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At least 703 records · Page 39

An Overview of Prognosis Health Management Research at Glenn Research Center for Gas Turbine Engine Structures With Special Emphasis on Deformation and Damage Modeling

Herein a general, multimechanism, physics-based viscoelastoplastic model is presented in the context of an integrated diagnosis and prognosis methodology which is proposed for structural health monitoring, with particular applicability to gas turbine engine structures. In this methodology, diagnostics and prognostics will be linked through state awareness variable(s). Key technologies which comprise the proposed integrated approach include (1) diagnostic/detection methodology, (2) prognosis/lifing methodology, (3) diagnostic/prognosis linkage, (4) experimental validation, and (5) material data information management system. A specific prognosis lifing methodology, experimental characterization and validation and data information management are the focal point of current activities being pursued within this integrated approach. The prognostic lifing methodology is based on an advanced multimechanism viscoelastoplastic model which accounts for both stiffness and/or strength reduction damage variables. Methods to characterize both the reversible and irreversible portions of the model are discussed. Once the multiscale model is validated the intent is to link it to appropriate diagnostic methods to provide a full-featured structural health monitoring system.

Arnold, Steven M.↗

Integration Science and Technology of Silicon-Based Ceramics and Composites:Technical Challenges and Opportunities

Ceramic integration technologies enable hierarchical design and manufacturing of intricate ceramic and composite parts starting with geometrically simpler units that are subsequently joined to themselves and/or to metals to create components with progressively higher levels of complexity and functionality. However, for the development of robust and reliable integrated systems with optimum performance for high temperature applications, detailed understanding of various thermochemical and thermomechanical factors is critical. Different technical approaches are required for the integration of ceramic to ceramic and ceramic to metal systems. Active metal brazing, in particular, is a simple and cost-effective method to integrate ceramic to metallic components. Active braze alloys usually contain a reactive filler metal (e.g., Ti, Cr, V, Hf etc) that promotes wettability and spreading by inducing chemical reactions with the ceramics and composites. In this presentation, various examples of brazing of silicon nitride to themselves and to metallic systems are presented. Other examples of joining of ceramic composites (C/SiC and SiC/SiC) using ceramic interlayers and the resulting microstructures are also presented. Thermomechanical characterization of joints is presented for both types of systems. In addition, various challenges and opportunities in design, fabrication, and testing of integrated similar (ceramic-ceramic) and dissimilar (ceramic-metal) material systems will be discussed. Potential opportunities and need for the development of innovative design philosophies, approaches, and integrated system testing under simulated application conditions will also be presented.

Singh, M.↗

Public data from three US states provide new insights into well integrity

Significance There are over 900,000 active oil and gas wells in the United States. Estimates of the percentage of these wells that leak during their lifetime have been limited by data availability. We mined publicly available records from state regulatory databases and synthesized the results of various well testing methods into a uniform dataset that describes the integrity of 105,031 wells. Our analysis of the dataset provides insight into regional well leakage frequencies in three US states (Colorado, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania), spatial and temporal leakage trends among vertical and directional wells, and the characteristics of leaked fluids. Our findings demonstrate the value of statewide well testing programs and highlight the challenges of interpreting disparate interjurisdictional well testing data.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗

Energy Efficient Transport - Technology in hand

Technologies developed through NASA's Energy Efficient Transport Program are described. The program was charged with research in advanced aerodynamics and active controls, with the goal of increasing the fuel efficiency of transport aircraft by 15 to 20 percent. Research in aerodynamics was directed toward the development of high-aspect-ratio supercritical wings, winglets, computational design methodology, high-lift devices, propulsion airframe integration, and surface coatings. The active control portion of the program investigated Wing Load Alleviation (WLA) through the use of active controls, drag reduction, and the effect of active pitch controls on fuel consumption. It was found that applying active control functions at the beginning of the aircraft design cycle brings the best benefit, and that if active control and advanced aerodynamic airframe configurations are applied to transport aircraft design concurrently with new lightweight materials, fuel consumption can be reduced by as much as 40 percent.

Middleton, D. B.↗

Simultaneous Retrieval of Surface Roughness Parameters for Bare Soils From Combined Active–Passive Microwave SMAP Observations

An active–passive microwave retrieval algorithm for simultaneous determination of soil surface roughness parameters [vertical root-mean-square (RMS) height ( s ) and horizontal correlation length ( l )] is presented for bare soils. The algorithm is based on active–passive microwave covariation, including the improved Integral Equation Method (I(exp 2) EM), and is tested with global soil moisture active passive (SMAP) observations. The estimated retrieval results for s and l are overall consistent with values in the literature, indicating the validity of the proposed algorithm. Sensitivity analyses showed that the developed roughness retrieval algorithm is independent of permittivity for E(sub s) > 10 [-]. Furthermore, the physical model basis of this approach (I(exp 2) EM) allows the application of different autocorrelation functions (ACF), such as Gaussian and exponential ACFs. Global roughness retrieval results confirm bare areas in deserts such as Sahara or Gobi. However, the type of ACF used within roughness parameter estimation is important. Retrieval results for the Gaussian ACF describe a rougher surface than retrieval results for the exponential ACF. No correlations were found between roughness results and the amount of precipitation or the soil texture, which could be due to the coarse spatial resolution of the SMAP data. The extension of this approach to vegetated soils is planned as an add-on study.

