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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 919 records · Page 51

Process Development and Optimization of a Direct Cast U-6Nb 250 mm Hemispherical Component

Direct Casting is the process of casting a near-net shape part of U-6wt%Nb in a multi-zone VIM furnace for subsequent heat treatment and machining in to a final component. This report describes work to further develop a sound technical basis and best practices for mold design and process parameters for the Direct Casting of U-6Nb components with a hemispherical geometry. Specifically, process parameters and mold design are examined in detail for producing a 250 mm diameter hemisphere component. The goal is to efficiently produce a sound casting with a minimum of microporosity and uniform niobium composition. Prior work had tried unsuccessfully to cast this shape in a large single-coil vacuum induction melting (VIM) furnace. These castings had unacceptable levels microporosity and niobium segregation. In this work, this same part was cast in a multi-zone VIM and a sound casting was obtained. Beyond simply casting a sound part, this work aimed to optimize the hot-top design, metal pouring temperature, and mold pole temperature. Sound castings where produced using both a tapered and step hot-top designs. There were slightly lower porosity levels and about 5% better metal usage with the step hot-top so that design slightly better. With the current mold design, which uses a funnel and filter arrangement, there a large amount of superheat loss in the funnel/filter during mold filling. This temperature loss, and the apparent variability in the filling behavior, lead to casting defects in the pole region of several of the castings. The variability and defects were overcome by moving to a higher mold pole temperature (850°C) and a higher metal pour temperature (1500°C). For future work it is believed that a no-funnel design, with the filter integral to the crucible, will be a better and more robust strategy.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A Multi-Mode Blade Damping Control using Shunted Piezoelectric Transducers with Active Feedback Structure

The Structural Dynamics and. Mechanics branch (RXS) is developing smart adaptive structures to improve fan blade damping at resonances using piezoelectric (PE) transducers. In this presentation, only one shunted PE transducer was used to demonstrate active control of multi-mode blade resonance damping on a titanium alloy (Ti-6A1-4V) flat plate model, regardless of bending, torsion, and 2-stripe modes. This work would have a significant impact on the conventional passive shunt damping world because the standard feedback control design tools can now be used to design and implement electric shunt for vibration control. In other words, the passive shunt circuit components using massive inductors and. resistors for multi-mode resonance control can be replaced with digital codes. Furthermore, this active approach with multi patches can simultaneously control several modes in the engine operating range. Dr. Benjamin Choi presented the analytical and experimental results from this work at the Propulsion-Safety and. Affordable Readiness (P-SAR) Conference in March, 2009.

Choi, Benjamin↗

FRAMEWORK FOR STRUCTURAL ONLINE HEALTH MONITORING OF AGING AND DEGRADATION OF SECONDARY PIPING SYSTEMS DUE TO SOME ASPECTS OF EROSION

This paper describes the current state of research related to critical aspects of erosion and selected aspects of degradation of secondary components in nuclear power plants (NPPs). The paper also proposes a framework for online health monitoring of aging and degradation of secondary components. The framework consists of an integrated multi-sensor modality system, which can be used to monitor different piping configurations under different degradation conditions. The report analyses the currently known degradation mechanisms and available predictive models. Based on this analysis, the structural health monitoring framework is proposed. The Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program began to evaluate technologies that could be used to perform online monitoring of piping and other secondary system structural components in commercial NPPs. These online monitoring systems have the potential to identify when a more detailed inspection is needed using real time measurements, rather than at a pre-determined inspection interval. This transition to condition-based, risk-informed automated maintenance will contribute to a significant reduction of operations and maintenance costs that account for the majority of nuclear power generation costs. Furthermore, of the operations and maintenance costs in U.S. plants, approximately 80% are labor costs. To address the issue of rising operating costs and economic viability, in 2017, companies that operate the national nuclear energy fleet started the Delivering the Nuclear Promise Initiative, which is a 3 year program aimed at maintaining operational focus, increasing value, and improving efficiency. There is unanimous agreement between industry experts and academic researchers that identifying and prioritizing inspection locations in secondary piping systems (for example, in raw water piping or diesel piping) would eliminate many excessive in-service inspections. The proposed structural health monitoring framework takes aim at answering this challenge by combining long range guided wave technologies with other monitoring techniques, which can significantly increase the inspection length and pinpoint the locations that degraded the most. More widely, the report suggests research efforts aimed at developing, validating, and deploying online corrosion monitoring techniques for complex geometries, which are pervasive in NPPs.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The Component Packaging Problem: A Vehicle for the Development of Multidisciplinary Design and Analysis Methodologies

