[upbeat electronic music]
- IF YOU TAKE
A LOOK AROUND YOU,
ONE THING
YOU WILL DEFINITELY NOTICE
IS THAT VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING
YOU SEE IS MAN-MADE--
EVERYTHING FROM BUILDINGS
TO CLOTHES AND COMPUTERS...
- TO CARS, ROADS,
AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN.
HUMANS HAVE
DEFINITELY LEARNED
HOW TO MAKE OUR LIVES
MORE COMFORTABLE,
RELIABLE, AND SAFE
THROUGH INNOVATION.
HI, I'M JENNIFER PULLEY.
- AND I'M JOHNNY ALONSO.
AND TODAY ON "NASA 360,"
WE'RE GONNA TAKE A LOOK
AT HOW HUMAN INGENUITY IS MAKING
MAN-MADE OBJECTS STRONGER,
SAFER, AND MUCH MORE AVAILABLE
FOR ALL OF US.
[stomping rock music]
- FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
HUMANS HAVE TAKEN OBJECTS
FROM NATURE
TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD
FOR THEMSELVES.
TAKE, FOR INSTANCE,
MUD BRICKS FROM ANTIQUITY
THAT WERE USED
TO BUILD DWELLINGS.
THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR,
EARLY CARPENTERS LEARNED
THAT JUST BUILDING STRUCTURES
FROM PLAIN MUD
OFTEN LED
TO UNSTABLE STRUCTURE.
BUT WHEN THEY COMBINED MUD
AND STRAW TOGETHER,
THEY CAME UP
WITH A NEW STRUCTURE
THAT RESISTS BOTH SQUEEZING
AND TEARING,
RESULTING
IN A MUCH BETTER DWELLING.
ALTHOUGH THEY MAY NOT
HAVE KNOWN IT,
THESE EARLY BUILDERS
WERE USING COMPOSITE MATERIALS.
- EVEN THOUGH THE USE OF
THE TERM "COMPOSITE MATERIALS"
IS GENERALLY SYNONYMOUS
WITH "SPACE-AGE MATERIALS,"
COMPOSITES, THEY'VE BEEN AROUND
FOR A LONG TIME.
BASICALLY,
A COMPOSITE MATERIAL IS FORMED
WHEN YOU COMBINE
TWO OR MORE ITEMS
THAT HAVE
VERY DIFFERENT PROPERTIES.
MANY COMPOSITES ARE MADE UP
OF JUST TWO MATERIALS:
ONE THAT ACTS LIKE A GLUE
TO SURROUND AND BIND
AND ONE TO REINFORCE,
LIKE FIBERS OR FRAGMENTS.
WHEN COMBINED TOGETHER,
THESE DIFFERENT MATERIALS
USUALLY WORK TOGETHER
TO MAKE THE SUM OF THE PARTS
MUCH BETTER
THAN THE ORIGINAL
MATERIALS ALONE.
- TODAY THE USE
OF NEW COMPOSITE MATERIALS
CAN BE SEEN IN VIRTUALLY ALL
SPACE-AGE DESIGNS,
FROM NEW AIRCRAFT
USED BY YOU AND ME,
THE GENERAL PUBLIC,
TO EVEN NEXT-GENERATION
SPACECRAFT
FOR FUTURE SPACE MISSIONS.
NOW, THIS TURN TO COMPOSITES
IS BECAUSE WEIGHT REDUCTION
COMBINED WITH STRENGTH
HAS ALWAYS BEEN
A CRITICAL GOAL OF FLIGHT,
EVEN SINCE THE BEGINNING.
THE FIRST AIRCRAFT EVER MADE
WERE BUILT FROM WOOD
AND FABRIC MATERIAL.
BUT IT WAS SOON REALIZED
THAT A MAJOR CHANGE
NEEDED TO BE MADE
TO INCREASE THE STRENGTH
AND DURABILITY OF AIRCRAFT.
THE CHANGE CAME
WITH THE INTRODUCTION
OF STRONG AND LIGHTWEIGHT METALS
LIKE ALUMINUM.
SINCE THAT TIME,
THE USE OF THESE TYPES OF METALS
HAVE BEEN THE STATE OF THE ART
FOR BOTH AIRCRAFT
AND SPACECRAFT.
TODAY METAL SPACECRAFT
ARE STILL STATE-OF-THE-ART,
BUT RESEARCHERS
HAVE BEGUN TO LOOK
AT NEW WAYS
TO BUILD SPACECRAFT
THAT COULD OFFER
BETTER ALTERNATIVES TO METAL.
IN FACT,
NASA IS ALREADY TESTING
WHAT COULD BE THE NEXT BIG STEP
IN SPACECRAFT DESIGN
RIGHT HERE AT NASA LANGLEY.
IT'S CALLED
A COMPOSITE CREW MODULE...
[metallic knocking]
OR CCM.
I MET UP WITH NESC
PRINCIPAL ENGINEER MIKE KIRSCH
TO FIND OUT A LITTLE MORE
ABOUT THIS INNOVATIVE DESIGN.
MIKE, THIS CCM TO ME
LOOKS A LITTLE FAMILIAR.
