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HUMAN FACTORS AND BEHAVIORAL PERFORMANCE EXPLORATION MEASURES: ASSESSING ASTRONAUT RISK

INTRODUCTION: The Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Exploration Measures (HFBP-EM) suite is a set of standardized measures to assess behavioral health and performance risk related to future exploration class missions, and to support reduction of the Human Research Program’s (HRP) Behavioral Medicine (BMed), Team, Sleep, and Human Systems Integration Architecture (HSIA) risks. This presentation will provide an overview of the HFBP-EM program, describe its implementation across spaceflight analogs and the international space station (ISS), and discuss its applicability to audience members. TOPIC: HFBP-EM is a research program designed to develop a standard set of measures that can be used in space and space-analog research to characterize BMed, Team, Sleep, and HSIA risks. It is an ongoing research project that is used examine the validity and reliability of HFBP measures, as well as their shorter forms. It also serves as a test bed for HFBP measures being considered for the spaceflight standard measures. The suite of measures is used to test the efficacy of countermeasures. To date, HFBP-EM has been collected in Human Exploration Research Analogs campaigns 4 and 5, and the SIRIUS 19 mission in the Russian Ground Based Experiment Complex. A subset of the HFBP-EM suite was collected during spaceflight as part of HRP’s Standard Measures in Spaceflight Project. Data was collected from a total of 55 multinational astronaut and astronaut-like crewmembers (mean age: 39.5, SD = 7.6; 31% female; 91% with advanced degrees). Three broad categories of HFBP-EM measures and their relevance to HRP risks will be discussed: 1) surveys that assess team functioning (Teams risk) as well as mood and affect (Bmed risk), 2) performance-based tasks of cognitive functioning and operationally relevant performance (Bmed risk), and 3) physiological biomarkers of sleep (sleep risk) and heart rate (Bmed risk). We will provide an overview of the background of the HFBP-EM program, what the suite currently includes, and next steps in its future development. We will also discuss the application to aerospace practitioners and researchers. APPLICATION: Astronaut teams selected for future space exploration missions will face several challenges that pose significant yet still unknown risks to the behavioral health and performance of astronauts. The HFBP-EM suite provides a comprehensive assessment of behavioral health and performance in space analog and spaceflight settings. This suite can be applied to both operational and research settings to advance risk reduction research for long duration space exploration missions.

S T Bell↗

Temporal changes in endmember abundances, liquid water and water vapor over vegetation at Jasper Ridge

Imaging spectrometry offers a new way of deriving ecological information about vegetation communities from remote sensing. Applications include derivation of canopy chemistry, measurement of column atmospheric water vapor and liquid water, improved detectability of materials, more accurate estimation of green vegetation cover and discrimination of spectrally distinct green leaf, non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV: litter, wood, bark, etc.) and shade spectra associated with different vegetation communities. Much of our emphasis has been on interpreting Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometry (AVIRIS) data spectral mixtures. Two approaches have been used, simple models, where the data are treated as a mixture of 3 to 4 laboratory/field measured spectra, known as reference endmembers (EM's), applied uniformly to the whole image, to more complex models where both the number of EM's and the types of EM's vary on a per-pixel basis. Where simple models are applied, materials, such as NPV, which are spectrally similar to soils, can be discriminated on the basis of residual spectra. One key aspect is that the data are calibrated to reflectance and modeled as mixtures of reference EM's, permitting temporal comparison of EM fractions, independent of scene location or data type. In previous studies the calibration was performed using a modified-empirical line calibration, assuming a uniform atmosphere across the scene. In this study, a Modtran-based calibration approach was used to map liquid water and atmospheric water vapor and retrieve surface reflectance from three AVIRIS scenes acquired in 1992 over the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve. The data were acquired on June 2nd, September 4th and October 6th. Reflectance images were analyzed as spectral mixtures of reference EM's using a simple 4 EM model. Atmospheric water vapor derived from Modtran was compared to elevation, and community type. Liquid water was compare to the abundance of NPV, Shade and Green Vegetation (VG) for select sites to determine whether a relationship existed, and under what conditions the relationship broke down. Temporal trends in endmember fractions, liquid water and atmospheric water vapor were investigated also. The combination of spectral mixture analysis and the Modtran based atmospheric/liquid water models was used to develop a unique vegetation community description.