This report summarizes academic research which has resulted in an increased appreciation for multidisciplinary efforts among our students, colleagues and administrators. It has also generated a number of research ideas that emerged from the interaction between disciplines. Overall, 17 undergraduate students and 16 graduate students benefited directly from the NASA grant: an additional 11 graduate students were impacted and participated without financial support from NASA. The work resulted in 16 theses (with 7 to be completed in the near future), 67 papers or reports mostly published in 8 journals and/or presented at various conferences (a total of 83 papers, presentations and reports published based on NASA inspired or supported work). In addition, the faculty and students presented related work at many meetings, and continuing work has been proposed to NSF, the Army, Industry and other state and federal institutions to continue efforts in the direction of multidisciplinary and recently multi-objective design and analysis. The specific problem addressed is component packing which was solved as a multi-objective problem using iterative genetic algorithms and decomposition. Further testing and refinement of the methodology developed is presently under investigation. Teaming issues research and classes resulted in the publication of a web site, (http://design.eng.clemson.edu/psych4991) which provides pointers and techniques to interested parties. Specific advantages of using iterative genetic algorithms, hurdles faced and resolved, and institutional difficulties associated with multi-discipline teaming are described in some detail.

Fadel, Georges↗

Deterministic Design Optimization of Structures in OpenMDAO Framework

Nonlinear programming algorithms play an important role in structural design optimization. Several such algorithms have been implemented in OpenMDAO framework developed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). OpenMDAO is an open source engineering analysis framework, written in Python, for analyzing and solving Multi-Disciplinary Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) problems. It provides a number of solvers and optimizers, referred to as components and drivers, which users can leverage to build new tools and processes quickly and efficiently. Users may download, use, modify, and distribute the OpenMDAO software at no cost. This paper summarizes the process involved in analyzing and optimizing structural components by utilizing the framework s structural solvers and several gradient based optimizers along with a multi-objective genetic algorithm. For comparison purposes, the same structural components were analyzed and optimized using CometBoards, a NASA GRC developed code. The reliability and efficiency of the OpenMDAO framework was compared and reported in this report.

Coroneos, Rula M.↗

Deterministic Design Optimization of Structures in OpenMDAO Framework

Nonlinear programming algorithms play an important role in structural design optimization. Several such algorithms have been implemented in OpenMDAO framework developed at NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). OpenMDAO is an open source engineering analysis framework, written in Python, for analyzing and solving Multi-Disciplinary Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) problems. It provides a number of solvers and optimizers, referred to as components and drivers, which users can leverage to build new tools and processes quickly and efficiently. Users may download, use, modify, and distribute the OpenMDAO software at no cost. This paper summarizes the process involved in analyzing and optimizing structural components by utilizing the framework s structural solvers and several gradient based optimizers along with a multi-objective genetic algorithm. For comparison purposes, the same structural components were analyzed and optimized using CometBoards, a NASA GRC developed code. The reliability and efficiency of the OpenMDAO framework was compared and reported in this report.

Coroneos, Rula M.↗

Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking (ISAAC): Phase 1 Low-Fidelity Demo

This presentation describes the ISAAC phase 1 low-fidelity demonstration results. The demonstration satisfied the milestone from the Gateway-ISAAC Memorandum of Understanding to "Demonstrate spatial and logical data registration between robotics and spacecraft". It integrated many new ISAAC components, including a spatially linked model, Astrobee multi-sensor mapping, and an integrated data interface. It advanced ISAAC key performance parameters related to mapping, in a lab setting. Areas for phase 1 forward work include: improve maturity toward the high-fidelity demo on the ISS; demonstrate mapping with more sensor modalities; expand initial anomaly detection implementation into a flexible framework with multiple detection algorithms for different tasks; begin open source software release process for releasable ISAAC components.

robotics↗

Insight into synergy within multi-decorated graphene 3D networks for high performance supercapacitor

Analysis the synergy among different components within graphene based asymmetric supercapacitor could help us to establish the criterion for construction the idea supercapacitor for real applications. For this purpose, 3D Networks for Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and α- Ni(OH){sub 2} individually/collectively decorated S-doped graphene composites were successfully synthesized. The electrochemical performances clearly indicate the multi-decorated composite possesses the largest specific capacitance, improved cycle stability and enhanced rate capability due to its efficient additive effect among the different components of supercapacitor. The pronounced high energy density, provided by redox-active transition mental oxide/hydroxide, combined with excellent conductivity, hydrophilia and efficient charge storage, originated from S-doped graphene, result in the excellent composite for asymmetric supercapacitor. Within the voltage range from 0 to 0.44 V versus Ag/AgCl, the specific capacitance of Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Ni(OH){sub 2} co-decorated S-doped graphene composite can be achieved 2386 F g{sup −1} at current density of 1 A g{sup −1}. - Graphical abstract: The electrochemical performances clearly indicate the multi-decorated composite exhibits large specific capacitance, improved rate capability and long cycle stability due to its efficient additive effect among the different components of super-capacitor.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Multi Wave Link: An interactive database for co-ordination of multiwavelength programs

