CRITICAL DEFECT ASSESSMENT FOR NEW COMPOSITE AND HYBRID MATERIALS

COMPOSITES HAVE MATURED TO A POINT WHERE DIFFERENT FORMS OF HYBRIDS ARE BEING MANUFACTURED SO THAT THE BEST CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH CONSTITUENT MAY BE UTILIZED FOR CRITICAL APPLICATIONS. FAILURE MODES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF HYBRID COMPOSITES AND LAMINATES ARE INFLUENCED BY THE CONSTITUENTS WITHIN EACH COMPONENT MATERIAL AS WELL AS RESIDUAL PROCESSING STRESSES WITHIN THE COMPONENTS OR THEIR CONSTITUENTS. THESE PHENOMENA AND THE BEHAVIOR OF DEFECTS IN HYBRID MUST BE ADDRESSED SO THAT THERMOMECHANICAL RESPONSE AND DAMAGE TOLERANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF HYBRID MAY BE PREDICTED AND PERHAPS EVEN CONTROLLED THROUGH CAREFUL DESIGN OF THE HYBRID ITSELF. PHASE I EFFORTS WILL BE DIRECTED TO STUDY RESPONSE OF METAL FIBER REINFORCED RESIN MATRIX COMPOSITE LAMINATES WITHOUT AND WITH DELAMINATIONS, THRU CRACKS, SLITS OR HOLES AS WELL AS EXAMINE NDT METHODS FOR QUANTIFYING RESIDUAL STRESSES AND SIZE AND LOCATION OF DEFECTS. OTHER PROMISING HYBRIDS AND NEW COMPOSITES WILL BE IDENTIFIED FOR STUDIES IN THE FOLLOWING PHASES IN AN EFFORT TO DEFINE HYBRID MATERIAL DESIGN CRITERIA WHICH WILL IMPROVE DESIRED MATERIAL RESPONSE AND DAMAGE TOLERANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NEW CLASS MATERIALS.