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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 325 records · Page 18

Study of foldable elastic tubes for large space structure applications

Various modifications were made to the tube design. The tubes were retested and analyzed, and the results are presented. One type of modified tube, the slotted tube, deployed successfully and reliably, and became the focus of detailed tests. Optimal design criteria, taking into consideration deployment as well as strength and buckling behavior were established.

Jones, I. W.↗

The Load Distribution in Bolted or Riveted Joints in Light-Alloy Structures

This report contains a theoretical discussion of the load distribution in bolted or riveted joints in light-alloy structures which is applicable not only for loads below the limit of proportionality but also for loads above this limit. The theory is developed for double and single shear joints. The methods given are illustrated by numerical examples and the values assumed for the bolt (or rivet) stiffnesses are based partly on theory and partly on known experimental values. It is shown that the load distribution does not vary greatly with the bolt (or rivet) stiffnesses and that for design purposes it is usually sufficient to know their order of magnitude. The theory may also be directly used for spot-welded structures and, with small modifications, for seam-welded structures, The computational work involved in the methods described is simple and may be completed in a reasonable time for most practical problems. A summary of earlier theoretical and experimental investigations on the subject is included in the report.

Vogt, F.↗

How Many Trip Requests Could We Support? An Activity-Travel Based Vehicle Scheduling Approach

In a world of ever-changing travel behavior and ever-increasing modal options, is vital to have integrated models that could capture the interactions between supply and demand layers of travel. Addressing this need, we propose three different versions of network representation and mathematical models for the activity-based vehicle routing problem to connect activity-travel graphs of passengers (demand layer) to spatio-temporal networks of vehicles (supply layer). Versions I and II are arc-based, while version III is path-based. In version I, we introduce the concept of activity-travel graphs for passengers. For vehicles, we construct space–time networks and add a new dimension, called “under-service state”, to track the execution status of trip requests at any location and time. In version II, we reduce the complexity of the network structure by eliminating the state dimension and some other modifications in the structure of the passengers’ and vehicles’ network. Although both versions can capture various behavioral constraints of the activity-based vehicle routing problem (e.g., mandatory and optimal activities, duration of activities, chain of activities, preferred starting and ending times of activities), due to the high level of complexity of the network structure, both versions can only solve small-sized problems. To tackle the computational complexity, we propose a path-based network representation in version III, and to make a balance between the disutility of passengers and vehicles, we present a tolled user equilibrium problem. Mathematical models are coded in C and GAMS and implemented on real-world Phoenix regional transportation network with more than 39 million trip requests, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution for the original and restricted master problems.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Method for Impeding Degradation of Porous Silicon Structures

This invention relates to surface modification of porosified silicon (pSi) structures with poly(alkylene) glycols for the purpose of controlled degradation of the silicon matrix and tailored release of encapsulated substances for biomedical applications. The pSi structures are currently used in diverse biomedical applications including bio-molecular screening, optical bio-sensoring, and drug delivery by means of injectable/orally administered carriers and implantable devices. The size of the pores and the surface chemistry of the pSi structure can be controlled during the microfabrication process and thereafter. A fine regulation of the degradation kinetics of mesoporous silicon structures is of fundamental importance. Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) represent the major category of surface modifying agents used in classical drug delivery systems and in pharmaceutical dosage forms. PEGylation enables avoidance of RES uptake, thus prolonging circulation time of intravenously injectable nanovectors. PEG molecules demonstrate little toxicity and immunogenicity, and are cleared from the body through the urine (molecular weight, MW less than 30 kDa) or in the feces (MW greater than 30kDa). The invention focuses on the possibility of finely tuning the degradation kinetics of the pSi nanovectors and other structures through surface conjugation of PEGs with various backbone lengths/MWs. To prove the concept, pSi nanovectors were covalently conjugated to seven PEGs with MW from 245 to 5,000 Da and their degradation kinetics in physiologically relevant media (phosphate buffer saline, PBS pH7.4, and fetal bovine serum) was assessed by the elemental analysis of the Si using inductive coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). The conjugation of the PEG with lowest MW to the nanovectors surface did not induce any change in the degradation kinetics in serum, but inhibited degradation and consequently the release of orthosilicic acid into buffer. When PEGs with the longer chains were evaluated, Si mass loss from the nanovectors was slowed down, and the PEGylated structures were almost fully degraded within 18 24 hours in serum and within 48 hours in PBS. The most dramatic effect was observed for high MW PEGs 3,400 and 5,000 Da, which prominently inhibited the degradation of the systems, with complete degradation achieved only after four days. For these PEGs, during the early stages of the degradation, there was a lag period of little or no Si mass loss from the nanovector. The obtained profiles were in agreement with the erosion of the nanovector surface as observed by scanning electron microscopy.