I MEAN, I'M THINKING
'60s APOLLO CAPSULE.
- IT'S VERY SIMILAR
TO THE APOLLO PROGRAM.
MANY, MANY SHAPES WILL WORK
FOR THE MISSION
THAT THIS WAS INTENDED.
BUT IN ORDER TO KIND OF
STREAMLINE THE DECISION PROCESS,
THE APOLLO SHAPE WAS PICKED.
AND THAT WAY, WE COULD LEVERAGE
THE AERODYNAMIC DATA
THAT WE COLLECTED
DURING THE APOLLO PROGRAM.
SO THIS IS A SLIGHTLY LARGER
VERSION OF THE APOLLO.
THE APOLLO WAS ROUGHLY
4.3 METERS IN DIAMETER,
AND THIS ONE'S 5 METERS
IN DIAMETER.
IF YOU RECALL, APOLLO HAD
THREE ASTRONAUTS ON THE INSIDE.
THIS WAS DESIGNED TO CARRY SIX,
LATER LOWERED TO CARRY FOUR,
BUT THE VOLUME IS STILL THERE
TO CARRY SIX CREW
TO AND FROM STATION.
- MIKE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING
A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT COMPOSITE MATERIALS.
WHAT TYPE OF MATERIAL
IS THE CCM MADE OF?
- THIS IS A CARBON GRAPHITE
EPOXY RESIN SYSTEM.
IT'S A FABRIC
THAT WAS HAND-LAID UP
ON A MALE TOOL.
AND THEN YOU PUT
THE ENTIRE SYSTEM INTO AN OVEN.
IT'S ACTUALLY A PRESSURIZED OVEN
CALLED AN AUTOCLAVE.
AND IT GETS COOKED,
AND IT COMES OUT HARD.
- LET ME JUST KIND OF MAKE SURE
I UNDERSTAND THIS.
KIND OF LIKE A WIRE MANNEQUIN
WRAPPING FABRIC AROUND IT.
IS THAT KIND OF WHAT--
- YEAH, YEAH.
- OKAY, OKAY.
- THAT'S A VERY GOOD ANALOGY.
- OKAY.
- AND THEN THAT'S ONLY
THE FIRST STEP, THOUGH.
SO AFTER THAT,
WE ADD WHAT'S CALLED
AN ALUMINUM HONEYCOMB.
YOU GLUE THE HONEYCOMB
TO THE SKIN,
AND YOU CURE THAT.
AND THEN AFTER THAT,
YOU LAY ANOTHER SKIN
ON TOP
OF THE ALUMINUM HONEYCOMB.
AND THEN YOU PUT THAT
BACK IN THE OVEN,
AND YOU CURE IT.
AND WHEN IT'S ALL DONE,
IT COMES BACK
AS AN ASSEMBLY.
SO YOU HAVE A THIN SKIN
ON THE INSIDE
AND AN ALUMINUM HONEYCOMB
IN THE CENTER
AND THEN ANOTHER THIN SKIN
ON THE OUTSIDE.
AND IT'S RIGID AND CURED
JUST LIKE THAT.
- AND, YOU KNOW,
AS YOU'RE DESCRIBING THIS TO ME,
I'M THINKING,
"WOW, THAT'S A LOT OF STUFF."
BUT THIS IS--I MEAN,
I CAN BARELY FEEL THIS.
- IT'S VERY, VERY LIGHTWEIGHT,
WHICH IS THE IDEA OF COMPOSITES.
IT'S A HIGH STRENGTH
AND STIFFNESS TO WEIGHT,
WHICH IS ONE OF THE OBJECTIVES
OF THE PROJECT.
THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT
WAS TO GET SOME NASA GUYS
SOME HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE
DESIGNING, BUILDING,
AND TESTING WITH COMPOSITES.
NOW, THIS IS A ALTERNATIVE
TO THE MAINLINE PROGRAM.
THE MAINLINE PROGRAM,
WHICH IS CONSTELLATION,
IN PARTICULAR
IN THE ORION PROJECT,
WHICH MAKES THE CREW CAPSULE,
THEY CHOSE ALUMINUM LITHIUM,
WHICH HAS VERY SIMILAR
STRENGTH AND STIFFNESS TO WEIGHT
CHARACTERISTICS.
BUT THIS IS AN ALTERNATIVE.
AND BY USING COMPOSITES,
IT ENABLES COMPLEX SHAPES
TO BE MADE
AND TO GIVE US
A REAL-WORLD COMPARISON
BETWEEN THE ALUMINUM LITHIUM
MAINLINE PROGRAM
AGAINST COMPOSITE STRUCTURE
OF USING THE SAME SET
OF REQUIREMENTS.
- MIKE, YOU SAID EARLIER
THAT COMPOSITES ALLOW YOU
TO TEST
DIFFERENT COMPLEX SHAPES.
TALK TO ME
ABOUT THE CCM SHAPE.
WHY THIS SHAPE?
- WHEN THE PROJECT
WAS KICKED OFF,
WE TRIED TO RESPECT
THE INTERFACES
THAT THE ORION PROJECT
WAS USING FOR THEIR CREW MODULE.
