ALBERT

Description: Previously cited in issue 01, p. 60, Accession no. A83-10900

Description: Previously cited in issue 13, p. 2109, Accession no. A82-30152

Description: A fracture mechanics analysis has been developed that describes the progress of delamination damage in composite plates struck by a hard spherical object. The analysis is based on large deflection plate mechanics for circular isotropic plates wherein multiple axisymmetric delaminations grow. Test data show that the analysis predicts the influence of plate thickness, support conditions, and matrix toughness on the onset and propagation of delamination.

Description: A three-dimensional element based on the total Lagrangian description of large deformations of a layered anisotropic composite medium is developed, validated, and used to analyze layered composite shells. The element contains the following features: geometric nonlinearity, dynamic (transient) behavior, and arbitrary lamination scheme and lamina properties. Numerical results of nonlinear bending, natural vibration, and transient response are presented to illustrate the capabilities of the element.

Description: A square plate with clamped edges under a concentrated load was modeled using NASTRAN and ASKA finite element computer programs. Deflections were computed for various width-to-thickness ratios (b/t) of the plate element, and were compared against the classical theory to determine the b/t limitations. A cylinder with simply supported ends was modeled using NASTRAN and STAGS computer programs for buckling analysis. The models were subjected to a uniform radial pressure loading. Several parameters were changed, and the effects of those variations are presented. Utilizing these data, a model which will produce results comparable to published empirical data can be constructed and processed for a minimized cost.

Description: The objectives of the NASTRAN computer program system are discussed. Specific reference is made to the use of NASTRAN in the space shuttle program. The use of NASTRAN by agencies other than NASA is reported. The subjects presented are: (1) planned developments, (2) capability improvements, (3) efficiency improvements, and (4) new error correction procedure.

Description: Primary structures for nuclear power plants are designed to resist expected earthquakes of the site. Two intensities are referred to as Operating Basis Earthquake and Design Basis Earthquake. These structures are required to accommodate these seismic loadings without loss of their functional integrity. Thus, no plastic yield is allowed. The application of NASTRAN in analyzing some of these seismic induced structural dynamic problems is described. NASTRAN, with some modifications, can be used to analyze most structures that are subjected to seismic loads. A brief review of the formulation of seismic-induced structural dynamics is also presented. Two typical structural problems were selected to illustrate the application of the various methods of seismic structural analysis by the NASTRAN system.

Description: The use of the NASTRAN conical shell element in static, eigenvalue, and direct transient analyses is demonstrated. The results of a NASTRAN static solution of an externally pressurized ring-stiffened cylinder agree well with a theoretical discontinuity analysis. Good agreement is also obtained between the NASTRAN direct transient response of a uniform cylinder to a dynamic end load and one-dimensional solutions obtained using a method of characteristics stress wave code and a standing wave solution. Finally, a NASTRAN eigenvalue analysis is performed on a hydroballistic model idealized with conical shell elements.

Description: The application of NASTRAN to a complex piping design evaluation problem is summarized. Emphasis is placed on structural modeling aspects, problems encountered in modeling and analyzing curved pipe sections, principal results, and relative merits of using NASTRAN as a pipe analysis and design tool. In addition, the piping and manifolding system was analyzed with SNAP (Structural Network Analysis Program). The parallel SNAP study provides a basis for limited comparisons between NASTRAN and SNAP as to solution agreement and computer execution time and costs.

Description: NASTRAN was used to study problems associated with the installation of a linear induction motor reaction rail test track. Specific problems studied include determination of the critical axial compressive buckling stress and establishment of the lateral stiffness of the reaction rail under combined loads. NASTRAN results were compared with experimentally obtained values and satisfactory agreement was obtained. The reaction rail was found to buckle at an axial compressive stress of 11,400 pounds per square inch. The results of this investigation were used to select procedures for installation of the reaction rail.

Description: The recent introduction of special crack-tip singularity elements, usually referred to as cracked elements, has brought the power and flexibility of the finite-element method to bear much more effectively on fracture mechanics problems. This paper recalls the development of two cracked elements and presents the results of some applications proving their accuracy and economy. Judging from the available literature on numerical methods in fracture mechanics, it seems clear that the elements described have been used more extensively than any others in practical fracture mechanics applications.

Description: Linear, quadratic, and cubic isoparametric hexahedral solid elements have been added to the element library of NASTRAN. These elements are available for static, dynamic, buckling, and heat-transfer analyses. Because the isoparametric element matrices are generated by direct numerical integration over the volume of the element, variations in material properties, temperatures, and stresses within the elements are represented in the computations. In order to compare the accuracy of the new elements, three similar models of a slender cantilever were developed, one for each element. All elements performed well. As expected, however, the linear element model yielded excellent results only when shear behavior predominated. In contrast, the results obtained from the quadratic and cubic element models were excellent in both shear and bending.

Description: A group of 5 lashed identical stream turbine blades is studied through the use of single level substructuring using NASTRAN level 15.1. An altered version, similar to DMAP Program Number 3 of the NASTRAN Newsletter, of Rigid Format 13.0 was used. Steady-state displacements and stresses due to centrifugal loads are obtained both without and with consideration of differential stiffness. The normal mode calculations were performed for blades at rest and at operating speed. Substructuring lowered the computation costs of the analysis by a factor of four.

Description: A numerical analysis is presented for the problem of a flat rectangular rubber membrane with a circular rigid inclusion undergoing high strains due to the action of an axial load. The neo-hookean constitutive equations are introduced into the general purpose TITUS program by means of equivalent hookean constants and initial strains. The convergence is achieved after a few iterations. The method is not limited to any specific program. The results are in good agreement with those of a company sponsored photoelastic stress analysis. The theoretical and experimental deformed shapes also agree very closely with one another. For high strains it is demonstrated that using the conventional HOOKE law the stress concentration factor obtained is unreliable in the case of rubberlike material.

Description: This paper reviews the development of NASTRAN relative to the efficiency of execution, with particular emphasis on those items which have changed significantly since the original release of NASTRAN. Features discussed include main and secondary storage utilization, matrix packing, matrix assembly, matrix multiplication, matrix decomposition and equation solution. Also a brief look into the future discusses the questions of faster arithmetic units and more effective storage utilization. In some cases the improvements in NASTRAN efficiency have resulted from taking advantage of hardware developments, while in other cases increased efficiency has resulted from improvements in the state of the art for data processing or matrix operations. The modular design of NASTRAN has made it possible to improve the efficiency in many parts of NASTRAN without changing the basic design of the program.

Description: The application of substructuring techniques are described for two example problems, a square plate and the static analysis of a frame-wall interaction problem in multistory structures. A DMAP routine for calculating the multipoint constraint forces is presented.

