SME

Initiative
Materials properties requirements and associated
test
methods for metallic materials

ESA SME Initiative

Course D:Materials
Ton de Rooij
Principal Metallurgist
Materials and Processes Division
Product Assurance and Safety Department

Materials and

sheet1

SME
Initiative

Content of presentation

Materials properties
Constraints on materials
Surface finishes
coatings
Joining
Corrosion testing
Mechanical testing
Macroscopic examination
Microscopic examination
Non-destructive examination
Failure analysis

Materials and

sheet2

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties

Strength
Elastic modulus
Fatigue
Fracture toughness
Creep
Micro-yielding
Coefficient of thermal
expansion and coefficient of
moisture expansion
Stress corrosion
Corrosion fatigue
Hydrogen embrittlement

Wear and fretting

Surface finishes

Anodising
Conversion
pickling/etching
mechanical

Coatings

Materials and

hard
barriers

sheet3

SME
Initiative

Metallic Materials used in space

Light metals, such as beryllium, magnesium, aluminium and
titanium and their alloys
Steels, such as low-alloy, tool, corrosion resistant, precipitation
hardable, and maraging
Nickel and nickel base alloys, including pure nickel, Monel
alloys, Inconel alloys, and other nickel- and cobald-base
superalloys
Refractory metals, principally niobium and molybdenum
Copper-base alloys, including pure coppers, beryllium coppers,
bronzes and brasses
Precious metals
Welding, brazing and soldering alloys
Various plating alloys

Materials and

sheet4

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties cont..

Fracture Toughness

The fracture toughness is a measure of the

damage tolerance of a material containing
initial flaws or cracks. The fracture toughness
in metallic materials is described by the plain
strain value of the critical stress intensity
factor. The fracture toughness depends on the
environment. Kic is the plain strain critical
stress intensity factor. Kiscc plain strain critical
stress intensity factor for a specified
environment in which environmentally induced
crack growth occurs.
For homogeneous materials the Kic or
Kiscc shall be measured according to
ECSS- Q- 70- 45.
Metallic materials for use in corrosive
surface environments shall be tested for
fracture toughness under representative
conditions

Materials and

Typical subcritical crack propagation rate

versus stress intensity relationship. Stress
intensity K, is defined as K=A(C/B), where
is the total tensile stress, C is the crack length,
and A and B are geometrical constants

sheet5

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties cont..

Coefficient of thermal expansion and
coefficient of moisture expansion

The difference in thermal or moisture expansion between members of a construction or

between the constituents of a composite or a coated material can induce large stresses
or strains and can eventually lead to failures.

The thermal mismatch between members shall be minimised to such a degree that
stresses generated in the experienced temperature domain are acceptable.

The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of composite materials intended for high
stability structural applications shall systematically be determined by means of dry test
coupons and dry test conditions.

For hygroscopic materials intended for high stability structural applications,the

coefficient of moisture expansion (CME) shall systematically be determined.

For composite materials a sensitivity analysis shall be performed in relation with the
inaccuracies due to the manufacturing process.

Materials and

sheet6

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties cont..

Mechanical contact surface effects

When clean surfaces are placed in contact they do not touch over the whole of their
apparent area. The load is supported by surface irregularities and the following interactions
can occur:
elastic or plastic deformation
adhesion
material transfer and removal
heat transfer
chemical reaction
transformation of kinetic energy into heat energy
diffusion/localised melting
For very clean surfaces strong adhesion occurs at regions of real contact, a part of which
may be due to cold-welding
The friction behaviour of polymers differs from that of metals. The surfaces left in contact
under load may creep and high local temperatures can be generated by frictional heating at
regions of real contact.
Wear is the progressive loss of material from the operating surface of a body occurring as a
result of relative motion at the surface. Wear is usually detrimental, but in mild form may be
beneficial, e.g., during the running-in of engineering surfaces.
The major types of wear are abrasive wear, adhesive wear, erosive wear, rolling wear and
fretting.

Materials and

sheet7

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties cont..

Stress Corrosion Cracking

Stress corrosion maybe defined as the combined action of sustained tensile stress and
corrosion that may lead to the premature failure of materials. Certain materials are more
susceptible than others. If a susceptible material is placed in a corrosive environment
under tension of sufficient magnitude, and the duration of service is sufficient to permit
the initiation and growth of cracks, failure will occur at a stress lower than that which the
material would normally be expected to withstand. The corrosive environment need not
be severe in terms of general corrosive attack.
Service failures due to stress corrosion are frequently encountered in cases where the
surfaces of the failed parts are not visibly corroded in a general sense.
If failure is to be avoided, the total tensile strength in service must be maintained at a
safe level. There is no absolute threshold stress for stress corrosion, but comparative
stress-corrosion thresholds can be determined for materials subjected to controlled
conditions of test. Estimates of the stress-corrosion threshold for a specific service
application must be determined for each alloy and heat treatment, using a test piece,
stressing procedure and corrosive environment that are appropriate for the intended
service.