NOW, ORION AT THAT TIME
HAD BASELINED
THIS COMPONENT,
CALLED THE BACKBONE.
AND THIS BACKBONE
WAS REALLY USED
TO HELP THEM MANAGE THE STUFF
THAT GOES INSIDE THE CAPSULE.
WHAT THE COMPOSITE TEAM DID IS,
WE TIED OUR FLOOR
TO THIS BACKBONE SHAPE.
THEN THE NEXT THING WE DID IS,
WE ACTUALLY SHAPED THE FLOOR
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE FACT THAT THE BACKBONE
WAS THERE.
AND WHAT IT DID IS,
IT BROUGHT IN THESE LOBES,
AND THE SHAPE OF THE LOBE
IS THE SHAPE
THAT THE FLOOR
WOULD WANT TO TAKE
WHEN PRESSURIZED.
IF WE DIDN'T HAVE
THE BACKBONE,
WE DIDN'T HAVE THE LOBE FLOOR,
THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS,
IT WOULD BE A DOME-LIKE SHAPE.
WHEN YOU PRESSURIZE A DOME,
IT WANTS TO GO TO A BALL SHAPE,
A SPHERE.
AND BY TYING IT
TO THE BACKBONE
AND PUTTING IN
THE LOBE SHAPE,
WE COULD REDUCE
THE STIFFNESS IN THE EDGES,
WHICH SAVED MASS.
NOW, THE COMPOSITES
DON'T INHIBIT ALUMINUM LITHIUM
FROM HAVING A SIMILAR SHAPE.
IT'S JUST MUCH MORE DIFFICULT
TO PUT A LOBED SHAPE
INTO AN ALUMINUM LITHIUM SYSTEM.
- MIKE, WHAT ARE
SOME OF THE REASONS
PEOPLE USE COMPOSITE MATERIALS?
- WELL, COMPOSITES ARE KNOWN
FOR THEIR STRENGTH
AND THEIR STIFFNESS FOR MASS.
SO THEY'RE
VERY LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIALS,
AND THEY'RE USED OFTENTIMES
IN THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE
INDUSTRIES.
COMPOSITES
ARE ALSO THERMALLY STABLE.
WHAT THAT MEANS
IS THAT THEY DON'T CHANGE SHAPE
AS THEY CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE.
COMPOSITES ARE ALSO
VERY TOLERANT TO FATIGUE,
ANY APPLICATION WHERE SHAPE
IS OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE.
IN THE AIRPLANE INDUSTRY,
THEY LIKE IT ON A WING.
THEY WANT TO MANAGE
THE SHAPE OF THE WING.
THE MAST OF A SAILBOAT,
THE HULL OF A SAILBOAT,
THE RACING SAILBOAT,
TENNIS RACQUETS,
RACQUETBALL RACKETS--
ALL OF THOSE USE CARBON FIBER
BECAUSE THEY'RE
VERY, VERY STIFF
AND VERY, VERY LIGHTWEIGHT.
- MIKE, ANY TESTS TO FAILURE,
TO SEE IF THE CCM
WOULD COMPLETELY FAIL?
- ABSOLUTELY,
AND PART OF THE PROGRAM
WAS TO PRESSURIZE IT
UNTIL IT FAILED.
AND WE PUMPED IT FULL OF WATER
WITH THAT SAME SET
OF INSTRUMENTATION ON THERE
AND CONTINUED TO PUMP IT UP
UNTIL IT ACTUALLY CRACKED
OR POPPED.
[loud boom]
NOW, WE WERE EXPECTING
A FAIRLY DRAMATIC FAILURE.
ALL OF OUR PREDICTIONS WERE
THAT IT WAS GONNA BE DRAMATIC.
AND IT TURNED OUT,
IT WAS NOT VERY DRAMATIC AT ALL.
- AND IS THAT POSITIVE?
- THAT'S A VERY POSITIVE RESULT.
NOW, THIS WAS DESIGNED
TO DOCK TO
THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
SO IT'S DESIGNED FOR
AN INTERNAL PRESSURE OF 15 PSI,
JUST LIKE WE'RE BREATHING
HERE ON THE GROUND.
- RIGHT.
- BUT YOU ACTUALLY
MULTIPLY THAT BY TWO,
SO YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT
OF MARGIN,
WHAT WE CALL
A FACTOR OF SAFETY,
SO IT'S ACTUALLY CAPABLE
OF 31 PSI
TO BE WHERE WE WERE
COMFORTABLE.
IT ACTUALLY FAILED
AT 53 PSI,
SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN ITS
DESIGN ULTIMATE CAPABILITY.
BUT THAT SHOWS THAT WE HAVE
A FAIR AMOUNT
OF DAMAGE TOLERANCE
STILL REMAINING IN THE DESIGN.
THIS PROJECT'S BEEN EXTREMELY
SUCCESSFUL SINCE ITS INCEPTION,
AND WE'RE VERY EXCITED
ABOUT WHERE IT GOES FROM HERE.
- MIKE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
HOW EXCITING.
WE'RE STANDING BY
TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
- ALL RIGHT.