Description: A nuclear reactor vessel is supported by a Z-ring and a box ring girder. The two proposed structural configurations to transmit the loads from the Z-ring and the box ring girder to the foundation are shown. The cantilever concrete ledge transmitting the load from the Z-ring and the box girder via the cavity wall to the foundation is shown, along with the loads being transmitted through one of the six steel columns. Both of these two supporting systems were analyzed by using rigid format 9 of NASTRAN for dynamic loads, and the thermal stresses were analyzed by AXISOL. The six column configuration was modeled by a combination of plate and bar elements, and the concrete cantilever ledge configuration was modeled by plate elements. Both configurations were found structurally satisfactory; however, nonstructural considerations favored the concrete cantilever ledge.

Description: NASTRAN was chosen as the principal analytical tool for structural analysis of the Illinois Center Plaza Hotel Building in Chicago, Illinois. The building is a 40-story, reinforced concrete structure utilizing a monolithic slab-column system. The displacements, member stresses, and foundation loads due to wind load, live load, and dead load were obtained through a series of NASTRAN runs. These analyses and the input technique are described.

Description: The extent to which suitable solutions may be obtained for one physics problem and two engineering type problems is traced. NASTRAN appears to be a practical tool to solve one-group steady-state neutron diffusion equations. Transient diffusion analysis may be performed after new levels that allow time-dependent temperature calculations are developed. NASTRAN piecewise linear anlaysis may be applied to solve those plasticity problems for which a smooth stress-strain curve can be used to describe the nonlinear material behavior. The accuracy decreases when sharp transitions in the stress-strain relations are involved. Improved NASTRAN usefulness will be obtained when nonlinear material capabilities are extended to axisymmetric elements and to include provisions for time-dependent material properties and creep analysis. Rigid formats 3 and 5 proved to be very convenient for the buckling and normal-mode analysis of a nuclear fuel element.

Description: The addition of discrete elements to NASTRAN poses significant interface problems with the level 15.1 assembly modules and geometry modules. Potential problems in designing new modules for higher-order parametric discrete elements are reviewed in both areas. An assembly procedure is suggested that separates grid point degrees of freedom on the basis of admissibility. New geometric input data are described that facilitate the definition of surfaces in parametric space.

Description: The NASTRAN program output is discussed from a structural analysts point of view, and the simple modifications which were made to the program in order to improve it are also described. The convenience of the output for use in original design work is critically appraised and compared with the output from ASTRAL. It is shown that considerable hand calculation is necessary in order to extract useful load distribution data from the available NASTRAN output. For this reason, some effort was directed toward providing additional force output for the NASTRAN shear panel element.

Description: The geometric and kinematic properties of the element are described, along with development of the matrices and vectors which characterize the element. The necessity for considering small deviations from element planeness is discussed, and the approach taken to account for these deviations is described. The improved accuracy over the existing quadrilateral membrane is indicated by a sample calculation for which an analytical solution is available from beam theory. For the same finite element idealization, the errors in maximum displacement and stress were significantly reduced.

Description: Efforts to integrate NASTRAN into a complete structural analysis system for use by large airframe design projects are discussed. NASTRAN was implemented as a major finite element structural analysis program to determine the static and dynamic behavior of complete airframes, as well as structural components. This requires modifications and additions to NASTRAN, to communicate with an existing system, and to provide facilities needed to work within the integrated structural analysis. For this purpose, several special DMAP modules were developed and introduced into the CALAC version of the NASTRAN system.

Description: A static and buckling analysis of the ATS-F&G spacecraft reflector support truss (RST) and bridge truss assembly using NASTRAN was conducted. The RST is fabricated from a new material, graphite fiber reinforced plastic. A comparison is made with the NASTRAN results and the results of a similar analysis conducted using the stardyne program. The results of an actual static load test are also compared.

Description: Three finite element programs are compared to assess their capabilities as an analysis tool in a structural design process. Because of the need for repetitive analyses as an integral part of a design loop, a candidate program must be capable of handling large problems, operate efficiently, and be readily adaptable for use in computer-aided design. The three programs considered in the study, ELAS,SNAP, and NASTRAN, range from a relatively small finite element program limited to static structural analysis (ELAS) to a large complex general analysis system (NASTRAN). Results are given for comparative speeds and computer resources required for each program in the analysis of sample fuselage problems representative of practical aircraft design.

Description: A static finite element stress analysis of an inflated radial car tire was carried out. The deformed shape of the sidewall presents outward bulging. The analysis of a homogeneous isotropic toroidal shell shows that the problem is common to all solids of this type. The study suggests that the geometric stiffness due to the inflation pressure has to be taken into account. Also, the resulting large displacements make it necessary for the geometry to be updated at each load step.

Description: A composite element is presented which includes the effects of warping and offset shear centers. It is shown to be mathematically consistent with thin walled open beam theory and can be incorporated into any structural analysis program by use of NASTRAN'S standard elements. A numerical example analyzing the vibration of a channel beam is presented, and, by using the composite element, the numerical results agreed well with theoretical data.

Description: A FORTRAN subroutine to NASTRAN which constructs coriolis and centripetal acceleration matrices, and a centrifugal load vector due to spin about a selected point or about the mass center of the structure is discussed. The rigid translational degrees of freedom can be removed by using a transformation matrix T and its explicitly given inverse. These matrices are generated in the subroutine and their explicit expressions are given.

Description: The level 12 NASTRAN was used to support the NASA/LaRC advanced transport technology study, a predesign, short response time effort. Aeroelastic analyses were performed. NASTRAN calculated the vibration modes for the supported airfoil components and the entire unsupported vehicle. Other procedures were then used for the aeroelastic analysis, with procedure interfacing accomplished through use of the NASTRAN-produced restart tape. Stiffness matrices were used in static aeroelastic analyses; natural vibration modes were used for flutter and flight control system definition. Various level 12 NASTRAN characteristics were discovered and are discussed; e.g., the ability to solve singular matrices in rigid format 1, run times using multipoint constraints, restart tape problems, and the inaccurate stresses from the quad membrane when used with anisotropic materials.

Description: A lumped mass model was used to represent the impact condition between a fuel duct and an IVHM in-vessel fuel handling machine. The nonlinear effects of a Bellville spring and the free fall impact of the fuel duct on the IVHM were included. The purpose of the tests was to determine the loads on the fuel duct due to the impact. A comparison between experimental and theoretical results is presented.

