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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Automating the design process - Progress, problems, prospects, potential.

The design process for large aerospace vehicles is discussed, with particular emphasis on structural design. Problems with current procedures are identified. Then, the contributions possible from automating the design process (defined as the best combination of men and computers) are considered. Progress toward automated design in the aerospace and other communities is reviewed, including NASA studies of the potential development of Integrated Programs for Aerospace-Vehicle Design (IPAD). The need for and suggested directions of future research on the design process, both technical and social, are discussed. Although much progress has been made to exploit the computer in design, it is concluded that technology is available to begin using the computer to speed communications and management as well as calculations in the design process and thus build man-computer teams that can design better, faster and cheaper.

Heldenfels, R. R.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Integration of Design Data Into Automated Fiber Placement Process Planning Metrics

With the ever-expanding aviation industry, a need is arising for more rapid production of composite aircraft to meet increasing demand. State-of-the-art aircraft such as the Boeing 787showcase 50% composite material usage by weight, highlighting this emerging industry-wide adoption of the material system. Currently, many of the large structures associated with these aircraft are manufactured additively via Automated Fiber Placement (AFP). The AFP process shows great potential for efficient manufacturing, however unavoidable defects still occur because of tool surface geometry, placement errors, or poor process planning, resulting in decreased quality and throughput. Due to such effects, it is critical to incorporate design for manufacturing (DFM) principles to achieve the optimal manufacturing plan and resulting structure. This work will develop a methodology for incorporating design information into process planning metrics in an automated fashion to achieve an optimal set of process inputs.The analysis incorporates HyperX, Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) and Vericut Composite Programming (VCP). Safety margins from HyperX are imported into CAPP where AFP defects are mapped to the values. The resulting margins are then incorporated into the CAPP manufacturability algorithms, creating a design informed process planning analysis

Automated Fiber Placement↗
NASA NTRS1979

Automated Plasma Spray (APS) process feasibility study: Plasma spray process development and evaluation

An automated plasma spray (APS) process was developed to apply two layer (NiCrAlY and ZrO2-12Y2O3) thermal-barrier coatings to aircraft gas turbine engine blade airfoils. The APS process hardware consists of four subsystems: a mechanical blade positioner incorporating two interlaced six-degree-of-freedom assemblies; a noncoherent optical metrology subsystem; a microprocessor-based adaptive system controller; and commercial plasma spray equipment. Over fifty JT9D first stage turbine blades specimens were coated with the APS process in preliminary checkout and evaluation studies. The best of the preliminary specimens achieved an overall coating thickness uniformity of + or - 53 micrometers, much better than is achievable manually. Factors limiting this performance were identified and process modifications were initiated accordingly. Comparative evaluations of coating thickness uniformity for manually sprayed and APS coated specimens were initiated. One of the preliminary evaluation specimens was subjected to a torch test and metallographic evaluation.

Fetheroff, C. W.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Automated Tow Placement Processing and Characterization of Composites

The project had one of the initial objectives as automated tow placement (ATP), in which a robot was used to place a collimated band of pre-impregnated ribbons or a wide preconsolidated tape onto a tool surface. It was proposed to utilize the Automated Tow Placement machine that was already available and to fabricate carbon fiber reinforced PEEK (polyether-ether-ketone) matrix composites. After initial experiments with the fabrication of flat plates, composite cylinders were to be fabricated. Specimens from the fabricated parts were to be tested for mechanical characterization. A second objective was to conduct various types of tests for characterizing composite specimens cured by different fabrication processes.

Prabhakaran, R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Monitoring real-time navigation processes using the automated reasoning tool (ART)

An expert system is described for monitoring and controlling navigation processes in real-time. The ART-based system features data-driven computation, accommodation of synchronous and asynchronous data, temporal modeling for individual time intervals and chains of time intervals, and hypothetical reasoning capabilities that consider alternative interpretations of the state of navigation processes. The concept is illustrated in terms of the NAVEX system for monitoring and controlling the high speed ground navigation console for Mission Control at Johnson Space Center. The reasoning processes are outlined, including techniques used to consider alternative data interpretations. Installation of the system has permitted using a single operator, instead of three, to monitor the ascent and entry phases of a Shuttle mission.