Roberts, Dar A.↗

Materials Science Experiment Module Accommodation within the Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) on the International Space Station (ISS)

The Materials Science Research Rack I (MSRR-1) of the Materials Science Research Facility (MSRF) is a modular facility designed to accommodate two Experiment Modules (EM) simultaneously on board the International Space Station (ISS). One of these EMs will be the NASA/ESA EM being, developed collaboratively by NASA and the European Space Agency. The other EM position will be occupied by various multi-user EMs that will be exchanged in-orbit to accommodate a variety of materials science investigations. This paper discusses the resources, services, and allocations available to the EMs and briefly describes performance capabilities of the EMs currently planned for flight.

Higgins, D. B.↗

An Operational Configuration of the ARPS Data Analysis System to Initialize WRF in the NM'S Environmental Modeling System

The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is the next generation community mesoscale model designed to enhance collaboration between the research and operational sectors. The NM'S as a whole has begun a transition toward WRF as the mesoscale model of choice to use as a tool in making local forecasts. Currently, both the National Weather Service in Melbourne, FL (NWS MLB) and the Spaceflight Meteorology Group (SMG) are running the Advanced Regional Prediction System (AIRPS) Data Analysis System (ADAS) every 15 minutes over the Florida peninsula to produce high-resolution diagnostics supporting their daily operations. In addition, the NWS MLB and SMG have used ADAS to provide initial conditions for short-range forecasts from the ARPS numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. Both NM'S MLB and SMG have derived great benefit from the maturity of ADAS, and would like to use ADAS for providing initial conditions to WRF. In order to assist in this WRF transition effort, the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) was tasked to configure and implement an operational version of WRF that uses output from ADAS for the model initial conditions. Both agencies asked the AMU to develop a framework that allows the ADAS initial conditions to be incorporated into the WRF Environmental Modeling System (EMS) software. Developed by the NM'S Science Operations Officer (S00) Science and Training Resource Center (STRC), the EMS is a complete, full physics, NWP package that incorporates dynamical cores from both the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Advanced Research WRF (ARW) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's Non-Hydrostatic Mesoscale Model (NMM) into a single end-to-end forecasting system. The EMS performs nearly all pre- and postprocessing and can be run automatically to obtain external grid data for WRF boundary conditions, run the model, and convert the data into a format that can be readily viewed within the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System. The EMS has also incorporated the WRF Standard Initialization (SI) graphical user interface (GUT), which allows the user to set up the domain, dynamical core, resolution, etc., with ease. In addition to the SI GUT, the EMS contains a number of configuration files with extensive documentation to help the user select the appropriate input parameters for model physics schemes, integration timesteps, etc. Therefore, because of its streamlined capability, it is quite advantageous to configure ADAS to provide initial condition data to the EMS software. One of the biggest potential benefits of configuring ADAS for ingest into the EMS is that the analyses could be used to initialize either the ARW or NMM. Currently, the ARPS/ADAS software has a conversion routine only for the ARW dynamical core. However, since the NIvIM runs about 2.5 times faster than the ARW, it is quite advantageous to be able to run an ADAS/NMM configuration operationally due to the increased efficiency.

