THE MYSTERY OF REINFORCED PLASTICS VARIABILITY: NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING HOLDS THE KEY
INCREASING QUANTITIES OF REINFORCED PLASTICS MATERIALS ARE PROVIDING DESIGN ADVANTAGES IN CRITICAL AEROSPACE, HYDROSPACE, AND INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS. PERFORMANCE RELIABILITY OF THESE MATERIALS IN SERVICE REQUIRES A SUPPORTING NONDESTRUCTIVE TEST TECHNOLOGY. RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND MANUFACTURING PROGRAMS AT AVCO SPACE SYSTEMS DIVISION HAVE DEALT WITH THIS PROBLEM FOR THE CASE OF GLASS FABRIC REINFORCED LAMINATES DESIGNED FOR STRUCTURAL, PRIMARY LOADBEARING COMPONENTS. THE APPROACH TAKEN WAS THAT OF CAREFULLY STUDYING THE DETAILED PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES TYPIFYING REINFORCED PLASTICS AND THEIR SEPARATE REINFORCEMENTS AND MATRICES. THIS WAS COMBINED WITH KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WELL- CHARACTERIZED ENERGY FORMS USED IN NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING ( NDT). MATERIAL-ENERGY INTERACTIONS, THE KEY TO PREDICTING MATERIAL PROPERTIES FROM NDT RESPONSE VALUES, ARE DEFINED. A WORKABLE VARIABILITY EVALUATION PLAN PROVIDED THE FRAMEWORK FOR LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS AND THE BASIS FOR VALUE ENGINEERING IN PRODUCTION TEST SITUATIONS. QUANTITATIVE ENERGY RESPONSE/MATERIALS PROPERTY CORRELATIONS DEVELOPED AT AVCO ARE PRESENTED. CONTINUING NDT DEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED TO PROVIDE, IN THE NEAR FUTURE, A MORE UNIFIED UNDERSTANDING OF REINFORCED PLASTICS, THEIR PROPERTIES, AND THEIR IMPORTANT NDT RESPONSES. THIS UNDERSTANDING, IN TURN, WILL SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR USING NONDESTRUCTIVE TEST TECHNIQUES TO ILLUMINATE DESIGN DATA GENERATION, TO SUPPORT QUALITY CONTROL IN ALL STAGES OF MANUFACTURE, TO SUPPLY PROCESS FEEDBACK CONTROL CAPABILITY, AND TO ALLOW INSPECTION OF IN-SERVICE COMPONENTS. /MTRSA/
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Supplemental Notes:
- Vol 8, No 7, PP 25 - 36, 15 FIG, 4 REF
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Authors:
- Zurbrick, J R
- Publication Date: 1968-7
Media Info
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Serial:
- Materials Research and Standards
- Publisher: American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Industries; Laminated plastics; Materials tests; Mechanical properties; Nondestructive tests; Nonshattering glass; Performance tests; Physical properties; Quality control; Reinforced plastics
- Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00216645
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Sep 9 1994 12:00AM