- SO FAR,
WE'VE BEEN HEARING A LOT
ABOUT HOW WEIGHT
IS A HUGE ISSUE
WHEN YOU WANT TO FLY SOMETHING.
AND OF COURSE,
THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY
AND SAFETY OF THE CRAFT
IS IMPORTANT AS WELL.
NOW, IN THE PAST,
TO COMPENSATE FOR SAFETY,
VEHICLES WERE GENERALLY MADE
MUCH HEAVIER THAN NEEDED.
THIS WAS DUE IN PART
TO A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING
ABOUT CERTAIN
STRUCTURAL TEST FAILURES,
LIKE BUCKLING.
TODAY RESEARCHERS
HAVE A MUCH BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF THE BUCKLING PROCESS
AND THE FINE BALANCE
BETWEEN WEIGHT, SAFETY,
AND PERFORMANCE
IN VEHICLE LAUNCH DESIGN.
FOR SPACECRAFT DESIGN,
RESEARCHERS
ARE USING A TECHNIQUE
TO TEST SHELL BUCKLING
THAT WILL HELP THEM
BETTER UNDERSTAND THIS BALANCE.
I SPOKE WITH MARK HILBURGER
HERE AT NASA LANGLEY
TO FIND OUT A LITTLE MORE.
SO, MARK, WHY IS NASA
TESTING SHELL BUCKLING?
- WELL, SHELL BUCKLING IS ONE
OF THE PRIMARY FAILURE MODES
THAT WE HAVE
IN LAUNCH VEHICLE STRUCTURES.
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING TODAY
IS TRYING TO REVISE
SOME OLD DESIGN GUIDELINES
THAT NASA GENERATED
A LONG TIME AGO
FOR THE APOLLO ERA.
AND WHY IT IS CRITICAL IS,
IF WE ARE BUILDING STRUCTURES
TOO HEAVY,
LIKE WE HAVE IN THE PAST,
WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE
TO GET THE PAYLOAD
INTO SPACE LIKE WE WANT TO.
SO WE'RE STUDYING HERE
THE FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS
OF BUCKLING
AND THEN TRYING TO APPLY THAT
TO AN UPDATED DESIGN CRITERIA
THAT'LL ALLOW US
TO MAKE US LIGHTER WEIGHT,
MORE EFFICIENT, SAFE
LAUNCH VEHICLE STRUCTURES.
I'VE GOT A LITTLE TEST
I CAN SHOW YOU.
THIS IS A TYPICAL BEVERAGE CAN,
AND WE'VE ALL
CRUSHED THESE BEFORE
UNDER OUR FEET, I'M SURE.
AND WHAT WE MEAN
BY A THIN SHELL
IS THAT IT HAS A VERY THIN WALL,
AND IT'S SHAPED LIKE A CYLINDER.
AND IF YOU COULD PICTURE THIS
AS BEING MUCH BIGGER
AND USED IN A LAUNCH VEHICLE
AS, LIKE, A FUEL TANK
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT,
THEY'RE SUBJECTED
TO VERY HIGH LOADS.
AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS
THAT WE'RE STUDYING IS,
HOW DO THESE CANS BUCKLE,
SO WE CAN DESIGN BETTER
LAUNCH VEHICLE STRUCTURES.
SO I'M JUST GONNA
TURN THIS SCREW
AND APPLY A LOAD,
A COMPRESSION LOAD ON THIS CAN,
AND I'M GONNA TRY
AND MAKE THIS BUCKLE.
[can crackling]
OOH.
- PRETTY IMMEDIATE.
- YEAH, IT'S PRETTY IMMEDIATE
AND CATASTROPHIC.
- THREE, TWO...
- LAUNCH VEHICLES ARE ALSO
CYLINDRICAL STRUCTURES
LIKE THESE WITH THIN WALLS,
SO THEY HAVE ALL THE SAME
BASIC PHYSICAL RESPONSE
CHARACTERISTICS
THAT A CAN WOULD HAVE.
AND SO WHEN THEY'RE SUBJECTED
TO THE LOAD,
THEY CAN ALSO EXHIBIT
CATASTROPHIC BUCKLING FAILURE.
WHEN THEY WERE FIRST TRYING
TO DEVELOP ROCKETS
RIGHT AFTER WORLD WAR II
AND YOU SEE THEM GOING UP
ON THE LAUNCHPAD
AND THEN THEY JUST CRUMBLE,
THAT WAS A BUCKLING PROBLEM.
THE BUCKLING PHENOMENON
ITSELF
IS WHEN YOU'RE APPLYING
A COMPRESSIVE LOAD
TO A STRUCTURE
AND IT CAN NO LONGER
WITHSTAND THAT LOAD
AND SO IT CAUSES
THE CAN'S CROSS SECTION
TO CRUSH INWARD.
SO IT'S IMPERATIVE
THAT WE UNDERSTAND
THE BUCKLING PROCESS.