Case, Jonathan↗

Electron Microscopy Studies of Soft Nanomaterials

This review highlights recent efforts on applying electron microscopy (EM) to soft (including biological) nanomaterials. We will show how developments of both the hardware and software of EM have enabled new insights into the formation, assembly, and functioning (e.g., energy conversion and storage, phonon/photon modulation) of these materials by providing shape, size, phase, structural, and chemical information at the nanometer or higher spatial resolution. Specifically, we first discuss standard real-space two-dimensional imaging and analytical techniques which are offered conveniently by microscopes without special holders or advanced beam technology. The discussion is then extended to recent advancements, including visualizing three-dimensional morphology of soft nanomaterials using electron tomography and its variations, identifying local structure and strain by electron diffraction, and recording motions and transformation by in situ EM. On these advancements, we cover state-of-the-art technologies designed for overcoming the technical barriers for EM to characterize soft materials as well as representative application examples. Here, the even more recent integration of machine learning and its impacts on EM are also discussed in detail. With our perspectives of future opportunities offered at the end, we expect this review to inspire and stimulate more efforts in developing and utilizing EM-based characterization methods for soft nanomaterials at the atomic to nanometer length scales in academic research and industrial applications.

Imaging↗

Heterogeneous energetic material damage simulator (HEDS): A deep learning approach to simulate damage–sensitivity linkages

Damage in the microstructures of energetic materials (EMs), such as propellants and plastic bonded explosives (PBXs), can significantly alter their response to external loads. Both sensitization and desensitization can occur, causing concerns with safety and performance in the field; predictive models that connect damage and the sensitivity of EMs can enable design and provide confidence in their robustness and reliability. However, modeling of damage evolution is challenging for real microstructures of EMs; samples of damaged EMs are difficult to obtain, thereby hindering experiments and direct numerical simulations to determine the sensitivity of EMs at various stages of damage. Here, we develop an approach to generate synthetic, i.e., in silico produced, damaged microstructures for use in simulations to connect damage levels to sensitivity. The development of the present workflow to generate and impose varying levels of damage in microstructures, known as HEDS (Heterogeneous Energetic Material Damage Simulator), begins with a small set of images of damaged PBXs and combines a collection of deep neural network techniques to generate microstructures with varying levels of damage. By making the synthetic microstructures conform closely to those observed in available real, imaged microstructures, we develop an ensemble of damaged microstructures that can be used for in silico shock experiments. HEDS develops these microstructure ensembles as level set fields, which are directly employed in a sharp interface Eulerian hydrocode where shock simulations are performed to quantify the energy release rate from hotspot fields generated in the microstructure. These capabilities can be useful for the analysis and assessment of changes in the sensitivity of EMs and to design formulations that are less susceptible to damage-induced changes in sensitivity and performance.

Fang, Irene (ORCID:0009000844557122)↗

Kinetics of Hydrogen Generation from In-Situ Methane Pyrolysis: Enhanced by Electromagnetic Heating and Natural Catalysts of Reservoir Rocks

Catalytic pyrolysis of methane (CH4) is a promising approach to generate hydrogen (H2). The apparent activation energy of this process has a significant influence on the efficiency and required temperature for H2 generation. Preliminary experiments indicate that minerals present in shales have catalytic effects during in-situ H2 generation from shale reservoirs under electromagnetic (EM) heating. However, the quantitative role of such natural catalysts on apparent activation energy is not explored yet. This research evaluated the role of reservoir rock (shale) in EM heating and on the apparent activation energy of methane pyrolysis (MP) for in-situ H2 generation. Experiments are conducted in a customized EM reactor with frequency 2.45 GHz, and reaction temperature and generated gases are measured by a real-time IR pyrometer and gas analyzer, respectively. It is found that shale samples experienced thermal runway (TR) at 420 ºC under 0.15 kW EM power without any artificial heating promoter. In the presence of spent shale, CH4 conversion started approximately at 600 ºC with negligible amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) generated during this process. We further calculated apparent reaction order and apparent activation energy for MP process in the presence of shale under EM heating, which are 0.4357 and 98.12 kJ/mol, respectively. This research paves a way for leveraging the role of minerals as natural catalysts for enhancing H2 generation under EM heating in petroleum reservoirs.

