases.

Skin-Stiffener Debond Prediction Based on Computational Fracture Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krueger, Ronald; Minguet, Pierre J.; Gates, Tom (Technical Monitor)

2005-01-01

Interlaminar fracture mechanics has proven useful for characterizing the onset of delaminations in composites and has been used with limited success primarily to investigate onset in fracture toughness specimens and laboratory size coupon type specimens. Future acceptance of the methodology by industry and certification authorities however, requires the successful demonstration of the methodology on structural level. For this purpose a panel was selected that is reinforced with stringers. Shear loading causes the panel to buckle and the resulting out-of-plane deformations initiate skin/stringer separation at the location of an embedded defect. For finite element analysis, the panel and surrounding load fixture were modeled with shell elements. A small section of the stringer foot and the panel in the vicinity of the embedded defect were modeled with a local 3D solid model. Across the width of the stringer foot the mixed-mode strain energy release rates were calculated using the virtual crack closure technique. A failure index was calculated by correlating the results with the mixed-mode failure criterion of the graphite/epoxy material. For small applied loads the failure index is well below one across the entire width. With increasing load the failure index approaches one first near the edge of the stringer foot from which delamination is expected to grow. With increasing delamination lengths the buckling pattern of the panel changes and the failure index increases which suggests that rapid delamination growth from the initial defect is to be expected.

Perforation of thin aluminum alloy plates by blunt projectiles: An experimental and numerical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, G.; Zhang, W.

2014-04-01

Reducing the armor weight has become a research focus in terms of armored material. Due to high strength-to-density ratio, aluminum alloy has become a potential light armored material. In this study, both lab-scale ballistic test and finite element simulation were adopted to examine the ballistic resistance of aluminum alloy targets. Blunt high strength steel projectiles with 12.7 mm diameter were launched by light gas gun against 3.3 mm thickness 7A04 aluminum alloy plates at a velocity of 90~170 m/s. The ballistic limit velocity was obtained. Plugging failure and obvious structure deformation of targets were observed. Corresponding 2D finite element simulations were conducted by ABAQUS/EXPLICIT combined with material performance testing. The validity of numerical simulations was verified by comparing with the experimental results. Detailed analysis of the failure modes and characters of the targets were carried out to reveal the target damage mechanism combined with the numerical simulation.

Chemical failure modes of AlQ3-based OLEDs: AlQ3 hydrolysis.

PubMed

Knox, John E; Halls, Mathew D; Hratchian, Hrant P; Schlegel, H Bernhard

2006-03-28

Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III), AlQ3, is used in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as an electron-transport material and emitting layer. The reaction of AlQ3 with trace H2O has been implicated as a major failure pathway for AlQ3-based OLEDs. Hybrid density functional calculations have been carried out to characterize the hydrolysis of AlQ3. The thermochemical and atomistic details for this important reaction are reported for both the neutral and oxidized AlQ3/AlQ3+ systems. In support of experimental conclusions, the neutral hydrolysis reaction pathway is found to be a thermally activated process, having a classical barrier height of 24.2 kcal mol(-1). First-principles infrared and electronic absorption spectra are compared to further characterize AlQ3 and the hydrolysis pathway product, AlQ2OH. The activation energy for the cationic AlQ3 hydrolysis pathway is found to be 8.5 kcal mol(-1) lower than for the neutral reaction, which is significant since it suggests a role for charge imbalance in promoting chemical failure modes in OLED devices.

The Impact of Thermocycling Process on the Dislodgement Force of Different Endodontic Cements

PubMed Central

Saghiri, Mohammad Ali; Asatourian, Armen; Garcia-Godoy, Franklin; Gutmann, James L.; Sheibani, Nader

2013-01-01

To evaluate the effects of thermocycling (500 cycles, 5°C/55°C) on the push-out bond strength of calcium silicate based cements including WMTA, Nano-WMTA, and Bioaggregate to root dentin. Forty-eight dentin slices were prepared and divided into 3 groups (n = 16) and filled with Angelus WMTA, Nano-WMTA, or Bioaggregate. After incubation, half of the samples were thermocycled while the other half remained untreated. Push-out bond strength was calculated, and the modes of the bond failures were determined by SEM. The highest bond strength was seen in nonthermocycled Nano-WMTA samples and the lowest in thermocycled Bioaggregate samples. The significant differences between nonthermocycled and thermocycled samples were only noticed in WMTA and Nano-WMTA groups (P < 0.001). The mode of failure for thermocycled samples of all three cements was mostly cohesive. Thermocycling process can drastically affect the push-out bond strength of calcium silicate based cements. The intrastructural damages occurred due to the thermal stresses, causing cohesive failures in set materials. Sealing property of endodontic cements which have experienced the thermal stresses can be jeopardized due to occlusal forces happening in furcation cites. PMID:24063004

Scanning electron microscope fractography of induced fatigue-damaged saline breast implants.

PubMed

Brandon, H J; Jerina, K L; Savoy, T L; Wolf, C J

2006-01-01

Breast implant strength and durability is presently an important topic in biomaterials science. Research studies are being conducted to determine the mechanisms and rates of failure in order to assess the in vivo performance of breast implants. Fatigue life is a measure of breast implant durability since fatigue failure is a potential in vivo failure mechanism. This study describes the characterization of the fracture surface morphology of breast implant shell regions that have failed due to cyclic fatigue. Saline breast implants were fatigue tested to failure using a laboratory apparatus in which flat plates cyclically compressed the implants. The implants were unimplanted control devices of both textured and smooth saline implants. The failure surfaces of the fatigued shells were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The morphological features of the failure surfaces are described for implants with short and long fatigue lifetimes. The details of both the inside and outside surfaces of the shell at the failure location are described. Two different modes of failure were observed in both the textured and smooth shells. These modes depend on the magnitude of the cyclic load and corresponding number of fatigue cycles at failure. The first mode is a tear in the shell of about 18 mm in length, and the second mode is a pinhole approximately 1 mm in diameter. Details of the surface morphology for these two types of failure modes and shell thickness data are presented herein. There was no significant change in the crosslink density of the shell as a result of fatigue.

Concepts and techniques for ultrasonic evaluation of material mechanical properties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vary, A.

1980-01-01

Ultrasonic methods that can be used for material strength are reviewed. Emergency technology involving advanced ultrasonic techniques and associated measurements is described. It is shown that ultrasonic NDE is particularly useful in this area because it involves mechanical elastic waves that are strongly modulated by morphological factors that govern mechanical strength and also dynamic failure modes. These aspects of ultrasonic NDE are described in conjunction with advanced approaches and theoretical concepts for signal acquisition and analysis for materials characterization. It is emphasized that the technology is in its infancy and that much effort is still required before the techniques and concepts can be transferred from laboratory to field conditions.

UAV Swarm Behavior Modeling for Early Exposure of Failure Modes

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

Systems Center Atlantic, for his patience with me through this two-year process. He worked with my schedule and was very understanding of the...emergence of new failure modes? The MP modeling environment provides a breakdown of all potential event traces. Given that the research questions call...for the revelation of potential failure modes, MP was selected as the modeling environment because it provides a substantial set of results and data

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the pyrotechnics subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, W. W.

1988-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Pyrotechnics hardware. The IOA analysis process utilized available pyrotechnics hardware drawings and schematics for defining hardware assemblies, components, and hardware items. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode.

Simulation Assisted Risk Assessment: Blast Overpressure Modeling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawrence, Scott L.; Gee, Ken; Mathias, Donovan; Olsen, Michael

2006-01-01

A probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) approach has been developed and applied to the risk analysis of capsule abort during ascent. The PRA is used to assist in the identification of modeling and simulation applications that can significantly impact the understanding of crew risk during this potentially dangerous maneuver. The PRA approach is also being used to identify the appropriate level of fidelity for the modeling of those critical failure modes. The Apollo launch escape system (LES) was chosen as a test problem for application of this approach. Failure modes that have been modeled and/or simulated to date include explosive overpressure-based failure, explosive fragment-based failure, land landing failures (range limits exceeded either near launch or Mode III trajectories ending on the African continent), capsule-booster re-contact during separation, and failure due to plume-induced instability. These failure modes have been investigated using analysis tools in a variety of technical disciplines at various levels of fidelity. The current paper focuses on the development and application of a blast overpressure model for the prediction of structural failure due to overpressure, including the application of high-fidelity analysis to predict near-field and headwinds effects.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Teixeira, Flavia C., E-mail: flavitiz@gmail.com; Almeida, Carlos E. de; Saiful Huq, M.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate the safety and quality management program for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) treatment processes at three radiotherapy centers in Brazil by using three industrial engineering tools (1) process mapping, (2) failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), and (3) fault tree analysis. Methods: The recommendations of Task Group 100 of American Association of Physicists in Medicine were followed to apply the three tools described above to create a process tree for SRS procedure for each radiotherapy center and then FMEA was performed. Failure modes were identified for all process steps and values of riskmore » priority number (RPN) were calculated from O, S, and D (RPN = O × S × D) values assigned by a professional team responsible for patient care. Results: The subprocess treatment planning was presented with the highest number of failure modes for all centers. The total number of failure modes were 135, 104, and 131 for centers I, II, and III, respectively. The highest RPN value for each center is as follows: center I (204), center II (372), and center III (370). Failure modes with RPN ≥ 100: center I (22), center II (115), and center III (110). Failure modes characterized by S ≥ 7, represented 68% of the failure modes for center III, 62% for center II, and 45% for center I. Failure modes with RPNs values ≥100 and S ≥ 7, D ≥ 5, and O ≥ 5 were considered as high priority in this study. Conclusions: The results of the present study show that the safety risk profiles for the same stereotactic radiotherapy process are different at three radiotherapy centers in Brazil. Although this is the same treatment process, this present study showed that the risk priority is different and it will lead to implementation of different safety interventions among the centers. Therefore, the current practice of applying universal device-centric QA is not adequate to address all possible failures in clinical processes at different radiotherapy centers. Integrated approaches to device-centric and process specific quality management program specific to each radiotherapy center are the key to a safe quality management program.« less

A bivariate model for analyzing recurrent multi-type automobile failures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sunethra, A. A.; Sooriyarachchi, M. R.

2017-09-01

The failure mechanism in an automobile can be defined as a system of multi-type recurrent failures where failures can occur due to various multi-type failure modes and these failures are repetitive such that more than one failure can occur from each failure mode. In analysing such automobile failures, both the time and type of the failure serve as response variables. However, these two response variables are highly correlated with each other since the timing of failures has an association with the mode of the failure. When there are more than one correlated response variables, the fitting of a multivariate model is more preferable than separate univariate models. Therefore, a bivariate model of time and type of failure becomes appealing for such automobile failure data. When there are multiple failure observations pertaining to a single automobile, such data cannot be treated as independent data because failure instances of a single automobile are correlated with each other while failures among different automobiles can be treated as independent. Therefore, this study proposes a bivariate model consisting time and type of failure as responses adjusted for correlated data. The proposed model was formulated following the approaches of shared parameter models and random effects models for joining the responses and for representing the correlated data respectively. The proposed model is applied to a sample of automobile failures with three types of failure modes and up to five failure recurrences. The parametric distributions that were suitable for the two responses of time to failure and type of failure were Weibull distribution and multinomial distribution respectively. The proposed bivariate model was programmed in SAS Procedure Proc NLMIXED by user programming appropriate likelihood functions. The performance of the bivariate model was compared with separate univariate models fitted for the two responses and it was identified that better performance is secured by the bivariate model. The proposed model can be used to determine the time and type of failure that would occur in the automobiles considered here.

The Use of Probabilistic Methods to Evaluate the Systems Impact of Component Design Improvements on Large Turbofan Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Packard, Michael H.

2002-01-01

Probabilistic Structural Analysis (PSA) is now commonly used for predicting the distribution of time/cycles to failure of turbine blades and other engine components. These distributions are typically based on fatigue/fracture and creep failure modes of these components. Additionally, reliability analysis is used for taking test data related to particular failure modes and calculating failure rate distributions of electronic and electromechanical components. How can these individual failure time distributions of structural, electronic and electromechanical component failure modes be effectively combined into a top level model for overall system evaluation of component upgrades, changes in maintenance intervals, or line replaceable unit (LRU) redesign? This paper shows an example of how various probabilistic failure predictions for turbine engine components can be evaluated and combined to show their effect on overall engine performance. A generic model of a turbofan engine was modeled using various Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) tools (Quantitative Risk Assessment Software (QRAS) etc.). Hypothetical PSA results for a number of structural components along with mitigation factors that would restrict the failure mode from propagating to a Loss of Mission (LOM) failure were used in the models. The output of this program includes an overall failure distribution for LOM of the system. The rank and contribution to the overall Mission Success (MS) is also given for each failure mode and each subsystem. This application methodology demonstrates the effectiveness of PRA for assessing the performance of large turbine engines. Additionally, the effects of system changes and upgrades, the application of different maintenance intervals, inclusion of new sensor detection of faults and other upgrades were evaluated in determining overall turbine engine reliability.

Medication Safety of Five Oral Chemotherapies: A Proactive Risk Assessment

PubMed Central

Weingart, Saul N.; Spencer, Justin; Buia, Stephanie; Duncombe, Deborah; Singh, Prabhjyot; Gadkari, Mrinalini; Connor, Maureen

2011-01-01

Purpose: Oral chemotherapies represent an emerging risk area in ambulatory oncology practice. To examine the hazards associated with five oral chemotherapies, we performed a proactive risk assessment. Methods: We convened interdisciplinary teams and conducted failure mode and effects analyses (FMEAs) for five oral chemotherapy agents: capecitabine, imatinib, temozolomide, 6-mercaptopurine, and an investigational agent. This involved the creation of process maps for each medication, identification of failure modes, selection of high-risk failure modes, and development of recommendations to mitigate these risks. We analyzed the number of steps and types of failure modes and compared this information across the study drugs. Results: Key vulnerabilities include patient education about drug handling and adverse effects, prescription writing, patient self-administration and medication adherence, and failure to monitor and manage toxicities. Many of these failure modes were common across the five oral chemotherapies, suggesting the presence of common targets for improvement. Streamlining the FMEA itself may promote the dissemination of this method. Conclusion: Each stage of the medication process poses risks to the safe use of oral chemotherapies. FMEAs may identify opportunities to improve medication safety and reduce the risk of patient harm. PMID:21532801

Fatigue behavior and life prediction of a SiC/Ti-24Al-11Nb composite under isothermal conditions. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartolotta, Paul A.

1991-01-01

Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) and Intermetallic Matrix Composites (IMC) were identified as potential material candidates for advanced aerospace applications. They are especially attractive for high temperature applications which require a low density material that maintains its structural integrity at elevated temperatures. High temperature fatigue resistance plays an important role in determining the structural integrity of the material. This study attempts to examine the relevance of test techniques, failure criterion, and life prediction as they pertain to an IMC material, specifically, unidirectional SiC fiber reinforced titanium aluminide. A series of strain and load controlled fatigue tests were conducted on unidirectional SiC/Ti-24Al-11Nb composite at 425 and 815 C. Several damage mechanism regimes were identified by using a strain-based representation of the data, Talreja's fatigue life diagram concept. Results of these tests were then used to address issues of test control modes, definition of failure, and testing techniques. Finally, a strain-based life prediction method was proposed for an IMC under tensile cyclic loadings at elevated temperatures.

On localization and void coalescence as a precursor to ductile fracture.

PubMed

Tekoğlu, C; Hutchinson, J W; Pardoen, T

2015-03-28

Two modes of plastic flow localization commonly occur in the ductile fracture of structural metals undergoing damage and failure by the mechanism involving void nucleation, growth and coalescence. The first mode consists of a macroscopic localization, usually linked to the softening effect of void nucleation and growth, in either a normal band or a shear band where the thickness of the band is comparable to void spacing. The second mode is coalescence with plastic strain localizing to the ligaments between voids by an internal necking process. The ductility of a material is tied to the strain at macroscopic localization, as this marks the limit of uniform straining at the macroscopic scale. The question addressed is whether macroscopic localization occurs prior to void coalescence or whether the two occur simultaneously. The relation between these two modes of localization is studied quantitatively in this paper using a three-dimensional elastic-plastic computational model representing a doubly periodic array of voids within a band confined between two semi-infinite outer blocks of the same material but without voids. At sufficiently high stress triaxiality, a clear separation exists between the two modes of localization. At lower stress triaxialities, the model predicts that the onset of macroscopic localization and coalescence occur simultaneously. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Metallographic and fractographic observations of posttest creep-fatigue specimens of weld-deposited Type 308 CRE stainless steel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, M. W.

Type 308 CRE stainless steel weld specimens were subjected to metallographic and fractographic analysis after failure in elevated-temperature (593/sup 0/C) creep-fatigue tests. The failure mode for specimens tested under continuous-cycle fatigue conditions was predominantly transgranular. When the test cycle was modified to include a hold time at the maximum tensile strain, the failure mode became predominantly interphase. Sigma phase was observed within the delta-ferrite regions in the weld. However, the presence of sigma phase did not appear to affect the failure mode.