THAT OBVIOUSLY
WAS A VERY SIMPLE EXAMPLE,
BUT WHAT I HAVE
BEHIND ME HERE
IS A SMALLER LABORATORY-SCALE
TEST ARTICLE
THAT WE WOULD USE
TO UNDERSTAND
SOME OF THE BASIC PHYSICAL
PRINCIPLES OF SHELL BUCKLING
AND TRY AND APPLY THAT
TO UNDERSTANDING
LARGER STRUCTURES.
SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS A SMALL-SCALE STRUCTURE.
WE'RE STUDYING VARIOUS ASPECTS
OF HOW IT BUCKLES,
THE EFFECTS OF GEOMETRY
AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF LOAD
ON THE BUCKLING BEHAVIOR.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S ALL SORTS
OF INSTRUMENTATION ON HERE.
SO WE'RE MUCH MORE SCIENTIFIC
THAN JUST CRUSHING THE CAN.
- IN A VISE GRIP, RIGHT.
- YEAH, SO WE THEN TAKE
THAT DATA
AND USE THAT TO COMPARE
TO OUR MODELS
TO SEE HOW WELL WE REALLY
UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS.
- ALL RIGHT,
AND IN ADDITION TO THE WIRES
AND THE THINGS I SEE ATTACHED,
I SEE LITTLE TINY DOTS.
- YEAH.
- WHAT ARE THEY THERE FOR?
- WELL, MANY YEARS AGO,
NASA STARTED WORKING
WITH SOME UNIVERSITIES
TO DEVELOP WHAT WE CALL
A VIDEO IMAGE
CORRELATION SYSTEM.
AND WHAT IT IS, IS IT'S A SERIES
OF DIGITAL CAMERAS
THAT WE POSITION AROUND
THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE SHELL,
AND IT MONITORS
THIS SPECKLE PATTERN
THAT WE'VE PAINTED
ONTO THE SHELL.
AND DURING THE TEST
AS WE'RE LOADING IT,
IT'S MONITORING THE MOVEMENT
OF THE SHELL WALL.
- THE SLIGHTEST MOVEMENT
WILL BE PICKED UP.
- SUBMILLIMETER MOVEMENTS.
AND THE REALLY NICE THING IS,
WHAT YOU SEE HERE
IS A LABORATORY SCALE.
WE'RE DOWN AT MARSHALL ALSO
TESTING FULL
LAUNCH VEHICLE SIZE STRUCTURES.
WE USE THE SAME TECHNIQUE.
WE JUST USE BIGGER DOTS.
- MARK, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE TESTING,
THE SHELL BUCKLING TESTING
THEY DID ON APOLLO,
AND THE SHELL BUCKLING TESTING
YOU GUYS ARE DOING RIGHT NOW?
- OH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
BACK IN THE APOLLO ERA,
THEY WERE JUST STARTING
TO UNDERSTAND
SORT OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS
OF THE BUCKLING PROCESS.
THE BEST THING
THAT THEY COULD DO
IS RUN A LOT OF TESTS
BUT NOT REALLY GET A HANDLE
ON THE REAL PHYSICS.
BUT THEY DID A GREAT JOB,
'CAUSE THEY GOT TO THE MOON.
- RIGHT.
- WHAT WE'RE DOING NOW,
THOUGH, IS,
WE'RE APPLYING MORE RIGOR
TO HOW WE RUN OUR TESTS,
THE TYPES OF MEASUREMENTS
THAT WE TAKE.
WE HAVE NEW
MEASUREMENT TECHNOLOGIES.
WE HAVE NEW ANALYSIS TOOLS
THAT ALLOW US
TO VERY ACCURATELY PREDICT
THE BEHAVIOR OF THESE SHELLS.
- IT'S ALWAYS INCREASING,
TECHNOLOGY, HUH?
- ABSOLUTELY.
IT'S HARD TO KEEP
IN FRONT OF IT.
- I KNOW IT IS.
YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB.
THANKS SO MUCH.
- THANKS.
- BECAUSE COMPOSITES
ARE BEING USED MORE AND MORE
IN PASSENGER VEHICLES,
LIKE CARS AND PLANES,
NASA RESEARCHERS
ARE TAKING A HARD LOOK
AT HOW THEY CAN MAKE THEM
MORE ROBUST.
NOW, AS THEY BECOME
MORE ROBUST,
THEY STILL HAVE TO MAINTAIN
SOME OF THE BENEFITS
THAT COMPOSITE MATERIALS
HAVE TO OFFER,
LIKE WEIGHT REDUCTION.
YEAH, THIS IS A TOUGH TASK,
BUT NASA RESEARCHERS,
WELL, THEY'RE UP
FOR THE CHALLENGE.
I CAUGHT UP WITH NASA AEROSPACE
ENGINEER DAWN JEGLEY
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT
THIS NEW DESIGN CALLED PRSEUS
THAT MAY BE A GAME CHANGER
IN COMPOSITES RESEARCH.
DAWN, HOW ARE YOU?
- HI. HOW ARE YOU?
- GOOD. GOOD TO SEE YOU.
- YOU TOO.
- GOOD.
SO WE'RE HERE TODAY TO TALK
ABOUT COMPOSITES
AND PRSEUS, RIGHT?
- RIGHT.
- LET'S START FROM THE TOP.
