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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 685 records · Page 38

Building application of solar energy. Study no. 4: Scenarios for the utilization of solar energy in southern California buildings, change 1

Plausible future market scenarios for solar heating and cooling systems into buildings in the area served by the Southern California Edison Company. A range of plausible estimates for the number of solar systems which might be installed and the electrical energy which might be displaced by energy from these systems are provided. The effect on peak electrical load was not explicitly calculated but preliminary conclusions concerning peak load can be inferred from the estimates presented. Two markets are investigated: the single family market and the large power commercial market.

Davis, E. S.↗

Micromechanics of Fracture Propagation During Multistage Stress Relaxation and Creep in Brittle Rocks

Time-dependent rock deformation caused by the initiation and growth of fractures leads to the weakening of the rock mass. Understanding the fracturing mechanisms involved in the time-dependent behavior in brittle rocks is very important and to achieve this goal, a systematic series of three types of experiments was performed on double-flawed prismatic Barre granite specimens under unconfined compression. The first series aimed to identify the failure mechanism in the short-term failure mode under monotonic loading, the, second series involved multistage relaxation (constant strain) experiments to analyze the damage at different strain levels, and the third series explored the fracture propagation under multistage creep (constant load) experiments. The spatial and temporal evolution of cracking mechanisms were evaluated using the acoustic emission (AE) and two-dimensional digital image correlation (2D-DIC) techniques to observe the whole crack growth process as well as the accumulated inelastic strain at the specified region of interest. Results suggest that in the case of multistage creep experiments, the time to failure was less compared to the multistage relaxation, when loaded above the crack damage threshold (CD) estimated from the monotonic testing. Furthermore, the frequency magnitude distribution of the AE events generated in the three loading conditions followed the Gutenberg Richter model. A relatively lower b-value was obtained for the creep experiments, indicative of high energy AE events and faster crack growth. In addition, the AE and DIC results also revealed high evolution of tensile cracks at-different stages of creep and relaxation compared to shear and mixed-mode cracks.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

A semiparametric latent factor model for large scale temporal data with heteroscedasticity

Large scale temporal data have flourished in a vast array of applications, and their sophisticated structures, especially the heteroscedasticity among subjects with inter- and intra-temporal dependence, have fueled a great demand for new statistical models. In this paper, with covariate information, we consider a flexible model for large scale temporal data with subject-specific heteroscedasticity. Formally, the model employs latent semiparametric factors to simultaneously account for the subject-specific heteroscedasticity and the contemporaneous and/or serial correlations. The subject-specific heteroscedasticity is modeled as the product of the unobserved factor process and subject’s covariate effect, which is further characterized via additive models. For estimation, we propose a two-step procedure. First, the latent factor process and nonparametric loading are recovered through projection-based methods, and following, we estimate the regression components by approaches motivated from the generalized least squares. By scrupulously examining the non-asymptotic rates for recovering the factor process and its loading, we show the consistency and efficiency of estimated regression coefficients in the absence of prior knowledge of latent factor process and subject’s covariate effect. Here, the statistical guarantees remain valid even for finite time points that makes our method particularly appealing when the subjects significantly outnumber the observation time points. Using comprehensive simulations, we demonstrate the finite sample performance of our method, which corroborates the theoretical findings. Finally, we apply our method to a data set of air quality and energy consumption collected at 129 monitoring sites in the United States in 2015.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Estimating the R-curve from residual strength data

A method is presented for estimating the crack-extension resistance curve (R-curve) from residual-strength (maximum load against original crack length) data for precracked fracture specimens. The method allows additional information to be inferred from simple test results, and that information can be used to estimate the failure loads of more complicated structures of the same material and thickness. The fundamentals of the R-curve concept are reviewed first. Then the analytical basis for the estimation method is presented. The estimation method has been verified in two ways. Data from the literature (involving several materials and different types of specimens) are used to show that the estimated R-curve is in good agreement with the measured R-curve. A recent predictive blind round-robin program offers a more crucial test. When the actual failure loads are disclosed, the predictions are found to be in good agreement.