Materials and

sheet8

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties cont..

Stress corrosion

Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC), defined as the combined action of a sustained tensile
stress and corrosion, can cause the premature failure of metals. The metallic
components proposed for use in most spacecrafts must be screened to prevent failures
resulting from SCC.
Only those products found to possess a high resistance to stress-corrosion cracking may
have unrestricted usage in structural applications.

Materials intended for structural applications and likely to be exposed to a long-term

terrestrial storage or flown on the Space Transportation System, fracture critical items, all
parts used or associated with the fabrication of launch vehicles shall possess a high
resistance to stress-corrosion cracking.

Structural products of a metallic nature shall be selected from the preferred list in Table I
of ECSS- Q- 70- 36.

Materials and

sheet9

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties cont..

Specimen orientation and fracture plane identification. L, length, longitudinal, principal direction
of metal working (rolling, extrusion, axis of forging); T, width,
longtransverse grain direction; S, thickness, shorttransverse grain direction; C, chord of
cylindrical cross section; R, radius of cylindrical cross section. First letter: normal to the fracture
plane (loading direction); second letter: direction of crack propagation in fracture plane.

Materials and

sheet10

SME
Initiative

Materials Properties cont..

SCC table I

Materials that testing and experience have shown to possess high resistance to stresscorrosion cracking. Their use is given reference.

SCC table II

Alloys and tempers listed in table II are moderately resistant to stress- corrosion
cracking. They should be considered for use only in cases where a suitable alloy cannot
be found in Table I.

SCC table III

Materials listed in table III have found to be highly susceptible to stress- corrosion
cracking. They should be considered for use only in applications where it can be
demonstrated conclusively that the probability of stress corrosion is remote because of
low sustained tensile stress (whatever its origin) in critical grain directions, suitable
protective measures or an innocuous environment.

Materials and

sheet11

SME
Initiative

Constraints on materials

Temperature
Vacuum
Thermal cycling
Chemical (corrosion)
Galvanic compatibility
Atomic oxygen
Moisture absorption/desorption
Fluid compatibility
Materials and

sheet12

SME
Initiative

Constraints on materials, cont..

Temperature

The range of temperatures experienced will play a large part in the materials selection.
Extremes are illustrated by the examples of cryogenic tanks and thermal protection
systems for re-entry applications. Temperatures below room temperature generally
cause an increase in strength properties, however the ductility decreases. Ductility and
strength may increase or decrease at temperatures above room temperature. This
change depends on many factors, such as temperature and time of exposure.

Materials shall be compatible with the thermal environment to which they are exposed.

Passage through transition temperatures (e.g., brittle-ductile transitions or glass

transition temperatures including the effects of moisture or other phase transitions) shall
be taken into account.

Materials and

sheet13

SME
Initiative

Constraints on materials cont..

Thermal cycling

Thermal cycling can induce thermal stresses and due to the difference in coefficient of
thermal expansion between fibres and matrix for composites and between base metal
and coating micro-cracks can form which could jeopardise long-term properties.
Materials subject to thermal cycling shall be assessed to ensure their capability to
withstand the induced thermal stresses and shall be tested according to ECSS- Q70- 04.

Chemical (corrosion)

The chemical environment to which a material is subjected in its life span may cause
changes in the material properties. Corrosion is the reaction of the engineering material
with its environment with a consequent deterioration in properties of the material.
Corrosion will include the reaction of metals, glasses, ionic solids, polymeric solids and
composites with environments that embrace liquid metal, gases, non-aqueous
electrolytes and other non-aqueous solutions, coating systems and adhesion systems.

Materials and

sheet14

SME
Initiative

Constraints on materials cont..

Galvanic compatibility

If two or more dissimilar materials are in direct electrical contact in a corrosive solution
or atmosphere galvanic corrosion might occur. The less resistant material becomes the
anode and the more resistant the cathode. The cathodic material corrodes very little or
not at all, while the corrosion of the anodic material is greatly enhanced.
Material compatibilities shall be selected in accordance with ECSS- Q-70-71,
Maximum potential differences shall be in accordance with ECSS- Q-70-71,

In the construction of a satellite, two metals that form a compatible couple may have to
be placed in close proximity to one another. Although this may not cause anomalies or
malfunctions in the space environment, it has to be borne in mind that spacecraft often
have to be stored on earth for considerable periods of time and that during storage they
may inadvertently be exposed to environments where galvanic corrosion can take place.
In fact, this is known to have taken place on several occasions and it is for this reason
that the Agency has been studying the dangers involved.