- OKAY, WELL,
PRSEUS STANDS
FOR "PULTRUDED ROD STITCHED
EFFICIENT UNITIZED STRUCTURE."
- OKAY.
- WHAT THAT MEANS
IS THAT WE HAVE A LARGE PANEL.
AND THIS IS A PRSEUS PANEL.
- RIGHT.
- AND IF YOU LOOK REAL CLOSE
IN HERE,
YOU CAN SEE STITCHES.
IT'S ALL HELD TOGETHER
BY STITCHES.
AND WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS PANEL,
RATHER THAN
A NORMAL AIRCRAFT PANEL,
IS, YOU DON'T SEE
ANY FASTENERS.
IN A NORMAL AIRPLANE, YOU'VE GOT
RIVETS ALL OVER THE PLACE
HOLDING EVERY PART TOGETHER.
IN THIS CASE,
WE HAVE NO RIVETS.
- RIGHT.
- EVERYTHING'S HELD TOGETHER
BY STITCHES.
- OKAY.
- NOW, COMPOSITE MATERIALS HAVE
BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.
WE AT NASA HAVE BEEN WORKING
WITH THEM FOR 40 YEARS.
INDUSTRY'S WORKING WITH THEM,
AND THEY'RE NOW GETTING OUT
INTO REAL AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES.
- GOT YOU.
- BUT WHAT'S DIFFERENT
ABOUT PRSEUS
IS A COUPLE THINGS.
FIRST OF ALL IS THE STITCHING.
COMPOSITE MATERIALS,
COMPOSITE STRUCTURES,
ARE PUT TOGETHER USING LAYERS
OF GRAPHITE EPOXY
OR CARBON EPOXY MATERIALS
THAT'S ALL BUILT UP
INTO WHATEVER CONFIGURATION
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR.
WITH PRSEUS,
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO
IS BUILD VERY LARGE
UNITIZED STRUCTURES.
SO WE CAN GET AWAY
FROM ALL THOSE FASTENERS
BY PUTTING IN THE STITCHES
AND BY MAKING VERY LARGE PARTS.
SO COMPOSITES ARE USEFUL,
COMPOSITES ARE GOOD,
BECAUSE THEY'RE LIGHTER WEIGHT
THAN ALUMINUM.
WITH LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE,
YOU CAN CUT DOWN
ON YOUR FUEL COSTS.
AND OF COURSE, ONE OF THE THINGS
NASA'S LOOKING AT TODAY
IS REDUCING THE AMOUNT
OF FUEL THAT'S USED
AND PRODUCING LESS POLLUTION.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT,
THE NEXT FLEET OF AIRCRAFT
WOULD BE LIGHTER
AND MORE FUEL-EFFICIENT.
- WHAT ARE YOU DOING
WITH THIS PIECE?
- OKAY, THIS PANEL
WAS FABRICATED BY BOEING.
WE'RE GONNA DO THE TESTING HERE.
WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO WITH IT IS,
WE'RE GONNA PUT IT
IN THIS TEST MACHINE.
SO WE'RE GONNA SLIDE IT BACK.
- RIGHT.
- WE'RE GONNA TAKE
THE PLATEN HERE,
RAISE IT UP,
PUT THE PANEL UNDERNEATH IT,
AND THEN POSITION THE PLATEN
SO THAT IT'S JUST
AT THE TOP OF THE PANEL.
NOW, THIS MACHINE CAN APPLY
UP TO A MILLION POUNDS
OF LOADING.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO
IS BRING THE PLATEN DOWN
TO THE SURFACE OF THE PANEL
AND THEN SLOWLY APPLY LOAD
TO PUSH THE PANEL DOWN.
- OKAY.
- WHILE WE DO THAT,
WE'RE GONNA MONITOR
THE BEHAVIOR
OF ALL THE STRAIN GAUGES HERE
TO LOOK AT WHAT
THE PANEL'S FEELING.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE
ADDITIONAL MEASUREMENTS,
SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK
AT THE DISPLACEMENT,
HOW THE PANEL MOVES
IN A COUPLE DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
DURING THE TEST.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY
TO FIND OUT
IS HOW THE PANEL BEHAVES
WHILE WE'RE PUSHING DOWN ON IT,
AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO TAKE IT
TO FAILURE,
AND WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IS,
WE'RE GONNA GET A FAILURE
SOMEWHERE IN THE PANEL,
PROBABLY SOMEWHERE
IN THIS REGION HERE.
- OKAY.
- AND WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN IS,
WE'LL SEE
WHAT THE FAILURE LOAD IS
AND WHERE IT STARTS,
AND THEN WE'LL TAKE A LOOK
AT ALL THE INSTRUMENTATION
WE HAVE
AND COMPARE THAT
TO OUR ANALYSIS.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE
AN ANALYSIS OF THE PANEL,
BUT THE REASON THAT WE HAVE
TO DO THE TESTING IS,
WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE
OUR ANALYSIS IS RIGHT.