Finite-temperature lattice dynamics and superionic transition in ceria from first principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klarbring, Johan; Skorodumova, Natalia V.; Simak, Sergei I.

2018-03-01

Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) in combination with the temperature dependent effective potential (TDEP) method has been used to go beyond the quasiharmonic approximation and study the lattice dynamics in ceria, CeO2, at finite temperature. The results indicate that the previously proposed connection between the B1 u phonon mode turning imaginary and the transition to the superionic phase in fluorite structured materials is an artifact of the failure of the quasiharmonic approximation in describing the lattice dynamics at elevated temperatures. We instead show that, in the TDEP picture, a phonon mode coupling to the Eu mode prevents the B1 u mode from becoming imaginary. We directly observe the superionic transition at high temperatures in our AIMD simulations and find that it is initiated by the formation of oxygen Frenkel pairs (FP). These FP are found to form in a collective process involving simultaneous motion of two oxygen ions.

Comparison of defects in ProTaper hand-operated and engine-driven instruments after clinical use.

PubMed

Cheung, G S P; Bian, Z; Shen, Y; Peng, B; Darvell, B W

2007-03-01

To compare the type of defects and mode of material failure of engine-driven and hand-operated ProTaper instruments after clinical use. A total of 401 hand-operated and 325 engine-driven ProTaper instruments were discarded from an endodontic clinic over 17 months. Those that had fractured were examined for plastic deformation in lateral view and remounted for fractographical examination in scanning electron microscope. The mode of fracture was classified as 'fatigue' or 'shear' failure. The lengths of fractured segments in both instruments were recorded. Any distortion in hand instrument was noted. Data were analysed using chi-square, Fisher's exact or Student's t-test, where appropriate. Approximately 14% of all discarded hand-operated instruments and 14% of engine-driven instruments were fractured. About 62% of hand instruments failed because of shear fracture, compared with approximately 66% of engine-driven instruments as a result of fatigue (P < 0.05). Approximately 16% of hand instruments were affected by shear, and either remained intact or was fractured, compared with 5% of engine-driven instruments (P < 0.05). The length of the broken fragment was significantly shorter in hand versus engine-driven group (P < 0.05). Approximately 7% of hand instruments were discarded intact but distorted (rarely for engine-driven instruments); all were in the form of unscrewing of the flutes. The location of defects in hand Finishing instruments was significantly closer to the tip than that for Shaping instruments (P < 0.05). Under the conditions of this study (possibly high usage), the failure mode of ProTaper engine-driven and hand-operated instruments appeared to be different, with shear failure being more prevalent in the latter.

A sophisticated simulation for the fracture behavior of concrete material using XFEM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Changhai; Wang, Xiaomin; Kong, Jingchang; Li, Shuang; Xie, Lili

2017-10-01

The development of a powerful numerical model to simulate the fracture behavior of concrete material has long been one of the dominant research areas in earthquake engineering. A reliable model should be able to adequately represent the discontinuous characteristics of cracks and simulate various failure behaviors under complicated loading conditions. In this paper, a numerical formulation, which incorporates a sophisticated rigid-plastic interface constitutive model coupling cohesion softening, contact, friction and shear dilatation into the XFEM, is proposed to describe various crack behaviors of concrete material. An effective numerical integration scheme for accurately assembling the contribution to the weak form on both sides of the discontinuity is introduced. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been assessed by simulating several well-known experimental tests. It is concluded that the numerical method can successfully capture the crack paths and accurately predict the fracture behavior of concrete structures. The influence of mode-II parameters on the mixed-mode fracture behavior is further investigated to better determine these parameters.

Compression failure of composite laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pipes, R. B.

1983-01-01

This presentation attempts to characterize the compressive behavior of Hercules AS-1/3501-6 graphite-epoxy composite. The effect of varying specimen geometry on test results is examined. The transition region is determined between buckling and compressive failure. Failure modes are defined and analytical models to describe these modes are presented.

An improved method for risk evaluation in failure modes and effects analysis of CNC lathe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rachieru, N.; Belu, N.; Anghel, D. C.

2015-11-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is one of the most popular reliability analysis tools for identifying, assessing and eliminating potential failure modes in a wide range of industries. In general, failure modes in FMEA are evaluated and ranked through the risk priority number (RPN), which is obtained by the multiplication of crisp values of the risk factors, such as the occurrence (O), severity (S), and detection (D) of each failure mode. However, the crisp RPN method has been criticized to have several deficiencies. In this paper, linguistic variables, expressed in Gaussian, trapezoidal or triangular fuzzy numbers, are used to assess the ratings and weights for the risk factors S, O and D. A new risk assessment system based on the fuzzy set theory and fuzzy rule base theory is to be applied to assess and rank risks associated to failure modes that could appear in the functioning of Turn 55 Lathe CNC. Two case studies have been shown to demonstrate the methodology thus developed. It is illustrated a parallel between the results obtained by the traditional method and fuzzy logic for determining the RPNs. The results show that the proposed approach can reduce duplicated RPN numbers and get a more accurate, reasonable risk assessment. As a result, the stability of product and process can be assured.

[Failure modes and effects analysis in the prescription, validation and dispensing process].

PubMed

Delgado Silveira, E; Alvarez Díaz, A; Pérez Menéndez-Conde, C; Serna Pérez, J; Rodríguez Sagrado, M A; Bermejo Vicedo, T

2012-01-01

To apply a failure modes and effects analysis to the prescription, validation and dispensing process for hospitalised patients. A work group analysed all of the stages included in the process from prescription to dispensing, identifying the most critical errors and establishing potential failure modes which could produce a mistake. The possible causes, their potential effects, and the existing control systems were analysed to try and stop them from developing. The Hazard Score was calculated, choosing those that were ≥ 8, and a Severity Index = 4 was selected independently of the hazard Score value. Corrective measures and an implementation plan were proposed. A flow diagram that describes the whole process was obtained. A risk analysis was conducted of the chosen critical points, indicating: failure mode, cause, effect, severity, probability, Hazard Score, suggested preventative measure and strategy to achieve so. Failure modes chosen: Prescription on the nurse's form; progress or treatment order (paper); Prescription to incorrect patient; Transcription error by nursing staff and pharmacist; Error preparing the trolley. By applying a failure modes and effects analysis to the prescription, validation and dispensing process, we have been able to identify critical aspects, the stages in which errors may occur and the causes. It has allowed us to analyse the effects on the safety of the process, and establish measures to prevent or reduce them. Copyright © 2010 SEFH. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Flexural Fatigue Behavior of an EBC CMC Composite System In Air and Steam at High Temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaskowiak, Martha; Bur, Michael; Harder, Bryan; Gorican, Daniel

2017-01-01

Both coated and uncoated SiCSiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) samples were tested in flexure under sustained peak low cycle fatigue (SPLCF) conditions in air or steam at elevated temperatures. The SiCSiC composites were reinforced with 2-D plies of boron nitride coated Hi-Nicalon Type-S SiC fibers which were woven as 5 harness satin (5HS) cloth. The composites were densified by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) followed by slurry melt infiltration (SMI). A multilayer barium strontium aluminosilicate (BSAS) coating was applied to the samples by a plasma spray method. Fatigue loading limits were determined from monotonic flexure tests at room temperature and 1200oC. Stress levels under the proportional limit of the composite material were selected for the SPLCF tests. After cyclic testing, the composites were evaluated to determine crack propagation and failure modes in the coated and uncoated composites. Microstructural examination was used to identify coating degradation and failure modes of the EBCCMC system.

Failure Analysis and Recovery of a 50 MM Highly Elastic Intermetallic NiTi Ball Bearing for an ISS Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DellaCorte, Christopher; Howard, S. Adam; Moore, Lewis E., III

2016-01-01

The ISS Distillation Assembly centrifuge is the pathfinder application for 50mm bore, deep-groove ball bearings made from the highly elastic intermetallic material 60NiTi. Superior corrosion and shock resistance are required to withstand the acidic wastewater exposure and heavy spacecraft launch related loads that challenge conventional steel bearings. During early ground testing one bearing unexpectedly and catastrophically failed after operating for only 200 hours of run time. A second bearing running on the same shaft was completely unaffected. A thorough investigation into the root cause of the failure determined that an excessively tight press-fit of the bearing outer race coupled with NiTis relatively low elastic modulus were key contributing factors. The proposed failure mode was successfully duplicated by experiment. To further corroborate the root cause theory, a successful bearing life test using improved installation practices (selective fitting) was conducted. The results show that NiTi bearings are suitable for space applications provided that care is taken to accommodate their unique material characteristics.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ronold, K.O.; Nielsen, N.J.R.; Tura, F.

This paper demonstrates how a structural reliability method can be applied as a rational means to analyze free spans of submarine pipelines with respect to failure in ultimate loading, and to establish partial safety factors for design of such free spans against this failure mode. It is important to note that the described procedure shall be considered as an illustration of a structural reliability methodology, and that the results do not represent a set of final design recommendations. A scope of design cases, consisting of a number of available site-specific pipeline spans, is established and is assumed representative for themore » future occurrence of submarine pipeline spans. Probabilistic models for the wave and current loading and its transfer to stresses in the pipe wall of a pipeline span is established together with a stochastic representation of the material resistance. The event of failure in ultimate loading is considered as based on a limit state which is reached when the maximum stress over the design life of the pipeline exceeds the yield strength of the pipe material. The yielding limit state is considered an ultimate limit state (ULS).« less

Failure Analysis and Recovery of a 50mm Highly Elastic Intermetallic NiTi Ball Bearing for an ISS Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DellaCorte, Christopher; Howard, S. Adam; Moore, Lewis E., III

2016-01-01

The ISS Distillation Assembly centrifuge is the pathfinder application for 50mm bore, deep-groove ball bearings made from the highly elastic intermetallic material 60NiTi. Superior corrosion and shock resistance are required to withstand the acidic wastewater exposure and heavy spacecraft launch related loads that challenge conventional steel bearings. During early ground testing one bearing unexpectedly and catastrophically failed after operating for only 200 hours of run time. A second bearing running on the same shaft was completely unaffected. A thorough investigation into the root cause of the failure determined that an excessively tight press-fit of the bearing outer race coupled with NiTis relatively low elastic modulus were key contributing factors. The proposed failure mode was successfully duplicated by experiment. To further corroborate the root cause theory, a successful bearing life test using improved installation practices (selective fitting) was conducted. The results show that NiTi bearings are suitable for space applications provided that care is taken to accommodate their unique material characteristics.

Failure Analysis and Recovery of a 50-mm Highly Elastic Intermetallic NiTi Ball Bearing for an ISS Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DellaCorte, Christopher; Howard, S. Adam; Moore, Lewis

2016-01-01

Ball bearings used inside the ISS Distillation Assembly centrifuge require superior corrosion and shock resistance to withstand acidic wastewater exposure and heavy spacecraft launch related loads. These requirements challenge conventional steel bearings and provide an ideal pathfinder application for 50-mm bore, deep-groove ball bearings made from the corrosion immune and highly elastic intermetallic material 60NiTi. During early ground testing in 2014 one 60NiTi bearing unexpectedly and catastrophically failed after operating for only 200 hr. A second bearing running on the same shaft was completely unaffected. An investigation into the root cause of the failure determined that an excessively tight press fit of the bearing outer race coupled with NiTi's relatively low elastic modulus were key contributing factors. The proposed failure mode was successfully replicated by experiment. To further corroborate the root cause theory, a successful bearing life test using improved installation practices (selective fitting) was conducted. The results show that NiTi bearings are suitable for space applications provided that care is taken to accommodate their unique material characteristics.

Initial load-to-failure and failure analysis in single- and double-row repair techniques for rotator cuff repair.

PubMed

Baums, M H; Buchhorn, G H; Gilbert, F; Spahn, G; Schultz, W; Klinger, H-M

2010-09-01

This experimental study aimed to compare the load-to-failure rate and stiffness of single- versus double-row suture techniques for repairing rotator cuff lesions using two different suture materials. Additionally, the mode of failure of each repair was evaluated. In 32 sheep shoulders, a standardized tear of the infraspinatus tendon was created. Then, n = 8 specimen were randomized to four repair methods: (1) Double-row Anchor Ethibond coupled with polyester sutures, USP No. 2; (2) Double-Row Anchor HiFi with polyblend polyethylene sutures, USP No. 2; (3) Single-Row Anchor Ethibond coupled with braided polyester sutures, USP No. 2; and (4) Single-Row Anchor HiFi with braided polyblend polyethylene sutures, USP No. 2. Arthroscopic Mason-Allen stitches were placed (single-row) and combined with medial horizontal mattress stitches (double-row). All specimens were loaded to failure at a constant displacement rate on a material testing machine. Group 4 showed lowest load-to-failure result with 155.7 +/- 31.1 N compared to group 1 (293.4 +/- 16.1 N) and group 2 (397.7 +/- 7.4 N) (P < 0.001). Stiffness was highest in group 2 (162 +/- 7.3 N/mm) and lowest in group 4 (84.4 +/- 19.9 mm) (P < 0.001). In group 4, the main cause of failure was due to the suture cutting through the tendon (n = 6), a failure case observed in only n = 1 specimen in group 2 (P < 0.001). A double-row technique combined with arthroscopic Mason-Allen/horizontal mattress stitches provides high initial failure strength and may minimize the risk of the polyethylene sutures cutting through the tendon in rotator cuff repair when a single load force is used.

Mechanical Failure of Endocrowns Manufactured with Different Ceramic Materials: An In Vitro Biomechanical Study.

PubMed

Aktas, Guliz; Yerlikaya, Hatice; Akca, Kivanc

2018-04-01

To evaluate the effect of different silica-based ceramic materials on the mechanical failure behavior of endocrowns used in the restoration of endodontically treated mandibular molar teeth. Thirty-six intact mandibular molar teeth extracted because of a loss of periodontal support received root canal treatment. The teeth were prepared with a central cavity to support the endocrowns, replacing the occlusal surface with mesial-lingual-distal walls. Data acquisition of the prepared tooth surfaces was carried out digitally with a powder-free intraoral scanner. Restoration designs were completed on manufactured restorations from three silicate ceramics: alumina-silicate (control), zirconia-reinforced (Zr-R), and polymer-infiltrated (P-I). Following adhesive cementation, endocrowns were subjected to thermal aging, and then, each specimen was obliquely loaded to record the fracture strength and define the mechanical failure. For the failure definition, the fracture type characteristics were identified, and further analytic measurements were made on the fractured tooth and ceramic structure. Load-to-fracture failure did not differ significantly, and the calculated mean values were 1035.08 N, 1058.33 N, and 1025.00 N for control, Zr-R, and P-I groups, respectively; however, the stiffness of the restoration-tooth complex was significantly higher than that in both test groups. No statistically significant correlation was established in paired comparisons of the failure strength, restorative stiffness, and fractured tooth distance parameters. The failure mode for teeth restored with zirconia-reinforced glass ceramics was identified as non-restorable. The resin interface in the control and P-I groups presented similar adhesive failure behavior. Mechanical failure of endocrown restorations does not significantly differ for silica-based ceramics modified either with zirconia or polymer. © 2016 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

Lectures on Composite Materials for Aircraft Structures,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

9 Moh), derived composites can be machined only with great difficulty, with diamond-tipped tools. 2.4 Aramid Fibres These fibres are the latest type...between fibrils. Failed specimens often give the appearance of broomsticks due to this failure mode. Machining of Kevlar composites requires careful...Compressive Strength of Kevlar 49/Epoxy Composites , Composites , vol. 6, pp. 217-225, 1975. 13. Anon., A Guide to Cutting and Machining Kevlar Aramid, Du

Investigation of the Failure Modes in a Metal Matrix Composite under Thermal Cycling

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

Material Characteristics. . .......... ... 76 Sectioning and SEN Photograp’... . ........ . 86 Residual Stress Analysis using .TCAN ... ....... 99 i VI...Specimen Fitted with Strain Gages ..... ........... 77 39. Modulus and Poisson’s Ratio versus Thermal Cycles . . 79 1 40 Stress /Strain Curve for Uncycled...Specimen .... ......... 82 1 41. Stress /Strain Curve for Specimen 8 (5250 Cycles) ..... .83 42. Comparison of Uncycled to Cycled Stress /Strain Curves

Numerical model of glulam beam delamination in dependence on cohesive strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawecki, Bartosz; Podgórski, Jerzy

2018-01-01

This paper presents an attempt of using a finite element method for predicting delamination of a glue laminated timber beam through a cohesive layer. There were used cohesive finite elements, quadratic stress damage initiation criterion and mixed mode energy release rate failure model. Finite element damage was equal to its complete stiffness degradation. Timber material was considered to be an orthotropic with plastic behaviour after reaching bending limit.

Plasma torch testing for thermostructural evaluation of rocket motor nozzle materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prince, Andrew S.; Bunker, Robert C.; Lawrence, Tim

1989-01-01

This paper presents data from the thermostructural testing of tape-wrapped carbon phenolic. This work has been performed with the use of a plasma torch and loading device in an effort to study the anomalous erosion characteristicfs of that seen in the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor Nozzle STS-8A. Testing is conducted in an effort to determine conditions or parameters involved in this mode of failure.

