NASA Advanced Composite Structures (Space Vehicle Design Criteria (Chemical Propulsion))

A comprehensive handbook that presents military and aerospace design practices for the use of composite materials in rockets, missiles, and spacecraft. The manual include details about designing, fabricating, and testing various composite structures--supported by exceptional engineering drawings--and includes information about: Composite materials and their mechanical and physical properties Corrosion, long-term stability, abrasion/impact and heat resistance Scale effect factors Internal load determination Weight savings Reliability It covers also laminates, panels, shells, and joints, with explanations for component design for strength and stiffness, fracture control, and recommended practices. Numerous fine, NASA-quality engineering drawings, figures, and tables supplement the technical material, including the strength, density, and modulus of E-Glass; Borsic; boron; high- and intermediate strength, and high-modulus graphite; and PRD-49. Much information is also presented about the use of modified epoxy, polyimide, and aluminum with filaments. Detailed specifications--all once highly secret!--are given for the composite materials used in many military and aerospace systems. There's also a brief historical review of these substances and their applications. Prepared at the NASA Lewis Research Center by leading industry, military and NASA scientists--leading commercial makers and users of composites for military and aerospace applications--this valuable book gives the practical information you need to design and build a high-technology, state-of-the-art experimental rocket, airplane, helicopter, boat, or racing car. Contents are the result of more than 25 years of investigations by the world's largest composite materials contractors. Mllions of dollars were spent obtaining this critical yet hard-to-find data. One of the most complete and comprehensive book ever written about theoretical and practical engineering design with state-of-the-art composite materials.