Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “novel structure”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1995

Active Piezoelectric Structures for Tip Clearance Management Assessed

Managing blade tip clearance in turbomachinery stages is critical to developing advanced subsonic propulsion systems. Active casing structures with embedded piezoelectric actuators appear to be a promising solution. They can control static and dynamic tip clearance, compensate for uneven deflections, and accomplish electromechanical coupling at the material level. In addition, they have a compact design. To assess the feasibility of this concept and assist the development of these novel structures, the NASA Lewis Research Center developed in-house computational capabilities for composite structures with piezoelectric actuators and sensors, and subsequently used them to simulate candidate active casing structures. The simulations indicated the potential of active casings to modify the blade tip clearance enough to improve stage efficiency. They also provided valuable design information, such as preliminary actuator configurations (number and location) and the corresponding voltage patterns required to compensate for uneven casing deformations. An active ovalization of a casing with four discrete piezoceramic actuators attached on the outer surface is shown. The center figure shows the predicted radial displacements along the hoop direction that are induced when electrostatic voltage is applied at the piezoceramic actuators. This work, which has demonstrated the capabilities of in-house computational models to analyze and design active casing structures, is expected to contribute toward the development of advanced subsonic engines.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2008

Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication: A Fabrication Process that Revolutionizes Aircraft Structural Designs and Spacecraft Supportability

The technological inception and challenges, as well as current applications of the electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) process are outlined. The process was motivated by the need for a new metals technology that would be cost-effective, enable the production of new alloys and that would could be used for efficient, lightweight structures. EBF3 is a rapid metal fabrication, layer-additive process that uses no molds or tools and which yields properties equivalent to wrought. The benefits of EBF3 include it near-net shape which minimizes scrap and reduces part count; efficiency in design which allows for lighter weight and enhanced performance; and, its "green" manufacturing process which yields minimal waste products. EBF3 also has a high tensile strength, while a structural test comparison found that EBF3 panels performed 5% lower than machined panels. Technical challenges in the EBF3 process include a need for process control monitoring and an improvement in localized heat response. Currently, the EBF3 process can be used to add details onto forgings and to construct and form complex shapes. However, it has potential uses in a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, sporting goods and medical implant devices. The novel structural design capabilities of EBF3 have the ability to yield curved stiffeners which may be optimized for performance, low weight, low noise and damage tolerance applications. EBF3 has also demonstrated its usefulness in 0-gravity environments for supportability in space applications.

Taminger, Karen M.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Higher-order corrections to quantum observables in h → WW*

A bstract The Higgs boson decay h → WW * → $$ {\ell}^{+}{\nu}_{\ell }{\ell}^{\prime -}{\overline{\nu}}_{\ell^{\prime }} $$ ℓ + ν ℓ ℓ ′ − ν ¯ ℓ ′ provides a unique window into the structure of the Higgs couplings to electroweak gauge bosons and has recently gained attention for its potential to unveil quantum properties such as quantum entanglement between the intermediate gauge bosons. In this work, we present a systematic study of next-to-leading order electroweak corrections to the angular coefficients characterizing this decay. While these coefficients are highly constrained at leading order, radiative corrections induce shifts of up to 5% to the existing terms and generate novel structures that vanish at leading order, breaking previous relations among coefficients. While higher-order effects influence the results, the two-qutrit quantum structure in the h → WW ∗ channel exhibits greater stability under such corrections than in the previously studied h → ZZ ∗ decay.

Gonçalves, Dorival [Oklahoma State University] (OR↗
NASA NTRS1990

Novel computational strategies for solution of large-scale structural problems

Novel computational strategies are presented for the analysis of large and complex structures. The strategies are based on generating the response of the complex structure using large perturbations from that of a simpler model, associated with a simpler structure (or a simpler mathematical/discrete model of the original structure). Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the strategies developed.

Noor, Ahmed K.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Iron-assisted growth of anisotropic ZnO nanostructures

Anisotropic nanostructures offer a promising pathway to modulate structure-function relationships of materials. However, the correlation between growth direction of high-quality anisotropic nanostructures, the synthesis conditions and mechanisms controlling their growth, and their magnetic and optical properties remain underexplored. In this study, we developed an iron-assisted anisotropic growth method to form zinc oxide nanostructures on the O-polar (0001̄) surface, resulting in two distinct ZnO-based nanostructures: hand-shaped nanostructures and truncated hexagonal nanopyramids. In contrast to most reports of anisotropic nanostructure synthesis, which primarily focus on morphology control through ligand-ligand interactions, the current study probes the effects of doping on anisotropic growth, and how doping, along with ligand-ligand interactions and facet-specific ligand binding, control nanostructure morphology. The reaction mechanisms leading to formation of these novel structures were thoroughly probed by systematically manipulating synthesis parameters. A two-step formation mechanism was identified: first, a hexagonal platform forms through an initial homogeneous nucleation process, followed by secondary heterogeneous nucleation, which results in metastable secondary nanostructures growing on the oxygen-rich template. Optical and magnetic properties of these Fe/ZnO nanostructures were characterized. Our findings provide a new strategy that uses a magnetic element as a dopant to build new nanostructures of ZnO with controllable size and shape growing on an oxygen-rich crystal plane. These materials could have applications in novel technologies where both optoelectronic and magnetic properties are of interest.