02 PETROLEUM↗

The effect of small-wave modulation on the electromagnetic bias

The effect of the modulation of small ocean waves by large waves on the physical mechanism of the EM bias is examined by conducting a numerical scattering experiment which does not assume the applicability of geometric optics. The modulation effect of the large waves on the small waves is modeled using the principle of conservation of wave action and includes the modulation of gravity-capillary waves. The frequency dependence and magnitude of the EM bias is examined for a simplified ocean spectral model as a function of wind speed. These calculations make it possible to assess the validity of previous assumptions made in the theory of the EM bias, with respect to both scattering and hydrodynamic effects. It is found that the geometric optics approximation is inadequate for predictions of the EM bias at typical radar altimeter frequencies, while the improved scattering calculations provide a frequency dependence of the EM bias which is in qualitative agreement with observation. For typical wind speeds, the EM bias contribution due to small-wave modulation is of the same order as that due to modulation by the nonlinearities of the large-scale waves.

Rodriguez, Ernesto↗

Finite element analysis of time-independent superconductivity

The development of electromagnetic (EM) finite elements based upon a generalized four-potential variational principle is presented. The use of the four-potential variational principle allows for downstream coupling of EM fields with the thermal, mechanical, and quantum effects exhibited by superconducting materials. The use of variational methods to model an EM system allows for a greater range of applications than just the superconducting problem. The four-potential variational principle can be used to solve a broader range of EM problems than any of the currently available formulations. It also reduces the number of independent variables from six to four while easily dealing with conductor/insulator interfaces. This methodology was applied to a range of EM field problems. Results from all these problems predict EM quantities exceptionally well and are consistent with the expected physical behavior.

Schuler, James J.↗

Induction of Oxidation in Living Cells by Time-Varying Electromagnetic Fields

We are studying how biological systems can harness quantum effects of time varying electromagnetic (EM) waves as the time-setting basis for universal biochemical organization via the redox cycle. The effects of extremely weak EM field on the biochemical redox cycle can be monitored through real-time detection of oxidation-induced light emissions of reporter molecules in living cells. It has been shown that EM fields can also induce changes in fluid transport rates through capillaries (approximately 300 microns inner diameter) by generating annular proton gradients. This effect may be relevant to understanding cardiovascular dis-function in spaceflight, beyond the ionosphere. Importantly, we show that these EM effects can be attenuated using an active EM field cancellation device. Central for NASA's Human Research Program is the fact that the absence of ambient EM field in spaceflight can also have a detrimental influence, namely via increased oxidative damage, on DNA replication, which controls heredity.

oxidation↗

A Control Strategy for Turbine Electrified Energy Management

Hybrid electric propulsion architectures provide the infrastructure to enable additional benefits to the propulsion system that are otherwise unrealizable with the sole use of the current, state-of-the-art, gas-driven, turbine engines. The presence of electric machines (EMs) coupled to the shaft(s) of the turbine engine provide the ability to actively alter the operation of the engine to the benefit of the propulsion system and the aircraft it propels. This is the goal of the Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM) concept, which at its broadest level addresses the management of energy across the electrified propulsion system. Prior work has demonstrated the use of this concept to alter steady-state operation and improve transient operability of a hybrid-electric propulsion system. The main benefits previously illustrated include the elimination of stability bleeds and expansion of the turbomachinery design space in order to enable more efficient designs. This paper focuses on the development of control strategies to implement the TEEM concept, and it explores several possible architecture variants for applying this concept. Comparison studies are conducted between a purely gas-driven turbofan (baseline engine configuration) and TEEM augmented variants of the baseline engine. The variants are distinguished by the shaft(s) that possess an EM. The configurations consider EMs on both shafts, an EM on the high pressure spool (HPS) only, and an EM on the low pressure spool (LPS) only. These configurations are referred to as the dual-spool configuration, the HPS configuration, and LPS configuration, respectively. The studies expose several options in configuring and controlling the system, including the use of a single EM coupled to a single shaft of a two-spool engine to positively impact the operability of both shafts. The studies also demonstrate the use of independently designed controllers for the electric machine(s) that allow for a decoupled control design process.