ARL Summer Student Research Symposium Compendium of Abstracts. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

to withstand ballistic/blast impact. The mechanical response of these materials is primarily determined by the active deformation modes operating...atomic scale deformation mechanisms such as basal, prismatic, pyramidal slip and twinning on the microstructure of the system (i.e., loading orientation...deformation, the dependence of peak strength on grain size, and the mechanisms of failure are discussed. I wish to acknowledge the mentorship of Dr

Fatigue properties on the failure mode of a dental implant in a simulated body environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Min Gun

2011-10-01

This study undertook a fatigue test in a simulated body environment that has reflected the conditions (such as the body fluid conditions, the micro-current of cell membranes, and the chewing force) within a living body. First, the study sought to evaluate the fatigue limit under normal conditions and in a simulated body environment, looking into the governing factors of implant fatigue strength through an observation of the fracture mode. In addition, the crack initiation behavior of a tungsten-carbide-coated abutment screw was examined. The fatigue limit of an implant within the simulated body environment decreased by 19 % compared to the limit noted under normal conditions. Several corrosion pits were observed on the abutment screw after the fatigue test in the simulated body environment. For the model used in this study, the implant fracture was mostly governed by the fatigue failure of the abutment screw; accordingly, the influence by the fixture on the fatigue strength of the implant was noted to be low. For the abutment screw coated with tungsten carbide, several times the normal amount of stress was found to be concentrated on the contact part due to the elastic interaction between the coating material and the base material.

Operations analysis (study 2.1). Contingency analysis. [of failure modes anticipated during space shuttle upper stage planning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Future operational concepts for the space transportation system were studied in terms of space shuttle upper stage failure contingencies possible during deployment, retrieval, or space servicing of automated satellite programs. Problems anticipated during mission planning were isolated using a modified 'fault tree' technique, normally used in safety analyses. A comprehensive space servicing hazard analysis is presented which classifies possible failure modes under the catagories of catastrophic collision, failure to rendezvous and dock, servicing failure, and failure to undock. The failure contingencies defined are to be taken into account during design of the upper stage.

Determination of Turbine Blade Life from Engine Field Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaretsky, Erwin V.; Litt, Jonathan S.; Hendricks, Robert C.; Soditus, Sherry M.

2012-01-01

It is probable that no two engine companies determine the life of their engines or their components in the same way or apply the same experience and safety factors to their designs. Knowing the failure mode that is most likely to occur minimizes the amount of uncertainty and simplifies failure and life analysis. Available data regarding failure mode for aircraft engine blades, while favoring low-cycle, thermal mechanical fatigue as the controlling mode of failure, are not definitive. Sixteen high-pressure turbine (HPT) T-1 blade sets were removed from commercial aircraft engines that had been commercially flown by a single airline and inspected for damage. Each set contained 82 blades. The damage was cataloged into three categories related to their mode of failure: (1) Thermal-mechanical fatigue, (2) Oxidation/Erosion, and (3) "Other." From these field data, the turbine blade life was determined as well as the lives related to individual blade failure modes using Johnson-Weibull analysis. A simplified formula for calculating turbine blade life and reliability was formulated. The L(sub 10) blade life was calculated to be 2427 cycles (11 077 hr). The resulting blade life attributed to oxidation/erosion equaled that attributed to thermal-mechanical fatigue. The category that contributed most to blade failure was Other. If there were there no blade failures attributed to oxidation/erosion and thermal-mechanical fatigue, the overall blade L(sub 10) life would increase approximately 11 to 17 percent.

Mechanical properties and failure behavior of unidirectional porous ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seuba, Jordi; Deville, Sylvain; Guizard, Christian; Stevenson, Adam J.

2016-04-01

We show that the honeycomb out-of-plane model derived by Gibson and Ashby can be applied to describe the compressive behavior of unidirectional porous materials. Ice-templating allowed us to process samples with accurate control over pore volume, size, and morphology. These samples allowed us to evaluate the effect of this microstructural variations on the compressive strength in a porosity range of 45-80%. The maximum strength of 286 MPa was achieved in the least porous ice-templated sample (P(%) = 49.9), with the smallest pore size (3 μm). We found that the out-of-plane model only holds when buckling is the dominant failure mode, as should be expected. Furthermore, we controlled total pore volume by adjusting solids loading and sintering temperature. This strategy allows us to independently control macroporosity and densification of walls, and the compressive strength of ice-templated materials is exclusively dependent on total pore volume.

Mechanical properties and failure behavior of unidirectional porous ceramics.

PubMed

Seuba, Jordi; Deville, Sylvain; Guizard, Christian; Stevenson, Adam J

2016-04-14

We show that the honeycomb out-of-plane model derived by Gibson and Ashby can be applied to describe the compressive behavior of unidirectional porous materials. Ice-templating allowed us to process samples with accurate control over pore volume, size, and morphology. These samples allowed us to evaluate the effect of this microstructural variations on the compressive strength in a porosity range of 45-80%. The maximum strength of 286 MPa was achieved in the least porous ice-templated sample (P(%) = 49.9), with the smallest pore size (3 μm). We found that the out-of-plane model only holds when buckling is the dominant failure mode, as should be expected. Furthermore, we controlled total pore volume by adjusting solids loading and sintering temperature. This strategy allows us to independently control macroporosity and densification of walls, and the compressive strength of ice-templated materials is exclusively dependent on total pore volume.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the communication and tracking subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gardner, J. R.; Robinson, W. M.; Trahan, W. H.; Daley, E. S.; Long, W. C.

1987-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Communication and Tracking hardware. The IOA analysis process utilized available Communication and Tracking hardware drawings and schematics for defining hardware assemblies, components, and hardware items. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode.

Unified continuum damage model for matrix cracking in composite rotor blades

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pollayi, Hemaraju; Harursampath, Dineshkumar

This paper deals with modeling of the first damage mode, matrix micro-cracking, in helicopter rotor/wind turbine blades and how this effects the overall cross-sectional stiffness. The helicopter/wind turbine rotor system operates in a highly dynamic and unsteady environment leading to severe vibratory loads present in the system. Repeated exposure to this loading condition can induce damage in the composite rotor blades. These rotor/turbine blades are generally made of fiber-reinforced laminated composites and exhibit various competing modes of damage such as matrix micro-cracking, delamination, and fiber breakage. There is a need to study the behavior of the composite rotor system undermore » various key damage modes in composite materials for developing Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system. Each blade is modeled as a beam based on geometrically non-linear 3-D elasticity theory. Each blade thus splits into 2-D analyzes of cross-sections and non-linear 1-D analyzes along the beam reference curves. Two different tools are used here for complete 3-D analysis: VABS for 2-D cross-sectional analysis and GEBT for 1-D beam analysis. The physically-based failure models for matrix in compression and tension loading are used in the present work. Matrix cracking is detected using two failure criterion: Matrix Failure in Compression and Matrix Failure in Tension which are based on the recovered field. A strain variable is set which drives the damage variable for matrix cracking and this damage variable is used to estimate the reduced cross-sectional stiffness. The matrix micro-cracking is performed in two different approaches: (i) Element-wise, and (ii) Node-wise. The procedure presented in this paper is implemented in VABS as matrix micro-cracking modeling module. Three examples are presented to investigate the matrix failure model which illustrate the effect of matrix cracking on cross-sectional stiffness by varying the applied cyclic load.« less

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the electrical power distribution and control subsystem, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schmeckpeper, K. R.

1987-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Electrical Power Distribution and Control (EPD and C) hardware. The EPD and C hardware performs the functions of distributing, sensing, and controlling 28 volt DC power and of inverting, distributing, sensing, and controlling 117 volt 400 Hz AC power to all Orbiter subsystems from the three fuel cells in the Electrical Power Generation (EPG) subsystem. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. Of the 1671 failure modes analyzed, 9 single failures were determined to result in loss of crew or vehicle. Three single failures unique to intact abort were determined to result in possible loss of the crew or vehicle. A possible loss of mission could result if any of 136 single failures occurred. Six of the criticality 1/1 failures are in two rotary and two pushbutton switches that control External Tank and Solid Rocket Booster separation. The other 6 criticality 1/1 failures are fuses, one each per Aft Power Control Assembly (APCA) 4, 5, and 6 and one each per Forward Power Control Assembly (FPCA) 1, 2, and 3, that supply power to certain Main Propulsion System (MPS) valves and Forward Reaction Control System (RCS) circuits.

Use of Failure Mode and Effects Analysis to Improve Emergency Department Handoff Processes.

PubMed

Sorrentino, Patricia

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe a quality improvement process using failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) to evaluate systems handoff communication processes, improve emergency department (ED) throughput and reduce crowding through development of a standardized handoff, and, ultimately, improve patient safety. Risk of patient harm through ineffective communication during handoff transitions is a major reason for breakdown of systems. Complexities of ED processes put patient safety at risk. An increased incidence of submitted patient safety event reports for handoff communication failures between the ED and inpatient units solidified a decision to implement the use of FMEA to identify handoff failures to mitigate patient harm through redesign. The clinical nurse specialist implemented an FMEA. Handoff failure themes were created from deidentified retrospective reviews. Weekly meetings were held over a 3-month period to identify failure modes and determine cause and effect on the process. A functional block diagram process map tool was used to illustrate handoff processes. An FMEA grid was used to list failure modes and assign a risk priority number to quantify results. Multiple areas with actionable failures were identified. A majority of causes for high-priority failure modes were specific to communications. Findings demonstrate the complexity of transition and handoff processes. The FMEA served to identify and evaluate risk of handoff failures and provide a framework for process improvement. A focus on mentoring nurses to quality handoff processes so that it becomes habitual practice is crucial to safe patient transitions. Standardizing content and hardwiring within the system are best practice. The clinical nurse specialist is prepared to provide strong leadership to drive and implement system-wide quality projects.

Macro-architectured cellular materials: Properties, characteristic modes, and prediction methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Zheng-Dong

2017-12-01

Macro-architectured cellular (MAC) material is defined as a class of engineered materials having configurable cells of relatively large (i.e., visible) size that can be architecturally designed to achieve various desired material properties. Two types of novel MAC materials, negative Poisson's ratio material and biomimetic tendon reinforced material, were introduced in this study. To estimate the effective material properties for structural analyses and to optimally design such materials, a set of suitable homogenization methods was developed that provided an effective means for the multiscale modeling of MAC materials. First, a strain-based homogenization method was developed using an approach that separated the strain field into a homogenized strain field and a strain variation field in the local cellular domain superposed on the homogenized strain field. The principle of virtual displacements for the relationship between the strain variation field and the homogenized strain field was then used to condense the strain variation field onto the homogenized strain field. The new method was then extended to a stress-based homogenization process based on the principle of virtual forces and further applied to address the discrete systems represented by the beam or frame structures of the aforementioned MAC materials. The characteristic modes and the stress recovery process used to predict the stress distribution inside the cellular domain and thus determine the material strengths and failures at the local level are also discussed.

Laboratory investigations into fracture propagation characteristics of rock material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasad, B. N. V. Siva; Murthy, V. M. S. R.

2018-04-01

After Industrial Revolution, demand of materials for building up structures have increased enormously. Unfortunately, failures of such structures resulted in loss of life and property. Rock is anisotropic and discontinuous in nature with inherent flaws or so-called discontinuities in it. Rock is apparently used for construction in mining, civil, tunnelling, hydropower, geothermal and nuclear sectors [1]. Therefore, the strength of the structure built up considering rockmass as the construction material needs proper technical evaluation during designing stage itself to prevent and predict the scenarios of catastrophic failures due to these inherent fractures [2]. In this study, samples collected from nine different drilling sites have been investigated in laboratory for understanding the fracture propagation characteristics in rock. Rock material properties, ultrasonic velocities through pulse transmission technique and Mode I Fracture Toughness Testing of different variants of Dolomites and Graywackes are determined in laboratory and the resistance of the rock material to catastrophic crack extension or propagation has been determined. Based on the Fracture Toughness values and the rock properties, critical Energy Release Rates have been estimated. However further studies in this direction is to be carried out to understand the fracture propagation characteristics in three-dimensional space.

Meteorological Satellites (METSAT) and Earth Observing System (EOS) Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

This Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is for the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit-A (AMSU-A) instruments that are being designed and manufactured for the Meteorological Satellites Project (METSAT) and the Earth Observing System (EOS) integrated programs. The FMEA analyzes the design of the METSAT and EOS instruments as they currently exist. This FMEA is intended to identify METSAT and EOS failure modes and their effect on spacecraft-instrument and instrument-component interfaces. The prime objective of this FMEA is to identify potential catastrophic and critical failures so that susceptibility to the failures and their effects can be eliminated from the METSAT/EOS instruments.

MO-G-BRE-09: Validating FMEA Against Incident Learning Data: A Study in Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, F; Cao, N; Young, L

2014-06-15

Purpose: Though FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) is becoming more widely adopted for risk assessment in radiation therapy, to our knowledge it has never been validated against actual incident learning data. The objective of this study was to perform an FMEA analysis of an SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy) treatment planning process and validate this against data recorded within an incident learning system. Methods: FMEA on the SBRT treatment planning process was carried out by a multidisciplinary group including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and dosimetrists. Potential failure modes were identified through a systematic review of the workflow process. Failuremore » modes were rated for severity, occurrence, and detectability on a scale of 1 to 10 and RPN (Risk Priority Number) was computed. Failure modes were then compared with historical reports identified as relevant to SBRT planning within a departmental incident learning system that had been active for two years. Differences were identified. Results: FMEA identified 63 failure modes. RPN values for the top 25% of failure modes ranged from 60 to 336. Analysis of the incident learning database identified 33 reported near-miss events related to SBRT planning. FMEA failed to anticipate 13 of these events, among which 3 were registered with severity ratings of severe or critical in the incident learning system. Combining both methods yielded a total of 76 failure modes, and when scored for RPN the 13 events missed by FMEA ranked within the middle half of all failure modes. Conclusion: FMEA, though valuable, is subject to certain limitations, among them the limited ability to anticipate all potential errors for a given process. This FMEA exercise failed to identify a significant number of possible errors (17%). Integration of FMEA with retrospective incident data may be able to render an improved overview of risks within a process.« less

The Effects of Fiber Surface Modification and Thermal Aging on Composite Toughness And its Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowles, Kenneth J.; Madhukar, Madhu; Papadopoulos, Demetrios; Inghram, Linda; McCorkle, Linda

1997-01-01

A detailed experimental study was conducted to establish the structure-property relationships between elevated temperature aging and (I) fiber-matrix bonding, (2) Mode II interlaminar fracture toughness, and (3) failure modes of carbon fiber/PMR-15 composites. The fiber-matrix adhesion was varied by using carbon fibers with different surface treatments. Short beam shear tests were used to quantify the interfacial shear strength afforded by the use of the different fiber surface treatments. The results of the short beam shear tests definitely showed that, for aging times up to 1000 hr, the aging process caused no observable changes in the bulk of the three composite materials that---would degrade the shear properties of the material. Comparisons between the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) measured by the short beam shear tests and the GII c test results, as measured by the ENF test, indicated that the differences in the surface treatments significantly affected the fracture properties while the effect of the aging process was probably limited to changes at the starter crack tip. The fracture properties changed due to a shift in the fracture from an interfacial failure to a failure within the matrix when the fiber was changed from AU-4 to AS-4 or AS-4G. There appears to be an effect of the fiber/matrix bonding on the thermo-oxidative stability of the composites that were tested. The low bonding afforded by the AU-4 fiber resulted in weight losses about twice those experienced by the AS-4 reinforced composites, the ones with the best TOS.