Xuan, Zhengxi↗
DOE OSTI2025

Depletion of the Protein Hydration Shell with Increasing Temperature Observed by Small-Angle X-ray Scattering and Molecular Simulations

The hydration shell is an integral part of proteins since it plays key roles in conformational transitions, molecular recognition, and enzymatic activity. While the dynamics of the hydration shell have been described by spectroscopic techniques, the structure of the hydration shell remains less understood due to the lack of hydration shell-sensitive structural probes with high spatial resolution. We combined temperature-ramp small-angle X-ray scattering (T-ramp SAXS) from 255 to 335 K with molecular simulations to demonstrate that the hydration shells of the IgG-binding domain of Protein G (GB3) and the villin headpiece are remarkably temperature-sensitive. For proteins in the folded state, T-ramp SAXS data and explicit-solvent SAXS predictions consistently demonstrate decays of protein contrasts and radii of gyration with increasing temperature, which are shown to reflect predominantly temperature-sensitive, depleting hydration shells. The depletion is caused not merely by enhanced disorder within the hydration shells but also by partial displacements of surface-coordinated water molecules. Together, T-ramp SAXS and explicit-solvent SAXS calculations provide a novel structural view of the protein hydration shell, which underlies temperature-dependent processes such as cold denaturation, thermophoresis, or biomolecular phase separation.

electron density↗
NASA NTRS2011

Combined Structural and Trajectory Control of Variable-Geometry Planetary Entry Systems

Some of the key challenges of planetary entry are to dissipate the large kinetic energy of the entry vehicle and to land with precision. Past missions to Mars were based on unguided entry, where entry vehicles carried payloads of less than 0.6 T and landed within 100 km of the designated target. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is expected to carry a mass of almost 1 T to within 20 km of the target site. Guided lifting entry is needed to meet these higher deceleration and targeting demands. If the aerodynamic characteristics of the decelerator are variable during flight, more trajectory options are possible, and can be tailored to specific mission requirements. In addition to the entry trajectory modulation, having variable aerodynamic properties will also favor maneuvering of the vehicle prior to descent. For proper supersonic parachute deployment, the vehicle needs to turn to a lower angle of attack. One approach to entry trajectory improvement and angle of attack control is to embed a variable geometry decelerator in the design of the vehicle. Variation in geometry enables the vehicle to adjust its aerodynamic performance continuously without additional fuel cost because only electric power is needed for actuating the mechanisms that control the shape change. Novel structural and control concepts have been developed that enable the decelerator to undergo variation in geometry. Changing the aerodynamic characteristics of a flight vehicle by active means can potentially provide a mechanically simple, affordable, and enabling solution for entry, descent, and landing across a wide range of mission types, sample capture and return, and reentry to Earth, Titan, Venus, or Mars. Unguided ballistic entry is not sufficient to meet this more stringent deceleration, heating, and targeting demands. Two structural concepts for implementing the cone angle variation, a segmented shell, and a corrugated shell, have been presented.

Quadrelli, Marco B.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Protein Structure Inspired Discovery of a Novel Inducer of Anoikis in Human Melanoma

Drug discovery historically starts with an established function, either that of compounds or proteins. This can hamper discovery of novel therapeutics. As structure determines function, we hypothesized that unique 3D protein structures constitute primary data that can inform novel discovery. Using a computationally intensive physics-based analytical platform operating at supercomputing speeds, we probed a high-resolution protein X-ray crystallographic library developed by us. For each of the eight identified novel 3D structures, we analyzed binding of sixty million compounds. Top-ranking compounds were acquired and screened for efficacy against breast, prostate, colon, or lung cancer, and for toxicity on normal human bone marrow stem cells, both using eight-day colony formation assays. Effective and non-toxic compounds segregated to two pockets. One compound, Dxr2-017, exhibited selective anti-melanoma activity in the NCI-60 cell line screen. In eight-day assays, Dxr2-017 had an IC50 of 12 nM against melanoma cells, while concentrations over 2100-fold higher had minimal stem cell toxicity. Dxr2-017 induced anoikis, a unique form of programmed cell death in need of targeted therapeutics. Our findings demonstrate proof-of-concept that protein structures represent high-value primary data to support the discovery of novel acting therapeutics. This approach is widely applicable.

