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 Processes Division sheet1

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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 Processes Division sheet2

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Materials Properties

• Strength • Wear and fretting

• Elastic modulus • Surface finishes
• Fatigue – Anodising
• Fracture toughness – Conversion
– pickling/etching
• Creep – mechanical
• Micro-yielding
• Coatings
• Coefficient of thermal expansion – hard
and coefficient of moisture – barriers
expansion
• Stress corrosion
• Corrosion fatigue
• Hydrogen embrittlement

Materials and Processes Division sheet3

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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 Processes Division sheet4

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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 Typical subcritical crack propagation rate versus
toughness under representative conditions 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

Materials and Processes Division sheet5

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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 Processes Division sheet6

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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 Processes Division sheet7

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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 Processes Division sheet8

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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 Processes Division sheet9

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Materials Properties cont..

Specimen orientation and fracture plane identification. L, length, longitudinal, principal direction of metal
working (rolling, extrusion, axis of forging); T, width,
long-transverse grain direction; S, thickness, short-transverse 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 Processes Division sheet10

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Materials Properties cont..

• SCC table I
– Materials that testing and experience have shown to possess high resistance to stress- corrosion
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 Processes Division sheet11

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Constraints on materials

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

Materials and Processes Division sheet12

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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 Processes Division sheet13

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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- Q- 70- 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 Processes Division sheet14

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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 Processes Division sheet15

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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 Instrumentation setup for
clean-room atmosphere at all times. electrochemical experiments

– 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 Processes Division sheet16

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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 Processes Division sheet17

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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 Processes Division sheet18

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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 Processes Division sheet19

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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 Processes Division sheet20

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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 Processes Division sheet21

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Coatings, cont..
evaporation

Materials and Processes Division sheet22

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Coating, cont..
Wear

Materials and Processes Division sheet23

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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 Processes Division sheet24

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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 Processes Division sheet25

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Joining

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

Materials and Processes Division sheet26

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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 Processes Division sheet27
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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 Processes Division sheet28

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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 Processes Division sheet29
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Corrosion Testing

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

Materials and Processes Division sheet30

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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 ASTM-B117
• 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 Processes Division sheet31

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General corrosion testing

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

Materials and Processes Division sheet32

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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 Processes Division sheet33

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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 EMK’s vs
Calomel as recorded

Materials and Processes Division sheet34

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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 Processes Division sheet35

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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 Processes Division sheet36

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Mechanical Testing

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

Materials and Processes Division sheet37

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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 Processes Division sheet38

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Mechanical Testing cont..
This equipment is more particularly
dedicated to the testing of thermo-
structural materials such as CMC
materials. It has been set up for
measuring tensile properties from
ambient temperature up to 1600oC 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.

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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 Processes Division sheet40

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Macro/Microscopic Examination

• Macroscopic (< X75)

• Light microscopy
• Confocal microscopy
• Scanning Electron Microscopy

Materials and Processes Division sheet41

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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 Processes Division sheet42

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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

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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 z-
resolution of better than 0.35 m
(FWHM) at 488 nm

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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 Processes Division sheet45

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Non-Destructive Examination

• Scanning Laser Acoustic Microscopy (SLAM)

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

Materials and Processes Division sheet46

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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 distilled-water
coupling medium. Using this instrument it
was possible to assess the quality of
solar cell interconnectors for the Space
Telescope.
Materials and Processes Division sheet47
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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

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Materials Properties
annex cont..

• 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

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Materials Properties
annex cont..

• 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., Young’s
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.

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Materials Properties
annex cont..

• 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

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Materials Properties
annex cont..

• 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.

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Stress Corrosion Cracking, cont..

The relative influences of electrochemical and mechanical factors in Effect of stress intensity on the kinetics of SCC.
the corrosion and SCC damage of a susceptible material. The Stages I and II may not always be straight lines but
shaded area represents the transition of driving force from may be strongly,curved, and one or the other may
dominance by electrochemical factors to chiefly mechanical factors. be absent in some systems. Stage III is of little
Precise separation of initiation and propagation stages is interest and is generally absent in K-decreasing
experimentally difficult. Stimulation of cracking by atomic hydrogen tests.
may also become involved in this transition region.