Correlation length↗

A CRISPR-Cas9–integrase complex generates precise DNA fragments for genome integration

CRISPR-Cas9 is an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease involved in bacterial adaptive immunity and widely repurposed for genome editing in human cells, animals and plants. In bacteria, RNA molecules that guide Cas9 s activity derive from foreign DNA fragments that are captured and integrated into the host CRISPR genomic locus by the Cas1-Cas2 CRISPR integrase. How cells generate the specific lengths of DNA required for integrase capture is a central unanswered question of type II-A CRISPR-based adaptive immunity. Here, we show that an integrase supercomplex comprising guide RNA and the proteins Cas1, Cas2, Csn2 and Cas9 generates precisely trimmed 30-base pair DNA molecules required for genome integration. The HNH active site of Cas9 catalyzes exonucleolytic DNA trimming by a mechanism that is independent of the guide RNA sequence. These results show that Cas9 possesses a distinct catalytic capacity for generating immunological memory in prokaryotes.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

INTEGRAL core programme

The International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) mission is described with emphasis on the INTEGRAL core program. The progress made in the planning activities for the core program is reported on. The INTEGRAL mission has a nominal lifetime of two years with a five year extension option. The observing time will be divided between the core program (between 30 and 35 percent during the first two years) and general observations. The core program consists of three main elements: the deep survey of the Galactic plane in the central radian of the Galaxy; frequent scans of the Galactic plane in the search for transient sources, and pointed observations of several selected sources. The allocation of the observation time is detailed and the sensitivities of the observations are outlined.

Gehrels, N.↗

HDU Pressurized Excursion Module (PEM) Prototype Systems Integration

The Habitat Demonstration Unit (HDU) project team constructed an analog prototype lunar surface laboratory called the Pressurized Excursion Module (PEM). The prototype unit subsystems were integrated in a short amount of time, utilizing a skunk-works approach that brought together over 20 habitation-related technologies from a variety of NASA centers. This paper describes the system integration strategies and lessons learned, that allowed the PEM to be brought from paper design to working field prototype using a multi-center team. The system integration process included establishment of design standards, negotiation of interfaces between subsystems, and scheduling fit checks and installation activities. A major tool used in integration was a coordinated effort to accurately model all the subsystems using CAD, so that conflicts were identified before physical components came together. Some of the major conclusions showed that up-front modularity that emerged as an artifact of construction, such as the eight 45 degree "pie slices" making up the module whose steel rib edges defined structural mounting and loading points, dictated much of the configurational interfaces between the major subsystems and workstations. Therefore, 'one of the lessons learned included the need to use modularity as a tool for organization in advance, and to work harder to prevent non-critical aspects of the platform from dictating the modularity that may eventually inform the fight system.

Gill, Tracy R.↗

Advances in integrated system heath management system technologies : overview of NASA and industry collaborative activities

This paper will describe recent advances in ISHM technologies made through collaboration between NASA and industry. In particular, the paper will focus on past, present, and future technology development and maturation efforts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and its industry partner, Northrop Grumman lntegrated Systems (NGIS).

integrated system health management↗

NASA Agile Community of Practice 2024-2026 Report

This 2024-2026 report provides a summary of the products and activities executed by the NASA Agile Community of Practice (CoP) during its second and third years. Building on the foundation established in its inaugural year, the CoP continued to advance Agile values and principles across NASA centers. The report highlights key initiatives, including specialized framework training, AI integration in Agile toolkits, and active participation in agency-wide project management and systems engineering workshops.

Agile↗

A simulation study of carbon storage with active reservoir management

As part of the Integrated Midcontinent Stacked Carbon Storage Hub (IMSCS-Hub) project led by Battelle Memorial Institute, a study was conducted to determine the feasibility of storing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in the stacked saline rock formations of the Sleepy Hollow Field (SHF), located in Red Willow County, southern Nebraska. A series of CO 2 injection simulation scenarios, with and without active reservoir management (ARM; brine extraction), were evaluated to investigate the feasibility of storing 50+ million tonnes (Mt) of CO 2 . The results indicated CO 2 injection combined with ARM may enable permanent storage of 50+ Mt of CO 2 . The area of review (AOR), the area in which underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) might be endangered during CO 2 injection, was assessed for the simulation scenarios. In comparison to a case without ARM, brine extraction resulted in a much smaller AOR, covering an area of 42 square miles (108.8 km 2 ), roughly one-fourth the size of an AOR resulting from CO 2 injection without ARM. Our findings, presented in this paper, indicate that CO 2 injection with ARM can improve the CO 2 storage capacity of a geologic storage complex up to 100% while also reduce the rate of pressure buildup in the subsurface, resulting in a 75% reduction in AOR. This may help in lowering carbon capture and storage project costs, risks, and effort needed to meet monitoring requirements for a storage project.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Active learning for the design of polycrystalline textures using conditional normalizing flows