See also paragraph about Corrosion

Materials and

sheet15

SME
Initiative

Constraints on materials cont..

procedure

a simplified procedure can be used to estimate the

compatibility of a bimetallic couple by taking into
account the difference between the two static
potentials of the materials involved.
The potentials were measured in a 3.5 % NaCl
solution representing a standard corroding
atmosphere

ruling

A difference in the static corrosion potential of the

two metals forming a bimetallic couple of less than
0.5 V is acceptable if the item containing the couple
is held in a clean-room atmosphere at all times.
If the item containing the bimetallic couple is not
held in a clean-room atmosphere, the allowable
difference in static corrosion potential must be less
than 0.25 V.
If it is not possible to follow guidelines 1 and 2, then
it will be necessary to provide for an insulation layer
or special packaging..

Materials and

Instrumentation setup for

electrochemical experiments

sheet16

SME
Initiative

Constraints on materials cont..

Atomic oxygen

Spacecraft in low earth orbit (LEO) at altitudes of between 200 km and 700 km are
exposed to a flux of atomic oxygen. The flux level varies with altitude, velocity vector
and solar activity. The fluence levels vary with the duration of exposure.

Moisture absorption/desorption

The properties of composite materials are susceptible to changes induced by the take-up
of moisture. Moisture absorption occurs during production of components and launch of
the spacecraft, desorption occurs in the space vacuum.

Fluid compatibility

In some occasions materials are in contact with liquid oxygen, gaseous oxygen or other
reactive fluids or could come into contact with such a fluid during an emergency
situation.

Materials and

sheet17

SME
Initiative

Interfaces (surfaces, layers)

Anodising
Chemical conversion
metallic coatings (overlay and diffusion)
hard coatings
Diffusion barriers
High temperature oxidation protective coatings
Thermal barriers
Moisture barriers
coatings on CFRP
Materials and

sheet18

SME
Initiative

Surface finishes
The surface finish of a component can influence
its mechanical and environmental durability.
Anodising (chromic, sulphuric, sulphuric+oxalic)

Anodising is an electrolytic process for thickening and stabilising oxide films on base metals
and anodising grade alloys. It may be used as a pre-treatment for painting and dying or as a
passivation treatment for an electro-brightened surface.
Hard anodised layers are wear resistant and durable.
Black anodising with cobalt sulphide and nickel sulphide is used for controlling the optical
properties of surfaces.
High solar absorptance, high emmitnace
The anodised layer is electrically non-conductive.
The bath constituents and process conditions may vary between organisations.
Caution should be exercised in anodising very thin products such as foils
Coatings are porous and needs sealing (coating can release water in vacuum)

Materials and

sheet19

SME
Initiative

Surface finishes, cont..

Chemical conversion (chromate, phosphate)

Commercial process (alodine , irridite, etc)

Chemical conversion depends upon the absorption of a protective metal oxide film into
an existing oxide film but may include non-metals in some cases.
Chromating involves the formation of a mixed metal-chromium oxide film. It has a good
corrosion resistance and an excellent bond to subsequent organic coatings.
Phosphating is primarily used as an underlayer for paint finishes. It finds little application
for corrosion protection.
Chemical conversion coatings can be either electrically conductive or non-conductive.
Temporary corrosion protection only
simple and cheap process
may be applied by immersion, praying, brushing, wiping or any other wetting method

Materials and

sheet20

SME
Initiative

Coatings, cont..
Metallic coatings (overlay and diffusion)

Metallic overlay coatings can be applied in numerous ways to substrates (e.g. electroplating,
chemical evaporation and ion sputtering).
Metallic diffusion coatings modify the composition of the surface by enrichment with Cr, Al or
Si and/or formation of their stable oxides.
Cadmium and Zinc coatings shall not be used because of their high vapour pressure.
Silver, copper and osmium coatings shall not be used on external surfaces because they are
sensitive to atomic oxygen.
Electroplated tin can form whiskers
noble coatings such as gold and silver should be continuous (e.g. corrosion such as red plague)

Hard coatings

Hard coatings are used to improve the abrasive properties of the surface. Also, the ability to
cold weld is greatly reduced. The combination of a hard coating and a soft substrate is not
desirable. The coating can break under pressure.

Diffusion barriers

High temperature service operation can result in compositional changes of the bulk material
and of the coating due to diffusion. These compositional changes can result for example in
formation of intermetallic compounds, which are brittle and can break under cyclic stresses.
E.G. Cu or Ni layer as diffusion barrier between a brass (Cu-Zn) substrate and a Sn/Sn-Pb
coating

Materials and

sheet21

Coatings, cont..
evaporation

Materials and

SME
Initiative

sheet22

Coating, cont..
Wear

Materials and

SME
Initiative

sheet23

SME
Initiative

Coating, cont..
Moisture barriers

Coatings can be used to prevent moisture absorption or desorption of dimensionally stable

structures or to prevent the release of organic volatiles which could affect the performances of
some equipments.