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Stress Corrosion Cracking, cont

Mean breaking stress versus exposure time for short-transverse 3.2-mm (0. 1 25-in.) 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.

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Stress Corrosion Cracking, cont..

Effect of temper on SCC performance of aluminum Influence of specimen configuration on SCC test
alloy 7075 subjected to alternate immersion in 3.5% performance (alternate immersion in 3.5% sodium chloride
NaCl solution at a stress of 207 MPa (30 ksi). Mean per ASTM G 44). Aiuminum alloy 7075-T7X51 specimens
flaw depth was calculated from the average breaking stressed 310 MPa (45 ksi); each point represents 60 to 90
strength of five specimens subjected to identical specimens. Source: Ref 18
conditions. Source: Ref 17

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SCC Table I - Steel Alloys

Alloy Condition
Carbon steel(1000 series) Below 125 kg/mm2; (180 ksi) UTS 1) A small number of laboratory failures
Low alloy steel(4130,4340 etc) Below 125 kg/mm2; (180 ksi) UTS (1) of specimens cut from plate more than 2
(E) D6AC, H-11 Below 148 kg/mm2; (210 ksi) UTS inches thick have been observed at 75%
Music wire(ASTM 228) cold drawn yield, even within this ultimate strength
HY-80 steel Quenched and tempered range. The use of thick plate should
HY-130 steel Quenched and tempered therefore be avoided in a corrosive
HY-140 steel Quenched and tempered environment when sustained tensile stress
1095 spring steel Quenched and tempered in the short transverse direction is
300 series stainless steel(unsensitised)2 All expected.
400 series ferritic stainless steel All 2) Including weldments of 304L, 316L,
21-6-9 stainless steel All 321 and 347.
Carpenter 20 Cb Stainless steel All 3) Including weldments.
Carpenter 200 Cb-3 stainless steel All 4) SCT 1000 = sub-zero cooling and
A286 stainless steel All tempering at 538&#176;C (1000F)
AM350 stainless steel SCT 1000(4) and above 5) H1000 = hardened above 538C (1000F)
AM355 stainless steel SCT 1000 and above 6) CH900 = cold worked and aged at
Almar 362 stainless steel H1000 (5) and above 480C (1000;F)
Custom 450 stainless steel H1000 and above 7) SRH950 = solution treated and
Custom 455 stainless steel H1000 and above tempered at 510C (950F)
15-5 PH stainless steel H1000 and above (E) ESA classification - not in NASA
PH 14-8 Mo stainless steel CH900 and SRH950 and above (6,7) MSFC-SPEC-522A
PH 15-7 Mo stainless steel CH900
17-7 PH stainless steel CH900
Nitronic 33 (3) All
(E) Maraging steel MARVAL X12 All

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SCC Table I - Nickel Alloys

Alloy Condition

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

3) Including weldments

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SCC Table I - Aluminium Alloys

Alloy, Condition Cast (3) Condition

Wrought(1,2)
Alloy, 1000 series All 355.0, C355.0 T6
2011 T8 356.0, A356.0 All
2024, rod bar T8 357.0 All
B358.0 (Tens-50) All
2219 T6, T8 359.0 All
(E) 2419 T8 380.0, A380.0 As cast
(E) 2618 T6, T8 514.0 (214) As cast (5)
3000 series All 518.0 (218) As cast (5)
5000 series All (4,5) 535.0 (Almag 35) As cast (5)
A 712.0, C 712.0 As cast
6000 series All
(E)7020 T6 (6)
7049 T73
7149 T73
7050 T73
7075 T73
7475 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

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SCC Table I - Copper Alloys/ Misc. Alloys

CDA no (1) Condition (% cold rolled) (2) Alloy Condition

110 37 Beryllium, S-200C Annealed
170 HS 25 (L605) All
AT, HT (3)
HS 188 All
172 AT, HT (3) All
194 MP35N
37 All
Titanium 3Al-2.5V
195 90 All
Titanium 6Al-4V All
230 40
Titanium 13V-11Cr-3Al All
422 37 (E)Titanium OMI 685, IMI 829 All
443 10 Magnesium, M1A Magnesium, Stabilised
510 37 LA141 Magnesium, LAZ933 All
521 37
619 40(9% B phase)
619 40(95% B phase)
688 40
706 50
725 50, annealed
280,524,606 0
632,655,705 0
710,715 0
(E)917, (E)937 0