Multi Wave Link is an operational database used by the international astronomical community to plan and coordinate multiwavelength observational campaigns on various celestial objects. This facility has been and continues to be an essential tool for the organization of numerous simultaneous ground-based and satellite observations. The Multi Wave Link system has both an interactive component and an electronic mail alert notice component. The interactive portion contains a database of schedules from several of the world's larger observatories and orbiting satellites. Lists of observers, observatories, and their available instrumentation are additionally contained in the system. Another feature added to the software allows the user to search the Royal Greenwich Observatory e-mail listing of international astronomers. This capability is often used by astronomers to find the electronic address of colleagues for improved communication. However, the most productive aspect of the Multi Wave Link system appears to be one of the simplest parts of the system: the electronic mail alert notices for observing campaigns. Information useful in planning the structure of future astronomical databases can be obtained by studying patterns of use of the Multi Wave Link system. This paper analyzes 22 months of Multi Wave Link usage from Sep. 1991 - Jul. 1993.

Cordova, France↗

Calculating the Motion and Direction of Flux Transfer Events with Cluster

For many years now, the interactions of the solar wind plasma with the Earth's magnetosphere has been one of the most important problems for Space Physics. It is very important that we understand these processes because the high-energy particles and also the solar wind energy that cross the magneto sphere could be responsible for serious damage to our technological systems. The solar wind is inherently a dynamic medium, and the particles interaction with the Earth's magnetosphere can be steady or unsteady. Unsteady interaction include transient processes like bursty magnetic reconnection. Flux Transfer Events (FTEs) are magnetopause signatures that usually occur during transient times of reconnection. They exhibit bipolar signatures in the normal component of the magnetic field. We use multi-point timing analysis to determine the orientation and motion of ux transfer events (FTEs) detected by the four Cluster spacecraft on the high-latitude dayside and flank magnetopause during 2002 and 2003. During these years, the distances between the Cluster spacecraft were greater than 1000 km, providing the tetrahedral configuration needed to select events and determine velocities. Each velocity and location will be examined in detail and compared to the velocities and locations determined by the predictions of the component and antiparallel reconnection models for event formation, orientation, motion, and acceleration for a wide range of spacecraft locations and solar wind conditions.

Collado-Vega, Y. M.↗

DarkNESS: Characterization of Space Multi-Chip Module Skipper-CCDs and Readout Electronics

The DarkNESS mission has the goal of deploying a 6U CubeSat fitted with an array of skipper-CCDs in Low Earth Orbit (~400 km). The new instrument will take measurements of diffuse x-rays and look for signatures of dark matter decay in the spectrum. DarkNESS will also perform a direct search for strongly interacting sub-GeV dark matter in regions of the parameter space not accessible to ground based experiments [1]. Skipper-CCDs allow for low-noise astronomical observations which can extend the discovery reach for direct dark matter search experiments. This paper will discuss the laboratory characterization of the two key components of the scientific payload: the space Multi-Chip Module (sMCM), and their readout electronics.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

A versatile pressure-cell design for studying ultrafast molecular-dynamics in supercritical fluids using coherent multi-pulse x-ray scattering

Supercritical fluids (SCFs) can be found in a variety of environmental and industrial processes. They exhibit an anomalous thermodynamic behavior, which originates from their fluctuating heterogeneous micro-structure. Characterizing the dynamics of these fluids at high temperature and high pressure with nanometer spatial and picosecond temporal resolution has been very challenging. The advent of hard x-ray free electron lasers has enabled the development of novel multi-pulse ultrafast x-ray scattering techniques, such as x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy (XPCS) and x-ray pump x-ray probe (XPXP). These techniques offer new opportunities for resolving the ultrafast microscopic behavior in SCFs at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution, unraveling the dynamics of their micro-structure. However, harnessing these capabilities requires a bespoke high-pressure and high-temperature sample system that is optimized to maximize signal intensity and address instrument-specific challenges, such as drift in beamline components, x-ray scattering background, and multi-x-ray-beam overlap. We present a pressure cell compatible with a wide range of SCFs with built-in optical access for XPCS and XPXP and discuss critical aspects of the pressure cell design, with a particular focus on the design optimization for XPCS.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Mapping Urban Expansion Across North America Using Multi-Temporal Landsat and Nighttime Lights Data

Urban expansion and the associated changes in land cover have important climatic, hydrologic, biophysical and ecologic and socio-economic impacts on the environment. Yet, despite todays abundance of remote sensing data, an automated characterization of large-scale historical changes in urban spatial extent remains a challenge due to the inherent complexity and variability of the urban environment, the lack of a spectral signature unique to urban land cover, and the absence of an unambiguous definition of what is urban versus non-urban.Here we present a consistent, robust, scalable, physically- based methodology for characterization of urban expansion using Landsat observations. We use atmospherically corrected Landsat Global Land Survey time series, Web-enabled Landsat data time series, DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS nighttime lights, for mapping the built-up and vegetated components of urban settlements at 30m resolution through multi- temporal standardized spectral mixture analysis. The methodology is tested and validated over the North American continent where it provides a first quantification of urban expansion and vegetation abundance changes from 1990 to 2010.