Coatings on CFRP

Coatings on CFRP are used as moisture stoppers, as protection against atomic oxygen or for
adjusting optical properties. In most cases these coatings are metallic. In this dissimilar
material contact the CFRP usually behaves as the cathode and as such can corrodes the
coating material.

High Temp oxidation protective coatings (metallic)

Protective coatings are important in high temperature applications, such as re-entry surfaces
and propulsion systems. Oxidation protection, thermal shock behaviour and erosion properties
are properties to consider.

Thermal barriers (ceramic)

Thermal barrier coatings are used to retard component overheating due to high heat fluxes.
These coatings are essentially ceramic overlay coatings, based on zirconia, where the coating
thickness is approximately 0.4 mm. They are applied to selected regions only. The coating
process can modify the condition of the substrate.

Materials and

sheet24

SME
Initiative

Coating, cont..
Depending on the design and service, the
following coatings are used:

Paints
phosphate coatings
chromate coatings
electroless nickel
chromium, electroplated
oxides and black oxide
nickel/tin, electroplated
tin/lead
electroless nickel plus electroplated chromium
vapour-deposited aluminium
metals, such as gold, silver, palladium, rodium
lubrication coatings such as braycoat grease
molybdenum disulfide
carbides and nitrides or combination

Materials and

sheet25

SME
Initiative

Joining

Mechanical fastening
Bonding
Combined bonding and fastening
Fusion, including welding, brazing, soldering
and diffusion bonding

Materials and

sheet26

SME
Initiative

Joining cont..
Bolted joints

Bolts offer the greatest strength for mechanical fastened joints. Unless overtightened, no
damage is done to the structure during assembly.
Threaded fasteners shall conform to the minimum requirements of ECSS- E- 30- 07.

Riveted joints

Riveted joints are permanent. Disassembly requires removal of rivets by drilling out.
Riveted joints shall not be used where access to internal or adjacent parts of the structure
is either needed or expected.

Inserts

An insert system consists of a removable threaded fastener and a fixture embedded into
the honeycomb structure using a potting mass.
All inserts shall be surface protected to avoid corrosion

Adhesive bonding

The adhesives must attach the facings rigidly to the core to allow loads to be transmitted
from one facing to the other. Guidelines for adhesive bonding are found in ECSS- E- 30- 05.
Adhesives for load carrying structures shall have high strength and modulus. In addition,
good toughness and peel strength are important.

Materials and

sheet27

SME
Initiative

Joining cont..
Fusion techniques can be grouped as:

soldering
brazing
welding, including diffusion bonding

All fusion methods produce permanent joints.

Soldered, and some brazed joints may be
disassembled with care.
All fusion techniques require extensive quality
control and inspection procedures.
Materials and

sheet28

SME
Initiative

Joining cont..
Soldering

Soldering is commonly referred to as soft soldering in which low melting point alloys such
as Tin-Lead or Indium based alloys are used. Soldered joints are used for electrical and
thermal conducting paths and for low mechanical strength joints.
Soldering shall not be used for structural applications unless reviewed and approved by
the Customer.
See also next session

Brazing

Brazing is preferred to soldering in those cases where a strong joint, which is heat
resistant is required. As distinct from soft soldering brazing usually refers to joining with
alloys of copper, silver and zinc

Welding

Numerous welding techniques are available. In the aerospace industry the following
techniques are often used:
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding
Plasma-Arc welding
Electron Beam (EB) welding , laser welding
Resistance welding (induction, spot, seam welding), Diffusion welding

Materials and

sheet29

SME
Initiative

Corrosion Testing

General Corrosion
Stress Corrosion
Bimetallic Corrosion
Atomic Oxygen Corrosion
Red Plague Corrosion

Materials and

sheet30

SME
Initiative

Corrosion-General
Four systems for corrosion testing are available, each
covering a different area of corrosion evaluation
Corrosion Units:
humidity test chamber, testing according to ASTM
salt spray test chamber, testing according to ASTMB117
stress corrosion test rig, testing according to ASTM-G44
bimetallic corrosion set-up
atomic oxygen corrosion
red plague corrosion test unit, testing according to ESA
PSS-01-720

Materials and

sheet31

SME
Initiative

General corrosion testing

Salt-spray-(foreground)
and Humidity Chamberboth have temperature
and humidity regulators

Materials and

sheet32

SME
Initiative

Stress corrosion testing

Al-Li stress
corrosion failure
Testing acc. to ESA
PSS-01-737

Test setup for the alternate immersion testing

of specimens in a 3.5% NaCl solution

Materials and

sheet33

SME
Initiative

Bimetallic corrosion testing

The bimetallic
corrosion between
two materials can
tested in specific
liquids and under
any humidity
levels.
The current and
voltage difference
as well as the
EMKs vs Calomel
as recorded

Materials and

sheet34

SME
Initiative

Atomic Oxygen Corrosion

Materials for use in space
applications in low earth orbit
and exposed to the hostile
combination of atomic oxygen
and thermal cycling have to be
screened for their susceptibility
to withstand this environment
over very long periods

Materials and

sheet35

SME
Initiative

Red plague testing

Red plague testing (Anthony and Brown test) is performed according to

ESA PSS-01-720
Test conditions: 240 hrs at 58 oC

Materials and

sheet36

SME
Initiative

Mechanical Testing

Hardness testing
Tensile Testing
Compression testing
Fatigue testing
Fracture Toughness
Thermal cycling

Materials and

sheet37

SME
Initiative

Mechanical Testing cont..

