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At least 451 records · Page 25

Foreign body impact event damage formation in composite structures

This report discusses a methodology that can be used to assess the effect of foreign body impacts on composite structural integrity. The described effort focuses on modeling the effect of a central impact on a 5 3/4 inch filament wound test article. The discussion will commence with details of the material modeling that was used to establish the input properties for the analytical model. This discussion is followed by an overview of the impact assessment methodology. The progress on this effort to date is reviewed along with a discussion of tasks that have yet to be completed.

Bucinell, Ronald B.↗

Design for Verification: Using Design Patterns to Build Reliable Systems

Components so far have been mainly used in commercial software development to reduce time to market. While some effort has been spent on formal aspects of components, most of this was done in the context of programming language or operating system framework integration. As a consequence, increased reliability of composed systems is mainly regarded as a side effect of a more rigid testing of pre-fabricated components. In contrast to this, Design for Verification (D4V) puts the focus on component specific property guarantees, which are used to design systems with high reliability requirements. D4V components are domain specific design pattern instances with well-defined property guarantees and usage rules, which are suitable for automatic verification. The guaranteed properties are explicitly used to select components according to key system requirements. The D4V hypothesis is that the same general architecture and design principles leading to good modularity, extensibility and complexity/functionality ratio can be adapted to overcome some of the limitations of conventional reliability assurance measures, such as too large a state space or too many execution paths.

Mehlitz, Peter C.↗

Flight-Test Evaluation of Landing Gear Noise Reduction Technologies

Results from the third Acoustics Research Measurements flight test, conducted under the NASA Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project, are presented and discussed. The test evaluated landing gear and gear cavity noise mitigation technologies installed on a NASA Gulfstream G-III. Aircraft configurations with and without main landing gear treatments were flown at several flap deflections to determine the acoustic performance of the technologies for aircraft equipped with conventional Fowler flaps. With the aircraft flying an approach path and engines at “ground-idle,” extensive acoustic measurements were acquired with a phased microphone array system. Computed beamform maps were used to examine the effectiveness of the tested technologies in reducing the strength of the noise sources generated by the main landing gear. Various integration regions were devised to extract the farfield noise spectra associated with the treated and untreated landing gear configurations. Analyses of the gathered acoustic data demonstrate that significant noise reduction was achieved. How- ever, the full noise reduction potential of the technologies could not be determined because of contamination from flap inboard edge noise and other secondary sources.

Khorrami, Mehdi R.↗

Combined Effects of Electric Vehicle Charging and Rooftop Solar Integration on Voltage Imbalance in Residential Distribution Networks

Residential electric vehicle (EV) chargers, as single phase loads, contribute to unbalanced voltage drops across phases, while rooftop solar systems, as single phase generators, can exacerbate voltage imbalance by causing unbalanced voltage increases. This paper investigates combined effects of residential EV charging and rooftop solar generation on voltage imbalance in residential distribution grids. The study examines these simultaneous impacts using the IEEE 8500-node test system, enhanced with a secondary network to realistically model the EV chargers and rooftop solar integration. To account for the variability and uncertainty in the EV charging loads and solar generation, a Monte Carlo approach is employed to capture and quantify the simultaneous impact of the EV charging and rooftop solar integration. In this approach, multiple influencing factors are considered, including state-of-charge (SOC), maximum charging power levels, and geographic distribution of chargers. The results provide practical insights for utilities and stakeholders, offering expectations for planning and operating strategies that effectively manage the increasing adoption of EVs and solar power while maintaining grid reliability.

Choi, Jongchan [ORNL] (ORCID:000000025952455X)↗

Testing and Development of a Percussive Augmenter for Rotary Drills

Hammering drills are effective in fracturing the drilled medium while rotary drills remove cuttings. The combination provides a highly effective penetration mechanism. Piezoelectric actuators were integrated into an adapter to produce ultrasonic percussion; augmenting rotary drilling. The drill is capable of operating at low power, low applied force and, with proper tuning, low noise. These characteristics are of great interest for future NASA missions and the construction/remodeling industry. The developed augmenter connects a commercially available drill and bit and was tested to demonstrate its capability. Input power to the drill was read using a multimeter and the augmenter received a separate input voltage. The drive frequency of the piezoelectric actuator was controlled by a hill climb algorithm that optimizes and records average power usage to operate the drill at resonating frequency. Testing the rotary drill and augmenter across a range of combinations with total power constant at 160 Watts has shown results in concrete and limestone samples that are as good as or better than the commercial drill. The drill rate was increased 1.5 to over 10 times when compared to rotation alone.

