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At least 73 records · Page 4

Banded transformer cores

A banded transformer core formed by positioning a pair of mated, similar core halves on a supporting pedestal. The core halves are encircled with a strap, selectively applying tension whereby a compressive force is applied to the core edge for reducing the innate air gap. A dc magnetic field is employed in supporting the core halves during initial phases of the banding operation, while an ac magnetic field subsequently is employed for detecting dimension changes occurring in the air gaps as tension is applied to the strap.

Mclyman, C. W. T.↗

Nanowire Thermoelectric Devices

Nanowire thermoelectric devices, now under development, are intended to take miniaturization a step beyond the prior state of the art to exploit the potential advantages afforded by shrinking some device features to approximately molecular dimensions (of the order of 10 nm). The development of nanowire-based thermoelectric devices could lead to novel power-generating, cooling, and sensing devices that operate at relatively low currents and high voltages. Recent work on the theory of thermoelectric devices has led to the expectation that the performance of such a device could be enhanced if the diameter of the wires could be reduced to a point where quantum confinement effects increase charge-carrier mobility (thereby increasing the Seebeck coefficient) and reduce thermal conductivity. In addition, even in the absence of these effects, the large aspect ratios (length of the order of tens of microns diameter of the order of tens of nanometers) of nanowires would be conducive to the maintenance of large temperature differences at small heat fluxes. The predicted net effect of reducing diameters to the order of tens of nanometers would be to increase its efficiency by a factor of .3. Nanowires made of thermoelectric materials and devices that comprise arrays of such nanowires can be fabricated by electrochemical growth of the thermoelectric materials in templates that contain suitably dimensioned pores (10 to 100 nm in diameter and 1 to 100 microns long). The nanowires can then be contacted in bundles to form devices that look similar to conventional thermoelectric devices, except that a production version may contain nearly a billion elements (wires) per square centimeter, instead of fewer than a hundred as in a conventional bulk thermoelectric device or fewer than 100,000 as in a microdevice. It is not yet possible to form contacts with individual nanowires. Therefore, in fabricating a nanowire thermoelectric device, one forms contacts on nanowires in bundles of the order of 10-microns wide. The fill factor for the cross-section of a typical bundle is about 1/2. Nanowires have been grown in alumina templates with pore diameters of 100 and 40 nm.

Borshchevsky, Alexander↗

A Cloud Greenhouse Effect on Mars: Significant Climate Change in the Recent Past

The large variations in Mars orbit parameters are known to be significant drivers of climate change on the Red planet. The recent discovery of buried CO2 ice at the South Pole adds another dimension to climate change studies. In this paper we present results from the Ames GCM that show within the past million years it is possible that clouds from a greatly intensified Martian hydrological cycle may have produced a greenhouse effect strong enough to raise global mean surface temperatures by several tens of degrees Kelvin. It is made possible by the ability of the Martian atmosphere to transport water to high altitudes where cold clouds form, reduce the outgoing longwave radiation, and drive up surface temperatures to maintain global energy balance.

Haberle, Robert M.↗

Highly functional microspheres facilitating Diels–Alder network formation

Introducing particles to dynamic covalent networks is a common approach to improve their performance. However, network formation can be impacted by their size and functionality. The influence can be predicted by common theories for small molecular precursors, but it is unclear whether they are applicable to precursors bearing numerous reactive groups and micrometer-scale dimensions. In this work, an experimental study was undertaken using dynamic covalent networks formed by the Diels–Alder reaction between furan and maleimide groups. The gelation behavior of the Diels–Alder networks was studied using rheometry to track their network formation at 40 °C with varying maleimide-functionalized microsphere loading. The highly functional microspheres can interact with the furan precursor, aiding in the formation of the Diels–Alder networks. A 5 wt% microsphere sample can reduce the gelation time by 23% and facilitate network formation in an unbalanced stoichiometry near the critical composition to form a percolating network.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Theoretical performance of multi-layer grid patterns for solar cells

Multilayer grid patterns consist of fine closely spaced grid lines overlaid by coarser patterns of wider and thicker grid lines to collect the current from the finer grids with low series voltage drop and low active-layer sheet losses. An analytical approach leads to closed form solutions with simple relationships between the power losses in the active layer, in the grid and shadowing losses for optimum design proportions. The results show that multilayer grids, with line thickness equal to line width, greatly reduce losses in cell efficiency under concentration conditions of high current collection. (AlGa)As-pn GaAs cells of areas 1-25 sq cm and sheet resistance 40 ohms/square are considered. Also the performance of a n/p GaAs cell of dimensions 10 x 10 cm is studied. With optimized grid patterns high efficiencies are predicted for large area cells.

