Effect of Microstructural Interfaces on the Mechanical Response of Crystalline Metallic Materials

Advances in nano-scale mechanical testing have brought about progress in the understanding of physical phenomena in materials and a measure of control in the fabrication of novel materials. In contrast to bulk materials that display size-invariant mechanical properties, sub-micron metallic samples show a critical dependence on sample size. The strength of nano-scale single crystalline metals is well-described by a power-law function, σαD^-n, where D is a critical sample size and n is a experimentally-fit positive exponent. This relationship is attributed to source-driven plasticity and demonstrates a strengthening as the decreasing sample size begins to limit the size and number of dislocation sources. A full understanding of this size-dependence is complicated by the presence of microstructural features such as interfaces that can compete with the dominant dislocation-based deformation mechanisms. In this thesis, the effects of microstructural features such as grain boundaries and anisotropic crystallinity on nano-scale metals are investigated through uniaxial compression testing. We find that nano-sized Cu covered by a hard coating displays a Bauschinger effect and the emergence of this behavior can be explained through a simple dislocation-based analytic model. Al nano-pillars containing a single vertically-oriented coincident site lattice grain boundary are found to show similar deformation to single-crystalline nano-pillars with slip traces passing through the grain boundary. With increasing tilt angle of the grain boundary from the pillar axis, we observe a transition from dislocation-dominated deformation to grain boundary sliding. Crystallites are observed to shear along the grain boundary and molecular dynamics simulations reveal a mechanism of atomic migration that accommodates boundary sliding. We conclude with an analysis of the effects of inherent crystal anisotropy and alloying on the mechanical behavior of the Mg alloy, AZ31. Through comparison to pure Mg, we show that the size effect dominates the strength of samples below 10 μm, that differences in the size effect between hexagonal slip systems is due to the inherent crystal anisotropy, suggesting that the fundamental mechanism of the size effect in these slip systems is the same.

Testing inflationary cosmology with the BICEP1 and BICEP2 experiments

Recent observations of the temperature anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) favor an inflationary paradigm in which the scale factor of the universe inflated by many orders of magnitude at some very early time. Such a scenario would produce the observed large-scale isotropy and homogeneity of the universe, as well as the scale-invariant perturbations responsible for the observed (10 parts per million) anisotropies in the CMB. An inflationary epoch is also theorized to produce a background of gravitational waves (or tensor perturbations), the effects of which can be observed in the polarization of the CMB. The E-mode (or parity even) polarization of the CMB, which is produced by scalar perturbations, has now been measured with high significance. Con- trastingly, today the B-mode (or parity odd) polarization, which is sourced by tensor perturbations, has yet to be observed. A detection of the B-mode polarization of the CMB would provide strong evidence for an inflationary epoch early in the universe’s history.

In this work, we explore experimental techniques and analysis methods used to probe the B- mode polarization of the CMB. These experimental techniques have been used to build the Bicep2 telescope, which was deployed to the South Pole in 2009. After three years of observations, Bicep2 has acquired one of the deepest observations of the degree-scale polarization of the CMB to date. Similarly, this work describes analysis methods developed for the Bicep1 three-year data analysis, which includes the full data set acquired by Bicep1. This analysis has produced the tightest constraint on the B-mode polarization of the CMB to date, corresponding to a tensor-to-scalar ratio estimate of r = 0.04±0.32, or a Bayesian 95% credible interval of r < 0.70. These analysis methods, in addition to producing this new constraint, are directly applicable to future analyses of Bicep2 data. Taken together, the experimental techniques and analysis methods described herein promise to open a new observational window into the inflationary epoch and the initial conditions of our universe.

High-strain composites and dual-matrix composite structures

Most space applications require deployable structures due to the limiting size of current launch vehicles. Specifically, payloads in nanosatellites such as CubeSats require very high compaction ratios due to the very limited space available in this typo of platform. Strain-energy-storing deployable structures can be suitable for these applications, but the curvature to which these structures can be folded is limited to the elastic range. Thanks to fiber microbuckling, high-strain composite materials can be folded into much higher curvatures without showing significant damage, which makes them suitable for very high compaction deployable structure applications. However, in applications that require carrying loads in compression, fiber microbuckling also dominates the strength of the material. A good understanding of the strength in compression of high-strain composites is then needed to determine how suitable they are for this type of application.

The goal of this thesis is to investigate, experimentally and numerically, the microbuckling in compression of high-strain composites. Particularly, the behavior in compression of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced silicone rods (CFRS) is studied. Experimental testing of the compression failure of CFRS rods showed a higher strength in compression than the strength estimated by analytical models, which is unusual in standard polymer composites. This effect, first discovered in the present research, was attributed to the variation in random carbon fiber angles respect to the nominal direction. This is an important effect, as it implies that microbuckling strength might be increased by controlling the fiber angles. With a higher microbuckling strength, high-strain materials could carry loads in compression without reaching microbuckling and therefore be suitable for several space applications.

A finite element model was developed to predict the homogenized stiffness of the CFRS, and the homogenization results were used in another finite element model that simulated a homogenized rod under axial compression. A statistical representation of the fiber angles was implemented in the model. The presence of fiber angles increased the longitudinal shear stiffness of the material, resulting in a higher strength in compression. The simulations showed a large increase of the strength in compression for lower values of the standard deviation of the fiber angle, and a slight decrease of strength in compression for lower values of the mean fiber angle. The strength observed in the experiments was achieved with the minimum local angle standard deviation observed in the CFRS rods, whereas the shear stiffness measured in torsion tests was achieved with the overall fiber angle distribution observed in the CFRS rods.