Generative modeling has opened new avenues for solving previously intractable materials design problems. However, these new opportunities are accompanied by a drastic increase in the required amount of training data. This is in stark juxtaposition to the high expense and difficulty in curating such large materials datasets. In this work, we propose a novel framework for integrating generative models within an active learning loop. Further, this enables the training of generative models with datasets significantly smaller than what has previously been demonstrated, providing a direct route for their application in data constrained environments. The functionality of this framework is then demonstrated by addressing the challenge of designing polycrystalline textures associated with target anisotropic mechanical properties. The developed protocol exhibited a cost reduction between 14 to 18 times over a randomly sampled experimental design.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Hybrid routing technique for a fault-tolerant, integrated information network

The evolutionary growth of the space station and the diverse activities onboard are expected to require a hierarchy of integrated, local area networks capable of supporting data, voice, and video communications. In addition, fault-tolerant network operation is necessary to protect communications between critical systems attached to the net and to relieve the valuable human resources onboard the space station of time-critical data system repair tasks. A key issue for the design of the fault-tolerant, integrated network is the development of a robust routing algorithm which dynamically selects the optimum communication paths through the net. A routing technique is described that adapts to topological changes in the network to support fault-tolerant operation and system evolvability.

Meredith, B. D.↗

Integrated microwave acousto-optic frequency shifter on thin-film lithium niobate

Electrically driven acousto-optic devices that provide beam deflection and optical frequency shifting have broad applications from pulse synthesis to heterodyne detection. Commercially available acousto-optic modulators are based on bulk materials and consume Watts of radio frequency power. Here, we demonstrate an integrated 3-GHz acousto-optic frequency shifter on thin-film lithium niobate, featuring a carrier suppression over 30 dB. Further, we demonstrate a gigahertz-spaced optical frequency comb featuring more than 200 lines over a 0.6-THz optical bandwidth by recirculating the light in an active frequency shifting loop. Our integrated acousto-optic platform leads to the development of on-chip optical routing, isolation, and microwave signal processing.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

A fuselage/tank structure study for actively cooled hypersonic cruise vehicles: Structural analysis

The effects of fuselage cross-section (circular and elliptical) and structural arrangement (integral and nonintegral tanks) on the performance of actively cooled hypersonic cruise vehicles was evaluated. It was found that integrally machined stiffening of the tank walls, while providing the most weight-efficient use of materials, results in higher production costs. Fatigue and fracture mechanics appeared to have little effect on the weight of the three study aircraft. The need for thermal strain relief through insulation is discussed. Aircraft size and magnitude of the internal pressure are seen to be significant factors in tank design.

Baker, A. H.↗

Relaxed Multibang Regularization for the Combinatorial Integral Approximation

Multibang regularization and combinatorial integral approximation decompositions are two actively researched techniques for integer optimal control. In this work, we consider a class of polyhedral functions that arise particularly as convex lower envelopes of multibang regularizers and show that they have beneficial properties with respect to regularization of relaxations of integer optimal control problems. We extend the algorithmic framework of the combinatorial integral approximation such that a subsequence of the computed discrete-valued controls converges to the infimum of the regularized integer control problem.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Earth science information: Planning for the integration and use of global change information

Activities and accomplishments of the first six months of the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN's) 1992 technical program have focused on four main missions: (1) the development and implementation of plans for initiation of the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) as part of the EOSDIS Program; (2) the pursuit and development of a broad-based global change information cooperative by providing systems analysis and integration between natural science and social science data bases held by numerous federal agencies and other sources; (3) the fostering of scientific research into the human dimensions of global change and providing integration between natural science and social science data and information; and (4) the serving of CIESIN as a gateway for global change data and information distribution through development of the Global Change Research Information Office and other comprehensive knowledge sharing systems.

Lousma, Jack R.↗

Controlled Aeroelastic Response and Airfoil Shaping Using Adaptive Materials and Integrated Systems

This paper presents an overview of several activities of the Aeroelasticity Branch at the NASA Langley Research Center in the area of applying adaptive materials and integrated systems for controlling both aircraft aeroelastic response and airfoil shape. The experimental results of four programs are discussed: the Piezoelectric Aeroelastic Response Tailoring Investigation (PARTI); the Adaptive Neural Control of Aeroelastic Response (ANCAR) program; the Actively Controlled Response of Buffet Affected Tails (ACROBAT) program; and the Airfoil THUNDER Testing to Ascertain Characteristics (ATTACH) project. The PARTI program demonstrated active flutter control and significant rcductions in aeroelastic response at dynamic pressures below flutter using piezoelectric actuators. The ANCAR program seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of using neural networks to schedule flutter suppression control laws. Th,e ACROBAT program studied the effectiveness of a number of candidate actuators, including a rudder and piezoelectric actuators, to alleviate vertical tail buffeting. In the ATTACH project, the feasibility of using Thin-Layer Composite-Uimorph Piezoelectric Driver and Sensor (THUNDER) wafers to control airfoil aerodynamic characteristics was investigated. Plans for future applications are also discussed.

Pinkerton, Jennifer L.↗