Orange, T. W.↗

Fatigue of graphite/epoxy /0/90/45/-45/s laminates under dual stress levels

A model for the prediction of loading sequence effects on the statistical distribution of fatigue life and residual strength in composite materials is generalized and applied to (0/90/45/-45)s graphite/epoxy laminates. Load sequence effects are found to be caused by both the difference in residual strength when failure occurs (boundary effect) and the effect of previously applied loads (memory effect). The model allows the isolation of these two effects, and the estimation of memory effect magnitudes under dual fatigue loading levels. It is shown that the material memory effect is insignificant, and that correlations between predictions of the number of early failures agree with the verification tests, as do predictions of fatigue life and residual strength degradation under dual stress levels.

Yang, J. N.↗

A Critique of a Phenomenological Fiber Breakage Model for Stress Rupture of Composite Materials

Stress rupture is not a critical failure mode for most composite structures, but there are a few applications where it can be critical. One application where stress rupture can be a critical design issue is in Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV's), where the composite material is highly and uniformly loaded for long periods of time and where very high reliability is required. COPV's are normally required to be proof loaded before being put into service to insure strength, but it is feared that the proof load may cause damage that reduces the stress rupture reliability. Recently, a fiber breakage model was proposed specifically to estimate a reduced reliability due to proof loading. The fiber breakage model attempts to model physics believed to occur at the microscopic scale, but validation of the model has not occurred. In this paper, the fiber breakage model is re-derived while highlighting assumptions that were made during the derivation. Some of the assumptions are examined to assess their effect on the final predicted reliability.

Reeder, James R.↗

A Deterministic and Probabilistic Framework for Forecasting of Time-Series Damage States and Associated End-of-lIfe of a Pressurizer Water Reactor Surge Line under Design-Basis and Grid-Load-Following Loading Conditions

Argonne National Laboratory in support of the Department of Energy’s Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. The present semi-annual report covers the period between May 2018 and September 2018. In this report, we present the work performed to further improve the capability for structural integrity prediction. Part of this work focused on validating a computational fluid dynamics model for modeling thermal stratification. We also present finite element (FE) model based thermal-mechanical stress analysis of a pressurized water reactor (PWR) surge line under grid-load-following loading condition. In addition, we present work related to end-of-life prediction of a PWR surge line based on ASME code and NUREG-6909 deterministic approaches under design-basis and grid-load-following conditions. Our research in this report period also majorly involved with the development of a strategy for probabilistic fatigue life estimation. First, we applied a Weibull probabilistic modeling approach based on end-of-life fatigue data (traditional S~N data under in-air and PWR water conditions) to estimate the probabilistic life for a given strain amplitude. Second, we developed a data analytics based Markov-Chain-Monte-Carlo (MCMC) model for probabilistic modeling of time-series fatigue damage states and the associated probabilistic end-of-life of a component. Unlike the Weibull type approach, the MCMC type may not require a large number of fatigue tests for estimating the end-of-life for given loading and environmental conditions. We demonstrated the use of this framework through symmetric fatigue tests (stress- or strain-ontrolled tests either under in-air or PWR-water conditions) obtained from our earlier experiments. The MCMC model can use base time-series data either obtained from a model or fatigue experiment. Since experimental data are typically more accurate than model-calculated data, we used experiment-based time-series data to demonstrate the MCMC framework. However, when performing a complex experiment is not possible (due to time and costs involved), a model-based approach can be used to generate the time-series data. Similar model-based data are presented in our earlier report (e.g. for cyclic hardening damage states of a PWR surge line under constant amplitude and design-basis loading [1]). However, for the MCMC work in this report, we used experiment-based time-series damage states obtained from fatigue experiments under design-basis and grid-load-following loading conditions. The experimental loading inputs were based on thermal-mechanical FE model results of a typical PWR surge line. Then, we used the experimental time-series damage state data for forecasting the probabilistic time-series damage states and end-of-life of the PWR surge line. Based on this MCMC modeling strategy, and with the assumed loading, environment and thermal-mechanical boundary conditions, we have estimated that a 316SS-pure base metal PWR surge line would survive at least 159 years with zero failure probability.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Evaluation of 16 measures of mental workload using a simulated flight task emphasizing mediational activity

