New Material Testing
Program Information
Series: NASA ConnectProgram: Recipe for the Future
Segment Number: 4 (Watch entire program)
Duration: 00:04:19
Year Produced: 1999
Description:
NASA Connect Segment explaining the process of testing new materials. It also explores the process for testing and analyzing structures for new space vehicles at room temperature and extreme temperatures.
NASA CONNECT™ is a series of Emmy®-award-winning, math-focused programs. Each program supports the national math, science, and technology standards and has three components that include (1) a 30-minute television broadcast; (2) a companion educator's guide; and (3) an online activity that further explores topics presented in the broadcast. These programs establish a connection between the math, science, and technology concepts taught in the classroom to those same concepts used everyday by NASA researchers.
For more information visit: http://connect.larc.nasa.gov/Transcript
HI, TED, DAVE.
HI.
CATHY CALLED AND SAID
YOU'D BE COMING OVER.
SEEMS LIKE YOUR FRIEND VAN HAS
TO TEST OUT HIS COOKIE RECIPE.
YES, VAN HAS
A LITTLE PROBLEM.
HE'S TRYING TO GET
A COOKIE THAT IS--
TASTES GOOD, IS CHEWY,
AND IT DOESN'T CRUMBLE.
SO I THOUGHT MAYBE IF I CAME
OVER HERE AND SAW THE PROCESS
TO TESTING NEW MATERIALS,
MAYBE THERE'S SOMETHING
I COULD LEARN FROM THIS
TO SHARE WITH VAN.
DO YOU THINK
YOU COULD HELP?
I THINK SO.
TED AND I BOTH TEST AND ANALYZE
STRUCTURES FOR NEW AEROSPACE
AND SPACE VEHICLES.
I USUALLY TEST THEM
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE,
AND TED ACTUALLY TESTS THEM
AT EXTREME TEMPERATURES.
SINCE I USUALLY TEST
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE,
THE COMPONENTS THAT I TEST ARE
LARGER THAN THOSE THAT TED USES
IN HIS THERMAL
STRUCTURAL TESTS.
WHAT TYPICALLY
HAPPENS HERE IS,
THE COMPONENT OF
THE VEHICLE STRUCTURE
THAT WE'RE INTERESTED IN IS
BUILT AND SHIPPED TO OUR LABS.
WE THEN APPLY SENSORS TO IT
TO HELP US UNDERSTAND
HOW IT BEHAVES UNDER
DIFFERENT LOADS OR FORCES.
THIS PANEL HERE IS PART OF
THE KEEL, OR BOTTOM, SECTION
OF A HIGH-SPEED CIVIL TRANSPORT
SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT.
THIS VEHICLE WILL BE CAPABLE
OF FLYING AT SPEEDS
UP TO 2.4 TIMES
THE SPEED OF SOUND.
THIS PANEL IS MADE FROM
THE IM7/PETI5 COMPOSITE
THAT CATHY AND ROBERTO
TALKED ABOUT.
THIS PANEL WILL BE TESTED
UNDER TENSION,
WHERE WE CAN USE THIS MACHINE TO
APPLY UP TO 1.2 MILLION POUNDS
OF FORCE ONTO THE PANEL
UNTIL IT BREAKS OR FAILS.
WHILE WE TEST PANELS HERE
AT ROOM TEMPERATURE,
TED ALSO DOES THERMAL STRUCTURAL
TESTS OF SMALLER PANELS
THAT ARE USUALLY MADE OF
THE SAME COMPOSITE MATERIAL.
THAT'S RIGHT.
NASA HAS A RESEARCH PROGRAM
TO DEVELOP
A REUSABLE LAUNCH VEHICLE
KNOWN AS THE X-33 AND X-34,
WHICH WE USE TO TRANSPORT
PEOPLE AND MATERIALS
TO ORBIT AT A LOWER COST.
IN ORDER
TO SEE HOW EFFECTIVELY
ADHESIVES AND COMPOSITES
CAN WORK IN HARSH ENVIRONMENTS
OF SPACE, I TEST
RELATIVELY SMALL SAMPLES
OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS
IN LIQUID HYDROGEN PROPELLANT
TANKS IN CYCLIC TESTS HERE.