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

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SCC Table II - Steel Alloys/Miscellaneous alloys

Alloy Condition
Carbon steel (1000 series) 1225 to 1370 MPa UTS
Low-alloy steel (4130,4340 etc) 1225 to 1370 MPa UTS
Nitronic 32 All
Nitronic 60 All
400 series martensitic stainless steel (except 440) (1)
PH 13-8 Mo stainless steel All
15-5 PH stainless steel Below H1000 (2)
17-4 PH stainless steel 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
Condition
Magnesium AZ31B All
Magnesium ZK60A All
Magnesium (E) ZW3 All

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SCC Table II - Aluminium Alloys(1,2)

Alloy, wrough Condition Alloy, cast Condition

2024 rod, bar, extrusion T6, T62 319.0, A319.0 As cast
2024 plate, extrusions T8 333.0, A333.0 As cast
2124 plate T8
2048 plate T8
4032 T6
5083 All (3)
5086 All (3)
5456 All (3)
7001 T75, T76 1) Mechanically stress relieved products (TX5X or TX5XX) should be
(E) 7010 T74 specified where possible.
7049 T76 2) Sheet, unmachined extrusion and unmachined plate are the most resistant
7050 T74, T76 forms.
3) Except for controlled tempers listed in footnote 3 of Table I, aluminium
7075 T76 T74,
alloys. These alloys are not recommended for high-temperature applications.
7175 T76 66C (150F) and above.
7475 T76 (E) ESA classification - not in NASA MSFC-SPEC-522A.
7178 T76
(E) Russian Al-Li 1420, 1421 soln. treat+age

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SCC Table III - Steel Alloys

Alloy Condition
Carbon steel(1000 series) Above 1370 Mpa UTS
Low alloy steel(4130,4340 etc) Above 1370 Mpa UTS
(E) D6AC, H-11steel Above 1370 Mpa UTS
440C stainless steel All
18 Ni Maraging steel, 200 grade Aged at 900F
18 Ni Maraging steel, 250 grade Aged at 900F
18 Ni Maraging steel, 300 grade Aged at 900F
18 Ni Maraging steel, 350 grade Aged at 900F
AM 350 stainless steel Below SCT 1000
AM 355 stainless steel Below SCT 1000
Custom 455 stainless steel Below H1000
PH 15-7 Mo stainless steel All except CH900
17-7 PH stainless steel CH900 All except CH900
(E) Kovar All

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SCC Table III - Aluminium Alloys

Alloy, Wrought (1,2) Condition Alloy Condition

2011 T3, T4 295.0 (195) T6
2014 All B295.0 (B195) T6
520.0 (220) T4
2017 All
707.0 (607, tern-alloy 7) T6
2024 T3, T4 D712.0 (D612, 40E) As cast
2024 Forgings T6, T62, T8
2024 Plate T62
(E) Al-Li 2080 T8
(E) 2618 T3, T4
7001 T6
7005 All
(E) 7020 Weldments
7039 All
7075 T6
7175 T6
7079 T6
7178 T6
7475 T6
(E) Al-Li 8090 All
(E) BS L93 T6 1) Mechanical stress relieved (TX5X or TX5XX) should be specified where possible.<br>
(E) Russian Al-Li 1441, 1460 All 2) Sheet, unmachined extrusion and unmachined plate are the least susceptible forms.<br>
(E) ESA classification - not in NASA MSFC-SPEC-522A.

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SCC Table III - Copper Alloys/ Magnesium alloys

CDA no (1) Condition (% cold rolled) (2) Alloy Condition

260 50 Magnesium AZ61B All
353 50 Magnesium AZ80A All
Magnesium WE54 All
443 40
Magnesium ZCM711 All
672 50, annealed
687 10, 40
762 A, 25, 50
766 38
770 38, 50, annealed
782 50

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

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