Electrified↗

A Control Strategy for Turbine Electrified Energy Management

Hybrid electric propulsion architectures provide the infrastructure to enable additional benefits to the propulsion system that are otherwise unrealizable with the sole use of the current, state-of-the-art, gas-driven, turbine engines. The presence of electric machines (EMs) coupled to the shaft(s) of the turbine engine provide the ability to actively alter the operation of the engine to the benefit of the propulsion system and the aircraft it propels. This is the goal of the Turbine Electrified Energy Management (TEEM) concept, which at its broadest level addresses the management of energy across the electrified propulsion system. Prior work has demonstrated the use of this concept to alter steady-state operation and improve transient operability of a hybrid-electric propulsion system. The main benefits previously illustrated include the elimination of stability bleeds and expansion of the turbomachinery design space in order to enable more efficient designs. This paper focuses on the development of control strategies to implement the TEEM concept, and it explores several possible architecture variants for applying this concept. Comparison studies are conducted between a purely gas-driven turbofan (baseline engine configuration) and TEEM augmented variants of the baseline engine. The variants are distinguished by the shaft(s) that possess an EM. The configurations consider EMs on both shafts, an EM on the high pressure spool (HPS) only, and an EM on the low pressure spool (LPS) only. These configurations are referred to as the dual-spool configuration, the HPS configuration, and LPS configuration, respectively. The studies expose several options in configuring and controlling the system, including the use of a single EM coupled to a single shaft of a two-spool engine to positively impact the operability of both shafts. The studies also demonstrate the use of independently designed controllers for the electric machine(s) that allow for a decoupled control design process.

Energy management↗

Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Exploration Measures Harmonized Across HERA, NEK, and ISS: Teams Risk

BACKGROUNDThe Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Exploration Measures (HFBP-EM) suite is a set of standardized measures to assess behavioral health and performance risk related to future exploration class missions, and to support reduction of the Human Research Program’s (HRP) Behavioral Medicine (BMed), Team, Sleep, and Human Systems Integration Architecture risks. HFBP-EM were collected during Human Exploration Research Analogs (HERA) campaigns 4 (C4) and 5 (C5), and during SIRIUS 17 and 19 missions in the Russian Ground Based Experiment Complex, NEK, to document the feasibility, flexibility, and acceptability of these measures in analogsof the spaceflight environment. A subset of the HFBP-EM suite was collected during spaceflight as part HRP’s Standard Measures in Spaceflight Project. Whenever possible, the HFBP-EM protocol and measures are kept the same across studies, however, differences across research settings (e.g., experimental manipulations, mission scenarios, mission length) and implementation of the measures require the data are harmonized to ensure comparable views across missions. The purpose of our project is to develop a harmonized database of HFBP-EM data from different settings, and to summarize the trajectory of behavioral health and performance within and between research settings. In this presentation, we will summarize the harmonized dataset and the trajectory of measures related to the Team Risk, including team performance, team cohesion, team processes, and psychological safety, over time and between and within settings.METHODSWe followed best practices for data harmonization. Characteristics of each research setting were assessed for harmonization potential, and we deemed NEK-SIRIUS 17 as inappropriate due to study aims, length, and data quality. Common variables of interest were identified. Study characteristics and key variables with which datafiles could be merged were defined as “meta-data.” HFBP-EM data from all settings were processed under a common format. We then created a harmonized team-level database designed to facilitate analyses that address HRP research gaps related to HRP’s Team risk. In this database, team cohesion, processes, performance, psychological safety, and group living were operationalized as the team mean of the crew responses for each data collection (e.g., on mission day 7). Data collected on the International Space Station (ISS) included a subset of scale items administered to participants. Data collected from ISS team members within +/- 7 days of the first data collection and every following 30 +/-4 days were aggregated to the team level. We generated figures that display the mean and variability of team constructs across research settings. We also generated plots of changes in team constructs with mission day and with percentage of the mission completed. Where possible, we compared data from spaceflight analogs with data from astronauts aboard the ISS. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe team-level harmonized database was structured such that each row represents data for a team on a specific mission day. Team constructs (e.g., team cohesion) were included as columns (i.e., wide format) with repeated measures across mission days given in rows (i.e., long format). The database included data from 18 crews: five, 4-person American crews in HERA C4, four 4-person American crews in HERA C5, one 6-person multinational crew in NEK-SIRIUS 19, and eight, 2–11-person multinational crews aboard the ISS. Results provide insights into mission and campaign differences in team functioning and performance. For example, between campaign differences were observed for team processes—the interdependent team actions that orchestrate taskwork in pursuit of the team’s goals [1]. Greater between-team variability on team processes was detected during HERA C4 than during C5, and a downward trend was observed over the duration of C4, but not C5 or SIRIUS 19. This may be due to the campaign-level differences such as the sleep deprivation implemented during C4. Responses on the subset of team process items administered on the ISS indicate between-crew variability more like those observed in C4 than C5 and NEK, with some, but not all ISS crews demonstrating a downward trend over time. Additional findings will be presented. REFERENCESMarks, M. A., et al (2001) Academy of Management Review, 26(3), 356-376.