Flat, A.↗

Pin bearing evaluation of LTM25 composite materials

This report summarizes pin bearing evaluations of LTM25 composite materials. Northrop Grumman Corporation conducted pin bearing testing and fabricate two panels from composite materials that cure at low temperatures. These materials are being incorporated into Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS) to reduce manufacturing costs since they allow the use of low-cost tooling and facilities. Two composite prepreg product forms were evaluated; MR50/LTM25 unidirectional tape, batch 2881vd and CFS003/LTM25 woven cloth, batch 2216. Northrop Grumman fabricated, machined, and tested specimens to determine the bearing strength in accordance with MIL-HDBK-17D, Volume 1, Section 7.2.4. Quasi-isotropic laminates from the two product forms were fabricated for these tests. In addition, 2 quasi-isotropic panels of dimensions 12 in. x 28 in. were fabricated (one each from the two product forms), inspected, and shipped to NASA Langley for further evaluation.

Shah, C. H.↗

Formation of the skyrmionic polaron by Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling

Skyrmions in reduced dimensions such as thin layers and interfaces are of both fundamental and technological importance. In these systems, itinerant electrons are often present together with the Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling (SOC). Here, in this study, we show that an itinerant electron in the presence of these interactions can nucleate the skyrmion state, even when the standard Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is absent, and the electron can become self-trapped in the skyrmion core, forming the “skyrmionic polaron” (SkP). The formation of the SkP is investigated from a continuum model of the electron, exchange coupled to the lattice spins, by solving the appropriate Euler-Lagrange equations. The skyrmion (antiskyrmion) texture is favored by the Rashba (Dresselhaus) SOC, with the binding energy increasing quadratically with the strength of the interaction. In contrast, if the skyrmion is already formed due to a nonzero DMI, the electron is delocalized and avoids the skyrmion core until the strength of the Rashba or Dresselhaus SOC exceeds a critical value. Below this critical value, the electron is not bound to the skyrmion core, the polaron does not form, and the electron has little effect on the skyrmion state. Our work envisions the possibility of manipulating the skyrmion state in device applications by altering the strength of the Rashba or Dresselhaus interactions, e.g., by an external electric field.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Parametric studies of stitching effectiveness for preventing substructure disbond

A methodology is desired that will allow a designer to select appropriate amounts of through-thickness reinforcement needed to meet design requirements. The goal is to use a relatively simple analysis to minimize the amount of testing that needs to be performed, and to make test results from simple configurations applicable to more general structures. Using this methodology one should be able to optimize the selection of stitching materials, the weight of the yarn, and the stitching density. The analysis approach is to treat substructure disbond as a crack propagation problem. In this approach, the stitches have little influence until a delamination begins to grow. Once the delamination reaches, or extends beyond a stitch, the stitch serves to reduce the strain-energy-release-rate (G) at the crack tip for a given applied load. The reduced G can then be compared to the unstitched materials toughness to predict the load required to further extend the crack. The current model treats the stitch as a simple spring which responds to displacements in the vertical (through-thickness) direction. In concept, this approach is similar to that proposed by other authors. Test results indicate that the model should be refined to include the shearing stiffness of the stitch. The strain-energy-release-rate calculations are performed using a code which uses interconnected higher-order plates to model built-up composite cross-sections. When plates are stacked vertically, the interfacial tractions between the plates can be computed. The plate differential equations are solved in closed-form. The code, called SUBLAM, was developed as part of this section in one dimension. Because of this limitation, rows of stitches are treated as a two-dimensional sheet. The spring stiffness of a row of stitches can be estimated from the stitch material, weight, and density. As a practical and conservative approach, we can assume that the stitch is bonded until a crack passes the stitch location. After the crack passes, it is fully bonded. A series of tests were performed to exercise this methodology and incorporated an attached flange such that the sudden change in thickness initiated a delamination. The analysis was used to estimate the materials' critical G from that of the unstitched specimens. With this data, a prediction was made for the load required to delaminate the stitched specimens. Using the methodology, design charts have been created for simplified geometries. These charts give stitch force, along with G(sub 1) and G(sub 2) as as function of the stitch spring stiffness. Using the charts, it should be possible to determine the stitch spring stiffness and strength required to reduce the G to a desired level. From these parameters, the actual stitching material, weight, and density can be computed.