Milesi, Cristina↗

Nasa's Plans for Development of a Standard for Additively Manufactured Components

The current version of NASA standards for manned spaceflight hardware do not contain sufficient detail for the certification of additively manufactured components. The development of additively manufactured standards is currently in work by several standards organizations. However, NASA cannot wait on these organizations to develop such standards. NASA and its program partners in manned spaceflight (Commercial Crew, Space Launch System and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle) are actively developing additively manufactured components for flight as early as 2019.

Russell, Richard W.↗

Stress characterization for friction-stir-welded electric vehicle battery trays with application of neutron diffraction

The battery tray is an essential component that protects and controls battery-cell temperatures in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The functional stress limit of the battery tray heavily depends on the residual stress acquired from the manufacturing process. Consequently, exceeding the stress limit of the battery tray during operation could compromise the battery-cell banks and may risk the vehicle's safety. Hence, understanding residual stress formation is vital for design and safety concerns. Here, in the current study, AA 6061-plates were friction stir welded to an A365 high-pressure die-cast battery tray to create sealed coolant channels in the battery tray. However, this multi-material lap friction stir weld introduces residual stress into the battery tray, resulting in distortion. This distortion was mitigated using burnishing or coining operations, though straightening the battery tray had initially unknown effects on the residual stress. Therefore, neutron diffraction was utilized to characterize residual stresses after straightening. The results indicate that the friction stir welding (FSW) operation generated residual stresses exceeding the yield strength of the material, consequently deforming the battery tray by ±3 mm from the pre-weld geometry. The burnishing operation reduced the residual stresses below the material's yield strength while restoring the tray to within ±0.75 mm of the pre-weld geometry. Similarly, the coining operation restored the battery tray to within ±0.75 mm of the pre-weld geometry, however, increasing the number of locations where the residual stress exceeds the yield strength of the material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multi-Axis Resonant Plate Shock Testing Evaluation and Test Specification Development

Resonant plate testing is a shock test method that is frequently used to simulate pyroshock events in the laboratory. Recently, it was discovered that if the unit under test is installed at an off-center location, a tri-axial accelerometer would record a shock response in three directions and the resulting shock response spectra implied that the test may have qualified the component in three directions simultaneously. The purpose of this research project was to evaluate this idea of multi-axis shock testing to determine if it was truly a multi-axis shock environment and if such a test could be used as an equivalent component qualification test. A study was conducted using generic, additively manufactured components tested on a resonant plate, along with an investigation of plate motion to evaluate the component response to off- center plate excitation. The data obtained here along with the analytical simulations performed indicate that off-center resonant plate tests are actually not three-axis shock tests, but rather single axis shocks at an arbitrary angle dictated by the location of the unit under test on the plate. This conclusion is supported by the fact that only one vectored shock input is provided to the component in a resonant plate test. Thus, the output response is a coupled response of the transverse plate vibration and the rotational motion of the component on the plate. Additionally, a multi-axis shock test defined by three single axis test environments always results in a significant component over-test in one direction.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Robustness of cement-based materials: From dosage variations to yield stress fluctuations

The idea behind the present work is to assess robustness of fresh cement-based materials (i.e. their ability to display the same properties when submitted to variations in the way they are produced) from a generic and analytical point of view. First, analytical models from literature relating components proportions and yield stress are combined into a multi-scale and physical approach and compared to our experimental yield stress measurements. In the second part, the derivation of these analytical relationships is used to assess robustness as a function of components proportions, which allows for the most sensitive variations to be mapped onto component dosage from a yield stress point of view. In the case of fluid concretes, this approach showcases the interest of working at slightly higher water content and slightly lower aggregates fraction along with benefits of viscosity modifying agents / plasticizers combination.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A distributed component framework for science data product interoperability

Correlation of science results from multi-disciplinary communities is a difficult task. Traditionally data from science missions is archived in proprietary data systems that are not interoperable. The Object Oriented Data Technology (OODT) task at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is working on building a distributed product server as part of a distributed component framework to allow heterogeneous data systems to communicate and share scientific results.

XML distributed framework science interprobability↗