rotary-hammering↗

Predictive Coordinated and Cooperative Voltage Control for Systems With High Penetration of PV

In this paper, we propose a predictive coordinated and cooperative voltage control method in a power distribution system with high penetration of photovoltaic (PV) units. First, an integrated coordinated voltage control of voltage regulators (VRs) tap positions and cooperative distributed control of the reactive power output from PV inverters are used to maintain system voltages within an appropriate bandwidth. Next, solar power forecasting is applied to predict voltage changes, which are used to set the VR tap positions and capacitor switch status to prevent large voltage fluctuations. The fine tuning of voltage adjustment is then achieved by cooperative control of PV inverters to maintain a uniform voltage profile across the system. The proposed method is tested on a modified IEEE 123-node test feeder with high penetration of PVs using real measurement data and compared with the base case. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the integrated voltage control, as well as the enhancement from the predictive control through solar power forecasting-enabled voltage change estimates. Comparison to previous work in the literature shows significant improvement in terms of voltage deviation and reduction in excessive tap changes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Numerical experiments on short-term meteorological effects of solar variability

Set of numerical experiments has been carried out to test the short range sensitivity of a large atmospheric general circulation model to changes in solar constant and ozone amount. On the basis of the results of 12-day integrations with very large variations in these parameters, it is concluded that realistic variations would produce insignificant meteorological effects. Thus any causal relationships between solar variability and weather, for time scales of two weeks or less, will have to rely upon changes in parameters other than solar constant or ozone amounts, or upon mechanisms not yet incorporated in the model.

Somerville, R. C. J.↗

Environmental Effects on Graphite-Epoxy Fatigue Properties

Effects of torsional and flexural fatigue on the long-time Integrity of advanced graphite-epoxy structural composites have been investigated. Torsional fatigue tests were run at stress ratios of R = 0 (zero to maximum, repeated) and R = -1 (zero mean stress) on unidirectional, angleply, and woven graphite fiber materials in air and water at room temperature and at 74 C. Flexural fatigue tests (four-point bending) with R = -1 were run in air and water at room temperature, and with R = 0 in air. Results show that, in torsional cycling, both water environment and higher test temperature contribute to significant degradation of torsional stiffness. The degradation of stiffness from torsional stress cycling was observed to be much greater with R = -1 than with simple R = 0 cycling. The effect of environment also is greater in the fully reversed cycling. Flexural fatigue results on +/- 30 deg material show a large fatigue effect, with fatigue limits of less than 50% and 30% of the static failure strength for specimens tested under stress ratios of R = 0 and R = -1, respectively. Compliance measurements indicate that the final failures are preceded by damage initiation and accumulation, which begins at about 1% of the specimen life.

Sumsion, H. T.↗

Tritium Aging Effects on Fracture Toughness of Stainless Steel Weldments

The long-term embrittlement effects of tritium and decay helium on the structural properties of stainless steels have been studied for years at Savannah River to provide required data for establishing safe operating conditions and lifetimes of pressure vessels used to contain tritium gas. In this study, the fracture toughness properties of the longest-aged tritium-precharged stainless-steel base metals and weldments tested at Savannah River were measured and compared to earlier results. The fracture toughness values were the lowest recorded here for tritium-exposed stainless steel. As-forged and as-welded specimens were thermally precharging with tritium gas at 34.5 MPa and 623 K, then aged for up to 17 years to buildin decay helium prior to testing. ASTM J-Integral fracture mechanics analyses, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and small angle neutron scattering (SANS) examinations were conducted to characterize the effects of tritium and its radioactive decay product, helium-3. Results show that the fracture toughness values were reduced to less than 2-4% of the as-forged values for specimens with more than 1300 appm helium from tritium decay. The trend of decreasing fracture toughness values with increasing helium content was consistent with earlier observations, and the data show that Type 304L stainless steel is more resistant to tritium-induced cracking than Type 21-6-9 stainless at similar decay helium levels. The fracture toughness properties of long-aged weldments were also affected, but the reductions were not as severe over time because weldments did not retain as much tritium as did the base metals. TEM observations were used to characterize the effects of decay helium bubbles on the deformation substructures, but nanometer-sized helium bubbles were not easily resolved because of high dislocation densities within the forged microstructures. SANS results are presented that suggest the technique can provide information on decay helium bubble size, spacing, and distribution in these steels.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Processing and Characterization of Thousand-Hour 500 C Durable 4H-SiC JFET Integrated Circuits

This work reports fabrication and testing of integrated circuits (ICs) with two levels of interconnect that consistently achieve greater than 1000 hours of stable electrical operation at 500 C in air ambient. These ICs are based on 4H-SiC junction field effect transistor (JFET) technology that integrates hafnium ohmic contacts with TaSi2 interconnects and SiO2 and Si3N4 dielectric layers over 1-m scale vertical topology. Following initial burn-in, important circuit parameters remain stable for more than 1000 hours of 500 C operational testing. These results advance the technology foundation for realizing long-term durable 500 C ICs with increased functional capability for sensing and control combustion engine, planetary, deep-well drilling, and other harsh-environment applications.