As aircraft and other systems become more automated, a shift is occurring in human operator participation in these systems. This shift is away from manual control and toward activities that tap the higher mental functioning of human operators. Therefore, an experiment was performed in a moving-base flight simulator to assess mediational (cognitive) workload measurement. Specifically, 16 workload estimation techniques were evaluated as to their sensitivity and intrusion in a flight task emphasizing mediational behavior. Task loading, using navigation problems presented on a display, was treated as an independent variable, and workload-measure values were treated as dependent variables. Results indicate that two mediational task measures, two rating scale measures, time estimation, and two eye behavior measures were reliably sensitive to mediational loading. The time estimation measure did, however, intrude on mediational task performance. Several of the remaining measures were completely insensitive to mediational load.

Wierwille, W. W.↗

2016 Update of Hanford Glass Property Models and Constraints for Use in Estimating the Glass Mass to be Produced at Hanford by Implementing Current Enhanced Glass Formulation Efforts

Recent glass formulation and melter testing data have suggested that significant increases in waste loading in high-level waste (HLW) and low-activity waste (LAW) glasses are possible over current system planning estimates. In 2013 a set of models and constraints based on these data were developed and published (Vienna et al. 2013). Since that report roughly 200 additional glasses have been tested and lessons were learned in the application of the preliminary set of models and constraints. This report summarizes the advancements in glass formulation and glass property estimation since Vienna et al. 2013 (using the additional data and lessons learned) and updates the recommended set of enhanced glass property-composition models and constraints for use in River Protection Project (RPP) planning. The combined data (although limited in some cases) were evaluated to determine a set of constraints and models that could be used to estimate the maximum loading of specific waste compositions in glass. It is recommended that these models and constraints be used to estimate the likely HLW and LAW glass masses that would result if the current glass formulation studies are successfully completed. It is recognized that some of the models are preliminary in nature and will change in the coming years. In addition, the models do not currently address the prediction uncertainties that would be required before they could be used in plant operations. The models and constraints are only meant to give an indication of rough glass masses and are not intended to be used in quality-affecting activities or decisions. A current research program is in place to develop the data, models, and uncertainty descriptions for that purpose. A fundamental tenet underlying the research reported in this and the previous document is the attempt to be less conservative, but still realistic, than previous studies when developing constraints for the estimation of glass to be produced by implementing current enhanced glass formulation efforts. The less conservative approach documented herein should allow for the estimate of glass masses that may be realized if the current efforts in enhanced glass formulations are completed over the coming years, and are as successful as early indications suggest they may be. Because of this approach, there is an unquantifiable uncertainty in the ultimate glass mass projections due to model prediction uncertainties that must be considered, along with other system uncertainties, such as waste compositions and amounts to be immobilized, split factors between LAW and HLW, etc. A plan to estimate the impact of those uncertainties has been developed and a future update will document the results.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

How Can Floor Covering Influence Buildings’ Demand Flexibility?