Load cells may be changed so that
full scale chart readings of between
2N and 100kN (maximum capacity)
can be achieved in both tension and
compression. This equipment will
investigate the mechanical
properties of all materials at
temperatures ranging from -150oC
to +300oC

General view of Instron tensile

test equipment with custom
built environmental chamber,
chart recorder and control panel

Materials and

sheet38

SME
Initiative

Mechanical Testing cont..

This equipment is more particularly
dedicated to the testing of thermostructural materials such as CMC
materials. It has been set up for
measuring tensile properties from
ambient temperature up to 1600 oC
under air. Such a test is recognised to
be the most important for evaluating
mechanical properties of CMC.

A ceramic matrix composite

specimen is clamped into self-aligning
water cooled grips. It passes through
a specially designed furnace able to
heat its calibrated section to 1600oC.
A high temperature capacitive
extensometer made of ceramics
probes permit strain measurements.

Materials and

sheet39

SME
Initiative

Mechanical Testing cont..

Two units, specially designed according
to to specification ESA PSS-01-704,
operate under vacuum. Two other units
operate under atmospheric pressure.
The heating and cooling is provided by
nitrogen gas.

One of the two systems for

thermal cycling under
vacuum (VMDI is shown). The
system is provided with
viewing ports and electric
feed through connection.

Materials and

sheet40

SME
Initiative

Macro/Microscopic Examination

Macroscopic (< X75)

Light microscopy
Confocal microscopy
Scanning Electron Microscopy

Materials and

sheet41

SME
Initiative

Macroscopic Examination
Magnification < x75

Visual Inspection
Stereozoom
Scanning Electron Microscopy at low
magnification
Photography

The diversity of samples submitted

for failure analysis is illustrated by
this photograph, which features
part of a defective spacecraft
antenna, a nickel cadmium battery
cell, detector electrodes, printed
circuit boards, fracture toughness
specimen, part of a dip brazed
waveguide, sections through a
solar army hydrogen embrittled
springs and a composite structure
designed to withstand the impact
of particles travelling at 60 km/s.

Materials and

sheet42

SME
Initiative

Microscopic Examination cont..

Light Microscopy

metallurgical microscopy

Optical Microscopes Reichert

MeF2: magn. X1 to X1500, It
includes: interferometer,
polarised light illumination,
micro-hardness tester Reichert
MeF3a: magn. X1 to 1500 It
includes: polarised light
illumination, dark and bright
field illumination, connection to
Clemex Image analyser

Materials and

sheet43

SME
Initiative

Microscopic Examination cont..

Confocal microscopy
Confocal microscopy allows the us to
obtain depth-selective information on the
three-dimensionial structure of a
microscopic object.

LEICA TCS NT with microscope

DM-RXE and galvanometer
driven Z-stage.
The x/y resolution is 0.18 m
(FWHM) and a corresponding zresolution of better than 0.35
m (FWHM) at 488 nm

Materials and

sheet44

SME
Initiative

Microscopic Examination cont..

In many situations even greater

magnifications are useful. This
capability is provided by two
Scanning Electron Microscopes
(SEM) which can magnify to X200
000 with good resolution. (JEOL
T300 and Cambridge S360). The
great depth of field of these
instruments and the large specimen
chamber of one of these SEM's has
made them particularly useful in
examining rough fracture surfaces
to determine the cause of a
component failure.

View on Scanning Electron

Microscope Cambridge S360

Materials and

sheet45

SME
Initiative

Non-Destructive Examination

Scanning Laser Acoustic Microscopy (SLAM)

C- Mode Scanning Acoustic Microscopy (C-SAM)
Radiography (in TOS-QC)

Materials and

sheet46

SME
Initiative

Non-Destructive Examination cont..

The Scanning Laser Acoustic
Microscopy (SLAM) produces images of
the internal structure of metals,
ceramics and even biological tissues,
and these are displayed in real time on
a TV monitor.

The SLAM uses very high frequency

ultrasound in a transmission mode to
produce images. Acoustic waves are
transmitted into the bottom face of the
cell sample by means of a distilledwater coupling medium. Using this
instrument it was possible to assess
the quality of solar cell interconnectors
for the Space Telescope.