Oncology↗
DOE OSTI2025

Simple holography in general spacetimes

The simple or “outermost” wedge in AdS is the portion of the entanglement wedge that can be reconstructed with sub-exponential effort from CFT data. Here we furnish a definition in arbitrary spacetimes: given an input wedge a analogous to a CFT boundary region, the simple wedge z(a) is the largest wedge accessible by a “zigzag,” a certain sequence of antinormal lightsheets. We show that z(a) is a throat, and that it is contained in every other throat. This implies that z(a) is unique; that it is contained in the generalized entanglement wedge; and that it reduces to the AdS prescription as a special case. The zigzag explicitly constructs a preferred Cauchy slice that renders the simple wedge accessible from a; thus it adds a novel structure even in AdS. So far, no spacelike construction is known to reproduce these results, even in time-symmetric settings. This may have implications for the modeling of holographic encoding by tensor networks.

AdS-CFT Correspondence↗
DOE OSTI2026

Alkali Metal Cation Effects on Dinitrogen Complexes and Organometallic Compounds

Alkali metal (AM) cations are often taken for granted as counterions in coordination chemistry and organometallic reactions. However, the AM cation can be more than a bystander in inorganic transformations. This Account focuses on research that has elucidated several types of AM cation effects and how these can be exploited to achieve novel structures and reactivity pathways. Here, a particular focus is on AM cation effects in low-coordinate iron β-diketiminate complexes, though we address general trends and potential applications in systems with other supporting ligands.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

A study of silver acetate under extreme conditions

With the aim of exploring chemical systems that may undergo metallization when irradiated with hard X-rays, we selected silver acetate (AgC 2 H 3 O 2 ) for the subject of this study. X-ray-induced decomposition of silver acetate under ambient and high-pressure conditions was observed in a diamond anvil cell (DAC), leading to the formation of metallic nanograins of silver at ambient pressure and 1.65 GPa. At 4 GPa, no decomposition was observed. The Avrami kinetics equation also provides information about novel structural formation at ambient pressure and 1.65 GPa. By modeling of the XRD data, it was found that the size of the silver nanocrystallites formed at 1.65 GPa pressure steadily increased to ∼5 nm after 600 min of X-ray irradiation as determined by applying the Scherrer equation to the diffraction peak widths. Time-resolved X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed pressure-dependent kinetics, demonstrating that coupling pressure with irradiation enables controlled photochemical pathways in this model system. Concurrent with previous studies, the application of high pressure (HP) can be considered as a means of controlling X-ray synthetic photochemistry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Impurity gas detection for SNF canisters using probabilistic deep learning and acoustic sensing *

Abstract Monitoring impurity gases in spent nuclear fuel (SNF) canisters is a novel structural health monitoring approach for SNF in dry storage. The SNF canisters are sealed containers that do not facilitate visual access to the inside. Acoustic sensing can be deployed by taking advantage of the pathways unobstructed by internal hardware. Although the ultrasonic time-of-flight measurement can provide valuable information, it is limited in its ability to discern the concentration of only one impurity gas. As such, deep learning algorithms, particularly convolutional neural networks (CNNs), offer a promising solution. In this study, CNN-based probabilistic deep learning models were implemented to detect and quantify multiple impurity gases in helium. An experimental platform was established to simulate canister conditions, and ultrasonic test data were collected. The presence of argon and air in helium at concentrations ranging from 0% to 1.2% at increments of 0.05% was considered. The multi-layer perceptron, decision tree, and logistic regression classifiers achieved high accuracies when distinguishing pure helium from helium with impurities. CNN with dropout layers and CNN using maximum likelihood estimation showed a similar performance, indicating their ability to capture uncertainties. The ensemble CNN model exhibited improved predictions and the ability to balance individual gas concentration by integrating 1D- and 2D-CNN models. These findings contribute probabilistic deep learning solutions for impurity gas detection and analysis within SNF canisters, thus ensuring safe storage and management of SNFs.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1978

New languages for numerical software

Existing languages for numerical software are not altogether satisfactory. FORTRAN, even preprocessed, has troublesome limitations. Unfortunately, proposed replacements are discouragingly large, or omit essential features like variably dimensioned arrays and FORTRAN capability. A new language was designed to include such crucial features, but otherwise be as small as possible. This language, called T, includes: indention to indicate block structure, novel loop syntax, and engineering format for real constants. By preprocessing into PL/1, implementation cost was kept low.