Vilentchouk, Biana Godin↗

Signatures of Biologically Driven Hemicellulose Modification Quantified by Analytical Pyrolysis Coupled with Multidimensional Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry

Biomass storage operation is one major source of feedstock quality variability that impacts on downstream preprocessing, feeding, handling and conversion into biofuels, chemicals and products. In field Ccorn stover biomass bales undergoes degradation and cell wall components modification resulting from microbial biological heating occurring during storage. A molecular characterization of the modification was achieved to unveil and understand the changes of structural cell wall modification in corn stover samples by conducting low temperature (400°C) pyrolysis, comparing samples that were mildly biologicallyun heated to those that had been subjected to microbial severe biological heating (~60°C). Pyrolysis of the samples originating from biomass that had been heated during storage generated small oxygenates such as furfural, 5-methylfurfural and 2-(5H)-furanone with efficiencies that were as much as ten times greater than those measured for the mildly unheated samples. Most of the compounds having enhanced efficiencies were C5 oxygenates, suggesting that the pyrolysis products may be formed from hemicellulosic precursor polymers in the corn stover. The findings suggest that microbial heating may be disrupting the cell wall structure, fragmenting the hemicellulose or cellulose chains, generating more polymer termini that have higher efficiency for generating the oxygenates at lower temperatures. Pyrolysis variability with temperature may be a beneficial strategy for improved biomass cell wall characterization, and for guiding control strategies for enhanced control over product distributions , providing insights to understand and manage the feedstock variability as well as to inform harvest and storage best management practices.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

A NASTRAN DMAP alter for determining a local stiffness modification to obtain a specified eigenvalue

A technique is described which has been programmed as a DMAP Alter to Rigid Format 3, for determining a stiffness matrix modification to obtain a specified eigenvalue for a structure. The stiffness matrix modifications allowable are those that can be described as the product of a single scalar variable and a matrix of constant coefficients input by the user. The program solves for the scalar variable multiplier which will yield a specified eigenvalue for the complete structure (provided it exists), makes the modification to the stiffness matrix, and proceeds in Rigid Format 3 to obtain the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the modified structure.

Case, W. R., Jr.↗

Multiphoton and Harmonic Imaging of Microarchitected Materials

Microadditive manufacturing has revolutionized the production of complex, nano- to microscale components across various fields. This work investigates two-photon (2P) and three-photon (3P) fluorescence imaging, as well as third-harmonic generation (THG) microscopy, to examine periodic microarchitected lattice structures fabricated using multiphoton lithography (MPL). By immersing the structures in refractive index matching fluids, we demonstrate high-fidelity 3D reconstructions of both fluorescent structures using 2P and 3P microscopy as well as low-fluorescence structures using THG microscopy. These results show that multiphoton fluorescence (MPF) imaging offers reduced signal decay with respect to depth compared to single-photon techniques in the examined structures. We further demonstrate the ability to nondestructively identify intentional internal modifications of the structure that are not immediately visible with scanning electron microscope (SEM) images and compression-induced fractures, highlighting the potential of these techniques for quality control and defect detection in microadditively manufactured components.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Reanalysis and design in structural dynamics

A unified efficient formulation for the static and dynamic reanalysis of locally modified structures is presented. The reanalysis problem is to find the structural responses when some of the element properties are adjusted as a result of design modifications or when additional structures are appended to the original system. The reanalysis problem is formulated as a problem of much lower order than the original system. This is achieved by utilizing the linearity property of the structure using the pseudoload concept together with the solution of the original system. The modifications to the structure are treated as displacement-dependent pseudoloads of the system. By expressing the modified system response as linear combinations of the response of the original system and a term depending on the pseudoload, a reduced set of response equations can be obtained. In the static and sinusoidal steady state analysis, this leads to a set of linear algebraic equations. For a free vibration analysis, this results in a reduced eigenvalue problem. Using these reduced equations, a design problem can be solved; that is, the magnitude of a specified local modification for given dynamic response characteristics can be calculated. Several examples are presented to illustrate the general formulations.

Wang, B. P.↗

Archaeosine Modification of Archaeal tRNA: Role in Structural Stabilization

Archaeosine is ubiquitous in archaeal tRNA, where it is located at position 15. Based on its molecular structure, it was proposed to stabilize tRNA, and we show that loss of archaeosine in Thermococcus kodakarensis results in a strong temperature-sensitive phenotype, while there is no detectable phenotype when it is lost in Methanosarcina mazei . Measurements of tRNA stability show that archaeosine stabilizes the tRNA structure but that this effect is much greater when it is present in otherwise unmodified tRNA transcripts than in the context of fully modified tRNA, suggesting that it may be especially important during the early stages of tRNA processing and maturation in thermophiles. Our results demonstrate how small changes in the stability of structural RNAs can be manifested in significant biological-fitness changes.