Description: To evaluate the effectiveness of NASTRAN for predicting the vibration modes of panels with bending-membrane coupling, a cross-stiffened ship deck was analyzed. In correlation with experimental data, one NASTRAN finite element representation gave results slightly more accurate than a previous analytical solution. Computational time was excessively long, due to the Guyan method of reducing the eigenvalue problem. It is recommended that a more efficient method of matrix reduction be implemented for the lumped mass formulation.

Description: Structural analysis applications of NASTRAN to the isogrid structure of the Delta launch vehicle are discussed. Isogrid is a method employed to stiffen the booster cylindrical shell surface by integrally machining ribs and skin from one piece of metal. The ribs are arranged in a repetitive equilateral triangular pattern; this results in a structural surface whose stiffness is orthogonally isotopic. For that structure, both static and general instability buckling analyses are described and the theoretical results are compared to test data. One of the parameters included in the analysis is the effect of pressure loadings on the buckling allowable load. In addition, a description of a supplementary computer program is presented.

Description: The coupling of NASTRAN to another finite element program developed for the static analysis of automotive structures is discussed. The two programs were coupled together to use the substructuring capability of the in-house program and the normal mode analysis capability of NASTRAN. Modifications were made to the NASTRAN program in order to make the coupling feasible.

Description: For the improvement of rail service, the Department of Transportation, Federal Rail Administration, is sponsoring a test track on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. The test track will contain nine separate rail support structures, including one conventional section for control and three reinforced concrete structures on grade, one slab and two beam sections. The analysis and design of these latter structures was accomplished by means of the finite element method, NASTRAN, and is presented.

Description: An analytical study of a two-lobed circular arc pressure vessel (double-bubble tank) with a local perturbation from the cylindrical shape was made. It can be concluded that NASTRAN provides a good linear buckling analysis capability for structures that cannot be handled by other analysis techniques. However, solutions are relatively expensive from a computational standpoint. Two worthwhile additions to the NASTRAN program would be the inclusion of a new beam element that adequately represents the shear transfer when modeling stiffeners on a shell and the capability, in a rigid format, to keep certain prescribed loads constant during the eigenvalue extraction process.

Description: The computer run time required for a buckling analysis using NASTRAN is considerably greater than for a linear static analysis of the same structure. It is very important to obtain an optimal model size for the structure being analyzed, such that the model is neither so large as to increase running time unnecessarily, nor so small as to hinder accuracy. The problem of critical load accuracy versus model complexity is considered for a thin walled cylinder, using both Level 12 and Level 15 NASTRAN releases.

Description: The NASTRAN program was used to find the buckling location and the degradation factor due to a specified temperature field for an interstage of a typical three stage missile. The model was made up of 6332 independent degrees of freedom. This large size required the use of an IBM 370/195 for evaluation of the eigenvalues. The effect of elevated temperature was to lower the critical buckling load by 3%.

Description: The buckling of isotropic and waffle-stiffened circular cylinders with and without cutouts was studied using NASTRAN's Rigid Format 5 for the case of axial compressive loading. The results obtained for the cylinders without cutouts are compared with available reference solutions. The results for the isotropic cylinders containing a single circular cutout with selected radii are compared with available experimental data. For the waffle-stiffened cyclinder, the effect of two diametrically opposed rectangular cutouts was studied. A DMAP alter sequence was used to permit the necessary application of different prebuckling and buckling boundary conditions. Advantage was taken of available symmetry planes to formulate equivalent NASTRAN model segments which reduced the associated computational cost of performing the analyses. Limitations of the applicability of NASTRAN for the solution of problems with nonlinear characteristics are discussed.

Description: Significant NASTRAN-related events since September, 1971 are reviewed. The present operation of the NASTRAN systems management office is described, as well as new capabilities and improvements incorporated in Level 15 of NASTRAN, and priorities for future levels of NASTRAN.

Description: A summary of tests conducted on the Concorde aircraft nacelle structure is presented. The tests were conducted as a part of the structural development and certification program. The nacelle structural specimens are described. The problems associated with the intake testing and engine-bay and nozzle testing are discussed.

Description: Fatigue tests on structural assemblies of the Concorde supersonic transport aircraft are reported. Two main sections of the aircraft were subjected to pressure, mechanical load, and thermal static tests. The types of fatigue tests conducted and the results obtained are discussed. It was concluded that on a supersonic aircraft whose structural weight is a significant part of the weight analysis, many fatigue and static strength development tests should be made and fatigue and thermal tests of the structures are absolutely necessary.

Description: Airline operations involving the detection of structural deterioration and associated maintenance problems are discussed. The standard approach to the maintenance and inspection of aircraft components and systems is described. The frequency of inspections and the application of preventive maintenance practices are examined. The types of failure which airline transport aircraft encounter and the steps taken to prevent catastrophic failure are reported.

Description: A recorder system has been installed on two operational fighter aircrafts. Signal values from a c.g.-acceleration transducer and a strain-gage installation at the wing root were sampled and recorded in digital format on the recorder system. To analyse such load-time histories for fatigue evaluation purposes, a number of counting methods are available in which level crossings, peaks, or ranges are counted. Ten different existing counting principles are defined. The load-time histories are analysed to evaluate these counting methods. For some of the described counting methods, the counting results might be affected by arbitrarily chosen parameters such as the magnitude of load ranges that will be neglected and other secondary counting restrictions. Such influences might invalidate the final counting results entirely. The evaluation shows that for the type of load-time histories associated with most counting methods, a sensible value of the parameters involved can be found.

Description: Rectangular specimens of 7075 and 2014 aluminum alloys with two holes (stress concentration factor of 3.24) have been tested under axial fatigue loading on a six-rod test bed with modifications of the loading program, the surface particulars, and the frequency. The length of the precrack stage was investigated by use of a new crack detector. In most cases the two alloys behaved similarly, with similar life to crack start under the same loading. Some overloads lengthened the life. Truncation by omission of the lowest peak loads should be limited to about 20 percent of the ultimate load. Simplifying counting methods gave misleading results. Very thin surface layers of anodizing, protection by vinyl, dry nitrogen atmosphere, as well as stepwise reaming or grinding the surface of the holes, lengthened the life; thick anodized layers shortened the life. Compressing the hole surface by rolling had no influence. Frequencies at about 210 to 240 cpm produced shorter lives than those at 40 cpm. At 5.4 cpm the life was considerably longer. A model to better understand the precrack-stage fatigue mechanism is discussed.