Materials and

sheet47

SME
Initiative

Failure Analysis
Under control of Material Review Board
(MRB)

Collection of background data

visual examination
selection, identification, preservation of specimens
macroscopic examination and analysis
microscopic examination and analysis
metallographic sections examination
failure mechanism
chemical analysis
simulated testing
report

Materials and

sheet48

Materials Properties
annex cont..

SME
Initiative

Corrosion fatigue

Corrosion fatigue indicates crack formation and propagation caused by the effect of
alternating loading in the presence of a corrosion process. Because of the time
dependence of corrosion, the number of cycles to failure depends on frequency. Since
chemical attack requires time to take effect, its influence is greater as the frequency
becomes lower. No metals or alloys demonstrate complete resistance to corrosion fatigue.
Same requirement as with fatigue

Hydrogen embrittlement

Metals can be embrittled by absorbed hydrogen to such a degree that the application of
the smallest tensile stress can cause the formation of cracking. The following are possible
sources of hydrogen: thermal dissociation of water in metallurgical processes (e.g.,
casting and welding), decomposition of gases, pickling, corrosion, galvanic processes (e.
g. plating) and ion bombardment.
The possibility of hydrogen embrittlement during component manufacture and/or
use shall be assessed

Materials and

sheet49

Materials Properties
annex cont..

SME
Initiative

Strength

Spacecraft design covers the survival of the structure under the worst feasible
combination of mechanical and thermal loads. All events of the complete lifetime of the
spacecraft are addressed by this design. The strength of a material is highly dependant
on the direction as well as on the sign of the applied load, e.g., axial tensile, transverse
compressive, and others.
positive margin of safety and shall include, if applicable, yield load analysis,
ultimate load analysis and bucking load analysis

Elastic modulus

The elastic modulus defined as the ratio between the uniaxial stress and the strain (e.g.,
Youngs modulus, compressive modulus, shear modulus) is for metals and alloys weakly
dependant on heat-treatment and orientation. However, for fibre reinforced materials,
the elastic modulus depends on the fibre orientation.
For composites the required elastic modulus shall be verified.

Materials and

sheet50

Materials Properties
annex cont..

SME
Initiative

Fatigue

Fatigue fracture can form in components which are subjected to alternating stresses.
These stresses may lie far below the allowed static strength of the material.
For components experiencing alternating stresses, demonstration of the
degradation of material properties over the complete mission

Fracture toughness

The fracture toughness is a measure of the damage tolerance of a material containing

initial flaws or cracks. The fracture toughness in metallic materials is described by the
plain strain value of the critical stress intensity factor. The fracture toughness depends
on the environment. Kic is the plain strain critical stress intensity factor. Kiscc plain strain
critical stress intensity factor for a specified environment in which environmentally
induced crack growth occurs.
Metallic materials for use in corrosive surface environments shall be tested for
fracture toughness under representative conditions

Materials and

sheet51

Materials Properties
annex cont..

SME
Initiative

Creep

Creep is a time-dependant deformation of a material under an applied load. It usually

occurs at elevated temperature, although some materials creep at room temperature. If
permitted to continue indefinitely, creep terminates in rupture. Extrapolations from simple
to complex stress-temperature-time conditions are difficult.
Testing under representative service conditions is necessary when creep is likely to
occur.

Micro-yielding

Some materials may exhibit residual strain after mechanical loading. The micro-yield is the
force to be applied to get a residual strain of 1x10-6 m/m along the tensile or compression
loading direction. In general, the most severe mechanical loading occurs during launch.
Where dimensional stability requirements have to be met, micro-yielding shall be
assessed.
When it is likely to occur, testing and analysis in relation with the mechanical loading
during the life cycle of the hardware shall be performed.

Materials and

sheet52

SME
Initiative

Stress Corrosion Cracking, cont..

The relative influences of electrochemical and mechanical

factors in the corrosion and SCC damage of a susceptible
material. The shaded area represents the transition of
driving force from dominance by electrochemical factors to
chiefly mechanical factors. Precise separation of initiation
and propagation stages is experimentally difficult.
Stimulation of cracking by atomic hydrogen may also
become involved in this transition region.

Materials and

Effect of stress intensity on the kinetics of

SCC. Stages I and II may not always be
straight lines but may be strongly,curved, and
one or the other may be absent in some
systems. Stage III is of little interest and is
generally absent in Kdecreasing tests.

sheet53

SME
Initiative

Stress Corrosion Cracking, cont

Mean breaking stress versus exposure time for shorttransverse 3.2mm (0. 1 25in.) diam aluminium alloy
7075 tension specimens tested according to ASTM G 44 at various exposure stress levels. Each point
represents an average of five specimens.

Materials and

sheet54

SME
Initiative

Stress Corrosion Cracking, cont..