The Effects of Fiber Surface Modification and Thermal Aging on Composite Toughness and Its Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowles, Kenneth J.; Madhukar, Madhu; Papadopolous, Demetrios S.; Inghram, Linda; Mccorkle, Linda

1995-01-01

A detailed experimental study was conducted to establish the structure-property relationships between elevated temperature aging and fiber-matrix bonding, Mode 2 interlaminar fracture toughness, and failure modes of carbon fiber/PMR-15 composites. The fiber-matrix adhesion was varied by using carbon fibers with different surface treatments. Short beam shear tests were used to quantify the interfacial shear strength afforded by the use of the different fiber surface treatments. The results of the short beam shear tests showed that, for times up to 1000 hr, the aging process caused no changes in the bulk of the three composite materials that would degrade the shear properties of the material. Comparisons between the interlaminar shear strengths (ILSS) measured by the short beam shear tests and the GIIC test results, as measured by the ENF test, indicated that the differences in the surface treatments significantly affected the fracture properties while the effect of the aging process was probably limited to changes at the starter crack tip. The fracture properties changed due to a shift in the fracture from an interfacial failure to a failure within the matrix when the fiber was changed from AU-4 to AS-4 or AS-4G. There appears to be an effect of the fiber/matrix bonding on the thermo-oxidative stability of the composites that were tested. The low bonding afforded by the AU 1 fiber resulted in weight losses about twice those experienced by the AS 1 reinforced composites, the ones with the best TOS.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cheong, S-K; Kim, J

Purpose: The aim of the study is the application of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to access the risks for patients undergoing a Low Dose Rate (LDR) Prostate Brachytherapy Treatment. Methods: FMEA was applied to identify all the sub processes involved in the stages of identifying patient, source handling, treatment preparation, treatment delivery, and post treatment. These processes characterize the radiation treatment associated with LDR Prostate Brachytherapy. The potential failure modes together with their causes and effects were identified and ranked in order of their importance. Three indexes were assigned for each failure mode: the occurrence rating (O),more » the severity rating (S), and the detection rating (D). A ten-point scale was used to score each category, ten being the number indicating most severe, most frequent, and least detectable failure mode, respectively. The risk probability number (RPN) was calculated as a product of the three attributes: RPN = O X S x D. The analysis was carried out by a working group (WG) at UPMC. Results: The total of 56 failure modes were identified including 32 modes before the treatment, 13 modes during the treatment, and 11 modes after the treatment. In addition to the protocols already adopted in the clinical practice, the prioritized risk management will be implanted to the high risk procedures on the basis of RPN score. Conclusion: The effectiveness of the FMEA method was established. The FMEA methodology provides a structured and detailed assessment method for the risk analysis of the LDR Prostate Brachytherapy Procedure and can be applied to other radiation treatment modes.« less

Microstructure-failure mode correlations in braided composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Filatovs, G. J.; Sadler, Robert L.; El-Shiekh, Aly

1992-01-01

Explication of the fracture processes of braided composites is needed for modeling their behavior. Described is a systematic exploration of the relationship between microstructure, loading mode, and micro-failure mechanisms in carbon/epoxy braided composites. The study involved compression and fracture toughness tests and optical and scanning electron fractography, including dynamic in-situ testing. Principal failure mechanisms of low sliding, buckling, and unstable crack growth are correlated to microstructural parameters and loading modes; these are used for defining those microstructural conditions which are strength limiting.

Chapter 3: Photovoltaic Module Stability and Reliability

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jordan, Dirk; Kurtz, Sarah

2017-01-01

Profits realized from investment in photovoltaic will benefit from decades of reliable operation. Service life prediction through accelerated tests is only possible if indoor tests duplicate power loss and failure modes observed in fielded systems. Therefore, detailing and quantifying power loss and failure modes is imperative. In the first section, we examine recent trends in degradation rates, the gradual power loss observed for different technologies, climates and other significant factors. In the second section, we provide a summary of the most commonly observed failure modes in fielded systems.

Cracking and adhesion at small scales: atomistic and continuum studies of flaw tolerant nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buehler, Markus J.; Yao, Haimin; Gao, Huajian; Ji, Baohua

2006-07-01

Once the characteristic size of materials reaches nanoscale, the mechanical properties may change drastically and classical mechanisms of materials failure may cease to hold. In this paper, we focus on joint atomistic-continuum studies of failure and deformation of nanoscale materials. In the first part of the paper, we discuss the size dependence of brittle fracture. We illustrate that if the characteristic dimension of a material is below a critical length scale that can be on the order of several nanometres, the classical Griffith theory of fracture no longer holds. An important consequence of this finding is that materials with nano-substructures may become flaw-tolerant, as the stress concentration at crack tips disappears and failure always occurs at the theoretical strength of materials, regardless of defects. Our atomistic simulations complement recent continuum analysis (Gao et al 2003 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100 5597-600) and reveal a smooth transition between Griffith modes of failure via crack propagation to uniform bond rupture at theoretical strength below a nanometre critical length. Our results may have consequences for understanding failure of many small-scale materials. In the second part of this paper, we focus on the size dependence of adhesion systems. We demonstrate that optimal adhesion can be achieved by either length scale reduction, or by optimization of the shape of the surface of the adhesion element. We find that whereas change in shape can lead to optimal adhesion strength, those systems are not robust against small deviations from the optimal shape. In contrast, reducing the dimensions of the adhesion system results in robust adhesion devices that fail at their theoretical strength, regardless of the presence of flaws. An important consequence of this finding is that even under the presence of surface roughness, optimal adhesion is possible provided the size of contact elements is sufficiently small. Our atomistic results corroborate earlier theoretical modelling at the continuum scale (Gao and Yao 2004 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 101 7851-6). We discuss the relevance of our studies with respect to nature's design of bone nanostructures and nanoscale adhesion elements in geckos.

Availability Estimate of a Conceptual ESM System.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-06-01

affect mission operation.t A functional block level failure modes and effects analysis ( FMEA ) performed on the filter resulted in an assessed failure rate...is based on an FMEA of failures that disable the function (see Appendix A). A further 29 examination of the filter piece-parts reveals that the driver...Digital-to-analog converter DC Direct current DF Direction finding ESM Electronic Support Measures FMEA Failure modes and effects analysis FMPO

Highly Loaded Composite Strut Test Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, K. C.; Jegley, Dawn C.; Barnard, Ansley; Phelps, James E.; McKeney, Martin J.

2011-01-01

Highly loaded composite struts from a proposed truss-based Altair lunar lander descent stage concept were selected for development under NASA's Advanced Composites Technology program. Predicted compressive member forces during launch and ascent of over -100,000 lbs were much greater than the tensile loads. Therefore, compressive failure modes, including structural stability, were primary design considerations. NASA's industry partner designed and built highly loaded struts that were delivered to NASA for testing. Their design, fabricated on a washout mandrel, had a uniform-diameter composite tube with composite tapered ends. Each tapered end contained a titanium end fitting with facing conical ramps that are overlaid and overwrapped with composite materials. The highly loaded struts were loaded in both tension and compression, with ultimate failure produced in compression. Results for the two struts tested are presented and discussed, along with measured deflections, strains and observed failure mechanisms.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the auxiliary power unit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnes, J. E.

1986-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). The APUs are required to provide power to the Orbiter hydraulics systems during ascent and entry flight phases for aerosurface actuation, main engine gimballing, landing gear extension, and other vital functions. For analysis purposes, the APU system was broken down into ten functional subsystems. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. A preponderance of 1/1 criticality items were related to failures that allowed the hydrazine fuel to escape into the Orbiter aft compartment, creating a severe fire hazard, and failures that caused loss of the gas generator injector cooling system.

Ply-level failure analysis of a graphite/epoxy laminate under bearing-bypass loading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naik, R. A.; Crews, J. H., Jr.

1988-01-01

A combined experimental and analytical study was conducted to investigate and predict the failure modes of a graphite/epoxy laminate subjected to combined bearing and bypass loading. Tests were conducted in a test machine that allowed the bearing-bypass load ratio to be controlled while a single-fastener coupon was loaded to failure in either tension or compression. Onset and ultimate failure modes and strengths were determined for each test case. The damage-onset modes were studied in detail by sectioning and micrographing the damaged specimens. A two-dimensional, finite-element analysis was conducted to determine lamina strains around the bolt hole. Damage onset consisted of matrix cracks, delamination, and fiber failures. Stiffness loss appeared to be caused by fiber failures rather than by matrix cracking and delamination. An unusual offset-compression mode was observed for compressive bearing-bypass laoding in which the specimen failed across its width along a line offset from the hole. The computed lamina strains in the fiber direction were used in a combined analytical and experimental approach to predict bearing-bypass diagrams for damage onset from a few simple tests.

Ply-level failure analysis of a graphite/epoxy laminate under bearing-bypass loading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naik, R. A.; Crews, J. H., Jr.

1990-01-01

A combined experimental and analytical study was conducted to investigate and predict the failure modes of a graphite/epoxy laminate subjected to combined bearing and bypass loading. Tests were conducted in a test machine that allowed the bearing-bypass load ratio to be controlled while a single-fastener coupon was loaded to failure in either tension or compression. Onset and ultimate failure modes and strengths were determined for each test case. The damage-onset modes were studied in detail by sectioning and micrographing the damaged specimens. A two-dimensional, finite-element analysis was conducted to determine lamina strains around the bolt hole. Damage onset consisted of matrix cracks, delamination, and fiber failures. Stiffness loss appeared to be caused by fiber failures rather than by matrix cracking and delamination. An unusual offset-compression mode was observed for compressive bearing-bypass loading in which the specimen failed across its width along a line offset from the hole. The computed lamina strains in the fiber direction were used in a combined analytical and experimental approach to predict bearing-bypass diagrams for damage onset from a few simple tests.

Statistics of acoustic emissions and stress drops during granular shearing using a stick-slip fiber bundle mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, D.; Michlmayr, G.; Or, D.

2012-04-01

Shearing of dense granular materials appears in many engineering and Earth sciences applications. Under a constant strain rate, the shearing stress at steady state oscillates with slow rises followed by rapid drops that are linked to the build up and failure of force chains. Experiments indicate that these drops display exponential statistics. Measurements of acoustic emissions during shearing indicates that the energy liberated by failure of these force chains has power-law statistics. Representing force chains as fibers, we use a stick-slip fiber bundle model to obtain analytical solutions of the statistical distribution of stress drops and failure energy. In the model, fibers stretch, fail, and regain strength during deformation. Fibers have Weibull-distributed threshold strengths with either quenched and annealed disorder. The shape of the distribution for drops and energy obtained from the model are similar to those measured during shearing experiments. This simple model may be useful to identify failure events linked to force chain failures. Future generalizations of the model that include different types of fiber failure may also allow identification of different types of granular failures that have distinct statistical acoustic emission signatures.

Accelerated fatigue durability of a high performance composite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rotem, A.

1982-01-01

The fatigue behavior of multidirectional graphite-epoxy laminates was analyzed theoretically and experimentally in an effort to establish an accelerated testing methodology. Analysis of the failure mechanism in fatigue of the laminates led to the determination of the failure mode governing fracture. The nonlinear, cyclic-dependent shear modulus was used to calculate the changing stress field in the laminate during the fatigue loading. Fatigue tests were performed at three different temperatures: 25 C, 74 C, and 114 C. The prediction of the S-N curves was made based on the artificial static strength artificial static strength at a reference temperature and the fatigue functions associated with them. The prediction of an S-N curve at other temperatures was performed using shifting factors determined for the specific failure mode. For multidirectional laminates, different S-N curves at different temperatures could be predicted using these shifting factors. Different S-N curves at different temperatures occur only when the fatigue failure mode is matrix dominated. It was found that whenever the fatigue failure mode is fiber dominated, temperature, over the range investigated, had no influence on the fatigue life. These results permit the prediction of long-time, low temperature fatigue behavior from data obtained in short time, high temperature testing, for laminates governed by a matrix failure mode.

3-D Mixed Mode Delamination Fracture Criteria - An Experimentalist's Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reeder, James R.

2006-01-01

Many delamination failure criteria based on fracture toughness have been suggested over the past few decades, but most only covered the region containing mode I and mode II components of loading because that is where toughness data existed. With new analysis tools, more 3D analyses are being conducted that capture a mode III component of loading. This has increased the need for a fracture criterion that incorporates mode III loading. The introduction of a pure mode III fracture toughness test has also produced data on which to base a full 3D fracture criterion. In this paper, a new framework for visualizing 3D fracture criteria is introduced. The common 2D power law fracture criterion was evaluated to produce unexpected predictions with the introduction of mode III and did not perform well in the critical high mode I region. Another 2D criterion that has been shown to model a wide range of materials well was used as the basis for a new 3D criterion. The new criterion is based on assumptions that the relationship between mode I and mode III toughness is similar to the relation between mode I and mode II and that a linear interpolation can be used between mode II and mode III. Until mixed-mode data exists with a mode III component of loading, 3D fracture criteria cannot be properly evaluated, but these assumptions seem reasonable.

Application of composite materials to impact-insensitive munitions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neradka, Vincent F.; Chang, Yale; Grady, Joseph E.; Trowbridge, Daniel A.

1992-01-01

An approach is outlined for developing bullet-impact-insensitive munitions based on composite materials that provide rapid venting of the rocket-motor case. Impact experiments are conducted with test specimens of hybrid laminates of graphite/epoxy and epoxy reinforcing with woven glass fibers. The dynamic strain response and initial impact force are measured with strain gauges, and perforation damage is examined in the plates. The results show that impact damage can be designed by means of parametric variations of the fiber, matrix, and ply orientations. It is suggested that rocket-motor cases can be designed with composite materials to provide rapid venting during the failure mode. The experimental ballistic testing performed provides data that can be used comparatively with analytical data on composite materials.

CONFIG: Qualitative simulation tool for analyzing behavior of engineering devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malin, Jane T.; Basham, Bryan D.; Harris, Richard A.

1987-01-01

To design failure management expert systems, engineers mentally analyze the effects of failures and procedures as they propagate through device configurations. CONFIG is a generic device modeling tool for use in discrete event simulation, to support such analyses. CONFIG permits graphical modeling of device configurations and qualitative specification of local operating modes of device components. Computation requirements are reduced by focussing the level of component description on operating modes and failure modes, and specifying qualitative ranges of variables relative to mode transition boundaries. Simulation processing occurs only when modes change or variables cross qualitative boundaries. Device models are built graphically, using components from libraries. Components are connected at ports by graphical relations that define data flow. The core of a component model is its state transition diagram, which specifies modes of operation and transitions among them.

PV Degradation Curves: Non-Linearities and Failure Modes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jordan, Dirk C.; Silverman, Timothy J.; Sekulic, Bill

Photovoltaic (PV) reliability and durability have seen increased interest in recent years. Historically, and as a preliminarily reasonable approximation, linear degradation rates have been used to quantify long-term module and system performance. The underlying assumption of linearity can be violated at the beginning of the life, as has been well documented, especially for thin-film technology. Additionally, non-linearities in the wear-out phase can have significant economic impact and appear to be linked to different failure modes. In addition, associating specific degradation and failure modes with specific time series behavior will aid in duplicating these degradation modes in accelerated tests and, eventually,more » in service life prediction. In this paper, we discuss different degradation modes and how some of these may cause approximately linear degradation within the measurement uncertainty (e.g., modules that were mainly affected by encapsulant discoloration) while other degradation modes lead to distinctly non-linear degradation (e.g., hot spots caused by cracked cells or solder bond failures and corrosion). The various behaviors are summarized with the goal of aiding in predictions of what may be seen in other systems.« less

Fuzzy-based failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) of a hybrid molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) and gas turbine system for marine propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Junkeon; Noh, Yeelyong; Park, Sung Ho; Choi, Byung Il; Chang, Daejun

2017-10-01

This study proposes a fuzzy-based FMEA (failure mode and effect analysis) for a hybrid molten carbonate fuel cell and gas turbine system for liquefied hydrogen tankers. An FMEA-based regulatory framework is adopted to analyze the non-conventional propulsion system and to understand the risk picture of the system. Since the participants of the FMEA rely on their subjective and qualitative experiences, the conventional FMEA used for identifying failures that affect system performance inevitably involves inherent uncertainties. A fuzzy-based FMEA is introduced to express such uncertainties appropriately and to provide flexible access to a risk picture for a new system using fuzzy modeling. The hybrid system has 35 components and has 70 potential failure modes, respectively. Significant failure modes occur in the fuel cell stack and rotary machine. The fuzzy risk priority number is used to validate the crisp risk priority number in the FMEA.

Utility of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis to Improve Safety in Suctioning by Orotracheal Tube.

PubMed

Vázquez-Valencia, Agustín; Santiago-Sáez, Andrés; Perea-Pérez, Bernardo; Labajo-González, Elena; Albarrán-Juan, Maria Elena

2017-02-01

The objective of the study was to use the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) tool to analyze the technique of secretion suctioning on patients with an endotracheal tube who were admitted into an intensive care unit. Brainstorming was carried out within the service to determine the potential errors most frequent in the process. After this, the FMEA was applied, including its stages, prioritizing risk in accordance with the risk prioritization number (RPN), selecting improvement actions in which they have an RPN of more than 300. We obtained 32 failure modes, of which 13 surpassed an RPN of 300. After our result, 21 improvement actions were proposed for those failure modes with RPN scores above 300. FMEA allows us to ascertain possible failures so as to later propose improvement actions for those which have an RPN of more than 300. Copyright © 2016 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Output Power Limitations and Improvements in Passively Mode Locked GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum Well Lasers.

PubMed

Tandoi, Giuseppe; Ironside, Charles N; Marsh, John H; Bryce, A Catrina

2012-03-01

We report a novel approach for increasing the output power in passively mode locked semiconductor lasers. Our approach uses epitaxial structures with an optical trap in the bottom cladding that enlarges the vertical mode size to scale the pulse saturation energy. With this approach we demonstrate a very high peak power of 9.8 W per facet, at a repetition rate of 6.8 GHz and with pulse duration of 0.71 ps. In particular, we compare two GaAs/AlGaAs epilayer designs, a double quantum well design operating at 830 nm and a single quantum well design operating at 795 nm, with vertical mode sizes of 0.5 and 0.75 μm, respectively. We show that a larger mode size not only shifts the mode locking regime of operation towards higher powers, but also produces other improvements in respect of two main failure mechanisms that limit the output power: the catastrophic optical mirror damage and the catastrophic optical saturable absorber damage. For the 830 nm material structure, we also investigate the effect of non-absorbing mirrors on output power and mode locked operation of colliding pulse mode locked lasers.