Description: The application of applied fracture mechanics in the design, analysis, and qualification of aircraft structural systems are reviewed. Recent service experiences are cited. Current trends in high-strength materials application are reviewed with particular emphasis on the manner in which fracture toughness and structural efficiency may affect the material selection process. General fracture control procedures are reviewed in depth with specific reference to the impact of inspectability, structural arrangement, and material on proposed analysis requirements for safe crack growth. The relative impact on allowable design stress is indicated by example. Design criteria, material, and analysis requirements for implementation of fracture control procedures are reviewed together with limitations in current available data techniques. A summary of items which require further study and attention is presented.

Description: A parametric approach to irregular fatigue protection is presented. The method proposed consists of two parts: empirical determination of certain characteristics of a material by means of a relatively small number of well-defined standard tests, and arithmetical application of the results obtained to arbitrary loading histories. The following groups of parameters are thus taken into account: (1) the variations of the mean stress, (2) the interaction of these variations and the superposed oscillating stresses, (3) the spectrum of the oscillating-stress amplitudes, and (4) the sequence of the oscillating-stress amplitudes. It is pointed out that only experimental verification can throw sufficient light upon possibilities and limitations of this (or any other) prediction method.

Description: The application of procedures for designing and evaluating structural integrity of various construction techniques is discussed. The fatigue performance improvement of the following conditions is described: (1) conical fasteners, (2) hole preparation, (3) interference fit, and (4) interference protection. The application of fatigue tests to determine fail-safe conditions is analyzed.

Description: The elastic-plastic deformation behavior under cyclic stress of a number of different engineering materials was experimentally investigated with the aid of high-precision methods of measuring, some of which had been newly developed. Experiments made with a variety of steels, the titanium alloy Ti-A16-V4, a cobalt (tungsten) alloy, the high-temperature material Nimonic 90 and Dural (A1-Cu) are reported. The theory given in an attempt to explain these experiments is aimed at finding general formulas for the cyclic stress-strain behavior materials.

Description: The failure mechanisms in the fatigue of composite materials are analyzed in terms of the requirements for designing fatigue-critical composite structures. Fiber reinforced polymers, fiber reinforced metals, fatigue of composite structures, and composite design considerations are discussed. It is concluded that composite materials offer the engineer the opportunity for tailoring stiffness in different directions for designing dynamic components.

Description: For supersonic airline operations, significantly higher environmental temperature is the primary new factor affecting structural service life. Methods for incorporating the influence of temperature in detailed fatigue analyses are shown along with current test indications. Thermal effects investigated include real-time compared with short-time testing, long-time temperature exposure, and stress-temperature cycle phasing. A method is presented which allows designers and stress analyzers to check fatigue resistance of structural design details. A communicative rating system is presented which defines the relative fatigue quality of the detail so that the analyst can define cyclic-load capability of the design detail by entering constant-life charts for varying detail quality. If necessary then, this system allows the designer to determine ways to improve the fatigue quality for better life or to determine the operating stresses which will provide the required service life.

Description: The application of reliability theory to predict, from structural fatigue test data, the risk of failure of a structure under service conditions because its load-carrying capability is progressively reduced by the extension of a fatigue crack, is considered. The procedure is applicable to both safe-life and fail-safe structures and, for a prescribed safety level, it will enable an inspection procedure to be planned or, if inspection is not feasible, it will evaluate the life to replacement. The theory has been further developed to cope with the case of structures with initial cracks, such as can occur in modern high-strength materials which are susceptible to the formation of small flaws during the production process. The method has been applied to a structure of high-strength steel and the results are compared with those obtained by the current life estimation procedures. This has shown that the conventional methods can be unconservative in certain cases, depending on the characteristics of the structure and the design operating conditions. The suitability of the probabilistic approach to the interpretation of the results from full-scale fatigue testing of aircraft structures is discussed and the assumptions involved are examined.

Description: Crack propagation was studied in a full-scale wing structure under different simulated flight conditions. Omission of low-amplitude gust cycles had a small effect on the crack rate. Truncation of the infrequently occurring high-amplitude gust cycles to a lower level had a noticeably accelerating effect on crack growth. The application of fail-safe load (100 percent limit load) effectively stopped subsequent crack growth under resumed flight-simulation loading. In another flight-simulation test series on sheet specimens, the variables studied are the design stress level and the cyclic frequency of the random gust loading. Inflight mean stresses vary from 5.5 to 10.0 kg/sq mm. The effect of the stress level is larger for the 2024 alloy than for the 7075 alloy. Three frequencies were employed: namely, 10 cps, 1 cps, and 0.1 cps. The frequency effect was small. The advantages and limitations of flight-simulation tests are compared with those of alternative test procedures such as constant-amplitude tests, program tests, and random-load tests. Various testing purposes are considered. The variables of flight-simulation tests are listed and their effects are discussed. A proposal is made for performing systematic flight-simulation tests in such a way that the compiled data may be used as a source of reference.

Description: The United States Air Force has published a document entitled Aircraft Structural Integrity Program. One phase of the program is concerned with the fatigue life certification of all types of military aircraft. The document describes the criteria, analyses, and tests that are necessary in order to satisfy the USAF fatigue life requirement. Some recent and valid criticism has been directed toward the document, particularly the fatigue-life requirements contained in it. Some changes are proposed based on surveys conducted in the United States and abroad as well as some recent systems' experience. The surveys covered both military and civilian organizations. The fatigue certification case histories of selected military and commercial aircraft are presented. The design development element tests, preproduction design verification tests, and full-scale fatigue tests of each are described. A brief status report on the revisions to the MIL-A-008860 series specifications is included.

Description: The methods adopted in the United Kingdom to ensure the structural integrity of military aeroplanes and helicopters from the fatigue point of view are described. The procedure adopted from the writing of the specification to the monitoring of fatigue life in service are presented along with the requirements to be met and the way in which they are satisfied. Some of the outstanding problems that remain to be solved are indicated.

Description: The philosophy and methods used in the design of the DC-10 aircraft to assure structural reliability against cracks under repeated service loads are described in detail. The approach consists of three complementary parts: (1) the structure is designed to be fatigue resistant for a crack-free life of 60,000 flight hours; (2) inasmuch as small undetected cracks could develop from other sources, such as material flaws and manufacturing preloads, the structure also is designed to arrest and control cracks within a reasonable service-inspection interval; and (3) a meaningful service-inspection program has been defined on the basis of analysis and test experience from the design development program. This service-inspection program closes the loop to assure the structural integrity of the DC-10 airframe. Selected materials, fasteners, and structural arrangements are used to achieve these design features with minimum structural weight and with economy in manufacturing and maintenance. Extensive analyses and testing were performed to develop and verify the design. The basic design considerations for fatigue-resistant structure are illustrated in terms of material selection, design loads spectra, methods for accurate stress and fatigue damage analysis, and proven concepts for efficient detail design.