Grosse, E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Further advances in silicon solar cell technology for space application

Recent improvements relating to the design of high efficiency cells are presented. A conceptual design using passivation techniques is discussed, which potentially increases the open circuit voltage to approximately 650 mV. This concept is supported by experimental data using only silicon passivation beneath contacts. The use of thin thermal oxides of silicon for passivation between contacts is also discussed. A number of novel structures have also been fabricated to investigate reduction in the thermal alpha of planar and sculptured cells. It is shown that this may be as low as 0.63 on glassed gridded back cells, and that the IR rejection beyond 1.1 microns may approach 100 percent if the backside is AR coated. Finally, experimental data is given to support the existence of free electron absorption in heavily doped emitters on sculptured cells.

Lillington, D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1999

Electrically-Tunable Group Delays Using Quantum Wells in a Distributed Bragg Reflector

There is a growing interest in the fabrication of semiconductor optical group delay lines for the development of phased arrays of Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). We present a novel structure incorporating In(x)GA(1-x)As quantum wells in the GaAs quarter-wave layers of a GaAs/AlAs distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). Application of an electric field across the quantum wells leads to red shifting and peak broadening of the el-hhl exciton peak via the quantum-confined Stark effect. Resultant changes in the index of refraction thereby provide a means for altering the group delay of an incident laser pulse. We discuss the tradeoffs between the maximum amount of change in group delay versus absorption losses for such a device. We also compare a simple theoretical model to experimental results, and discuss both angle and position tuning of the BDR band edge resonance relative to the exciton absorption peak. The advantages of such monolithically grown devices for phased-array VCSEL applications will be detailed.

Nelson, Thomas R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1997

ASICs Approach for the Implementation of a Symmetric Triangular Fuzzy Coprocessor and Its Application to Adaptive Filtering

This paper discusses the implementation of a fuzzy logic system using an ASICs design approach. The approach is based upon combining the inherent advantages of symmetric triangular membership functions and fuzzy singleton sets to obtain a novel structure for fuzzy logic system application development. The resulting structure utilizes a fuzzy static RAM to store the rule-base and the end-points of the triangular membership functions. This provides advantages over other approaches in which all sampled values of membership functions for all universes must be stored. The fuzzy coprocessor structure implements the fuzzification and defuzzification processes through a two-stage parallel pipeline architecture which is capable of executing complex fuzzy computations in less than 0.55us with an accuracy of more than 95%, thus making it suitable for a wide range of applications. Using the approach presented in this paper, a fuzzy logic rule-base can be directly downloaded via a host processor to an onchip rule-base memory with a size of 64 words. The fuzzy coprocessor's design supports up to 49 rules for seven fuzzy membership functions associated with each of the chip's two input variables. This feature allows designers to create fuzzy logic systems without the need for additional on-board memory. Finally, the paper reports on simulation studies that were conducted for several adaptive filter applications using the least mean squared adaptive algorithm for adjusting the knowledge rule-base.

Starks, Scott↗
NASA NTRS1994

Developmental genes and the origin and evolution of Metazoa

The author discusses the role of developmental genes in evolution of life and the use of molecular approaches to confirm morphologic homology, to aid in understanding developmental mechanisms of evolution of novel structures, and to investigate some aspects of the evolution of life. Topics examined include developmental genes and homology; the role of co-optation and divergence, homeosis, and heterochrony as mechanisms of evolution; and life history evolution and model organisms.

NASA Discipline Exobiology↗
NASA NTRS2006

Non-linear controls influence functions in an aircraft dynamics simulator

In the development and testing of novel structural and controls concepts, such as morphing aircraft wings, appropriate models are needed for proper system characterization. In most instances, available system models do not provide the required additional degrees of freedom for morphing structures but may be modified to some extent to achieve a compatible system. The objective of this study is to apply wind tunnel data collected for an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), that implements trailing edge morphing, to create a non-linear dynamics simulator, using well defined rigid body equations of motion, where the aircraft stability derivatives change with control deflection. An analysis of this wind tunnel data, using data extraction algorithms, was performed to determine the reference aerodynamic force and moment coefficients for the aircraft. Further, non-linear influence functions were obtained for each of the aircraft s control surfaces, including the sixteen trailing edge flap segments. These non-linear controls influence functions are applied to the aircraft dynamics to produce deflection-dependent aircraft stability derivatives in a non-linear dynamics simulator. Time domain analysis of the aircraft motion, trajectory, and state histories can be performed using these nonlinear dynamics and may be visualized using a 3-dimensional aircraft model. Linear system models can be extracted to facilitate frequency domain analysis of the system and for control law development. The results of this study are useful in similar projects where trailing edge morphing is employed and will be instrumental in the University of Maryland s continuing study of active wing load control.

Guerreiro, Nelson M.↗