Although the thermal mass of floors in buildings has been demonstrated to help shift cooling load, there is still a lack of information about how floor covering can influence the floor’s load shifting capability and buildings’ demand flexibility. To fill this gap, we estimated demand flexibility based on the daily peak cooling load reduction for different floor configurations and regions, using EnergyPlus simulations. As a demand response strategy, we used precooling and global temperature adjustment. The result demonstrated an adverse impact of floor covering on the building’s demand flexibility. Specifically, under the same demand response strategy, the daily peak cooling load reductions were up to 20–34% for a concrete floor whereas they were only 17–29% for a carpet-covered concrete floor. This is because floor covering hinders convective coupling between the concrete floor surface and the zone air and reduces radiative heat transfer between the concrete floor surface and the surrounding environment. In hot climates such as Phoenix, floor covering almost negated the concrete floor’s load shifting capability and yielded low demand flexibility as a wood floor, representing low thermal mass. Sensitivity analyses showed that floor covering’s effects can be more profound with a larger carpet-covered area, a greater temperature adjustment depth, or a higher radiant heat gain. With this effect ignored for a given building, its demand flexibility would be overestimated, which could prevent grid operators from obtaining sufficient demand flexibility to maintain a grid. Our findings also imply that for more efficient grid-interactive buildings, a traditional standard for floor design could be modified with increasing renewable penetration.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Improvements of the Load Schedule for the Machine Calibration of a Strain-Gage Balance

The load schedule for the calibration of a six-component force balance in a calibration machine was improved. Now, single-component loads are repeated in regular intervals during the calibration. This approach has several advantages. First, the number of single-component loads increases to about twenty-two percent of all loads and load combinations. Consequently, more accurate numerical estimates of the primary bridge sensitivities can be obtained if global regression is used for the analysis of the calibration data. In addition, single-component repeats make it possible to track the stability of the applied loads during the calibration process. Finally, interactions of single-component repeats can be compared with interactions that are observed during the application of manual loads to the balance. Machine calibration and manual data sets of two force balances are used to illustrate benefits of the new load schedule. It is shown in the examples how differences between the observed interactions of machine calibration and manual data can be quantified. The suggested improvements can also be implemented in the load schedule for the machine calibration of a moment or direct-read balance as long as single-component loads are included that are described in the design load format of the balance.

wind tunnel test↗

Impact of Limited Degree of Freedom Drag Coefficients on a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Simulation

The worldwide effort to design and commission floating offshore wind turbines (FOWT) is motivating the need for reliable numerical models that adequately represent their physical behavior under realistic sea states. However, properly representing the hydrodynamic quadratic damping for FOWT remains uncertain, because of its dependency on the choice of drag coefficients (dimensionless or not). It is hypothesized that the limited degree of freedom (DoF) drag coefficient formulation that uses only translational drag coefficients causes mischaracterization of the rotational DoF drag, leading to underestimation of FOWT global loads, such as tower base fore-aft shear. To address these hydrodynamic modeling uncertainties, different quadratic drag models implemented in the open-source mid-fidelity simulation tool, OpenFAST, were investigated and compared with the experimental data from the Offshore Code Comparison Collaboration, Continued, with Correlation (OC5) project. The tower base fore-aft shear and up-wave mooring line tension were compared under an irregular wave loading condition to demonstrate the effects of the different damping models. Two types of hydrodynamic quadratic drag formulations were considered: (1) member-based dimensionless drag coefficients applied only at the translational DoF (namely limited-DoF drag model) and (2) quadratic drag matrix model (in dimensional form). Based on the results, the former consistently underestimated the 95th percentile peak loads and spectral responses when compared to the OC5 experimental data. In contrast, the drag matrix models reduced errors in estimates of the tower base shear peak load by 7–10% compared to the limited-DoF drag model. The underestimation in the tower base fore-aft shear was thus inferred be related to mischaracterization of the rotational pitch drag and the heave motion/drag by the limited-DoF model.

17 WIND ENERGY↗

Strength, Fracture Toughness, Fatigue, and Standardization Issues of Free-standing Thermal Barrier Coatings

Strength, fracture toughness and fatigue behavior of free-standing thick thermal barrier coatings of plasma-sprayed ZrO2-8wt % Y2O3 were determined at ambient and elevated temperatures in an attempt to establish a database for design. Strength, in conjunction with deformation (stress-strain behavior), was evaluated in tension (uniaxial and trans-thickness), compression, and uniaxial and biaxial flexure; fracture toughness was determined in various load conditions including mode I, mode II, and mixed modes I and II; fatigue or slow crack growth behavior was estimated in cyclic tension and dynamic flexure loading. Effect of sintering was quantified through approaches using strength, fracture toughness, and modulus (constitutive relations) measurements. Standardization issues on test methodology also was presented with a special regard to material's unique constitutive relations.