Description: The fatigue integrity program which was established to insure economic operations and to provide foundation data for inspection and maintenance is discussed. Significant features of the 747 fatigue integrity program are: (1) fatigue analyses which are continually updated to reflect design changes, fatigue test results, and static and flight load survey measurements; (2) material selection and detail design by using initial fatigue analyses, service experience, and testing; and (3) fatigue testing to check detail design quality and to verify the analyses, culminated by the test of a structurally complete airframe. Fatigue stress analyses were performed with the aid of experimental as well as analytical procedures. Extensive application was made of the stress severity factor, developed at Boeing, for evaluating peak stresses in complex joints. A frame of reference was established by families of structural fatigue performance curves (S-N curves) encompassing the range of materials and fatigue qualities anticipated for the 747 airplane design.

Description: A part of the lower side of the main wing at the joint of the main spar with the fuselage frame was investigated. This wing beam area was simulated by a test specimen consisting of a spar boom of AZ 74 forging (7075 aluminum alloy modified with 0.3 percent Ag) and a portion of a honeycomb sandwich panel attached to the boom flange with steel bolts. The cross section was reduced to half scale. However, the flange thickness, the panel height, and the bolt size were full scale. Further, left and right portions of the fuselage frame intended to carry over the bending moment of the main wing were tested. Each of these frame halves consisted of a forward and a rear forging (7079 aluminum alloy, overaged) connected by an outer and inner skin (Alclad 7075) creating a box beam. These test specimens were full scale and were constructed principally of ordinary aircraft components. The test load spectrum was common to both types of specimens with regard to percentage levels. It consisted of maneuver and gust loads, touchdown loads, and loads due to ground roughness. A load history of 200 hours of flight with 15,000 load cycles was punched on a tape. The loads were randomized in groups according to the flight-by-flight principle. The highest positive load level was 90 percent of limit load and the largest negative load was -27 percent. A total of 20 load levels were used. Both types of specimens were provided with strain gages and had a nominal stress of about 300 MN/sq m in some local areas. As a result of the tests, steps were taken to reduce the risk of fatigue damage in aircraft. Thus stress levels were lowered, radii were increased, and demands on surface finish were sharpened.

Description: The information presented is based on data obtained from the Concorde. Much of this data also applies to other supersonic transport aircraft. The design and development of the Concorde is a joint effort of the British and French, and the structural test program is shared, as are all the other activities. Vast numbers of small specimens have been tested to determine the behavior of the materials used in the aircraft. Major components of the aircraft structure, totalling almost a complete aircraft, have been made and are being tested to help the constructors in each country in the design and development of the structure. Tests on two complete airframes will give information for the certification of the aircraft. A static test was conducted in France and a fatigue test in the United Kingdom. Fail-safe tests are being made to demonstrate the crack-propagation characteristics of the structure and its residual strength. Aspects of the structural test program are described in some detail, dealing particularly with the problems associated with the thermal cycle. The biggest of these problems is the setting up of the fatigue test on the complete airframe; therefore, this is covered more extensively with a discussion about how the test time can be shortened and with a description of the practical aspects of the test.

Description: A structural thermal optical computer program is developed which uses a finite element approach and applies the Ritz method for solving heat transfer problems. Temperatures are represented at the vertices of each element and the displacements which yield deformations at any point of the heated surface are interpolated through grid points.

Description: One of the primary drivers that prompted the initiation of the hot section technology (HOST) program was the recognized need for improved cyclic durability of costly hot section components. All too frequently, fatigue in one form or another was directly responsible for the less than desired durability, and prospects for the future weren't going to improve unless a significant effort was mounted to increase our knowledge and understanding of the elements governing cyclic crack initiation and propagation lifetime. Certainly one of the important factors is the ability to perform accurate structural stress-strain analyses on a routine basis to determine the magnitudes of the localized stresses and strains since it is these localized conditions that govern the initiation and crack growth processes. Developing the ability to more accurately predict crack initiation lifetimes and cyclic crack growth rates for the complex loading conditions found in turbine engine hot sections is of course the ultimate goal of the life prediction research efforts. It has been found convenient to divide the research efforts into those dealing with nominally isotropic and anisotropic alloys; the latter for application to directionally solidified and single crystal turbine blades.

Description: The Hot Section Technology (HOST) Project is a NASA-sponsored endeavor to improve the durability of advanced gas turbine engines for commercial and military aircraft. Through improvements in the analytical models and life prediction systems, designs for future hot section components , the combustor and turbine, will be more accurately analyzed and will incorporate features required for longer life in the more hostile operating environment of high performance engines.

Description: Linear (8 node), parabolic (20 node), cubic (32 node) and mixed (some edges linear, some parabolic and some cubic) have been inserted into NASTRAN, level 15.1. First the dummy element feature was used to check out the stiffness matrix generation routines for the linear element in NASTRAN. Then, the necessary modules of NASTRAN were modified to include the new family of elements. The matrix assembly was changed so that the stiffness matrix of each isoparametric element is only generated once as the time to generate these higher order elements tends to be much longer than the other elements in NASTRAN. This paper presents some of the experiences and difficulties of inserting a new element or family of elements into NASTRAN.

Description: A basic automated substructure analysis capability for NASTRAN is presented which eliminates most of the logistical data handling and generation chores that are currently associated with the method. Rigid formats are proposed which will accomplish this using three new modules, all of which can be added to level 16 with a relatively small effort.

Description: The complexities of turbine engine blade vibration are compounded by blade geometry, temperature gradients, and rotational speeds. Experience indicates that dynamics analysis using the finite element approach provides an effective means for predicting vibration characteristics of compressor and turbine blades whose geometry may be irregular, have curved boundaries, and be subjected to high temperatures and speeds. The NASTRAN program was chosen to help analyze the dynamics of normal modes, rotational stiffening and thermal effects on the normal modes, and forced responses. The program has produced reasonable success. This paper presents the analytical procedures and the NASTRAN results, in comparison with a conventional beam element program and laboratory data.

Description: The characteristics of an interactive graphics systems to facilitate the finite element method of structural analysis are described. The finite element model analysis consists of three phases: (1) preprocessing (model generation), (2) problem solution, and (3) postprocessing (interpretation of results). The advantages of interactive graphics to finite element structural analysis are defined.

Description: The design and development of automobile shipping containers to reduce enroute damage are discussed. Vibration tests were conducted to determine the system structural integrity. A dynamic analysis was made using NASTRAN and the results of the test and the analysis are compared.

Description: Information about principal axes and moments of inertia is presented in terms of formulas involving solely quantities which can be expressed in literal form whenever central principal axes can be located by inspection for at least one state of a deformable system composed of particles and rigid bodies. Two illustrative examples are worked out in detail.