IN ONE TEST, WE USE LIQUID
NITROGEN AND LIQUID HELIUM
TO COOL THE SPECIMEN.
THE PANEL IS COOLED TO NEGATIVE
423 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
THEN A MECHANICAL LOAD
IS APPLIED.
AN EXAMPLE OF HOW COLD
LIQUID NITROGEN IS:
WE'LL DIP THIS CARNATION
INTO LIQUID NITROGEN
AND SEE HOW BRITTLE
THE FLOWERS BECOME.
IN ONE TEST,
WE PUSHED MATERIALS TO THE MAX.
[musical whoop]
WE SIMULTANEOUSLY SUBJECT
ONE SURFACE OF THE PANEL
TO MINUS 423 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,
WHILE AT THE SAME TIME,
SUBJECT THE OTHER SIDE OF THE
PANEL TO 250 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.
SECTIONS OF THE MATERIAL IS
THEN PLACED BENEATH A MICROSCOPE
TO LOOK FOR ANY CRACKS
OR FLAWS.
IF THE FLAWS FALL
WITHIN UNACCEPTABLE RANGES
DURING THE TIME OF THESE TESTS,
WE'LL RETEST THE MATERIAL
OR EVEN GO BACK TO
THE DRAWING BOARD TO CHANGE
THE FABRICATION PROCESS
OR THE MATERIAL.
WELL, GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU
SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME TODAY
IN HELPING TO EXPLAIN TO ME
THE PROCESS
OF TESTING NEW MATERIALS.
BUT NOW THAT BRINGS ME
BACK TO VAN.
WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST VAN
SHOULD DO WITH HIS COOKIES?
HOW SHOULD HE TEST
HIS COOKIES?
WELL, I THINK HE SHOULD TRY
A BENDING TEST
PERFORMED AT
ROOM TEMPERATURE.
THAT WAY, HE CAN SEE HOW WELL
THE COOKIE HOLDS UP
AND WHETHER OR NOT
IT CRUMBLES.
I'LL TAKE IT
TO EXTREME.
YOU KNOW ME,
SHELLEY.
TO TEST HOW WELL
HIS COOKIE HOLDS UP,
HE SHOULD TRY
A THERMAL DUNKING TEST,
FIRST WHERE HE DUNKS IT
IN COLD MILK
AND THEN
IN HOT CHOCOLATE.
OH, THOSE SOUND LIKE
SOME GOOD TESTS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
AND I'LL REPORT BACK TO VAN.
THANKS AGAIN.
UH-HUH.
AND THE THERMAL TEST,
IT WENT WELL?
GREAT.
ALL RIGHT,
WHAT ABOUT THE BENDING TEST?
WELL, I'M READY
TO TEST IT NOW.
OH, WOW,
THESE ARE BENDING REALLY WELL.
I THINK
THIS RECIPE WORKS.
VAN, I THINK YOU'RE FORGETTING
THE MOST IMPORTANT TEST.
OH, WHAT'S THAT?
THE TASTE TEST.
THE TASTE TEST.
OH, RIGHT, WELL, I'LL CALL YOU
BACK WITH MY FINAL RESULTS.
BUT FIRST,
I HAVE SOMETHING PLANNED.
WHILE I GET READY
FOR THIS MOST IMPORTANT TEST
SHELLEY'S GOING BACK
TO THE NASA CONNECT STUDIO
WITH SOME RESEARCHERS WHO ARE ON
HAND TO TAKE YOUR PHONE CALLS
AND EMAIL QUESTIONS
ABOUT COMPOSITE MATERIALS
AND FUTURE VEHICLES,
LIKE THE X-33.
MEANWHILE, I'M GOING TO SEND YOU
TO HUGO A. OWENS MIDDLE SCHOOL,
WHERE YOU'LL SEE STUDENTS
FROM THE CLASSROOM
OF SCIENCE TEACHER
BERNADETTE SMITH
CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT
EXAMINING THE STRENGTH
OF SEVERAL MATERIALS.
FOLLOW ALONG,
AND AFTER THAT,
YOU'LL BE CHALLENGED
TO MAKE YOUR OWN ANALYSIS
AND PREDICTIONS
BASED ON THEIR RESULTS.