Output Power Limitations and Improvements in Passively Mode Locked GaAs/AlGaAs Quantum Well Lasers

PubMed Central

Tandoi, Giuseppe; Ironside, Charles N.; Marsh, John H.; Bryce, A. Catrina

2013-01-01

We report a novel approach for increasing the output power in passively mode locked semiconductor lasers. Our approach uses epitaxial structures with an optical trap in the bottom cladding that enlarges the vertical mode size to scale the pulse saturation energy. With this approach we demonstrate a very high peak power of 9.8 W per facet, at a repetition rate of 6.8 GHz and with pulse duration of 0.71 ps. In particular, we compare two GaAs/AlGaAs epilayer designs, a double quantum well design operating at 830 nm and a single quantum well design operating at 795 nm, with vertical mode sizes of 0.5 and 0.75 μm, respectively. We show that a larger mode size not only shifts the mode locking regime of operation towards higher powers, but also produces other improvements in respect of two main failure mechanisms that limit the output power: the catastrophic optical mirror damage and the catastrophic optical saturable absorber damage. For the 830 nm material structure, we also investigate the effect of non-absorbing mirrors on output power and mode locked operation of colliding pulse mode locked lasers. PMID:23843678

Failure mode and effect analysis in blood transfusion: a proactive tool to reduce risks.

PubMed

Lu, Yao; Teng, Fang; Zhou, Jie; Wen, Aiqing; Bi, Yutian

2013-12-01

The aim of blood transfusion risk management is to improve the quality of blood products and to assure patient safety. We utilize failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA), a tool employed for evaluating risks and identifying preventive measures to reduce the risks in blood transfusion. The failure modes and effects occurring throughout the whole process of blood transfusion were studied. Each failure mode was evaluated using three scores: severity of effect (S), likelihood of occurrence (O), and probability of detection (D). Risk priority numbers (RPNs) were calculated by multiplying the S, O, and D scores. The plan-do-check-act cycle was also used for continuous improvement. Analysis has showed that failure modes with the highest RPNs, and therefore the greatest risk, were insufficient preoperative assessment of the blood product requirement (RPN, 245), preparation time before infusion of more than 30 minutes (RPN, 240), blood transfusion reaction occurring during the transfusion process (RPN, 224), blood plasma abuse (RPN, 180), and insufficient and/or incorrect clinical information on request form (RPN, 126). After implementation of preventative measures and reassessment, a reduction in RPN was detected with each risk. The failure mode with the second highest RPN, namely, preparation time before infusion of more than 30 minutes, was shown in detail to prove the efficiency of this tool. FMEA evaluation model is a useful tool in proactively analyzing and reducing the risks associated with the blood transfusion procedure. © 2013 American Association of Blood Banks.

Characterization of Damage Accumulation in a C/SiC Composite at Elevated Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Telesman, Jack; Verrilli, Mike; Ghosn, Louis; Kantzos, Pete

1997-01-01

This research is part of a program aimed to evaluate and demonstrate the ability of candidate CMC materials for a variety of applications in reusable launch vehicles. The life and durability of these materials in rocket and engine applications are of major concern and there is a need to develop and validate life prediction methodology. In this study, material characterization and mechanical testing was performed in order to identify the failure modes, degradation mechanisms, and progression of damage in a C/SiC composite at elevated temperatures. The motivation for this work is to provide the relevant damage information that will form the basis for the development of a physically based life prediction methodology.

Failure mechanism of hollow tree trunks due to cross-sectional flattening

PubMed Central

Huang, Yan-San; Hsu, Fu-Lan; Lee, Chin-Mei

2017-01-01

Failure of hollow trees in urban areas is a worldwide concern, and it can be caused by different mechanisms, i.e. bending stresses or flattening-related failures. Here we derive a new analytical expression for predicting the bending moment for tangential cracking, and compare the breaking moment of various failure modes, including Brazier buckling, tangential cracking, shear failure and conventional bending failure, as a function of t/R ratio, where t and R are the trunk wall thickness and trunk radius, respectively, of a hollow tree. We use Taiwan red cypress as an example and show that its failure modes and the corresponding t/R ratios are: Brazier buckling (Mode I), tangential cracking followed by longitudinal splitting (Mode II) and conventional bending failure (Mode III) for 0 < t/R < 0.06, 0.06 < t/R < 0.27 and 0.27 < t/R < 1, respectively. The exact values of those ratios may vary within and among species, but the variation is much smaller than individual mechanical properties. Also, shear failure, another type of cracking due to maximum shear stress near the neutral axis of the tree trunk, is unlikely to occur since it requires much larger bending moments. Hence, we conclude that tangential cracking due to cross-sectional flattening, followed by longitudinal splitting, is dominant for hollow trunks. Our equations are applicable to analyse straight hollow tree trunks and plant stems, but are not applicable to those with side openings or those with only heart decay. Our findings provide insights for those managing trees in urban situations and those managing for conservation of hollow-dependent fauna in both urban and rural settings. PMID:28484616

A Case Study on Improving Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Services Reliability: By Using Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA)

PubMed Central

Yousefinezhadi, Taraneh; Jannesar Nobari, Farnaz Attar; Goodari, Faranak Behzadi; Arab, Mohammad

2016-01-01

Introduction: In any complex human system, human error is inevitable and shows that can’t be eliminated by blaming wrong doers. So with the aim of improving Intensive Care Units (ICU) reliability in hospitals, this research tries to identify and analyze ICU’s process failure modes at the point of systematic approach to errors. Methods: In this descriptive research, data was gathered qualitatively by observations, document reviews, and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with the process owners in two selected ICUs in Tehran in 2014. But, data analysis was quantitative, based on failures’ Risk Priority Number (RPN) at the base of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) method used. Besides, some causes of failures were analyzed by qualitative Eindhoven Classification Model (ECM). Results: Through FMEA methodology, 378 potential failure modes from 180 ICU activities in hospital A and 184 potential failures from 99 ICU activities in hospital B were identified and evaluated. Then with 90% reliability (RPN≥100), totally 18 failures in hospital A and 42 ones in hospital B were identified as non-acceptable risks and then their causes were analyzed by ECM. Conclusions: Applying of modified PFMEA for improving two selected ICUs’ processes reliability in two different kinds of hospitals shows that this method empowers staff to identify, evaluate, prioritize and analyze all potential failure modes and also make them eager to identify their causes, recommend corrective actions and even participate in improving process without feeling blamed by top management. Moreover, by combining FMEA and ECM, team members can easily identify failure causes at the point of health care perspectives. PMID:27157162

Comparison of hand laid-up tape and filament wound composite cylinders and panels with and without impact damage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jegley, Dawn C.; Lopez, Osvaldo F.

1991-01-01

Experimentally determined axial compressive failure loads, strains and failure modes of composite flat panels and cylinders are presented. A comparison of two types of filament wound flat graphite-epoxy panels indicates that the winding pattern can influence structural response. A comparison of hand laid-up tape and filament wound composite cylinders indicates that fabrication method may not significantly influence the failure mode or average failure strain of thick-walled (radius-to-thickness ratio less than 15) graphite-epoxy cylinders. The interaction of manufacturing-induced features (fiber cross-overs) and low-speed impact damage for graphite-epoxy specimens is also presented. Filament would flat panels with many fiber cross-overs exhibited lower failure strains than filament wound panels without fiber cross-overs for all impact speeds examined. Graphite-thermoplastic cylinders exhibited a significantly different failure mode from the graphite-epoxy cylinders.

Shear Pressed Aligned Carbon Nanotubes and their use as Composite and Adhesive Interlayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahl, James Joseph, III

The following studies utilize shearing force to consolidate and re-orient multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) into a shear pressed sheet (SPS) preform. Carbon nanotube (CNT) array growth and shear pressing angle are studied to improve the quality of SPSs. Heat assisted vacuum infusion is used to form a nano-composite from the SPS preform, and mechanical properties are characterized and compared between non-functionalized and functionalized nano-composite tensile specimens. A novel functionalization technique is applied which rinses SPSs with an acidic wet chemical oxidation treatment of H2SO4 and KMnO4 in order to add sidewall carboxyl groups to the CNTs. This is shown to impart hydrophilicity to the SPS and improves composite modulus by 62%, strain-to-failure 42% and failure stress 113%. Composite laminates and joints are vulnerable to shearing forces which cause delamination in the former and failure in the latter. Damage is initiated and propagated at defects and free edges often due to high peel stress, which is much higher than the shear stress and functions as a tensile opening of the joint just as in Mode I delamination failure of laminate composites. In order to resist failure it is necessary to improve the strain-to-failure of the interphase where a crack propagates without sacrificing strength or modulus of the material, thus toughening the material without impacting the rigidity of the composite. Due to the similarity between peel stress/strain and Mode I delamination, the initiation fracture toughness of a double cantilever beam (DCB) test should provide a good indication of peel toughness at a joint free edge. Many studies have explored the possibility of improving Mode I fracture toughness (G IC) of a composite through locally incorporating a tough material into the interlaminar interphase; this material is termed an interleaf. Common interleaf categories are toughened adhesive, disperse particle, disperse fiber, short fiber nonwoven, and continuous fiber nonwoven. A SPS falls into a short fiber nonwoven and is studied as a non-infused, infused, and infused functionalized interleaf in unidirectional carbon fiber composites for GIC improvement over non-interleaved samples. As with traditional interleaving studies it is possible to decrease delamination fracture toughness as well as increase, and the reasons for either are not always clear. While the SPS interleaves are promising to resist delamination, the scatter of the results make it an unreliable method of improvement. While these studies showed significant variability in effect of the interleaf, given the correct morphology of the SPS and precise measurement during the DCB testing it is possible to improve fracture toughness significantly with all SPS interleaves. A unique fabrication method is used to incorporate the SPS interleaves into lap joint and double strap joint geometries using a prepreg lay-up fabrication similar to forming the DCB specimens. This allowed study of the use of the SPS interleaf as an adhesive layer without the need to develop a SPS adhesive film that would not fail prematurely due to poor adhesion to cured composite panels. Results showed that improvement in GIC is not directly translated into improvement in joint strength. Lap joints showed a higher relationship between GIC than double strap joints likely due to the specimen geometry that results in the adhesive layer of lap joints failing in tension rather than shear.

Design, Progressive Modeling, Manufacture, and Testing of Composite Shield for Turbine Engine Blade Containment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Binienda, Wieslaw K.; Sancaktar, Erol; Roberts, Gary D. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

An effective design methodology was established for composite jet engine containment structures. The methodology included the development of the full and reduced size prototypes, and FEA models of the containment structure, experimental and numerical examination of the modes of failure clue to turbine blade out event, identification of materials and design candidates for future industrial applications, and design and building of prototypes for testing and evaluation purposes.

Lithium-Ion Battery Program Status

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Surampudi, S.; Huang, C. K.; Smart, M.; Davies, E.; Perrone, D.; Distefano, S.; Halpert, G.

1996-01-01

The objective of this program is to develop rechargeable Li-ion cells for future NASA missions. Applications that would benefit from this project are: new millenium spacecraft; rovers; landers; astronaut equipment; and planetary orbiters. The approach of this program is: select electrode materials and electrolytes; identify failure modes and mechanisms and enhance cycle life; demonstrate Li-ion cell technology with liquid electrolyte; select candidate polymer electrolytes for Li-ion polymer cells; and develop Li-ion polymer cell technology.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the active thermal control subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinclair, S. K.; Parkman, W. E.

1987-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical (PCIs) items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. The independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Active Thermal Control Subsystem (ATCS) are documented. The major purpose of the ATCS is to remove the heat, generated during normal Shuttle operations from the Orbiter systems and subsystems. The four major components of the ATCS contributing to the heat removal are: Freon Coolant Loops; Radiator and Flow Control Assembly; Flash Evaporator System; and Ammonia Boiler System. In order to perform the analysis, the IOA process utilized available ATCS hardware drawings and schematics for defining hardware assemblies, components, and hardware items. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. Of the 310 failure modes analyzed, 101 were determined to be PCIs.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the hydraulics/water spray boiler subsystem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duval, J. D.; Davidson, W. R.; Parkman, William E.

1986-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items (PCIs). To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results for the Orbiter Hydraulics/Water Spray Boiler Subsystem. The hydraulic system provides hydraulic power to gimbal the main engines, actuate the main engine propellant control valves, move the aerodynamic flight control surfaces, lower the landing gear, apply wheel brakes, steer the nosewheel, and dampen the external tank (ET) separation. Each hydraulic system has an associated water spray boiler which is used to cool the hydraulic fluid and APU lubricating oil. The IOA analysis process utilized available HYD/WSB hardware drawings, schematics and documents for defining hardware assemblies, components, and hardware items. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. Of the 430 failure modes analyzed, 166 were determined to be PCIs.

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the remote manipulator system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tangorra, F.; Grasmeder, R. F.; Montgomery, A. D.

1987-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items (PCIs). To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. The independent analysis results for the Orbiter Remote Manipulator System (RMS) are documented. The RMS hardware and software are primarily required for deploying and/or retrieving up to five payloads during a single mission, capture and retrieve free-flying payloads, and for performing Manipulator Foot Restraint operations. Specifically, the RMS hardware consists of the following components: end effector; displays and controls; manipulator controller interface unit; arm based electronics; and the arm. The IOA analysis process utilized available RMS hardware drawings, schematics and documents for defining hardware assemblies, components and hardware items. Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. Of the 574 failure modes analyzed, 413 were determined to be PCIs.

Distributed collaborative probabilistic design of multi-failure structure with fluid-structure interaction using fuzzy neural network of regression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Lu-Kai; Wen, Jie; Fei, Cheng-Wei; Bai, Guang-Chen

2018-05-01

To improve the computing efficiency and precision of probabilistic design for multi-failure structure, a distributed collaborative probabilistic design method-based fuzzy neural network of regression (FR) (called as DCFRM) is proposed with the integration of distributed collaborative response surface method and fuzzy neural network regression model. The mathematical model of DCFRM is established and the probabilistic design idea with DCFRM is introduced. The probabilistic analysis of turbine blisk involving multi-failure modes (deformation failure, stress failure and strain failure) was investigated by considering fluid-structure interaction with the proposed method. The distribution characteristics, reliability degree, and sensitivity degree of each failure mode and overall failure mode on turbine blisk are obtained, which provides a useful reference for improving the performance and reliability of aeroengine. Through the comparison of methods shows that the DCFRM reshapes the probability of probabilistic analysis for multi-failure structure and improves the computing efficiency while keeping acceptable computational precision. Moreover, the proposed method offers a useful insight for reliability-based design optimization of multi-failure structure and thereby also enriches the theory and method of mechanical reliability design.

Numerical simulation of failure behavior of granular debris flows based on flume model tests.

PubMed

Zhou, Jian; Li, Ye-xun; Jia, Min-cai; Li, Cui-na

2013-01-01

In this study, the failure behaviors of debris flows were studied by flume model tests with artificial rainfall and numerical simulations (PFC(3D)). Model tests revealed that grain sizes distribution had profound effects on failure mode, and the failure in slope of medium sand started with cracks at crest and took the form of retrogressive toe sliding failure. With the increase of fine particles in soil, the failure mode of the slopes changed to fluidized flow. The discrete element method PFC(3D) can overcome the hypothesis of the traditional continuous medium mechanic and consider the simple characteristics of particle. Thus, a numerical simulations model considering liquid-solid coupled method has been developed to simulate the debris flow. Comparing the experimental results, the numerical simulation result indicated that the failure mode of the failure of medium sand slope was retrogressive toe sliding, and the failure of fine sand slope was fluidized sliding. The simulation result is consistent with the model test and theoretical analysis, and grain sizes distribution caused different failure behavior of granular debris flows. This research should be a guide to explore the theory of debris flow and to improve the prevention and reduction of debris flow.

The elasticity and failure of fluid-filled cellular solids: Theory and experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, M.; Thiel, B. L.; Donald, A. M.

2000-02-01

We extend and apply theories of filled foam elasticity and failure to recently available data on foods. The predictions of elastic modulus and failure mode dependence on internal pressure and on wall integrity are borne out by photographic evidence of distortion and failure under compressive loading and under the localized stress applied by a knife blade, and by mechanical data on vegetables differing only in their turgor pressure. We calculate the dry modulus of plate-like cellular solids and the cross over between dry-like and fully fluid-filled elastic response. The bulk elastic properties of limp and aging cellular solids are calculated for model systems and compared with our mechanical data, which also show two regimes of response. The mechanics of an aged, limp beam is calculated, thus offering a practical procedure for comparing experiment and theory. This investigation also thereby offers explanations of the connection between turgor pressure and crispness and limpness of cellular materials.

Prediction of failure in notched carbon-fibre-reinforced-polymer laminates under multi-axial loading.