Maletz, M. C.↗
NASA NTRS2004

Specification, Design, and Analysis of Advanced HUMS Architectures

During the two-year project period, we have worked on several aspects of domain-specific architectures for HUMS. In particular, we looked at using scenario-based approach for the design and designed a language for describing such architectures. The language is now being used in all aspects of our HUMS design. In particular, we have made contributions in the following areas. 1) We have employed scenarios in the development of HUMS in three main areas. They are: (a) To improve reusability by using scenarios as a library indexing tool and as a domain analysis tool; (b) To improve maintainability by recording design rationales from two perspectives - problem domain and solution domain; (c) To evaluate the software architecture. 2) We have defined a new architectural language called HADL or HUMS Architectural Definition Language. It is a customized version of xArch/xADL. It is based on XML and, hence, is easily portable from domain to domain, application to application, and machine to machine. Specifications written in HADL can be easily read and parsed using the currently available XML parsers. Thus, there is no need to develop a plethora of software to support HADL. 3) We have developed an automated design process that involves two main techniques: (a) Selection of solutions from a large space of designs; (b) Synthesis of designs. However, the automation process is not an absolute Artificial Intelligence (AI) approach though it uses a knowledge-based system that epitomizes a specific HUMS domain. The process uses a database of solutions as an aid to solve the problems rather than creating a new design in the literal sense. Since searching is adopted as the main technique, the challenges involved are: (a) To minimize the effort in searching the database where a very large number of possibilities exist; (b) To develop representations that could conveniently allow us to depict design knowledge evolved over many years; (c) To capture the required information that aid the automation process.

Mukkamala, Ravi↗
NASA NTRS1979

Process Development for Automated Solar Cell and Module Production. Task 4: Automated Array Assembly

A baseline sequence for the manufacture of solar cell modules was specified. Starting with silicon wafers, the process goes through damage etching, texture etching, junction formation, plasma edge etch, aluminum back surface field formation, and screen printed metallization to produce finished solar cells. The cells were then series connected on a ribbon and bonded into a finished glass tedlar module. A number of steps required additional developmental effort to verify technical and economic feasibility. These steps include texture etching, plasma edge etch, aluminum back surface field formation, array layup and interconnect, and module edge sealing and framing.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2002

Workload-Matched Adaptive Automation Support of Air Traffic Controller Information Processing Stages

Adaptive automation (AA) has been explored as a solution to the problems associated with human-automation interaction in supervisory control environments. However, research has focused on the performance effects of dynamic control allocations of early stage sensory and information acquisition functions. The present research compares the effects of AA to the entire range of information processing stages of human operators, such as air traffic controllers. The results provide evidence that the effectiveness of AA is dependent on the stage of task performance (human-machine system information processing) that is flexibly automated. The results suggest that humans are better able to adapt to AA when applied to lower-level sensory and psychomotor functions, such as information acquisition and action implementation, as compared to AA applied to cognitive (analysis and decision-making) tasks. The results also provide support for the use of AA, as compared to completely manual control. These results are discussed in terms of implications for AA design for aviation.

Kaber, David B.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Aquarius's Instrument Science Data System (ISDS) Automated to Acquire, Process, Trend Data and Produce Radiometric System Assessment Reports

The Aquarius Radiometer, a subsystem of the Aquarius Instrument required a data acquisition ground system to support calibration and radiometer performance assessment. To support calibration and compose performance assessments, we developed an automated system which uploaded raw data to a ftp server and saved raw and processed data to a database. This paper details the overall functionalities of the Aquarius Instrument Science Data System (ISDS) and the individual electrical ground support equipment (EGSE) which produced data files that were infused into the ISDS. Real time EGSEs include an ICDS Simulator, Calibration GSE, Labview controlled power supply, and a chamber data acquisition system. ICDS Simulator serves as a test conductor primary workstation, collecting radiometer housekeeping (HK) and science data and passing commands and HK telemetry collection request to the radiometer. Calibration GSE (Radiometer Active Test Source) provides source choice from multiple targets for the radiometer external calibration. Power Supply GSE, controlled by labview, provides real time voltage and current monitoring of the radiometer. And finally the chamber data acquisition system produces data reflecting chamber vacuum pressure, thermistor temperatures, AVG and watts. Each GSE system produce text based data files every two to six minutes and automatically copies the data files to the Central Archiver PC. The Archiver PC stores the data files, schedules automated uploads of these files to an external FTP server, and accepts request to copy all data files to the ISDS for offline data processing and analysis. Aquarius Radiometer ISDS contains PHP and MATLab programs to parse, process and save all data to a MySQL database. Analysis tools (MATLab programs) in the ISDS system are capable of displaying radiometer science, telemetry and auxiliary data in near real time as well as performing data analysis and producing automated performance assessment reports of the Aquarius Radiometer.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2026