AND BECAUSE COMPOSITES
ARE A LOT NEWER THAN ALUMINUM--
AND PARTICULARLY PRSEUS
DOESN'T HAVE
THAT MUCH OF A DATABASE
TO DRAW FROM--
WE HAVE TO DO A LOT OF TESTING
TO MAKE SURE WE REALLY
UNDERSTAND THE BEHAVIOR,
'CAUSE YOU WOULDN'T WANT
TO PUT THIS KIND OF STRUCTURE
ON A REAL AIRPLANE UNLESS
YOU CAN PREDICT ITS BEHAVIOR.
AND THAT'S WHAT NASA'S
BEEN TRYING TO DO WITH BOEING
IS DEVELOP THE TECHNOLOGY
TO REALLY UNDERSTAND
THAT BEHAVIOR
SO WE CAN PREDICT IT.
- WELL, GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST.
- THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
- DEFINITELY, AND WE HOPE TO
SEE THIS ON A FUTURE AIRPLANE.
- SO DO I.
- RIGHT ON.
- OKAY, SO FAR, WE HAVE SEEN
SOME OF THE WAYS
THAT NASA
USES COMPOSITE MATERIALS.
BUT NASA'S NOT THE ONLY
ORGANIZATION TO BE USING THEM.
NO, THERE ARE MANY INDUSTRIES
THAT USE THEM TOO,
LIKE THE AUTO INDUSTRY.
WHETHER IT'S A HUGE CAR COMPANY
OR A START-UP,
ALL OF THEM ARE LOOKING FOR WAYS
TO COMBINE STRENGTH
WITH WEIGHT REDUCTION
TO MAKE THEIR CARS
MORE EFFICIENT.
ONE COMPANY CALLED EDISON 2
IS TAKING THAT WEIGHT REDUCTION
TO THE LIMIT.
THEY HAVE DEVELOPED A CAR
FOR THE VERY LIGHT CAR CATEGORY
OF THE 100-MILES-PER-GALLON
"X" PRIZE COMPETITION
THAT THEY FEEL
IS THE MOST EFFICIENT
AUTO PLATFORM
EVER BUILT.
THIS LITTLE CAR IS AMAZING.
IT TAKES DESIGN CUES FROM SOME
OF THE TOP RACE CARS
IN THE WORLD
WHILE ALSO BEING INCREDIBLY SAFE
WITH PHENOMENAL MILEAGE.
I SPOKE WITH MY BUDDY
OLIVER KUTTNER
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT IT.
SO THIS IS THE VLC?
- YUP, THE VERY LIGHT CAR.
- VERY LIGHT CAR.
TELL US ALL ABOUT IT.
- WELL, WE WERE TRYING TO BUILD
THE MOST EFFICIENT CAR.
IT'S DESIGNED TO BE
A TWO- OR FOUR-SEAT CAR.
AND IT GETS 111 MILES PER GALLON
COMBINED EPA,
129 ON THE HIGHWAY.
AND WE DID IT
BY BASICALLY BUILDING
THE LIGHTEST POSSIBLE CAR
WITH THE LOWEST
AERODYNAMIC DRAG.
THE CAR SUBSTITUTES
PRESSURE DRAG FOR FRICTION DRAG,
LIKE AN AIRPLANE
OR A ROCKET WOULD.
YOU KNOW, THESE RACE CARS
ARE CARBON FIBER.
AND, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS A RACE
FOR A LOT OF MONEY,
SO WE DIDN'T LEAVE
ANY STONES UNTURNED.
WHAT IT REALLY IS, IT'S KIND OF
LIKE SPACE EXPLORATION.
WHAT WE TRIED TO DO
IS TO DEPART FROM THE ORDINARY
AND BUILD IT VERY LIGHT.
AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY HAS
A VERY DIFFICULT TIME DOING IT
BECAUSE OF ALL THE LEGACIES,
THE LARGE CORPORATIONS
AND THE HUGE AMOUNTS
OF MONEY INVOLVED
IN MAKING A MAJOR SHIFT.
AND THIS CAR DEMONSTRATES
THAT THE SHIFT EXISTS.
- CAN YOU TELL US SOME
ABOUT THE MATERIALS
THAT YOU USED TO BUILD THIS CAR?
- IT'S STEEL, ALUMINUM,
AND CARBON FIBER,
AND JUST USING IT WISELY
WHERE NECESSARY.
IT'S A STEEL-CHASSIS CAR,
BUT IT'S
A CARBON-FIBER-BODIED CAR
AND THE WHEEL CENTERS
ARE CARBON IN THIS CASE.
- DO YOU HAVE ANY EXAMPLES
OR SOMETHING YOU COULD SHOW US?
- HERE'S AN EXAMPLE.
THE WHEEL IS UNSPRUNG WEIGHT,
AND IT'S ROTATING MASS.
SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE THE CENTER
OF THE WHEEL OUT OF CARBON.
- OKAY.
- AND THE OUTER PART
IS A CAST MAGNESIUM PIECE,
AND THE INNER PART
IS A MACHINED ALUMINUM PIECE.
- HUH.
- ALTOGETHER,
I THINK THIS IS A SIX-POUND
OR SEVEN-POUND WHEEL.
AND, YOU KNOW,
IT'S AN EXAMPLE
OF USING MORE DIFFICULT
AND MORE COSTLY MATERIALS
WHERE THEIR PAYBACK
IS GREATEST.