PubMed

Tan, J L Y; Deshpande, V S; Fleck, N A

2016-07-13

A damage-based finite-element model is used to predict the fracture behaviour of centre-notched quasi-isotropic carbon-fibre-reinforced-polymer laminates under multi-axial loading. Damage within each ply is associated with fibre tension, fibre compression, matrix tension and matrix compression. Inter-ply delamination is modelled by cohesive interfaces using a traction-separation law. Failure envelopes for a notch and a circular hole are predicted for in-plane multi-axial loading and are in good agreement with the observed failure envelopes from a parallel experimental study. The ply-by-ply (and inter-ply) damage evolution and the critical mechanisms of ultimate failure also agree with the observed damage evolution. It is demonstrated that accurate predictions of notched compressive strength are obtained upon employing the band broadening stress for microbuckling, highlighting the importance of this damage mode in compression. This article is part of the themed issue 'Multiscale modelling of the structural integrity of composite materials'. © 2016 The Author(s).

The elasticity and failure of fluid-filled cellular solids: theory and experiment.

PubMed

Warner, M; Thiel, B L; Donald, A M

2000-02-15

We extend and apply theories of filled foam elasticity and failure to recently available data on foods. The predictions of elastic modulus and failure mode dependence on internal pressure and on wall integrity are borne out by photographic evidence of distortion and failure under compressive loading and under the localized stress applied by a knife blade, and by mechanical data on vegetables differing only in their turgor pressure. We calculate the dry modulus of plate-like cellular solids and the cross over between dry-like and fully fluid-filled elastic response. The bulk elastic properties of limp and aging cellular solids are calculated for model systems and compared with our mechanical data, which also show two regimes of response. The mechanics of an aged, limp beam is calculated, thus offering a practical procedure for comparing experiment and theory. This investigation also thereby offers explanations of the connection between turgor pressure and crispness and limpness of cellular materials.

The elasticity and failure of fluid-filled cellular solids: Theory and experiment

PubMed Central

Warner, M.; Thiel, B. L.; Donald, A. M.

2000-01-01

We extend and apply theories of filled foam elasticity and failure to recently available data on foods. The predictions of elastic modulus and failure mode dependence on internal pressure and on wall integrity are borne out by photographic evidence of distortion and failure under compressive loading and under the localized stress applied by a knife blade, and by mechanical data on vegetables differing only in their turgor pressure. We calculate the dry modulus of plate-like cellular solids and the cross over between dry-like and fully fluid-filled elastic response. The bulk elastic properties of limp and aging cellular solids are calculated for model systems and compared with our mechanical data, which also show two regimes of response. The mechanics of an aged, limp beam is calculated, thus offering a practical procedure for comparing experiment and theory. This investigation also thereby offers explanations of the connection between turgor pressure and crispness and limpness of cellular materials. PMID:10660680

Bio-Environment-Induced Degradation and Failure of Internal Fixation Implants.

PubMed

Zhou, Yan; Perkins, Luke A; Wang, Guodong; Zhou, Dongsheng; Liang, Hong

2015-10-15

Internal fixations provide fast healing but their failure remains problematic to patients. Here, we report an experimental study in failure of three typical cases of metals: a bent intramedullary stainless steel nail, a broken exterior pure Ti plate, and a broken intramedullary stainless steel nail. Characterization of the bent nail indicates that those metals are vulnerable to corrosion with the evidence of increased surface roughness and embrittlement. Depredated surface of the Ti plate resulted debris particles in the surrounding tissue of 15.2 ± 6.5 μm in size. Nanoparticles were observed in transmission electron microscope. The electron diffraction pattern of the debris indicates a combination of nanocrystalline and amorphous phases. The failure mode of the broken nail made of stainless steel was found to be fatigue initiated from the surface. This study clearly shows the biological-attack induced surface degradation resulting in debris and fatigue. Future design and selection of implant materials should consider such factors for improvement.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rusu, I; Thomas, T; Roeske, J

Purpose: To identify areas of improvement in our liver stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) program, using failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA). Methods: A multidisciplinary group consisting of one physician, three physicists, one dosimetrist and two therapists was formed. A process map covering 10 major stages of the liver SBRT program from the initial diagnosis to post treatment follow-up was generated. A total of 102 failure modes, together with their causes and effects, were identified. The occurrence (O), severity (S) and lack of detectability (D) were independently scored. The ranking was done using the risk probability number (RPN) defined asmore » the product of average O, S and D numbers for each mode. The scores were normalized to remove inter-observer variability, while preserving individual ranking order. Further, a correlation analysis on the overall agreement on rank order of all failure modes resulted in positive values for successive pairs of evaluators. The failure modes with the highest RPN value were considered for further investigation. Results: The average normalized RPN values for all modes were 39 with a range of 9 to 103. The FMEA analysis resulted in the identification of the top 10 critical failures modes as: Incorrect CT-MR registration, MR scan not performed in treatment position, patient movement between CBCT acquisition and treatment, daily IGRT QA not verified, incorrect or incomplete ITV delineation, OAR contours not verified, inaccurate normal liver effective dose (Veff) calculation, failure of bolus tracking for 4D CT scan, setup instructions not followed for treatment and plan evaluation metrics missed. Conclusion: The application of FMEA to our liver SBRT program led to the identification and possible improvement of areas affecting patient safety.« less

Compression failure mechanisms of composite structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hahn, H. T.; Sohi, M.; Moon, S.

1986-01-01

An experimental and analytical study was conducted to delineate the compression failure mechanisms of composite structures. The present report summarizes further results on kink band formation in unidirectional composites. In order to assess the compressive strengths and failure modes of fibers them selves, a fiber bundle was embedded in epoxy casting and tested in compression. A total of six different fibers were used together with two resins of different stiffnesses. The failure of highly anisotropic fibers such as Kevlar 49 and P-75 graphite was due to kinking of fibrils. However, the remaining fibers--T300 and T700 graphite, E-glass, and alumina--failed by localized microbuckling. Compressive strengths of the latter group of fibers were not fully utilized in their respective composite. In addition, acoustic emission monitoring revealed that fiber-matrix debonding did not occur gradually but suddenly at final failure. The kink band formation in unidirectional composites under compression was studied analytically and through microscopy. The material combinations selected include seven graphite/epoxy composites, two graphite/thermoplastic resin composites, one Kevlar 49/epoxy composite and one S-glass/epoxy composite.

Dynamic Failure and Fragmentation of a Hot-Pressed Boron Carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Tomoko; Vargas-Gonzalez, Lionel; LaSalvia, Jerry; Hogan, James David

2017-12-01

This study investigates the failure and fragmentation of a hot-pressed boron carbide during high rate impact experiments. Four impact experiments are performed using a composite-backed target configuration at similar velocities, where two of the impact experiments resulted in complete target penetration and two resulted in partial penetration. This paper seeks to evaluate and understand the dynamic behavior of the ceramic that led to either the complete or partial penetration cases, focusing on: (1) surface and internal failure features of fragments using optical, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy, and (2) fragment size analysis using state-of-the-art particle-sizing technology that informs about the consequences of failure. Detailed characterization of the mechanical properties and the microstructure is also performed. Results indicate that transgranular fracture was the primary mode of failure in this boron carbide material, and no stress-induced amorphization features were observed. Analysis of the fragment sizes for the partial and completely penetrated experiments revealed a possible correlation between larger fragment sizes and impact performance. The results will add insight into designing improved advanced ceramics for impact protection applications.

Analysis of asteroid (216) Kleopatra using dynamical and structural constraints

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hirabayashi, Masatoshi; Scheeres, Daniel J., E-mail: masatoshi.hirabayashi@colorado.edu

This paper evaluates a dynamically and structurally stable size for Asteroid (216) Kleopatra. In particular, we investigate two different failure modes: material shedding from the surface and structural failure of the internal body. We construct zero-velocity curves in the vicinity of this asteroid to determine surface shedding, while we utilize a limit analysis to calculate the lower and upper bounds of structural failure under the zero-cohesion assumption. Surface shedding does not occur at the current spin period (5.385 hr) and cannot directly initiate the formation of the satellites. On the other hand, this body may be close to structural failure;more » in particular, the neck may be situated near a plastic state. In addition, the neck's sensitivity to structural failure changes as the body size varies. We conclude that plastic deformation has probably occurred around the neck part in the past. If the true size of this body is established through additional measurements, this method will provide strong constraints on the current friction angle for the body.« less

Prediction of mode of death in heart failure: the Seattle Heart Failure Model.

PubMed

Mozaffarian, Dariush; Anker, Stefan D; Anand, Inder; Linker, David T; Sullivan, Mark D; Cleland, John G F; Carson, Peter E; Maggioni, Aldo P; Mann, Douglas L; Pitt, Bertram; Poole-Wilson, Philip A; Levy, Wayne C

2007-07-24

Prognosis and mode of death in heart failure patients are highly variable in that some patients die suddenly (often from ventricular arrhythmia) and others die of progressive failure of cardiac function (pump failure). Prediction of mode of death may facilitate decisions about specific medications or devices. We used the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM), a validated prediction model for total mortality in heart failure, to assess the mode of death in 10,538 ambulatory patients with New York Heart Association class II to IV heart failure and predominantly systolic dysfunction enrolled in 6 randomized trials or registries. During 16,735 person-years of follow-up, 2014 deaths occurred, which included 1014 sudden deaths and 684 pump-failure deaths. Compared with a SHFM score of 0, patients with a score of 1 had a 50% higher risk of sudden death, patients with a score of 2 had a nearly 3-fold higher risk, and patients with a score of 3 or 4 had a nearly 7-fold higher risk (P<0.001 for all comparisons; 1-year area under the receiver operating curve, 0.68). Stratification of risk of pump-failure death was even more pronounced, with a 4-fold higher risk with a score of 1, a 15-fold higher risk with a score of 2, a 38-fold higher risk with a score of 3, and an 88-fold higher risk with a score of 4 (P<0.001 for all comparisons; 1-year area under the receiver operating curve, 0.85). The proportion of deaths caused by sudden death versus pump-failure death decreased from a ratio of 7:1 with a SHFM score of 0 to a ratio of 1:2 with a SHFM score of 4 (P trend <0.001). The SHFM score provides information about the likely mode of death among ambulatory heart failure patients. Investigation is warranted to determine whether such information might predict responses to or cost-effectiveness of specific medications or devices in heart failure patients.

Automatic Monitoring System Design and Failure Probability Analysis for River Dikes on Steep Channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Yin-Lung; Lin, Yi-Jun; Tung, Yeou-Koung

2017-04-01

The purposes of this study includes: (1) design an automatic monitoring system for river dike; and (2) develop a framework which enables the determination of dike failure probabilities for various failure modes during a rainstorm. The historical dike failure data collected in this study indicate that most dikes in Taiwan collapsed under the 20-years return period discharge, which means the probability of dike failure is much higher than that of overtopping. We installed the dike monitoring system on the Chiu-She Dike which located on the middle stream of Dajia River, Taiwan. The system includes: (1) vertical distributed pore water pressure sensors in front of and behind the dike; (2) Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR) to measure the displacement of dike; (3) wireless floating device to measure the scouring depth at the toe of dike; and (4) water level gauge. The monitoring system recorded the variation of pore pressure inside the Chiu-She Dike and the scouring depth during Typhoon Megi. The recorded data showed that the highest groundwater level insides the dike occurred 15 hours after the peak discharge. We developed a framework which accounts for the uncertainties from return period discharge, Manning's n, scouring depth, soil cohesion, and friction angle and enables the determination of dike failure probabilities for various failure modes such as overtopping, surface erosion, mass failure, toe sliding and overturning. The framework was applied to Chiu-She, Feng-Chou, and Ke-Chuang Dikes on Dajia River. The results indicate that the toe sliding or overturning has the highest probability than other failure modes. Furthermore, the overall failure probability (integrate different failure modes) reaches 50% under 10-years return period flood which agrees with the historical failure data for the study reaches.

Experimental strength of restorations with fibre posts at different stages, with and without using a simulated ligament.

PubMed

Pérez-González, A; González-Lluch, C; Sancho-Bru, J L; Rodríguez-Cervantes, P J; Barjau-Escribano, A; Forner-Navarro, L

2012-03-01

The aim of this study was to analyse the strength and failure mode of teeth restored with fibre posts under retention and flexural-compressive loads at different stages of the restoration and to analyse whether including a simulated ligament in the experimental setup has any effect on the strength or the failure mode. Thirty human maxillary central incisors were distributed in three different groups to be restored with simulation of different restoration stages (1: only post, 2: post and core, 3: post-core and crown), using Rebilda fibre posts. The specimens were inserted in resin blocks and loaded by means of a universal testing machine until failure under tension (stage 1) and 50º flexion (stages 2-3). Half the specimens in each group were restored using a simulated ligament between root dentine and resin block and the other half did not use this element. Failure in stage 1 always occurred at the post-dentine interface, with a mean failure load of 191·2 N. Failure in stage 2 was located mainly in the core or coronal dentine (mean failure load of 505·9 N). Failure in stage 3 was observed in the coronal dentine (mean failure load 397·4 N). Failure loads registered were greater than expected masticatory loads. Fracture modes were mostly reparable, thus indicating that this post is clinically valid at the different stages of restoration studied. The inclusion of the simulated ligament in the experimental system did not show a statistically significant effect on the failure load or the failure mode. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

An investigation of the effects of interfacial microstructure on the fatigue behavior of a four-ply [75]{sub 4} continuous silicon carbide (SCS-6) fiber-reinforced titanium matrix composite

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jin, O.; Li, Y.; Rabeeh, B.M.

1997-12-01

The effects of interfacial microstructure/thickness on the strength and fatigue behavior of a model four-ply [75]{sub 4} Ti-15V-3Al-3Cr-3Sn/SiC (SCS-6) composite are examined in this article. Interfacial microstructure was controlled by annealing at 815 C for 10, 50, or 100 hours. The reaction layer and coating thickness were observed to increase with increasing annealing duration. Damage initiation/propagation mechanisms were examined in as-received material and composites annealed at 815 C for 10 and 100 hours. Fatigue behavior was observed to be dependent upon the stress amplitude. At high stress amplitudes, the failure was dominated by overload phenomena. However, at all stress levels,more » fatigue crack initiation occurred by early debonding and matrix deformation by stress-induced precipitation. This was followed by matrix crack growth and fiber fracture prior to the onset of catastrophic failure. Matrix shear failure modes were also observed on the fracture surfaces in addition to fatigue striations in the matrix. Correlations were also established between the observed damage modes and acoustic emission signals that were detected under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions.« less

Optoelectronic Devices with Complex Failure Modes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, A.

2000-01-01

This part of the NSREC-2000 Short Course discusses radiation effects in basic photonic devices along with effects in more complex optoelectronic devices where the overall radiation response depends on several factors, with the possibility of multiple failure modes.

Air-Cooled Stack Freeze Tolerance Freeze Failure Modes and Freeze Tolerance Strategies for GenDriveTM Material Handling Application Systems and Stacks Final Scientific Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hancock, David, W.

2012-02-14

Air-cooled stack technology offers the potential for a simpler system architecture (versus liquid-cooled) for applications below 4 kilowatts. The combined cooling and cathode air allows for a reduction in part count and hence a lower cost solution. However, efficient heat rejection challenges escalate as power and ambient temperature increase. For applications in ambient temperatures below freezing, the air-cooled approach has additional challenges associated with not overcooling the fuel cell stack. The focus of this project was freeze tolerance while maintaining all other stack and system requirements. Through this project, Plug Power advanced the state of the art in technology formore » air-cooled PEM fuel cell stacks and related GenDrive material handling application fuel cell systems. This was accomplished through a collaborative work plan to improve freeze tolerance and mitigate freeze-thaw effect failure modes within innovative material handling equipment fuel cell systems designed for use in freezer forklift applications. Freeze tolerance remains an area where additional research and understanding can help fuel cells to become commercially viable. This project evaluated both stack level and system level solutions to improve fuel cell stack freeze tolerance. At this time, the most cost effective solutions are at the system level. The freeze mitigation strategies developed over the course of this project could be used to drive fuel cell commercialization. The fuel cell system studied in this project was Plug Power's commercially available GenDrive platform providing battery replacement for equipment in the material handling industry. The fuel cell stacks were Ballard's commercially available FCvelocity 9SSL (9SSL) liquid-cooled PEM fuel cell stack and FCvelocity 1020ACS (Mk1020) air-cooled PEM fuel cell stack.« less

Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA): Analysis of the life support and airlock support subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arbet, Jim; Duffy, R.; Barickman, K.; Saiidi, Mo J.

1987-01-01

The results of the Independent Orbiter Assessment (IOA) of the Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Critical Items List (CIL) are presented. The IOA approach features a top-down analysis of the hardware to determine failure modes, criticality, and potential critical items. To preserve independence, this analysis was accomplished without reliance upon the results contained within the NASA FMEA/CIL documentation. This report documents the independent analysis results corresponding to the Orbiter Life Support System (LSS) and Airlock Support System (ALSS). Each level of hardware was evaluated and analyzed for possible failure modes and effects. Criticality was assigned based upon the severity of the effect for each failure mode. The LSS provides for the management of the supply water, collection of metabolic waste, management of waste water, smoke detection, and fire suppression. The ALSS provides water, oxygen, and electricity to support an extravehicular activity in the airlock.

Fracture resistance and primary failure mode of endodontically treated teeth restored with a carbon fiber-reinforced resin post system in vitro.

