Stiffness Properties of Foam-Filled Fabric Structures.

Abstract

Expandable structures fabricated from films or fabric materials and utilizing gases or foams for expansion and rigidization in space are being considered for many aerospace applications. A particular fabric construction which has been used at the Langley Research Center in studies (see refs. 1 and 2) of inflatable structures is known as Airmat and was developed by the Goodyear Aerospace Corporation. These studies have utilized air for inflation. Contained herein are the results of an investigation to determine the material properties of a particular nylon-neoprene fabric (manufacturer's designation XA27A119) by using a rigid closed-cell polyurethane foam for expansion and rigidization. Results on air-inflated models are presented for comparison with the foam- filled models. Results on both foam-filled and air-inflated fabric structures subjected to uniaxial, biaxial, shear, or bending stresses are presented and discussed. The results indicate that the stiffness properties of the foam-filled models are superior to those of the air- inflated models when compared on a mass-stiffness basis. The results also indicate that the stiffness properties of the foam are not proportional to foam density (stiffness increases faster than density) for the range of foam density of the investigation. The highest values of stiffness for both the air-inflated and the foam-filled models are obtained when the greater yarn count of the fabric is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the specimen. The values of Poisson's ratio for the foam-filled beams were, in general, less than the values usually encountered for isotropic materials. The results also indicate that the strength in shear for the foam-filled cylinders varies linearly with foam density and increases at about the same rate as foam density.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 1966
Accession Number
ADA310456

Entities

People

  • George W. Zender
  • Jerry W. Deaton

Organizations

  • Langley Research Center

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bending Moments
  • Bending Stress
  • Cell Structure
  • Cells
  • Expandable Structures
  • Inflatable Structures
  • Internal Pressure
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Mechanical Properties
  • Metric System
  • Modulus Of Elasticity
  • Moment Of Inertia
  • Shear Modulus
  • Stiffness
  • Stresses
  • Tensile Modulus

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Polymer Science and Engineering.
  • Reinforced Composite Materials

Technology Areas

  • Space