Description: A new higher order triangular plate-bending finite element is presented which possesses high accuracy for practical mesh subdivisions and which uses only translations and rotations as grid point degrees of freedom. The element has 18 degrees of freedom, the transverse displacement and two rotations at the vertices and mid-side grid points of the triangle. The transverse displacement within the element is approximated by a quintic polynomial; the bending strains thus vary cubically within the element. Transverse shear flexibility is taken into account in the stiffness formulation. Two examples of static and dynamic analysis are included to show the behavior of the element.

Description: The NASTRAN experiences of a major structural design and fabrication subcontractor that has less engineering personnel and computer facilities than those available to large prime contractors are discussed. Efforts to obtain sufficient computer capacity and the development and implementation of auxiliary programs to reduce manpower requirements are described. Applications of the NASTRAN program for training users, checking out auxiliary programs, performing in-house research and development, and structurally analyzing an Avco designed and manufactured missile case are presented.

Description: An approch to the finite element method which utilizes families of conforming finite elements based on complete polynomials is presented. Finite element approximations based on this method converge with respect to progressively reduced element sizes as well as with respect to progressively increasing orders of approximation. Numerical results of static and dynamic applications of plates are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the method. Comparisons are made with plate elements in NASTRAN and the high-precision plate element developed by Cowper and his co-workers. Some considerations are given to implementation of the constraint method into general purpose computer programs such as NASTRAN.

Description: A review of developments in structural optimization techniques and their interface with growing computer capabilities is presented. Structural design steps comprise functional definition of an object, an evaluation phase wherein external influences are quantified, selection of the design concept, material, object geometry, and the internal layout, and quantification of the physical characteristics. Optimization of a fully stressed design is facilitated by use of nonlinear mathematical programming which permits automated definition of the physics of a problem. Design iterations terminate when convergence is acquired between mathematical and physical criteria. A constrained minimum algorithm has been formulated using an Augmented Lagrangian approach and a generalized reduced gradient to obtain fast convergence. Various approximation techniques are mentioned. The synergistic application of all the methods surveyed requires multidisciplinary teamwork during a design effort.

Description: The mechanics of materials and material characterization are considered, taking into account micromechanics, the behavior of steel structures at elevated temperatures, and an anisotropic plasticity model for inelastic multiaxial cyclic deformation. Other topics explored are related to advances and trends in finite element technology, classical analytical techniques and their computer implementation, interactive computing and computational strategies for nonlinear problems, advances and trends in numerical analysis, database management systems and CAD/CAM, space structures and vehicle crashworthiness, beams, plates and fibrous composite structures, design-oriented analysis, artificial intelligence and optimization, contact problems, random waves, and lifetime prediction. Earthquake-resistant structures and other advanced structural applications are also discussed, giving attention to cumulative damage in steel structures subjected to earthquake ground motions, and a mixed domain analysis of nuclear containment structures using impulse functions.

Description: Static analysis and a computer structural model for the large 64-m antenna pedestal are developed using the MSC version of the NASTRAN program. This model was necessary to conduct a variety of hydrostatic bearing rehabilitation studies. The results obtained from the model show that the top surface deflections due to pad loads are in good agreement with the results previously obtained from a simplified "shortcut' analytical model, and also in agreement with field measurements. In addition, the displacement and force distributions as well as the state of stress and strain are obtained.

Description: The use of NASTRAN at Bell Helicopter Company for structural static and dynamic analysis of a helicopter airframe is described. Analysis of airframe internal loads, main rotor isolation systems, and airframe vibration is discussed. The use of each rigid format for these types of analysis is summarized. Suggested improvements to NASTRAN to increase its effectiveness in performing helicopter airframe analysis are given.

Description: Very divergent problems arising with different calculations indicate that NASTRAN is not always accessible for common use. Problems with engineering, modelling, and use of the program system are analysed and a way of solution is outlined. Related to this, some supplementary modifications are made at Sperry Univac Holland to facilitate the program for the less skilled user. The implementation of a new element also gives an insight into the use of NASTRAN at Sperry Univac Holland. As the users of Univac computers are from very different kinds of industries like shipbuilders, petrochemical industries, and building industries, the variety of problems coming from these users is very large. This variety results in experience not with one special kind of calculation nor one special kind of construction, but with a wide area of problems arising in the use of NASTRAN. These problems can roughly be divided into three different groups: (1) recognition of what is to be calculated and how, (2) construction of a model, and (3) handling the NASTRAN program. These are the basic problems for every less skilled user of NASTRAN and the Application/Research Department of Sperry Univac has to give reasonable answers to these questions.

Description: The dynamic analysis for earthquake- and wind-induced response of a long span, cable-stayed freeway bridge by NASTRAN in conjunction with post-processors is described. Details of the structural modeling, the input data generation, and numerical results are given. The influence of the dynamic analysis on the bridge design is traced from the project initiation to the development of a successful earthquake and wind resistant configuration.

Description: An application of NASTRAN to the structural analysis of light aircraft was conducted to determine the cost effectiveness. A model of the Baby Ace D model homebuilt aircraft was used. The NASTRAN model of the aircraft consists of 193 grid points connected by 352 structural members. All members are either rod or beam elements, including bending of unsymmetrical cross sections and torsion of noncircular cross sections. The aerodynamic loads applied to the aircraft were in accordance with FAA regulations governing the utility category aircraft.

Description: A new eigensolution routine, FEER (Fast Eigensolution Extraction Routine), used in conjunction with NASTRAN at Israel Aircraft Industries is described. The FEER program is based on an automatic matrix reduction scheme whereby the lower modes of structures with many degrees of freedom can be accurately extracted from a tridiagonal eigenvalue problem whose size is of the same order of magnitude as the number of required modes. The process is effected without arbitrary lumping of masses at selected node points or selection of nodes to be retained in the analysis set. The results of computational efficiency studies are presented, showing major arithmetic operation counts and actual computer run times of FEER as compared to other methods of eigenvalue extraction, including those available in the NASTRAN READ module. It is concluded that the tridiagonal reduction method used in FEER would serve as a valuable addition to NASTRAN for highly increased efficiency in obtaining structural vibration modes.