PubMed

Raygot, C G; Chai, J; Jameson, D L

2001-01-01

This study was undertaken to characterize the fracture resistance and mode of fracture of endodontically treated incisors restored with cast post-and-core, prefabricated stainless steel post, or carbon fiber-reinforced composite post systems. Ten endodontically treated teeth restored with each technique were subjected to a compressive load delivered at a 130-degree angle to the long axis until the first sign of failure was noted. The fracture load and the mode of fracture were recorded. The failure loads registered in the three groups were not significantly different. Between 70%, and 80% of teeth from any of the three groups displayed fractures that were located above the simulated bone level. The use of carbon fiber-reinforced composite posts did not change the fracture resistance or the failure mode of endodontically treated central incisors compared to the use of metallic posts.

Analysis and design of ion-implanted bubble memory devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wullert, J. R., II; Kryder, M. H.

1987-04-01

4-μm period ion-implanted contiguous disk bubble memory circuits, designed and fabricated at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, have been investigated. Quasistatic testing has provided information about both the operational bias field ranges and the exact failure modes. A variety of major loop layouts were investigated and two turns found to severely limit bias field margins are discussed. The generation process, using a hairpin nucleator, was tested and several interesting failure modes were uncovered. Propagation on four different minor loop paths was observed and each was found to have characteristic failure modes. The transfer processes, both into and out of the minor loops, were investigated at higher frequencies to avoid local heating due to long transfer pulses at low frequencies. Again specific failure modes were identified. Overall bias margins for the chip were 9% at 50 Oe drive field and were limited by transfer-in.

a New Method for Fmeca Based on Fuzzy Theory and Expert System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byeon, Yoong-Tae; Kim, Dong-Jin; Kim, Jin-O.

2008-10-01

Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) is one of most widely used methods in modern engineering system to investigate potential failure modes and its severity upon the system. FMECA evaluates criticality and severity of each failure mode and visualize the risk level matrix putting those indices to column and row variable respectively. Generally, those indices are determined subjectively by experts and operators. However, this process has no choice but to include uncertainty. In this paper, a method for eliciting expert opinions considering its uncertainty is proposed to evaluate the criticality and severity. In addition, a fuzzy expert system is constructed in order to determine the crisp value of risk level for each failure mode. Finally, an illustrative example system is analyzed in the case study. The results are worth considering in deciding the proper policies for each component of the system.

Automated Mixed Traffic Vehicle (AMTV) technology and safety study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, A. R.; Peng, T. K. C.; Vivian, H. C.; Wang, P. K.

1978-01-01

Technology and safety related to the implementation of an Automated Mixed Traffic Vehicle (AMTV) system are discussed. System concepts and technology status were reviewed and areas where further development is needed are identified. Failure and hazard modes were also analyzed and methods for prevention were suggested. The results presented are intended as a guide for further efforts in AMTV system design and technology development for both near term and long term applications. The AMTV systems discussed include a low speed system, and a hybrid system consisting of low speed sections and high speed sections operating in a semi-guideway. The safety analysis identified hazards that may arise in a properly functioning AMTV system, as well as hardware failure modes. Safety related failure modes were emphasized. A risk assessment was performed in order to create a priority order and significant hazards and failure modes were summarized. Corrective measures were proposed for each hazard.

Performance of Sequoyah Containment Anchorage System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fanous, F.; Greimann, L.; Wassef, W.

1993-01-01

Deformation of a steel containment anchorage system during a severe accident may result in a leakage path at the containment boundaries. Current design criteria are based on either ductile or brittle failure modes of headed bolts that do not account for factors such as cracking of the containment basemat or deformation of the anchor bolt that may affect the behavior of the containment anchorage system. The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of a typical ice condenser containment`s anchorage system. This was accomplished by analyzing the Sequoyah Containment Anchorage System. Based on a strength of materials approachmore » and assuming that the anchor bolts are resisting the uplift caused by the internal pressure, one can estimate that the failure of the anchor bolts would occur at a containment pressure of 79 psig. To verify these results and to calibrate the strength of materials equation, the Sequoyah containment anchorage system was analyzed with the ABAQUS program using a three-dimensional, finite-element model. The model included portions of the steel containment building, shield building, anchor bolt assembly, reinforced concrete mat and soil foundation material.« less

Experimental and Numerical Studies on the Formability of Materials in Hot Stamping and Cold Die Quenching Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, N.; Mohamed, M. S.; Cai, J.; Lin, J.; Balint, D.; Dean, T. A.

2011-05-01

Formability of steel and aluminium alloys in hot stamping and cold die quenching processes is studied in this research. Viscoplastic-damage constitutive equations are developed and determined from experimental data for the prediction of viscoplastic flow and ductility of the materials. The determined unified constitutive equations are then implemented into the commercial Finite Element code Abaqus/Explicit via a user defined subroutine, VUMAT. An FE process simulation model and numerical procedures are established for the modeling of hot stamping processes for a spherical part with a central hole. Different failure modes (failure takes place either near the central hole or in the mid span of the part) are obtained. To validate the simulation results, a test programme is developed, a test die set has been designed and manufactured, and tests have been carried out for the materials with different forming rates. It has been found that very close agreements between experimental and numerical process simulation results are obtained for the ranges of temperatures and forming rates carried out.

Fracture mechanisms and fracture control in composite structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Wone-Chul

Four basic failure modes--delamination, delamination buckling of composite sandwich panels, first-ply failure in cross-ply laminates, and compression failure--are analyzed using linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and the J-integral method. Structural failures, including those at the micromechanical level, are investigated with the aid of the models developed, and the critical strains for crack propagation for each mode are obtained. In the structural fracture analyses area, the fracture control schemes for delamination in a composite rib stiffener and delamination buckling in composite sandwich panels subjected to in-plane compression are determined. The critical fracture strains were predicted with the aid of LEFM for delamination and the J-integral method for delamination buckling. The use of toughened matrix systems has been recommended for improved damage tolerant design for delamination crack propagation. An experimental study was conducted to determine the onset of delamination buckling in composite sandwich panel containing flaws. The critical fracture loads computed using the proposed theoretical model and a numerical computational scheme closely followed the experimental measurements made on sandwich panel specimens of graphite/epoxy faceskins and aluminum honeycomb core with varying faceskin thicknesses and core sizes. Micromechanical models of fracture in composites are explored to predict transverse cracking of cross-ply laminates and compression fracture of unidirectional composites. A modified shear lag model which takes into account the important role of interlaminar shear zones between the 0 degree and 90 degree piles in cross-ply laminate is proposed and criteria for transverse cracking have been developed. For compressive failure of unidirectional composites, pre-existing defects play an important role. Using anisotropic elasticity, the stress state around a defect under a remotely applied compressive load is obtained. The experimentally observed complex compressive failure modes, such as shear crippling and pure compressive fiber failure of fibers are explained by the predicted stress distributions calculated in this work. These fracture analyses can be damage tolerant design methodology for composite structures. The proposed fracture criteria and the corresponding critical fracture strains provide the designer with quantitative guidelines for safe-life design. These have been incorporated into a fracture control plan for composite structures, which is also described. Currently, fracture control plans do not exist for composite structures; the proposed plan is a first step towards establishing fracture control and damage tolerant design methodology for this important class of materials.

Effect of initial contact surface condition on the friction and wear properties of bearing steel in cyclic reciprocating sliding contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanaka, Y.; Endo, M.; Moriyama, S.

2017-05-01

Delamination failure is one of the most important engineering problems. This failure can frequently be detrimental to rolling contact machine elements such as bearings, gear wheels, etc. This phenomenon, called rolling contact fatigue, has a close relationship not only with opening-mode but also with shear-mode fatigue crack growth. The crack face interference is known to significantly affect the shear-mode fatigue crack propagation and its threshold behavior. Quantitative investigation on friction and wear at fatigue crack faces in the material is essentially impossible. Previously, thus, a novel ring-on-ring test by making use of fatigue testing machine was proposed to simulate a cyclic reciprocating sliding contact of crack surfaces. However, this test procedure had some problems. For instance, in order to achieve the uniform contact at the start of test, the rubbing of specimens must be conducted in advance. By this treatment, the specimen surfaces were already damaged before the test. In this study, an improvement of experimental method was made to perform the test using the damage-free specimens. The friction and wear properties for heat-treated high carbon-chromium bearing steel were investigated with this new method and the results were compared to the results obtained by using the initially damaged specimens.

Reliable high-power diode lasers: thermo-mechanical fatigue aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klumel, Genady; Gridish, Yaakov; Szafranek, Igor; Karni, Yoram

2006-02-01

High power water-cooled diode lasers are finding increasing demand in biomedical, cosmetic and industrial applications, where repetitive cw (continuous wave) and pulsed cw operation modes are required. When operating in such modes, the lasers experience numerous complete thermal cycles between "cold" heat sink temperature and the "hot" temperature typical of thermally equilibrated cw operation. It is clearly demonstrated that the main failure mechanism directly linked to repetitive cw operation is thermo-mechanical fatigue of the solder joints adjacent to the laser bars, especially when "soft" solders are used. Analyses of the bonding interfaces were carried out using scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that intermetallic compounds, formed already during the bonding process, lead to the solders fatigue both on the p- and n-side of the laser bar. Fatigue failure of solder joints in repetitive cw operation reduces useful lifetime of the stacks to hundreds hours, in comparison with more than 10,000 hours lifetime typically demonstrated in commonly adopted non-stop cw reliability testing programs. It is shown, that proper selection of package materials and solders, careful design of fatigue sensitive parts and burn-in screening in the hard pulse operation mode allow considerable increase of lifetime and reliability, without compromising the device efficiency, optical power density and compactness.

Assessment of Technologies for the Space Shuttle External Tank Thermal Protection System and Recommendations for Technology Improvement - Part III: Material Property Characterization, Analysis, and Test Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gates, Thomas S.; Johnson, Theodore F.; Whitley, Karen S.

2005-01-01

The objective of this report is to contribute to the independent assessment of the Space Shuttle External Tank Foam Material. This report specifically addresses material modeling, characterization testing, data reduction methods, and data pedigree. A brief description of the External Tank foam materials, locations, and standard failure modes is provided to develop suitable background information. A review of mechanics based analysis methods from the open literature is used to provide an assessment of the state-of-the-art in material modeling of closed cell foams. Further, this report assesses the existing material property database and investigates sources of material property variability. The report presents identified deficiencies in testing methods and procedures, recommendations for additional testing as required, identification of near-term improvements that should be pursued, and long-term capabilities or enhancements that should be developed.

Particle size effect on strength, failure, and shock behavior in polytetrafluoroethylene-Al-W granular composite materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbold, E. B.; Nesterenko, V. F.; Benson, D. J.; Cai, J.; Vecchio, K. S.; Jiang, F.; Addiss, J. W.; Walley, S. M.; Proud, W. G.

2008-11-01

The variation of metallic particle size and sample porosity significantly alters the dynamic mechanical properties of high density granular composite materials processed using a cold isostatically pressed mixture of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), aluminum (Al), and tungsten (W) powders. Quasistatic and dynamic experiments are performed with identical constituent mass fractions with variations in the size of the W particles and pressing conditions. The relatively weak polymer matrix allows the strength and fracture modes of this material to be governed by the granular type behavior of agglomerated metal particles. A higher ultimate compressive strength was observed in relatively high porosity samples with small W particles compared to those with coarse W particles in all experiments. Mesoscale granular force chains of the metallic particles explain this unusual phenomenon as observed in hydrocode simulations of a drop-weight test. Macrocracks forming below the critical failure strain for the matrix and unusual behavior due to a competition between densification and fracture in dynamic tests of porous samples were also observed. Numerical modeling of shock loading of this granular composite material demonstrated that the internal energy, specifically thermal energy, of the soft PTFE matrix can be tailored by the W particle size distribution.

Effect of surface treatment on retention of glass-fiber endodontic posts.

PubMed

Balbosh, Ali; Kern, Matthias

2006-03-01

The effects of surface treatment on the retention of prefabricated fiber-reinforced epoxy resin posts are not well understood because most studies measure retention shortly after cementation, without artificial aging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of surface treatment on the retention of glass-fiber endodontic posts luted with resin cement and subjected to artificial aging. Thirty-two single-rooted teeth were selected, the coronal aspect of each tooth was removed, and the remaining root received endodontic therapy. Specimens were then divided into 4 groups (n = 8). Post spaces were prepared to a depth of 10 mm by using ISO 90 rotary instruments. The tapered posts received 1 of 4 surface treatments: cleaning with alcohol (Alc), cleaning with alcohol and conditioning with ED-Primer material (Alc-ED), airborne-particle abrasion (Air), or airborne-particle abrasion and conditioning with ED-Primer material (Air-ED). All posts were luted with a composite resin luting agent (Panavia F) after conditioning the canal dentin with autopolymerizing dentin primer (ED-Primer) and without acid etching of the canal dentin. After cementation, the specimens were stored in water at 37 degrees C for 30 days and subjected to simulated aging conditions consisting of 7500 thermal cycles (5 degrees C/55 degrees C) and 300,000 mechanical loading cycles with 30 N. Retention (N) of the posts was measured with a universal testing machine with a crosshead speed of 2 mm/min. The data were analyzed using 1-way ANOVA and the Tukey HSD test (alpha = .05). The dislodged posts were also examined microscopically at x8 and x20 magnification to evaluate the mode of failure. The mean retentive values (N) and SDs of the test groups were as follows: Alc, 375.9 +/- 85.0; Alc-ED, 421.2 +/- 46.8; Air, 534.8 +/- 65.8; and Air-ED, 555.8 +/- 86.9. Airborne-particle-abraded posts had significantly higher retention compared with nonabraded posts (P < .001). Treating the post's surface with ED-Primer material prior to cementation had no significant effect on retention. The failure mode was purely adhesive at the resin cement-post interface for all nonabraded posts. A mixed failure mode, adhesive at the resin cement-dentin interface, at the resin cement-post interface, and cohesive in the resin cement, was observed for airborne-particle-abraded posts. Treating the surface of the posts with ED-Primer material before cementation with Panavia F cement produced no significant improvement in the retention of the posts. Airborne-particle abrasion of the surface of the post significantly improved the retention.

Dentin pretreatment and adhesive temperature as affecting factors on bond strength of a universal adhesive system

PubMed Central

Sutil, Bruna Gabrielle da Silva; Susin, Alexandre Henrique

2017-01-01

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the effects of dentin pretreatment and temperature on the bond strength of a universal adhesive system to dentin. Material and Methods: Ninety-six extracted non-carious human third molars were randomly divided into 12 groups (n=8) according to Scotchbond Universal Adhesive (SbU) applied in self-etch (SE) and etch-and-rinse (ER) mode, adhesive temperature (20°C or 37°C) and sodium bicarbonate or aluminum oxide air abrasion. After composite build up, bonded sticks with cross-sectional area of 1 mm2 were obtained to evaluate the microtensile bond strength (μTBS). The specimens were tested at a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min on a testing machine until failure. Fractured specimens were analyzed under stereomicroscope to determine the failure patterns in adhesive, cohesive (dentin or resin) and mixed fractures. The microtensile bond strength data was analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=5%). Results: Interaction between treatment and temperature was statistically significant for SbU applied in self-etch technique. Both dentin treatments showed higher bond strength for ER mode, regardless of adhesive temperature. When compared to control group, sodium bicarbonate increased bond strength of SbU in SE technique. Adhesive temperature did not significantly affect the μTBS of tested groups. Predominantly, adhesive failure was observed for all groups. Conclusions: Dentin surface treatment with sodium bicarbonate air abrasion improves bond strength of SbU, irrespective of adhesive application mode, which makes this approach an alternative to increase adhesive performance of Scotchbond Universal Adhesive to dentin. PMID:29069151

Numerical Modelling of Glass Fibre Reinforced Laminates Subjected to a Low Velocity Impact

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fan, J. Y.; Guana, Z. W.; Cantwell, W. J.

2010-05-21

This paper presents a series of numerical predictions of the perforation behaviour of glass fibre laminates subjected to quasi-static and low-velocity impact loading. Both shear and tensile failure criteria were used in the finite element models to simulate the post-failure processes via an automatic element removal procedure. The appropriate material properties, obtained through a series of uniaxial tension and bending tests on the composites, were used in the numerical models. Four, eight and sixteen ply glass fibre laminates panels were perforated at quasi-static rates and under low-velocity impact loading. Reasonably good correlation was obtained between the numerical simulations and themore » experimental results, both in terms of the failure modes and the load-deflection relationships before and during the penetration phase. The predicted impact energies of the GFRP panels were compared with the experimental data and reasonable agreement was observed.« less

Numerical Simulation and Experimental Verification of Hollow and Foam-Filled Flax-Fabric-Reinforced Epoxy Tubular Energy Absorbers Subjected to Crashing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sliseris, J.; Yan, L.; Kasal, B.