S T Bell↗

Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Exploration Measures Harmonized Across HERA, NEK, And ISS: Behavioral Medicine Risk

The Human Factors and Behavioral Performance Exploration Measures (HFBP-EM) suite is a set of standardized measures used to assess behavioral health and performance risks related to future exploration class space missions. The HFBP-EM addresses the Human Research Program’s (HRP) Behavioral Medicine (BMed), Team, Sleep, and Human Systems Integration Architecture risks. HFBP-EM were collected during Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) campaigns 4 and 5, and during SIRIUS 17 and 19 missions in the Russian Ground Based Experiment Complex, NEK, to document the feasibility, flexibility, and acceptability of these measures in analogs of spaceflight environments. A subset of the HFBP-EM suite was collected in spaceflight as part of the HRP Standard Measures in Spaceflight Project. Whenever possible, the HFBP-EM protocol and measures are the same across studies, differences across research settings (e.g., experimental manipulations, mission scenarios, and mission length) and implementation of the measures require that the data are harmonized to ensure comparable views across missions. The purpose of our project was to develop a harmonized database of analyzable HFBP-EM data from spaceflight and analog settings, and to summarize the trajectory of behavioral health and performance outcomes within and between mission settings. In this presentation, we will summarize the harmonized dataset and the trajectory of BMed related measures including depression, neurobehavioral function, mood, cognition, and operationally relevant individual performance over time and by campaign and mission.

S T Bell↗

Application of Energy-efficient Electromagnetic Melt-Processing for the Upcycling of Recycled Polyphenylene Sulfide into Multifunctional Segregated Nanocomposites

Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) is widely used in structural and functional composites because of its thermal stability, chemical resistance, and mechanical strength. As circular manufacturing becomes increasingly important, extending the service life of recycled PPS (rPPS) is essential. However, conventional high-temperature reprocessing accelerates thermo-oxidative degradation, reducing recycled composite performance. This study proposes a rapid and potentially energy-saving upcycling strategy for rPPS using electromagnetic (EM) melt-processing to form segregated carbon nanotube (CNT) networks and produce EM-responsive nanocomposites. The aim was to determine whether CNT-assisted EM heating could reduce polymer degradation while improving multifunctional properties at ultralow filler loadings. rPPS micropellets were coated with CNTs by ball milling to create conductive shells, then compacted into green bodies (GBs) and selectively melted by rapid EM irradiation. Structural, electrical, mechanical, rheological, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties were evaluated. Electrical percolation occurred at an ultralow CNT loading of 0.08 wt%, with conductivity reaching (1.24 ± 0.74) × 10 -5 S⋅m -1 at 0.1 wt%. At this concentration, tensile strength and modulus increased by 72% and 99%, respectively. At ~ 0.7 mm thickness, X-band EMI shielding effectiveness reached 6 dB for GBs and 3 dB after EM processing. This shows that EM melt-processing upcycles rPPS into high-performance multifunctional nanocomposites with minimum thermal degradation.