Description: A development for NASTRAN which facilitates the analysis of structures made up of identical segments symmetrically arranged with respect to an axis is described. The key operation in the method is the transformation of the degrees of freedom for the structure into uncoupled symmetrical components, thereby greatly reducing the number of equations which are solved simultaneously. A further reduction occurs if each segment has a plane of reflective symmetry. The only required assumption is that the problem be linear. The capability, as developed, will be available in level 16 of NASTRAN for static stress analysis, steady state heat transfer analysis, and vibration analysis. The paper includes a discussion of the theory, a brief description of the data supplied by the user, and the results obtained for two example problems. The first problem concerns the acoustic modes of a long prismatic cavity imbedded in the propellant grain of a solid rocket motor. The second problem involves the deformations of a large space antenna. The latter example is the first application of the NASTRAN Cyclic Symmetry capability to a really large problem.

Description: A technique is described which has been programmed as a DMAP Alter to Rigid Format 3, for determining a stiffness matrix modification to obtain a specified eigenvalue for a structure. The stiffness matrix modifications allowable are those that can be described as the product of a single scalar variable and a matrix of constant coefficients input by the user. The program solves for the scalar variable multiplier which will yield a specified eigenvalue for the complete structure (provided it exists), makes the modification to the stiffness matrix, and proceeds in Rigid Format 3 to obtain the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the modified structure.

Description: A subsonic flutter analysis capability has been developed for NASTRAN, and a developmental version of the program has been installed on the CDC 6000 series digital computers at the Langley Research Center. The flutter analysis is of the modal type, uses doublet lattice unsteady aerodynamic forces, and solves the flutter equations by using the k-method. Surface and one-dimensional spline functions are used to transform from the aerodynamic degrees of freedom to the structural degrees of freedom. Some preliminary applications of the method to a beamlike wing, a platelike wing, and a platelike wing with a folded tip are compared with existing experimental and analytical results.

Description: For intermediate size problems where all the data is accessible, the present method of substructuring in three separate phases (for static analysis) is unneccessarily cumbersome. The versatility of NASTRAN's DMAP and internal logic lends itself to finding a practical alternative to these procedures whereby self-contained special-purpose ALTER packages can be written to be run in one pass. Two examples are presented here under the titles of multipartitioning and one-shot substructuring. The flow of multipartitioning resembles that of the present three-phase substructuring. The basic effect is to partition the structure into substructures and operate on each substructure separately. This can be used to reduce the bandwidth of a given problem as well as to store information which will allow a change to be made in one of the substructures in a later run. This latter procedure is carried out in a second program titled one-shot substructuring.

Description: The space shuttle configuration has more complex structural dynamic characteristics than previous launch vehicles primarily because of the high model density at low frequencies and the high degree of coupling between the lateral and longitudinal motions. An accurate analytical representation of these characteristics is a primary means for treating structural dynamics problems during the design phase of the shuttle program. The 1/8-scale model program was developed to explore the adequacy of available analytical modeling technology and to provide the means for investigating problems which are more readily treated experimentally. The basic objectives of the 1/8-scale model program are: (1) to provide early verification of analytical modeling procedures on a shuttle-like structure, (2) to demonstrate important vehicle dynamic characteristics of a typical shuttle design, (3) to disclose any previously unanticipated structural dynamic characteristics, and (4) to provide for development and demonstration of cost effective prototype testing procedures.

Description: A thermal distortion analysis of the ATS-6 Satellite parabolic reflector was performed using NASTRAN level 15.1. The same NASTRAN finite element method was used to conduct a one g static load analysis and a dynamic analysis of the reflector. In addition, a parametric study was made to determine which parameters had the greatest effect on the thermal distortions. The method used to model the construction of the reflector is described and the results of the analyses are presented.

Description: The empennage structure on the Learjet 55 aircraft was quite similar to the empennage structure on earlier Learjet models. However, due to an important structural change in the vertical fin along with the new loads environment on the 50 series aircraft, a structural test was required on the vertical fin, but the horizontal tail was substantiated by a comparative analysis with previous tests. NASTRAN analysis was used to investigate empennage deflections, stress levels, and control surface hinge forces. The hinge force calculations were made with the control surfaces in the deflected as well as undeflected configurations. A skin panel buckling analysis was also performed, and the non-linear effects of buckling were simulated in the NASTRAN model to more accurately define internal loads and stress levels. Comparisons were then made between the Model 55 and the Model 35/36 stresses and internal forces to determine which components were qualified by previous tests. Some of the methods and techniques used in this analysis are described.

Description: The J-4 Rocket Test Cell and its Thrust Measuring System (TMS) at Arnold Engineering Development Center were modified to provide multicomponent force measurement of large solid rocket motors having nozzle gimbaling capability. To verify the structural integrity of a combined TMS and motor system, a large finite element model of the TMS and motor was developed using the NASTRAN computer program. Due to the importance of obtaining accurate estimates for the dynamic force levels, it was necessary to certify that the model adequately simulated the physical system. This was accomplished by performing a modal analysis test on the TMS and motor combination. The objectives were to discuss the physical characteristics of the TMS and motor that influence the NASTRAN model; to compare the frequency response characteristics computed using the NASTRAN model to those obtained from the modal analysis test; to discuss the experiences gained in modal analysis testing; and to demonstrate how state-of-the-art experimental and analytical methods are used in the design of ground test facilities.

Description: Modeling of flexural and membrane type waves existing in various submerged (or in vacuo) plate and/or shell finite element models that are excited with steady state type harmonic loadings proportioned to e(i omega t) is discussed. Only thin walled plates and shells are treated wherein rotary inertia and shear correction factors are not included. More specifically, the issue of determining the shell or plate mesh size needed to represent the spatial distribution of the plate or shell response is of prime importance towards successfully representing the solution to the problem at hand. To this end, a procedure is presented for establishing guide lines for determining the mesh size based on a simple test model that can be used for a variety of plate and shell configurations such as, cylindrical shells with water loading, cylindrical shells in vacuo, plates with water loading, and plates in vacuo. The procedure for doing these four cases is given, with specific numerical examples present only for the cylindrical shell case.

Description: An analysis is given using finite element techniques which addresses the propagaton of a uniform incident pressure wave through a finite diameter axisymmetric tapered plate immersed in a fluid. The approach utilized in developing a finite element solution to this problem is based upon a technique for axisymmetric fluid structure interaction problems. The problem addressed is that of a 10 inch diameter axisymmetric fixed plate totally immersed in a fluid. The plate increases in thickness from approximately 0.01 inches thick at the center to 0.421 inches thick at a radius of 5 inches. Against each face of the tapered plate a cylindrical fluid volume was represented extending five wavelengths off the plate in the axial direction. The outer boundary of the fluid and plate regions were represented as a rigid encasement cylinder as was nearly the case in the physical problem. The primary objective of the analysis is to determine the form of the transmitted pressure distribution on the downstream side of the plate.