Smart Process Planning for Automated Fiber Placement

Many industries, including aerospace, automotive, wind energy, maritime, and sporting goods, rely on strong, lightweight materials called composites. These materials are made by layering fibers, which can come in the form of narrow strips or wider sheets, and setting them in a polymer matrix. One of the most advanced ways to make these parts is through automated fiber placement, where a machine lays down the fibers in precise patterns. This method can create very efficient and strong designs, but it is complex, expensive, and often depends heavily on the experience of skilled engineers. Today, the design, manufacturing, and inspection stages of composite production are usually handled separately. This separation means that important information, such as how a part will be built or what defects might occur, is not always shared between stages. As a result, parts may not be as lightweight, strong, or defect-free as possible, and the process can take longer and cost more. This research develops a smart process planning system that connects design, manufacturing, and inspection into one continuous process. Built as software that works with existing tools, the system can automatically plan how the fibers are placed, predicting and reducing defects while improving both manufacturability and strength. The system optimizes not only individual layers but also how defects are distributed across all layers, preventing them from stacking up in ways that weaken the final part. It also uses inspection results from completed parts to improve future designs, creating a feedback loop where each stage informs the others. The system was tested by designing a composite panel using this new approach and comparing it to a panel made with state-of-the-art manual planning methods. The results showed that the system could intentionally control where defects appeared and increase the efficiency of the planning process. By unifying design, manufacturing, and inspection, this research shows a way to make advanced composite manufacturing more efficient, consistent, and cost-effective. This approach lowers the barrier to using automated fiber placement and opens the door for its wider adoption not only in aerospace but also in industries such as automotive, wind energy, maritime, and sporting goods, where strong and lightweight structures are essential.

Computer-Aided Process Planning↗
NASA NTRS2005

AIRSAR Automated Web-based Data Processing and Distribution System

In this paper, we present an integrated, end-to-end synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing system that accepts data processing requests, submits processing jobs, performs quality analysis, delivers and archives processed data. This fully automated SAR processing system utilizes database and internet/intranet web technologies to allow external users to browse and submit data processing requests and receive processed data. It is a cost-effective way to manage a robust SAR processing and archival system. The integration of these functions has reduced operator errors and increased processor throughput dramatically.

WEB SERVICES↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Towards Qualification and Certification of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Ti-6Al-4V with In-Situ Process Monitoring and Automated Defect Detection

Qualification and certification of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) parts are two challenges that must be answered to ensure suitability for critical applications. In-situ monitoring using high frame rate thermal and conventional optical imaging sensors is applied to the LPBF build process. Currently, the large volume of data from such sensors becomes untenable for manual inspection in production environments. This presentation serves to address this in-situ monitoring deficiency in two ways. First, a framework for managing data streams from LPBF process monitoring sensors is described. Second, two candidate image analysis techniques are presented: one is a set of heuristics that are easily interpretable, and the other is an uninterpretable convolutional neural network. These strategies are compared in terms of performance, computational expense, and speed. These methodologies represent platforms for connecting processing conditions to process modeling efforts aligned with the qualification and certification mission for LPBF Ti-6Al-4V components.

Qualification↗
NASA NTRS1990

Advanced automation for in-space vehicle processing

The primary objective of this 3-year planned study is to assure that the fully evolved Space Station Freedom (SSF) can support automated processing of exploratory mission vehicles. Current study assessments show that required extravehicular activity (EVA) and to some extent intravehicular activity (IVA) manpower requirements for required processing tasks far exceeds the available manpower. Furthermore, many processing tasks are either hazardous operations or they exceed EVA capability. Thus, automation is essential for SSF transportation node functionality. Here, advanced automation represents the replacement of human performed tasks beyond the planned baseline automated tasks. Both physical tasks such as manipulation, assembly and actuation, and cognitive tasks such as visual inspection, monitoring and diagnosis, and task planning are considered. During this first year of activity both the Phobos/Gateway Mars Expedition and Lunar Evolution missions proposed by the Office of Exploration have been evaluated. A methodology for choosing optimal tasks to be automated has been developed. Processing tasks for both missions have been ranked on the basis of automation potential. The underlying concept in evaluating and describing processing tasks has been the use of a common set of 'Primitive' task descriptions. Primitive or standard tasks have been developed both for manual or crew processing and automated machine processing.

Sklar, Michael↗
NASA NTRS1980

Data reduction by computer processing

The automated analysis of remote sensing data, specifically digital processing of LANDSAT or other image data in numerical form was considered in a technical workshop which covered the teaching of digital image processing, including both theoretical and applied subjects and laboratory experience, and also reviewed NASA developed image processing software, and hardware/software systems employed at NASA-Ames Research Center in support of the Western Regional Applications Program (WRAP). A course titled Image Processing Lab, one of two courses required for a graduate minor in remote sensing at Arizona is examined as well as the rationale, content, and hardware/software support for this course.

Lumb, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Industrial realization of a direct Fourier transform in automated experimental data processing systems

Fourier processing of automatic signals transforms direct current voltage into a numerical form through bandpass filtration in time-pulse multiplying devices. It is shown that the ratio of the interference energy to the useful signal energy is inversely proportional to the square of the product of the depth of the width modulation and the ratio of the time constant averaging to the cross-multiplied signals.

Lyubashevskiy, G. S.↗