JFET↗

The effect of 1 to 5 keV electrons on the reproductive integrity of microorganisms

Microorganisms were exposed to simulated space environment in order to assess the effect of electrons in the energy range 1 to 5 keV on their colony-forming ability. The test system consisted of an electron gun and power supply, a dosimetry subsystem, and a vacuum subsystem. The system was capable of current densities ranging from 0.1 nA/sq cm to 5 micro A/sq cm on a 25 sq on target and an ultimate vacuum of 0.0006 N/sq m (0.000004 torr). The results of the experimental program show a significant reduction in microbial reproductive integrity.

Barengoltz, J. B.↗

Wing-alone aerodynamic characteristics at high angles of attack

An experimental investigation has been conducted to determine wing-alone supersonic aerodynamic characteristics at high angles of attack. The family of wings tested varied in aspect ratio from 0.5 to 4.0 and taper ratio from 0.0 to 1.0. The wings were tested at angles of attack ranging from 0 to 60 deg and Mach numbers from 1.6 to 4.6. The aerodynamic characteristics were obtained by integrating local pressures measured over the wing surface. Comparison of these data with the limited available data from the literature indicate the present data are free of sting interference effects through the test range of angle of attack. Presented and discussed are results showing the effects of model geometry, Mach number and angle of attack on aerodynamic characteristics consisting of normal force, pitching moment, bending moment, longitudinal center-of-pressure locations, and lateral center-of-pressure locations.

Stallings, R. L., Jr.↗

Testing of electroformed deposited iridium/powder metallurgy rhenium rockets

High-temperature, oxidation-resistant chamber materials offer the thermal margin for high performance and extended lifetimes for radiation-cooled rockets. Rhenium (Re) coated with iridium (Ir) allow hours of operation at 2200 C on Earth-storable propellants. One process for manufacturing Ir/Re rocket chambers is the fabrication of Re substrates by powder metallurgy (PM) and the application of Ir coatings by using electroformed deposition (ED). ED Ir coatings, however, have been found to be porous and poorly adherent. The integrity of ED Ir coatings could be improved by densification after the electroforming process. This report summarizes the testing of two 22-N, ED Ir/PM Re rocket chambers that were subjected to post-deposition treatments in an effort to densify the Ir coating. One chamber was vacuum annealed, while the other chamber was subjected to hot isostatic pressure (HIP). The chambers were tested on gaseous oxygen/gaseous hydrogen propellants, at mixture ratios that simulated the oxidizing environments of Earth-storable propellants. ne annealed ED Ir/PM Re chamber was tested for a total of 24 firings and 4.58 hr at a mixture ratio of 4.2. After only 9 firings, the annealed ED Ir coating began to blister and spall upstream of the throat. The blistering and spalling were similar to what had been experienced with unannealed, as-deposited ED Ir coatings. The HIP ED Ir/PM Re chamber was tested for a total of 91 firings and 11.45 hr at mixture ratios of 3.2 and 4.2. The HIP ED Ir coating remained adherent to the Re substrate throughout testing; there were no visible signs of coating degradation. Metallography revealed, however, thinning of the HIP Ir coating and occasional pores in the Re layer upstream of the throat. Pinholes in the Ir coating may have provided a path for oxidation of the Re substrate at these locations. The HIP ED Ir coating proved to be more effective than vacuum annealed and as-deposited ED Ir. Further densification is still required to match the integrity of chemically vapor deposited Ir coatings. Despite this, the successful long duration testing of the HIP ED Ir chamber, in an oxidizing environment comparable to Earth-storable propellants, demonstrated the viability of this Ir/Re rocket fabrication process.