2017-09-01

Numerical methods for simulating hollow and foam-filled flax-fabric-reinforced epoxy tubular energy absorbers subjected to lateral crashing are presented. The crashing characteristics, such as the progressive failure, load-displacement response, absorbed energy, peak load, and failure modes, of the tubes were simulated and calculated numerically. A 3D nonlinear finite-element model that allows for the plasticity of materials using an isotropic hardening model with strain rate dependence and failure is proposed. An explicit finite-element solver is used to address the lateral crashing of the tubes considering large displacements and strains, plasticity, and damage. The experimental nonlinear crashing load vs. displacement data are successfully described by using the finite-element model proposed. The simulated peak loads and absorbed energy of the tubes are also in good agreement with experimental results.

Epitaxial nickel disilicide with low resistivity and excellent reliability.

PubMed

Hsin, Cheng-Lun; Deng, Shiu-Sheng

2016-02-12

Ultra-thin epitaxial NiSi2 was formed, and its structure was examined by electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Compared with previous reports, the measured resistivity of the epitaxial NiSi2 was unprecedentedly low, reaching 7 μΩ cm in the experimental results and up to 14.93 μΩ cm after modification. The reliability, which was investigated under different temperatures and current densities to understand its electronic characteristics, was 1.5 times better than that of the conventional polycrystalline counterpart. Black's equation and the measured mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) were used to obtain the reliability characteristics of epitaxial and poly-NiSi2. Confidence intervals at 95% for each MTTF confirmed the single failure mode. The electromigration phenomenon was observed to be the failure mechanism. Our results provide evidence that epitaxial NiSi2 is a promising contact material for future electronics.

Epitaxial nickel disilicide with low resistivity and excellent reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsin, Cheng-Lun; Deng, Shiu-Sheng

2016-02-01

Ultra-thin epitaxial NiSi2 was formed, and its structure was examined by electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Compared with previous reports, the measured resistivity of the epitaxial NiSi2 was unprecedentedly low, reaching 7 μΩ cm in the experimental results and up to 14.93 μΩ cm after modification. The reliability, which was investigated under different temperatures and current densities to understand its electronic characteristics, was 1.5 times better than that of the conventional polycrystalline counterpart. Black’s equation and the measured mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) were used to obtain the reliability characteristics of epitaxial and poly-NiSi2. Confidence intervals at 95% for each MTTF confirmed the single failure mode. The electromigration phenomenon was observed to be the failure mechanism. Our results provide evidence that epitaxial NiSi2 is a promising contact material for future electronics.

Simulations of carbon fiber composite delamination tests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kay, G

2007-10-25

Simulations of mode I interlaminar fracture toughness tests of a carbon-reinforced composite material (BMS 8-212) were conducted with LSDYNA. The fracture toughness tests were performed by U.C. Berkeley. The simulations were performed to investigate the validity and practicality of employing decohesive elements to represent interlaminar bond failures that are prevalent in carbon-fiber composite structure penetration events. The simulations employed a decohesive element formulation that was verified on a simple two element model before being employed to perform the full model simulations. Care was required during the simulations to ensure that the explicit time integration of LSDYNA duplicate the near steady-statemore » testing conditions. In general, this study validated the use of employing decohesive elements to represent the interlaminar bond failures seen in carbon-fiber composite structures, but the practicality of employing the elements to represent the bond failures seen in carbon-fiber composite structures during penetration events was not established.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fu, Jiajia; Zhao, Lixia, E-mail: lxzhao@semi.ac.cn, E-mail: jmli@semi.ac.cn; Cao, Haicheng

The degradation behaviors of high power GaN-based vertical blue LEDs on Si substrates were measured using in-situ accelerated life test. The results show that the dominant failure mechanism would be different during the operation. Besides that, the corresponding associated failure mechanisms were investigated systematically by using different analysis technologies, such as Scan Electron Microscopy, Reflectivity spectroscopy, Transient Thermal Analysis, Raman Spectra, etc. It is shown that initially, the failure modes were mainly originated from the semiconductor die and interconnect, while afterwards, the following serious deterioration of the radiant fluxes was attributed to the package. The interface material and quality, suchmore » as die attach and frame, play an important role in determining the thermal performance and reliability. In addition, the heating effect during the operation will also release the compressive strain in the chip. These findings will help to improve the reliability of GaN-based LEDs, especially for the LEDs with vertical structure.« less

Space Shuttle Hot Cabin Emergency Responses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stepaniak, P.; Effenhauser, R. K.; McCluskey, R.; Gillis, D. B.; Hamilton, D.; Kuznetz, L. H.

2005-01-01

Methods: Human thermal tolerance, countermeasures, and thermal model data were reviewed and compared to existing shuttle ECS failure temperature and humidity profiles for each failure mode. Increases in core temperature associated with cognitive impairment was identified, as was metabolic heat generation of crewmembers, temperature monitoring, and communication capabilities after partial power-down and other limiting factors. Orbiter landing strategies and a hydration and salt replacement protocol were developed to put wheels on deck in each failure mode prior to development of significant cognitive impairment or collapse of crewmembers. Thermal tradeoffs for use of the Advanced Crew Escape Suit (ACES), Liquid Cooling Garment, integrated G-suit and Quick Don Mask were examined. candidate solutions involved trade-offs or conflicts with cabin oxygen partial pressure limits, system power-downs to limit heat generation, risks of alternate and emergency landing sites or compromise of Mode V-VIII scenarios. Results: Rehydration and minimized cabin workloads are required in all failure modes. Temperature/humidity profiles increase rapidly in two failure modes, and deorbit is recommended without the ACES, ICU and g-suit. This latter configuration limits several shuttle approach and landing escape modes and requires communication modifications. Additional data requirements were identified and engineering simulations were recommended to develop more current shuttle temperature and humidity profiles. Discussion: After failure of the shuttle ECS, there is insufficient cooling capacity of the ACES to protect crewmembers from rising cabin temperature and humidity. The LCG is inadequate for cabin temperatures above 76 F. Current shuttle future life policy makes it unlikely that major engineering upgrades necessary to address this problem will occur.

Space Shuttle Stiffener Ring Foam Failure Analysis, a Non-Conventional Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, Philip M.

2015-01-01

The Space Shuttle Program made use of the excellent properties of rigid polyurethane foam for cryogenic tank insulation and as structural protection on the solid rocket boosters. When foam applications de-bond, classical methods of failure analysis did not provide root cause of the failure of the foam. Realizing that foam is the ideal media to document and preserve its own mode of failure, thin sectioning was seen as a logical approach for foam failure analysis to observe the three dimensional morphology of the foam cells. The cell foam morphology provided a much greater understanding of the failure modes than previously achieved.

Use of FMEA analysis to reduce risk of errors in prescribing and administering drugs in paediatric wards: a quality improvement report

PubMed Central

Lago, Paola; Bizzarri, Giancarlo; Scalzotto, Francesca; Parpaiola, Antonella; Amigoni, Angela; Putoto, Giovanni; Perilongo, Giorgio

2012-01-01

Objective Administering medication to hospitalised infants and children is a complex process at high risk of error. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a proactive tool used to analyse risks, identify failures before they happen and prioritise remedial measures. To examine the hazards associated with the process of drug delivery to children, we performed a proactive risk-assessment analysis. Design and setting Five multidisciplinary teams, representing different divisions of the paediatric department at Padua University Hospital, were trained to analyse the drug-delivery process, to identify possible causes of failures and their potential effects, to calculate a risk priority number (RPN) for each failure and plan changes in practices. Primary outcome To identify higher-priority potential failure modes as defined by RPNs and planning changes in clinical practice to reduce the risk of patients harm and improve safety in the process of medication use in children. Results In all, 37 higher-priority potential failure modes and 71 associated causes and effects were identified. The highest RPNs related (>48) mainly to errors in calculating drug doses and concentrations. Many of these failure modes were found in all the five units, suggesting the presence of common targets for improvement, particularly in enhancing the safety of prescription and preparation of endovenous drugs. The introductions of new activities in the revised process of administering drugs allowed reducing the high-risk failure modes of 60%. Conclusions FMEA is an effective proactive risk-assessment tool useful to aid multidisciplinary groups in understanding a process care and identifying errors that may occur, prioritising remedial interventions and possibly enhancing the safety of drug delivery in children. PMID:23253870

Use of FMEA analysis to reduce risk of errors in prescribing and administering drugs in paediatric wards: a quality improvement report.

PubMed

Lago, Paola; Bizzarri, Giancarlo; Scalzotto, Francesca; Parpaiola, Antonella; Amigoni, Angela; Putoto, Giovanni; Perilongo, Giorgio

2012-01-01

Administering medication to hospitalised infants and children is a complex process at high risk of error. Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a proactive tool used to analyse risks, identify failures before they happen and prioritise remedial measures. To examine the hazards associated with the process of drug delivery to children, we performed a proactive risk-assessment analysis. Five multidisciplinary teams, representing different divisions of the paediatric department at Padua University Hospital, were trained to analyse the drug-delivery process, to identify possible causes of failures and their potential effects, to calculate a risk priority number (RPN) for each failure and plan changes in practices. To identify higher-priority potential failure modes as defined by RPNs and planning changes in clinical practice to reduce the risk of patients harm and improve safety in the process of medication use in children. In all, 37 higher-priority potential failure modes and 71 associated causes and effects were identified. The highest RPNs related (>48) mainly to errors in calculating drug doses and concentrations. Many of these failure modes were found in all the five units, suggesting the presence of common targets for improvement, particularly in enhancing the safety of prescription and preparation of endovenous drugs. The introductions of new activities in the revised process of administering drugs allowed reducing the high-risk failure modes of 60%. FMEA is an effective proactive risk-assessment tool useful to aid multidisciplinary groups in understanding a process care and identifying errors that may occur, prioritising remedial interventions and possibly enhancing the safety of drug delivery in children.

Ductile failure initiation and evolution in porous polycrystalline aggregates due to interfacial effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ashmawi, Waeil Muhammad Al-Anwar

New analytical and computational formulations have been developed for the investigation of micro structurally induced ductile failure mechanisms in porous polycrystalline aggregates with low and high (CSL) angle grain-boundaries (GBs). A multiple-slip rate-dependent crystalline constitutive formulation that is coupled to the evolution of mobile and immobile dislocation densities, a new internal porosity formulation for void nucleation and growth, and specialized computational schemes have been developed to obtain a detailed understanding of the multi-scale interrelated physical mechanisms that result in ductile failure in polycrystalline materials. Comprehensive transmission and pile-up mechanisms have also been introduced to investigate dislocation-density impedance and slip-rate incompatibility at the GBs. The interrelated effects of GB orientation, mobile and immobile dislocation densities, strain hardening, geometrical softening, localized plastic strains, and dislocation-density transmission and blockage on void growth, interaction, and coalescence have been studied. Criteria have been developed to identify and monitor the initiation and development of potential dislocation-density activity sites adjacent to GB regions. These interactions play an important role in the formation of GB pile-up and transmission regions. The effects of GB structure and orientation on ductile failure have been accounted for by the development of GB interfacial kinematic conditions that account for a multitude of dislocation-density interactions with GBs, such as full and partial transmission, impedance, blockage, and absorption. Pile-ups and transmission regions are identified and monitored as the deformation and failure evolve. These kinematic conditions are linked to the initiation and evolution of failure modes by the development of a new internal porosity evolution formulation that accounts for void nucleation and growth. The internal porosity relation is coupled with the proposed dislocation-density based crystalline constitutive formulation, the interfacial GB dislocation-density interaction models, and the specialized computational schemes to obtain detailed predictions of the behavior of aggregates with explicit voids that have different orientations and combinations of sizes, shapes, and spacings. Results from the present study indicate that material failure is a competition between different interrelated effects, such as stress triaxiality, accumulated plastic shear strain, temperature, dislocation density concentration, and grain and GB crystallographic orientations. For all void arrangements, as the void size is increased, specimen necking is diffuse and failure is concentrated in the ligament regions. Furthermore, there are more dislocation-density activity sites for potential transmission and pile-ups at the GBs. Failure is concentrated along the void peripheries and within intervoid ligaments. It has been shown that the evolution of the mobile dislocation density saturation curves, and their saturation rate are directly related to the aggregate response. Nucleation and growth for all void distributions have occurred in regions of maximum dislocation density and along preferred crystallographic orientations. Spatial distributions of porosity, accumulated plastic strains, and pressure have been obtained to further elucidate how these parameters evolve and affect void to void interaction in critical ligament and localized regions as a function of intervoid spacing and nominal strains. These failure predictions can be also used to identify intergranular and transgranular failure propagation. The present study underscores the importance of using dislocation-density based multiple-slip crystalline constitutive formulations and GB interfacial mechanisms that are consistent with experimental observations and results to accurately characterize the microstructural evolution of deformation and failure modes on a length scale that is commensurate with the material competition between the inherent strengthening and softening mechanisms of crystalline systems.

Reusable Rocket Engine Maintenance Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macgregor, C. A.

1982-01-01

Approximately 85,000 liquid rocket engine failure reports, obtained from 30 years of developing and delivering major pump feed engines, were reviewed and screened and reduced to 1771. These were categorized into 16 different failure modes. Failure propagation diagrams were established. The state of the art of engine condition monitoring for in-flight sensors and between flight inspection technology was determined. For the 16 failure modes, the potential measurands and diagnostic requirements were identified, assessed and ranked. Eight areas are identified requiring advanced technology development.

Preliminary Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of the US DCLL Test Blanket Module

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee C. Cadwallader

2010-06-01

This report presents the results of a preliminary failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of a small tritium-breeding test blanket module design for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The FMEA was quantified with “generic” component failure rate data, and the failure events are binned into postulated initiating event families and frequency categories for safety assessment. An appendix to this report contains repair time data to support an occupational radiation exposure assessment for test blanket module maintenance.

Preliminary Failure Modes and Effects Analysis of the US DCLL Test Blanket Module

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee C. Cadwallader

2007-08-01

This report presents the results of a preliminary failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) of a small tritium-breeding test blanket module design for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The FMEA was quantified with “generic” component failure rate data, and the failure events are binned into postulated initiating event families and frequency categories for safety assessment. An appendix to this report contains repair time data to support an occupational radiation exposure assessment for test blanket module maintenance.

Failure mode and effects analysis using intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid weighted Euclidean distance operator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hu-Chen; Liu, Long; Li, Ping

2014-10-01

Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) has shown its effectiveness in examining potential failures in products, process, designs or services and has been extensively used for safety and reliability analysis in a wide range of industries. However, its approach to prioritise failure modes through a crisp risk priority number (RPN) has been criticised as having several shortcomings. The aim of this paper is to develop an efficient and comprehensive risk assessment methodology using intuitionistic fuzzy hybrid weighted Euclidean distance (IFHWED) operator to overcome the limitations and improve the effectiveness of the traditional FMEA. The diversified and uncertain assessments given by FMEA team members are treated as linguistic terms expressed in intuitionistic fuzzy numbers (IFNs). Intuitionistic fuzzy weighted averaging (IFWA) operator is used to aggregate the FMEA team members' individual assessments into a group assessment. IFHWED operator is applied thereafter to the prioritisation and selection of failure modes. Particularly, both subjective and objective weights of risk factors are considered during the risk evaluation process. A numerical example for risk assessment is given to illustrate the proposed method finally.

Fuzzy Risk Evaluation in Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Using a D Numbers Based Multi-Sensor Information Fusion Method.

PubMed

Deng, Xinyang; Jiang, Wen

2017-09-12

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a useful tool to define, identify, and eliminate potential failures or errors so as to improve the reliability of systems, designs, and products. Risk evaluation is an important issue in FMEA to determine the risk priorities of failure modes. There are some shortcomings in the traditional risk priority number (RPN) approach for risk evaluation in FMEA, and fuzzy risk evaluation has become an important research direction that attracts increasing attention. In this paper, the fuzzy risk evaluation in FMEA is studied from a perspective of multi-sensor information fusion. By considering the non-exclusiveness between the evaluations of fuzzy linguistic variables to failure modes, a novel model called D numbers is used to model the non-exclusive fuzzy evaluations. A D numbers based multi-sensor information fusion method is proposed to establish a new model for fuzzy risk evaluation in FMEA. An illustrative example is provided and examined using the proposed model and other existing method to show the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Fuzzy Risk Evaluation in Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Using a D Numbers Based Multi-Sensor Information Fusion Method

PubMed Central

Deng, Xinyang

2017-01-01

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a useful tool to define, identify, and eliminate potential failures or errors so as to improve the reliability of systems, designs, and products. Risk evaluation is an important issue in FMEA to determine the risk priorities of failure modes. There are some shortcomings in the traditional risk priority number (RPN) approach for risk evaluation in FMEA, and fuzzy risk evaluation has become an important research direction that attracts increasing attention. In this paper, the fuzzy risk evaluation in FMEA is studied from a perspective of multi-sensor information fusion. By considering the non-exclusiveness between the evaluations of fuzzy linguistic variables to failure modes, a novel model called D numbers is used to model the non-exclusive fuzzy evaluations. A D numbers based multi-sensor information fusion method is proposed to establish a new model for fuzzy risk evaluation in FMEA. An illustrative example is provided and examined using the proposed model and other existing method to show the effectiveness of the proposed model. PMID:28895905