AND IN THIS CASE,
IT WAS WORTH IT, WE FELT,
SO THAT'S WHY WE DID IT.
A CAR IS A SERIES
OF COMPROMISES.
AND, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO ALSO
BALANCE COST IN ALL OF THIS.
SO WHILE WE ALL WANT
A SUPER HOT ROD
THAT'S ALL CARBON FIBER,
WHICH MIGHT BE
THE BEST SOLUTION,
IT MAY NOT BE
THE MOST REALISTIC
IF YOU WANT
TO SELL A MILLION COPIES.
SO YOU PUT
YOUR TRUMP CARD MATERIAL
WHERE IT MAKES
THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE.
- SO, OLIVER, TELL US HOW
YOU GOT THE IDEA FOR THIS CAR.
- IT WAS THE "X" PRIZE.
I MEAN, THE "X" PRIZE SAID,
YOU KNOW,
YOU CAN WIN $10 MILLION IF YOU
BUILD THE MOST EFFICIENT CAR.
AND THEN I WENT
TO MY GOOD FRIEND RON MATHIS,
WHO IS A LONGTIME
AMERICAN LE MANS SERIES
AND LE MANS RACE CAR
DESIGNER-ENGINEER.
AND HE BASICALLY REELED ME DOWN
TO REALITY.
THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE
FOR EFFICIENCY
IN THE PLATFORM.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS IS.
- CAN YOU TELL US
HOW IT WORKS?
- WELL, IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE
A GASOLINE-POWERED ENGINE.
IT RUNS ON E85.
BUT THIS CAR CAN BE RUN
ON ANY FUEL SOURCE.
IT COULD BE A DIESEL CAR.
IT COULD BE
A GASOLINE-ONLY CAR.
IT COULD BE A HYBRID,
AN ELECTRIC.
THE EFFICIENCY COMES OUT
OF THE DESIGN OF THE CAR ITSELF.
THAT'S WHAT DOES IT.
- IS IT POWERFUL?
- IT'S QUITE POWERFUL.
- YEAH?
- IT DOESN'T HAVE
THAT MUCH HORSEPOWER,
BUT IT'S QUITE QUICK,
AND IT HANDLES EXTREMELY WELL.
THE NASA PROGRAMS
HAVE BEEN REALLY CRUCIAL
TO A LOT OF MATERIAL SCIENCE
AND HOW WE DO THINGS.
AND IN CERTAIN INDUSTRIES,
THEY'VE CHANGED
THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE.
BUT IN AUTOMOBILES,
WE'VE KIND OF MISSED THE MARK.
AND IN MANY WAYS,
WE'RE STILL BUILDING
THE SAME 4,000-POUND CAR
TO MOVE THE 200-POUND PERSON.
IF WE EMBRACE THIS AS A METHOD
OF HOW TO BUILD CARS,
REGARDLESS IF THEY'RE ELECTRIC,
HYBRID,
DIESEL, OR GASOLINE,
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COULD BECOME
AN OIL-EXPORTING NATION,
JUST EMBRACING
THE PRINCIPLE OF THIS.
THE EFFICIENCY WOULD BE A LEAP
FROM WHAT IT IS TODAY.
- OLIVER, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
YOU KNOW, I LOOK FORWARD
TO DRIVING ONE OF THESE VLCs.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE A BASIC BLACK?
- NEXT TIME YOU COME,
WE'LL HAVE ONE FOR YOU.
- PLEASE, AND MAKE SURE
IT'S ALL GLOSSED UP FOR ME.
AND GOOD LUCK WITH EVERYTHING.
- THAT'S GOOD.
- THANKS, MAN.
- AS YOU CAN SEE, COMPOSITES
HAVE REALLY CHANGED OUR WORLD.
- THAT'S RIGHT.
AND WITH NASA ON THE CASE,
COMPOSITES WILL CONTINUE
TO IMPROVE FOR YEARS TO COME.
THAT'S ALL FOR NOW.
I'M JOHNNY ALONSO.
- AND I'M JENNIFER PULLEY.
WE'LL CATCH YOU NEXT TIME
ON "NASA 360."
- THEY STILL HAVE TO MAINTAIN
SOME OF THE COMPOSITE MATERIALS.
- TO EVEN NEXT--
I KNEW I WAS--
ONE OF THESE DAYS, I'M LIKE...
- OKAY, SO FAR, WE HAVE SEEN
SOME OF THE WAYS
THAT NASA USES
COMPOSITE MATERIAL.
DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING
THAT YOU CAN SHOW ME
THAT, YOU KNOW, SHOWS
THAT IT'S NOT AS...
- NOW, THIS SWITCH
TO COMPOSITES
IS BECAUSE
WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION.
NO, I'M JUST
MAKING UP WORDS NOW.
- COMPOSITES WILL CONTINUE TO--
SOMETHING, SOMETHING.
ONE MORE TIME.
GIVE ME ONE MORE--
I'M SORRY.
I'M NOT--I'M NOT
IN MY MIND FRAME RIGHT NOW.