recycled↗

Reduced‐Order Modeling of Energetic Materials Using Physics‐Aware Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks in a Latent Space (LatentPARC)

Physics-aware deep learning (PADL) has gained popularity for use in spatiotemporal dynamics simulations, such as those in computational modeling of energetic materials (EM). We show that the challenge PADL methods face while learning complex field evolution problems can be simplified and accelerated by decoupling it into two tasks: learning complex geometric features in evolving fields and modeling dynamics over these features in a lower-dimensional feature space. We build upon our previous work on physics-aware recurrent convolutional neural networks (PARC). PARC embeds knowledge of underlying physics into its neural network architecture for more robust and accurate prediction of evolving physical fields. PARC was shown to effectively learn complex nonlinear features such as the formation of hotspots and coupled shock fronts in various initiation scenarios of EMs, as a function of microstructures, serving effectively as a microstructure-aware burn model. Here, we further accelerate PARC and reduce its computational cost by projecting the original dynamics onto a lower-dimensional invariant manifold, or “latent space.” The projected latent representation encodes the complex geometry of evolving fields (e.g., temperature and pressure) in a set of data-driven features. The reduced dimension of this latent space allows us to learn the dynamics during the initiation of EM with a lighter and more efficient model. We observe a significant decrease in training and inference time while maintaining results comparable to PARC at inference. This work takes steps towards enabling rapid prediction of EM thermomechanics at larger scales and characterization of EM structure–property–performance linkages at a full application scale.

Mathematics and Computing↗

Improving the Freight Productivity of a Heavy-Duty, Battery Electric Truck by Intelligent Energy Management

This project aimed to enhance the range and reduce the operating costs of battery electric Class 8 trucks traveling over 250 miles daily. This was achieved through the development and implementation of an intelligent-Energy Management System (i-EMS) that leverages vehicle and operations data, physics-aware machine learning algorithms, and vehicle-to-cloud (V2C) connectivity. The project hypothesized that advanced machine learning algorithms and real-time data analytics could significantly improve the energy efficiency and range of these trucks. Key objectives included developing a physics-aware machine learning algorithm, implementing an i-EMS with V2C connectivity and physics-aware spatial data analytics (PSDA), and validating the system’s effectiveness with fleet partners HEB Companies and Murphy Logistics. Extensive data collection from vehicle operations, including vehicle characteristics, road conditions, and payload, was conducted. A machine learning algorithm was developed to predict energy consumption and enable proactive decision-making. The i-EMS was implemented on two Volvo VNR BEVs, with operators receiving charging and routing recommendations. Charging stations were installed at depot locations in Texas and Minnesota, with an additional on-route charger in Minnesota. Significant findings included a 14% range improvement for Murphy Logistics on a highway-driving eco-route and a 22% range improvement for HEB Companies on a city-driving eco-route. The i-EMS utilized rule-based methods and physics-based algorithms to predict and reduce energy consumption, with real-time monitoring and analysis through V2C connectivity enabling proactive decision-making. The project demonstrated the feasibility and economic viability of battery electric Class 8 trucks for long-haul operations, showcasing the potential of physics-aware machine learning in optimizing energy management. The successful implementation of the i-EMS in real-world scenarios validates its practical application and effectiveness, paving the way for the widespread adoption of battery electric vehicles in the freight transportation industry.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

A comparison of hydraulic, pneumatic, and electro-mechanical actuators for general aviation flight controls

Mathematical models for electromechanical (EM), pneumatic and hydraulic actuations are discussed. It is shown that EM and hydraulic actuators provide better and faster time responses than pneumatic actuators but EM actuators utilizing the recently developed samarium-cobalt technology have significant advantages in terms of size, weight and power requirements. In terms of ease and flexibility of installation EM actuators apparently have several advantages over hydraulic actuators, and cost is a primary reason for the popularity of EM actuation for secondary control function since no additional systems need to be added to the aircraft. While new rare earth magnets are currently in developmental stage, costs are relatively high; but continued research should bring prices down.

Roskam, J.↗