Description: This paper presents a technique for calculating the modal participation factors for base excitation problems using a DMAP alter to the NASTRAN real eigenvalue analysis Rigid Format. The DMAP program automates the generation of the seismic mass to add to the degrees of freedom representing the shaker input directions and calculates the modal participation factors. These are shown in the paper to be a good measure of the maximum acceleration expected at any point on the structure when the subsequent frequency response analysis is run.

Description: Two finite element procedures are described for predicting the dynamic response of general 3-D fluid-filled elastic piping systems. The first approach, a low frequency procedure, models each straight pipe or elbow as a sequence of beams. The contained fluid is modeled as a separate coincident sequence axial members (rods) which are tied to the pipe in the lateral direction. The model includes the pipe hoop strain correction to the fluid sound speed and the flexibility factor correction to the elbow flexibility. The second modeling approach, an intermediate frequency procedure, follows generally the original Zienkiewicz-Newton scheme for coupled fluid-structure problems except that the velocity potential is used as the fundamental fluid unknown to symmetrize the coefficient matrices. From comparisons of the beam model predictions to both experimental data and the 3-D model, the beam model is validated for frequencies up to about two-thirds of the lowest fluid-filled labor pipe mode. Accurate elbow flexibility factors are seen to be crucial for effective beam modeling of piping systems.

Description: An alternative method of analysis to determine the dynamic response of structures subjected to base accelerations is presented. The method is exact as opposed to the approximate technique of using unusually large masses and loads to enforce desired base accelerations. This paper presents the relevant equations to motion, ALTERs for direct and modal frequency-, random- and transient-response rigid formats, and illustrative examples.

Description: An equivalence between temperature and pressure, heat conduction and stiffness and heat capacity and mass is defined, enabling acoustical modal analysis of arbitrary three dimensional volumes. The transient heat transfer analysis rigid format in NASTRAN, RF9, has been altered providing the acoustical analysis capability. Examples and ALTERs are included.

Description: The NASTRAN TRAPRG and TRAPAX finite elements are very restrictive as to shape and grid point numbering. The elements must be trapezoidal with two sides parallel to the radial axis. In addition, the ordering of the grid points on the element connection card must follow strict rules. The paper describes the generalization of these elements so that these restrictions no longer apply.

Description: GPRIME, an interactive modeling system, runs on the CDC 6000 computers and the DEC VAX 11/780 minicomputer. This system includes three components: (1) GPRIME, a user friendly geometric language and a processor to translate that language into geometric entities, (2) GGEN, an interactive data generator for 2-D models; and (3) SOLIDGEN, a 3-D solid modeling program. Each component has a computer user interface of an extensive command set. All of these programs make use of a comprehensive B-spline mathematics subroutine library, which can be used for a wide variety of interpolation problems and other geometric calculations. Many other user aids, such as automatic saving of the geometric and finite element data bases and hidden line removal, are available. This interactive finite element modeling capability can produce a complete finite element model, producing an output file of grid and element data.

Description: A finite element was developed to adequately represent the state of stress in the region around a circular hole in orthotropic material experiencing reasonably general loading. This has been achieved through a complementary virtual work formulation of the stiffness and stress matrices for a square element with a center circular hole. The element has been incorporated into COSMIC/NASTRAN as a dummy element. Sample problems have been solved and these results are presented.

Description: Since the initial installation of NASTRAN on the UNIVAC 1100/82 computer at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), a number of local codes have been incorporated as user routines. This paper describes four of these codes and how interested users may obtain additional information.

Description: Programs for Automatic Finite Element Calculations (PAFEC) is a general purpose, three dimensional linear and nonlinear finite element program (ref. 1). PAFEC's features include free format input utilizing engineering keywords, powerful mesh generating facilities, sophisticated data base management procedures, and extensive data validation checks. Presented here is a description of a software interface that permits PAFEC to be used as a preprocessor for COSMIC/NASTRAN. This user friendly software, called PAFCOS, frees the stress analyst from the laborious and error prone procedure of creating and debugging a rigid format COSMIC/NASTRAN bulk data deck. By interactively creating and debugging a finite element model with PAFEC, thus taking full advantage of the free format engineering keyword oriented data structure of PAFEC, the amount of time spent during model generation can be drastically reduced. The PAFCOS software will automatically convert a PAFEC data structure into a COSMIC/NASTRAN bulk data deck. The capabilities and limitations of the PAFCOS software are fully discussed in the following report.

Description: BANDIT has been implemented into the NASTRAN April '83 release. It is now a permanent feature in NASTRAN and will be included in all future releases for all four computing machines (IBM, CDC, UNIVAC, and VAX). Originally BANDIT operated as a preprocessor of NASTRAN. It read the NASTRAN input cards and produced a set of resequencing (SEOGP) cards that would greatly reduce the computational time required by the matrix decomposition module of NASTRAN for a large structure. In the past, many computer centers had installed BANDIT in their systems together with the NASTRAN program. The user would run the BANDIT program and NASTRAN as if they were one program (or two separated programs depending on how the two programs were actually tied together in the computer systems). In some cases, the user was required to pass the input cards and the output SEQGP cards between the two programs, and n others, the data was manipulated through the use of cataloged disc files. Although there is nothing wrong with this BANDIT-NASTRAN arrangement, there are, however, several shortcomings which are mentioned in this paper. The BANDIT in the NASTRAN April '83 release has removed all the deficiencies, and it comes in one version applicable to the four computing machines.

Description: Static analysis and a computer structural model for the large 64-m antenna pedestal are developed using the MSC version of the NASTRAN program. This improved pedestal model includes the launch areas and the actual pressure pattern of the oil under the hydrostatic bearing pad. The results obtained from the new improved model have indicated that the deflections due to pad loads are in good agreement with field measurements. The top surface deflection of the pedestal obtained from the NASTRAN model is used as an input to the oil film computer program to determine the minimum oil film thickness under the pad.

Description: The need for describing materials under time or cycle dependent loading conditions has been emphasized in recent years by several investigators. In response to the need, various constitutive models describing the nonlinear behavior of materials under creep, fatigue, or other complex loading conditions were developed. The developed models for describing the fully dense (non-porous) materials were mostly based on uncoupled plasticity theory. The improved characterization of materials provides a better understanding of the structual response under complex loading conditions. The pesent studies demonstrate that the rate or time dependency of the response of a porous aggregate can be incorporated into the nonlinear constitutive behavior of a porous solid by appropriately modeling the incompressible matrix behavior. It is also sown that the yield function which wads determined by a continuum mechanics approach must be verified by appropriate experiments on void containing sintered materials in order to obtain meaningful numbers for the constants that appear in the yield function.