High strain composites exhibit good bending capabilities, but they tend to be soft out-of-plane. To achieve a higher out-of-plane stiffness, the concept of dual-matrix composites is introduced. Dual-matrix composites are foldable composites which are soft in the crease regions and stiff elsewhere. Previous attempts to fabricate continuous dual-matrix fiber composite shells had limited performance due to excessive resin flow and matrix mixing. An alternative method, presented in this thesis uses UV-cure silicone and fiberglass to avoid these problems. Preliminary experiments on the effect of folding on the out-of-plane stiffness are presented. An application to a conical log-periodic antenna for CubeSats is proposed, using origami-inspired stowing schemes, that allow a conical dual-matrix composite shell to reach very high compaction ratios.

Advancing EDL technologies for future space missions : from ground testing facilities to ablative heatshields

Motivated by recent MSL results where the ablation rate of the PICA heatshield was over-predicted, and staying true to the objectives outlined in the NASA Space Technology Roadmaps and Priorities report, this work focuses on advancing EDL technologies for future space missions.

Due to the difficulties in performing flight tests in the hypervelocity regime, a new ground testing facility called the vertical expansion tunnel is proposed. The adverse effects from secondary diaphragm rupture in an expansion tunnel may be reduced or eliminated by orienting the tunnel vertically, matching the test gas pressure and the accelerator gas pressure, and initially separating the test gas from the accelerator gas by density stratification. If some sacrifice of the reservoir conditions can be made, the VET can be utilized in hypervelocity ground testing, without the problems associated with secondary diaphragm rupture.

The performance of different constraints for the Rate-Controlled Constrained-Equilibrium (RCCE) method is investigated in the context of modeling reacting flows characteristic to ground testing facilities, and re-entry conditions. The effectiveness of different constraints are isolated, and new constraints previously unmentioned in the literature are introduced. Three main benefits from the RCCE method were determined: 1) the reduction in number of equations that need to be solved to model a reacting flow; 2) the reduction in stiffness of the system of equations needed to be solved; and 3) the ability to tabulate chemical properties as a function of a constraint once, prior to running a simulation, along with the ability to use the same table for multiple simulations.

Finally, published physical properties of PICA are compiled, and the composition of the pyrolysis gases that form at high temperatures internal to a heatshield is investigated. A necessary link between the composition of the solid resin, and the composition of the pyrolysis gases created is provided. This link, combined with a detailed investigation into a reacting pyrolysis gas mixture, allows a much needed consistent, and thorough description of many of the physical phenomena occurring in a PICA heatshield, and their implications, to be presented.

Through the use of computational fluid mechanics and computational chemistry methods, significant contributions have been made to advancing ground testing facilities, computational methods for reacting flows, and ablation modeling.

A. An investigation of the relation between the tensile strength and (Brinell) hardness of non-ferrous alloys. B. A design of a fatigue testing machine for a college laboratory

[no abstract]

Strength of tantalum at high pressures through Richtmyer-Meshkov laser compression experiments and simulations

Strength at extreme pressures (>1 Mbar or 100 GPa) and high strain rates (106-108 s-1) of materials is not well characterized. The goal of the research outlined in this thesis is to study the strength of tantalum (Ta) at these conditions. The Omega Laser in the Laboratory for Laser Energetics in Rochester, New York is used to create such extreme conditions. Targets are designed with ripples or waves on the surface, and these samples are subjected to high pressures using Omega’s high energy laser beams. In these experiments, the observational parameter is the Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability in the form of ripple growth on single-mode ripples. The experimental platform used for these experiments is the “ride-along” laser compression recovery experiments, which provide a way to recover the specimens having been subjected to high pressures. Six different experiments are performed on the Omega laser using single-mode tantalum targets at different laser energies. The energy indicates the amount of laser energy that impinges the target. For each target, values for growth factor are obtained by comparing the profile of ripples before and after the experiment. With increasing energy, the growth factor increased.

Engineering simulations are used to interpret and correlate the measurements of growth factor to a measure of strength. In order to validate the engineering constitutive model for tantalum, a series of simulations are performed using the code Eureka, based on the Optimal Transportation Meshfree (OTM) method. Two different configurations are studied in the simulations: RM instabilities in single and multimode ripples. Six different simulations are performed for the single ripple configuration of the RM instability experiment, with drives corresponding to laser energies used in the experiments. Each successive simulation is performed at higher drive energy, and it is observed that with increasing energy, the growth factor increases. Overall, there is favorable agreement between the data from the simulations and the experiments. The peak growth factors from the simulations and the experiments are within 10% agreement. For the multimode simulations, the goal is to assist in the design of the laser driven experiments using the Omega laser. A series of three-mode and four-mode patterns are simulated at various energies and the resulting growth of the RM instability is computed. Based on the results of the simulations, a configuration is selected for the multimode experiments. These simulations also serve as validation for the constitutive model and the material parameters for tantalum that are used in the simulations.

By designing samples with initial perturbations in the form of single-mode and multimode ripples and subjecting these samples to high pressures, the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability is investigated in both laser compression experiments and simulations. By correlating the growth of these ripples to measures of strength, a better understanding of the strength of tantalum at high pressures is achieved.

Commercial testing of concrete

The material included within this report is the result of a series of tests of concrete specimens taken during the construction of various buildings in the cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles over a period of eight months.

The object of the problem is to determine the effect of the water ratio on the ultimate strength of the concrete as obtained from data observed and recorded from specimens taken from actual building practice rather than that from laboratory specimens made under ideal, or at least more nearly standard conditions.