NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

20040070896 Lockheed Martin Space Operations, Bay Saint Louis, MS, USA
Dynamic Analysis of a Building Under Rocket Engine Plume Acoustic Load
Qian, Z.; VanDyke, D.; Wright, S.; Redmond, M.; July 09, 2001; 11 pp.; In English; 37th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint
Propulsion Conference and Exhibit, 9-10 Jul. 2001, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Original contains black and white illustrations
Contract(s)/Grant(s): NAS13-650; SWR H308A22200
Report No.(s): AIAA Paper 2001-3526; SE 2001-06-00029-SSC; Copyright; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy
Studies have been performed to develop finite-element modeling and simulation techniques to predict the dynamic
structural response of Building 4010 to the acoustic load from the plume of high-thrust rocket motors. The building is the Test
Control Center and general office space for the E-complex at Stennis Space Center. It is a large single span; light-structured
building located approximately 1,000 feet from the E-1 test stand. A three-dimensional shell/beam combined model of the
building was built using Pro/Engineer platform and imported into Pro/Mechanica for analysis. An Equivalent Shell technique
was developed to simplify the highly complex building structure so that the calculation is more efficient and accurate. A
deterministic approach was used for the dynamic analysis. A pre-stressed modal analysis was performed to simulate the weight
stiffening of the structure, through which about 200 modes ranging from 0 to 35 Hz were identified. In an initial dynamic
frequency analysis, the maximum response over the model was found. Then the complete 3-D distributions of the
displacement, as well as the stresses, were calculated through a final frequency analysis. The results were compared to a strain
gage and accelerometer recordings from rocket engine tests and showed reasonable agreement.
Author
Buildings; Test Facilities; Dynamic Response; Engine Tests; Acoustics; Loads (Forces); Rocket Engines; Dynamic Structural
Analysis
20040070935 NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
Test and Analysis Correlation of Form Impact onto Space Shuttle Wing Leading Edge RCC Panel 8
Fasanella, Edwin L.; Lyle, Karen H.; Gabrys, Jonathan; Melis, Matthew; Carney, Kelly; March 05, 2004; 12 pp.; In English;
8th International LS-DYNA Users Conference, 2-4 May 2004, Dearborn, MI, USA; Original contains black and white
illustrations; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy
Soon after the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) began their study of the space shuttle Columbia accident,
"physics-based" analyses using LS-DYNA were applied to characterize the expected damage to the Reinforced
Carbon-Carbon (RCC) leading edge from high-speed foam impacts. Forensic evidence quickly led CAIB investigators to
concentrate on the left wing leading edge RCC panels. This paper will concentrate on the test of the left-wing RCC panel 8
conducted at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the correlation with an LS-DYNA analysis. The successful correlation
of the LS-DYNA model has resulted in the use of LS-DYNA as a predictive tool for characterizing the threshold of damage
for impacts of various debris such as foam, ice, and ablators onto the RCC leading edge for shuttle return-to-flight.
Author
Accident Investigation; Carbon-Carbon Composites; Leading Edges; Impact Damage; Space Shuttle Orbiters; Finite Element
Method
20040070940 NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, USA
The Use of LS-DYNA in the Columbia Accident Investigation and Return to Flight Activities
Gabrys, Jonathan; Schatz, Josh; Carney, Kelly; Melis, Matthew; Fasanella, Edwin L.; Lyle, Karen H.; [2004]; 10 pp.; In
English; 8th International LS-DYNA Users Conference, 2-4 May 2004, Dearborn, MI, USA; Original contains color and black
and white illustrations; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
During the launch of the Space Shuttle Columbia on January 16, 2003, foam originating from the external tank impacted
the shuttle’s left wing 81 seconds after lift-off. Then on February 1st, Space Shuttle Columbia broke-up during re-entry. In
the weeks that followed, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board had formed various teams to investigate every aspect of
the tragedy. One of these teams was the Impact Analysis Team, which was asked to investigate the foam impact on the wing
leading edge. This paper will describe the approach and methodology used by the team to support the accident investigation,
and more specifically the use of LS-DYNA for analyzing the foam impact event. Due to the success of the analytical
predictions, the impact analysis team has also been asked to support Return to Flight activities. These activities will analyze
a far broader range of impact events, but not with just foam and not only on the wing leading edge. The debris list has
expanded and so have the possible impact locations. This paper will discuss the Return to Flight activities and the use of
LS-DYNA to support them.
Author
Accident Investigation; Spacecraft Reentry; Impact Damage; Leading Edges; Finite Element Method; Computerized
Simulation
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