Choi, Sung R.↗

Estimation of the maximum angle of sideslip for determination of vertical-tail loads in rolling maneuvers

Report includes the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Technical Reports 1135 through 1157. Recent experiences have indicated that angles of sideslip in rolling maneuvers may be critical in the design of vertical tails for current research airplanes having weight distributed mainly along the fuselage. Previous investigations have indicated the seriousness of the problem for the World War II type of airplane. This report presents some preliminary calculations for airplanes of current design, particularly with weight distributed primarily along the fuselage. The results of this study indicate that existing simplified expressions for calculating maximum sideslip angles to determine the vertical-tail loads in rolling maneuvers are not generally applicable to airplanes of current design.

Stone, Ralph W , Jr↗

Indentation fracture toughness of sintered silicon carbide in the Palmqvist crack regime

The fracture toughness of a sintered dense alpha-SiC was estimated by the Vickers indentation microfracture method in the low-load Palmqvist crack regime. It was observed that the use of simultaneously obtained Vickers hardnesses does not yield reliable fracture toughness values, nor does application of the median-crack-derived equations. It is necessary to utilize a load-independent, crack-free hardness value with this toughness estimation method. Although several of the curve-fitting equations yield similar toughnesses, it is concluded for the Palmqvist crack system in this alpha-SiC that the Niihara-Morena-Hasselman (1982) equation is the only one which yields fracture toughness values in agreement with conventional measurement techniques.

Li, Zhuang↗

Shock-induced transformation of nitinol shape memory alloy: Effect of stress state on transformation

Due to its numerous practical applications and intriguing phase transformation behavior, shape memory alloys (SMAs) have garnered significant research and development interests. In the past, most studies on the mechanical behavior of SMAs have been conducted under uniaxial stress loadings. Limited research on SMAs under shock loading has not provided conclusive results regarding their transformation behavior and transformation stress under such loading. Additionally, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the effects of different stress states on transformation behavior. The main objectives of this study are to address these issues. To achieve these objectives, a series of shock wave experiments were designed and conducted. Additionally, quasi-static and dynamic uniaxial stress experiments were carried out to establish a baseline for comparison. The results revealed that the transformation stress under dynamic uniaxial strain shock loading was approximately 1.92 GPa in contrast to 0.5 GPa (quasi-static) to 0.8 GPa (dynamic) observed in uniaxial stress loading. The transformation behavior exhibited noticeable rate sensitivity for both types of loading. There appeared to be a critical strain rate above which the austenite phase was driven to a metastable state. This estimated critical axial strain rate along the loading direction was approximately 2 × 10 3 /s–4 × 10 3 /s for uniaxial stress loading and approximately 2 × 10 6 /s for uniaxial strain loading. The apparent high transformation stress for uniaxial strain loading can likely be attributed to a combination of high-pressure confinement and high strain rate. Furthermore, determining their relative contributions remains an open issue.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Distributed control system for parallel-connected DC boost converters

The disclosed invention is a distributed control system for operating a DC bus fed by disparate DC power sources that service a known or unknown load. The voltage sources vary in v-i characteristics and have time-varying, maximum supply capacities. Each source is connected to the bus via a boost converter, which may have different dynamic characteristics and power transfer capacities, but are controlled through PWM. The invention tracks the time-varying power sources and apportions their power contribution while maintaining the DC bus voltage within the specifications. A central digital controller solves the steady-state system for the optimal duty cycle settings that achieve a desired power supply apportionment scheme for a known or predictable DC load. A distributed networked control system is derived from the central system that utilizes communications among controllers to compute a shared estimate of the unknown time-varying load through shared bus current measurements and bus voltage measurements.

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION↗