Microbiology↗

Superconductivity and Local Inversion-Symmetry Breaking

Inversion and time reversal are essential symmetries for the structure of Cooper pairs in superconductors. The loss of one or both leads to modifications to this structure and can change the properties of the superconducting phases in profound ways. Superconductivity in materials lacking inversion symmetry, or noncentrosymmetric materials, has become an important topic. These materials show unusual magnetic and magnetoelectric properties and can host topological superconductivity. Recently, crystal structures with local, but not global, inversion-symmetry breaking have attracted attention. Here, superconductivity can exhibit phenomena not naively expected in centrosymmetric materials. In this review, we first introduce the concept of locally noncentrosymmetric crystals and different material realizations. We then discuss consequences of such local symmetry breaking on the normal state electronic structure and the classification of superconducting order parameters. Finally, we review the expected and, in parts, already observed phenomenology of unconventional superconductivity and possible topological superconducting phases.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Flow Quality Survey of the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (2015 Test) Prior to the 9- by 15-Foot Acoustic Low-Speed Wind Tunnel Acoustic Improvement Modifications

Prior to the NASA Glenn Research Center 9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel (9x15 LSWT) undergoing significant structural and acoustic modifications beginning in 2017, a flow quality survey (FQS) was conducted to characterize the flow quality of the 8- by 6-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel (8x6 SWT) test section and facility air dryer. The data from this FQS will be compared to data collected during a FQS following the completion of the 9x15 LSWT Acoustic Improvement Modifications. This document contains only the FQS data collected in November 2015 using the 16-inch-diameter cone cylinder and a set of twenty air dryer bed wind anemometers. The ability to reach the extents of the 8x6 SWT operating envelope with a large blockage model was verified through the 16-inch-diameter cone cylinder tests. The flow uniformity and angularity at the entrance of the facility air dryer was assessed and quantified using the air dryer bed wind anemometers.

Flow Quality Survey↗

Neutron Valence Structure from Nuclear Deep Inelastic Scattering

Mechanisms of spin-flavor SU(6) symmetry breaking in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) are studied via an extraction of the free neutron structure function from a global analysis of deep inelastic scattering (DIS) data on the proton and on nuclei from $A = 2$ (deuterium) to 208 (lead). Modification of the structure function of nucleons bound in atomic nuclei (known as the EMC effect) are consistently accounted for within the framework of a universal modification of nucleons in short-range correlated (SRC) pairs. Our extracted neutron-to-proton structure function ratio $F_2^n/F_2^p$ becomes constant for $x_B \ge 0.6$, equalling $0.47 \pm 0.04$ as $x_B \rightarrow 1$, in agreement with theoretical predictions of perturbative QCD and the Dyson Schwinger equation, and in disagreement with predictions of the Scalar Diquark dominance model. Finally, we also predict $F_2^{^3\mathrm{He}}/F_2^{^3\mathrm{H}}$, recently measured, yet unpublished, by the MARATHON collaboration, the nuclear correction function that is needed to extract $F_2^n/F_2^p$ from $F_2^{^3\mathrm{He}}/F_2^{^3\mathrm{H}}$, and the theoretical uncertainty associated with this extraction.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

The Deep Structure of Lunar Basins: Clues to the Understanding of Basin Formation and Modification

Basin excavation has played a major role in shaping the surface and subsurface of the Moon. Though photogeologic observations provide estimates for the present volumes of lunar impact basins and their ejecta deposits, there is not sufficient information to describe completely either the geometry of the basins at the time of impact or their modification with time. Determination of the structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath large basins can provide important insight into the thermal and mechanical processes associated with basin formation and modification as well as the differences in these processes as functions of basin age and size. Using observed gravity and topography together with the seismically determined crustal thickness of the central nearside, a model for the structure of the crust and upper mantle of the nearside of the Moon is presented. With this model the deep structure of the largest lunar basins are compared. The implications for the processes of basin formation and modification at different stages in lunar history are explored.

Bratt, S. R.↗

NASTRAN modifications for recovering strains and curvatures

Modifications to the NASTRAN structural analysis computer program are described. The modifications allow the recovery of strain and curvature data for the general two-dimensional elements, in addition to the usual stress data. Option features allow the transformation of the strain/curvature (or stress) data to a common coordinate system and representation at the grid points of the structural model rather than at the conventional element center locations. Usage information is provided which will allow present users of NASTRAN to easily utilize the new capability.

Hennrich, C. W.↗