Effect of temper on SCC performance of

aluminum alloy 7075 subjected to alternate
immersion in 3.5% NaCl solution at a stress of
207 MPa (30 ksi). Mean flaw depth was
calculated from the average breaking strength
of five specimens subjected to identical
conditions. Source: Ref 17

Influence of specimen configuration on SCC test

performance (alternate immersion in 3.5% sodium
chloride per ASTM G 44). Aiuminum alloy
7075T7X51 specimens stressed 310 MPa (45 ksi);
each point represents 60 to 90 specimens. Source:
Ref 18

Materials and

sheet55

SME
Initiative
SCC Table I - Steel Alloys

Alloy
Carbon steel(1000 series)
Low alloy steel(4130,4340 etc)
(E) D6AC, H-11
Music wire(ASTM 228)
HY-80 steel
HY-130 steel
HY-140 steel
1095 spring steel
300 series stainless steel(unsensitised)2
400 series ferritic stainless steel
21-6-9 stainless steel
Carpenter 20 Cb Stainless steel
Carpenter 200 Cb-3 stainless steel
A286 stainless steel
AM350 stainless steel
AM355 stainless steel
Almar 362 stainless steel
Custom 450 stainless steel
Custom 455 stainless steel
15-5 PH stainless steel
PH 14-8 Mo stainless steel
PH 15-7 Mo stainless steel
17-7 PH stainless steel
Nitronic 33 (3)
(E) Maraging steel MARVAL X12

Condition
Below 125 kg/mm2; (180 ksi) UTS
Below 125 kg/mm2; (180 ksi) UTS (1)
Below 148 kg/mm2; (210 ksi) UTS
cold drawn
Quenched and tempered
Quenched and tempered
Quenched and tempered
Quenched and tempered
All
All
All
All
All
All
SCT 1000(4) and above
SCT 1000 and above
H1000 (5) and above
H1000 and above
H1000 and above
H1000 and above
CH900 and SRH950 and above (6,7)
CH900
CH900
All
All

Materials and

1) A small number of laboratory failures of

specimens cut from plate more than 2
inches thick have been observed at 75%
yield, even within this ultimate strength
range. The use of thick plate should
therefore be avoided in a corrosive
environment when sustained tensile stress
in the short transverse direction is
expected.
2) Including weldments of 304L, 316L,
321 and 347.
3) Including weldments.
4) SCT 1000 = sub-zero cooling and
tempering at 538&#176;C (1000F)
5) H1000 = hardened above 538C (1000F)
6) CH900 = cold worked and aged at
480C (1000;F)
7) SRH950 = solution treated and
tempered at 510C (950F)
(E) ESA classification - not in NASA
MSFC-SPEC-522A

sheet56

SME
Initiative
SCC Table I - Nickel Alloys

Alloy

Condition

Hastelloy C
Hastelloy X
Incoloy 800
Incoloy 901
Incoloy 903
Inconel 600 (3)
Inconel 625
Inconel 718 (3)
Inconel X-750
Monel K-500
NiSpan -C 902
Rene 41
Unitemp 212
Waspaloy

All
All
All
All
All
Annealed
Annealed
All
All
All
All
All
All
All

3) Including weldments

Materials and

sheet57

SME
Initiative
SCC Table I - Aluminium Alloys

Alloy,
Wrought(1,2)
Alloy, 1000 series
2011
2024, rod bar
2219
(E) 2419
(E) 2618
3000 series
5000 series
6000 series (E)7020
7049
7149
7050
7075
7475

Condition

Cast (3)

Condition

355.0, C355.0
T6
All
356.0,
A356.0
All
T8
357.0
All
T8
B358.0 (Tens-50)
All
T6, T8
359.0
All
T8
380.0, A380.0
As cast
514.0 (214)
As cast (5)
T6, T8
518.0
(218)
As cast (5)
All
535.0 (Almag 35)
As cast (5)
All (4,5)
A 712.0, C 712.0
As cast
All
T6 (6)
T73
T73
T73
T73
T73
1) Mechanical stress relieved (TX5X or TX5XX) where possible
2) Including weldments of the weldable alloys.
3) The former designation in shown in parenthesis when significantly different.
4) High magnesium content alloys 5456, 5083 and 5086 should be used only in controlled tempers (H111, H112, H116, H117, H323, H343) for
resistance to stress-corrosion cracking and exfoliation
5) Alloys with magnesium content greater than 3.0% are not recommended for high temperature application, 66C (150F) and above.
6) Excluding weldments.
(E) ESA classification - not in NASA MSFC-SPEC-522A

Materials and

sheet58

SME
Initiative
SCC Table I - Copper Alloys/ Misc. Alloys

CDA no (1)
110
170
172
194
195
230
422
443
510
521
619
619
688
706
725
280,524,606
632,655,705
710,715
(E)917, (E)937

Condition (% cold rolled) (2)

37
AT, HT (3)
AT, HT (3)
37
90
40
37
10
37
37
40(9% B phase)
40(95% B phase)
40
50
50, annealed
0
0
0
0

Alloy
Beryllium, S-200C
HS 25 (L605)
HS 188
MP35N
Titanium 3Al-2.5V
Titanium 6Al-4V
Titanium 13V-11Cr-3Al
(E)Titanium OMI 685, IMI 829
Magnesium, M1A Magnesium,
LA141 Magnesium, LAZ933