Reed, Brian D.↗

Mild Normobaric Hypoxia Exposure for Human-Autonomy System Testing

An experiment investigated the impact of normobaric hypoxia induction on aircraft pilot performance to specifically evaluate the use of hypoxia as a method to induce mild cognitive impairment to explore human-autonomous systems integration opportunities. Results of this exploratory study show that the effect of 15,000 feet simulated altitude did not induce cognitive deficits as indicated by performance on written, computer-based, or simulated flight tasks. However, the subjective data demonstrated increased effort by the human test subject pilots to maintain equivalent performance in a flight simulation task. This study represents current research intended to add to the current knowledge of performance decrement and pilot workload assessment to improve automation support and increase aviation safety.

Stephens, Chad L.↗

Processing and Characterization of Thousand-Hour 500 C Durable 4H-SiC JFET Integrated Circuits

This work reports fabrication and testing of integrated circuits (ICs) with two levels of interconnect that consistently achieve greater than 1000 hours of stable electrical operation at 500 C in air ambient. These ICs are based on 4H-SiC junction field effect transistor (JFET) technology that integrates hafnium ohmic contacts with TaSi2 interconnects and SiO2 and Si3N4 dielectric layers over approximately 1-micrometer scale vertical topology. Following initial burn-in, important circuit parameters remain stable for more than 1000 hours of 500 C operational testing. These results advance the technology foundation for realizing long-term durable 500 C ICs with increased functional capability for sensing and control combustion engine, planetary, deep-well drilling, and other harsh-environment applications.

Microelectronics↗

Key Learnings from Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site - 2 (HFTS-2), Delaware Basin

Hydraulic fractures (HF) play a dominant role in oil and gas production from unconventional reservoirs, fracture characteristics, geometry, and extent are generally not well known and are typically inferred from various monitoring methods or subsurface models. The Hydraulic Fracturing Test Site-2 (HFTS-2) is a field-based research experiment performed in the Wolfcamp formation of the Permian (Delaware) Basin. HFTS-2, a unique joint industry program (JIP) that brings together government, academia, and industry, focused on field data acquisition and interpretation. The project has built a comprehensive HF research dataset that includes microseismic (MS), 1,500 ft of core, diagnostic formation injection tests (DFIT), fluid characterization, advanced logs, geochemistry, downhole gauges, varying completions, and permanent fiber optic (FO) cable in vertical and horizontal wells. These data were integrated and used to characterize HF geometry/dimensions and resulting depletion profiles, gain insights for completion design, and achieve a better understanding of parent well depletion effects on child well performance. The analysis and integration of the comprehensive HFTS-2 diagnostics dataset provide insights for optimal well placement and completions and improves understanding about the effects of parent well depletion. Furthermore, this dataset can be used to blind test and develop subsurface workflows for unconventional resources. Key learnings from HFTS-2 and the new technologies tested can easily be transferred to other unconventional plays.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Corrections for attached sidewall boundary-layer effects in 2-dimensional airfoil testing

The problems of sidewall boundary-layer effects in airfoil testing is treated by considering the changes in the flow area due to boundary-layer thinning under the influence of the airfoil flowfield. Using von Karman's momentum integral equation, it is shown that the sidewall boundary-layer thickness in the region of the airfoil can reduce to about half the undisturbed value under the conditions prevailing in testing of supercritical airfoils. A Mach number correction due to this increased width of the flow passage is proposed. Using the small disturbance approximation, the effect of the sidewall boundary-layers is shown to be equivalent to a change in the test Mach number and also in the airfoil thickness. Comparison of the results of this approach with other similarity rules and correlation of the experimental data demonstrate the applicability of the analysis presented from low speeds to transonic speeds.

Murthy, A. V.↗

Adaptive Dynamic Digital Twin for Test Scenario Generation

Vehicle testing has been an important part in the development of both highly automated vehicles (HAV) and advanced driving assistant systems (ADAS). Obtaining a good representation of the Vehicle Under Test (VUT) is crucial for test scenario library generation (TSLG). Current vehicle testing methods often involve calibrating car-following models using vehicle trajectory data to create static representations that cannot be dynamically updated. For instance, when multiple vehicle trajectories are collected, it is difficult to automatically determine whether a new trajectory improves the model's representativeness or degrades its accuracy. In this paper, we introduce a dynamically updated digital twin modeling framework featuring an adaptive mechanism that evaluates new trajectory data. This mechanism can decide whether to incorporate newly collected data into the current model or create a separate digital twin model when the trajectory significantly differs from prior data. Vehicle location, speed, and acceleration extracted from the newly collected trajectory data are used to support the dynamic update decision. By integrating this digital twin model into the test library generation process, we demonstrate its ability to assist in generating test libraries while effectively handling newly collected data.

Chen, Hanlin [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000165087715)↗