Condition
Annealed
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
All
Stabilised
All

1) Copper Development Association alloy number

2) Maximum per cent cold rolled for which stress-corrosion cracking data are available
3) AT = annealed and precepitation hardened, HT = work hardened and precepitation hardened

Materials and

sheet59

SCC Table II - Steel Alloys/Miscellaneous alloys

Alloy
Carbon steel (1000 series)
Low-alloy steel (4130,4340 etc)
Nitronic 32
Nitronic 60
400 series martensitic stainless steel (except 440)
PH 13-8 Mo stainless steel
15-5 PH stainless steel
17-4 PH stainless steel

SME
Initiative

Condition
1225 to 1370 MPa UTS
1225 to 1370 MPa UTS
All
All
(1)
All
Below H1000 (2)
All

1) Tempering between 370 and 600C should be avoided because corrosion and stress-corrosion resistance is lowered.
2) H1000 = hardened above 538C (1000F).

Alloy
Magnesium AZ31B
Magnesium ZK60A
Magnesium (E) ZW3

Condition
All
All
All

Materials and

sheet60

SME
Initiative
SCC Table II - Aluminium Alloys(1,2)
Alloy, wrough
2024 rod, bar, extrusion
2024 plate, extrusions
2124 plate
2048 plate
4032
5083
5086
5456
7001
(E) 7010
7049
7050
7075
7175
7475
7178
(E) Russian Al-Li 1420, 1421

Condition
T6, T62
T8
T8
T8
T6
All (3)
All (3)
All (3)
T75, T76
T74
T76
T74, T76
T76 T74,
T76
T76
T76
soln. treat+age

Alloy, cast
319.0, A319.0
333.0, A333.0

Condition
As cast
As cast

1) Mechanically stress relieved products (TX5X or TX5XX) should be

specified where possible.
2) Sheet, unmachined extrusion and unmachined plate are the most resistant
forms.
3) Except for controlled tempers listed in footnote 3 of Table I, aluminium
alloys. These alloys are not recommended for high-temperature applications.
66C (150F) and above.
(E) ESA classification - not in NASA MSFC-SPEC-522A.

Materials and

sheet61

SME
Initiative
SCC Table III - Steel Alloys
Alloy
Carbon steel(1000 series)
Low alloy steel(4130,4340 etc)
(E) D6AC, H-11steel
440C stainless steel
18 Ni Maraging steel, 200 grade
18 Ni Maraging steel, 250 grade
18 Ni Maraging steel, 300 grade
18 Ni Maraging steel, 350 grade
AM 350 stainless steel
AM 355 stainless steel
Custom 455 stainless steel
PH 15-7 Mo stainless steel
17-7 PH stainless steel CH900
(E) Kovar

Condition
Above 1370 Mpa UTS
Above 1370 Mpa UTS
Above 1370 Mpa UTS
All
Aged at 900F
Aged at 900F
Aged at 900F
Aged at 900F
Below SCT 1000
Below SCT 1000
Below H1000
All except CH900
All except CH900
All

Materials and

sheet62

SME
Initiative
SCC Table III - Aluminium Alloys
Alloy, Wrought (1,2)
2011
2014
2017
2024
2024 Forgings
2024 Plate
(E) Al-Li 2080
(E) 2618
7001
7005
(E) 7020
7039
7075
7175
7079
7178
7475
(E) Al-Li 8090
(E) BS L93
(E) Russian Al-Li 1441, 1460

Condition
T3, T4
All
All
T3, T4
T6, T62, T8
T62
T8
T3, T4
T6
All
Weldments
All
T6
T6
T6
T6
T6
All
T6
All

Alloy
295.0 (195)
B295.0 (B195)
520.0 (220)
707.0 (607, tern-alloy 7)
D712.0 (D612, 40E)

Condition
T6
T6
T4
T6
As cast

1) Mechanical stress relieved (TX5X or TX5XX) should be specified where possible.<br>

2) Sheet, unmachined extrusion and unmachined plate are the least susceptible forms.<br>
(E) ESA classification - not in NASA MSFC-SPEC-522A.

Materials and

sheet63

SME
Initiative
SCC Table III - Copper Alloys/ Magnesium alloys
CDA no (1)
260
353
443
672
687
762
766
770
782

Condition (% cold rolled) (2)

50
50
40
50, annealed
10, 40
A, 25, 50
38
38, 50, annealed
50

Alloy
Magnesium AZ61B
Magnesium AZ80A
Magnesium WE54
Magnesium ZCM711

Condition
All
All
All
All

1) Copper Development
Association alloy number
2) Rating based on listed
conditions only

Materials and

sheet64