Flanagan, Gerry↗

Structural reversibility of Cu doped NU-1000 MOFs under hydrogenation conditions

The metal-organic framework (MOF), NU-1000, and its metalated counterparts have found proof-of-concept application in heterogeneous catalysis and hydrogen storage amongst others. A vapor-phase technique, akin to atomic layer deposition (ALD), is used to selectively deposit divalent Cu ions on oxo, hydroxo-bridged hexa-zirconium(IV) nodes capped with terminal –OH and -OH 2 ligands. Subsequent reaction with steam yields node-anchored, CuII-oxo,hydroxo clusters. We find that cluster installation via AIM (= ALD In MOFs) is accompanied by an expansion of MOF mesopore (channel) diameter . We investigated the behavior of the cluster-modified material, termed Cu-AIM-NU-1000, to heat treatment up to 325 °C, at atmospheric pressure with a low flow of H2 into the reaction cell. The response under these conditions revealed two important results: (1) Above 200 °C, the initially installed few-metal-ion clusters reduce to neutral Cu atoms. The neutral atoms migrate from the nodes and aggregate into Cu nanoparticles. While the size of particles formed in the MOF interior is constrained by the width of mesopores (ca. 3 nm), those formed on the exterior surface of the MOF can grow as large as ca. 8 nm. (2) Reduction and release of Cu atoms from the MOFs nodes is accompanied NU-1000 undergoes dynamic structural transformation as it reverts back to its original dimension following the release. These results show while the MOF framework itself remains intact at 325 °C in an H 2 atmosphere, the small, AIM-installed Cu II -oxo,hydroxo clusters are stable with respect to reduction and conversion to metallic nanoparticles only up to ~200 °C.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Xarray Climate Data Analysis Tools

xCDAT is an extension of xarray for climate data analysis on structured grids. It serves as a modern successor to the Community Data Analysis Tools (CDAT) library. Xarray is an "open source project and Python package that introduces labels in the form of dimensions, coordinates, and attributes on top of raw NumPy-like arrays, which allows for more intuitive, more concise, and less error-prone user experience. Xarray includes a large and growing library of domain-agnostic functions for advanced analytics and visualization with these data structures" (source: https://xarray.dev/). The goal of xCDAT is to provide generalizable features and utilities for simple and robust analysis of climate data. xCDAT's design philosophy is focused on reducing the overhead required to accomplish certain tasks in xarray. Some key xCDAT features are inspired by or ported from the core CDAT library, while others leverage powerful libraries in the xarray ecosystem (e.g., xESMF and cf_xarray) to deliver robust APIs.

Vo, Tom↗

Silicon superlattices: Theory and application to semiconductor devices

Silicon superlattices and their applicability to improved semiconductor devices were studied. The device application potential of the atomic like dimension of III-V semiconductor superlattices fabricated in the form of ultrathin periodically layered heterostructures was examined. Whether this leads to quantum size effects and creates the possibility to alter familiar transport and optical properties over broad physical ranges was studied. Applications to improved semiconductor lasers and electrondevices were achieved. Possible application of silicon sperlattices to faster high speed computing devices was examined. It was found that the silicon lattices show features of smaller fundamental energyband gaps and reduced effective masses. The effects correlate strongly with both the chemical and geometrical nature of the superlattice.

Moriarty, J. A.↗

Graph theory approach to the eigenvalue problem of large space structures

Graph theory is used to obtain numerical solutions to eigenvalue problems of large space structures (LSS) characterized by a state vector of large dimensions. The LSS are considered as large, flexible systems requiring both orientation and surface shape control. Graphic interpretation of the determinant of a matrix is employed to reduce a higher dimensional matrix into combinations of smaller dimensional sub-matrices. The reduction is implemented by means of a Boolean equivalent of the original matrices formulated to obtain smaller dimensional equivalents of the original numerical matrix. Computation time becomes less and more accurate solutions are possible. An example is provided in the form of a free-free square plate. Linearized system equations and numerical values of a stiffness matrix are presented, featuring a state vector with 16 components.

Reddy, A. S. S. R.↗

Enabling probabilistic learning on manifolds through double diffusion maps

Here, we present a generative learning framework for probabilistic sampling that extends Probabilistic Learning on Manifolds (PLoM), which is designed to generate statistically consistent realizations of a random vector in a finite-dimensional Euclidean space, informed by a (representative) set of observations. In its original form, PLoM constructs a reduced-order probabilistic model by combining three main components: (a) kernel density estimation to approximate the underlying probability measure, (b) Diffusion Maps to characterize the manifold of the data, and (c) a reduced-order Itô Stochastic Differential Equation (ISDE) to sample from the learned distribution. However, its sampling dynamics are posed in the ambient space and the retained number of reduced coordinates is chosen by projection-reconstruction error. In practice, this often (i) requires more coordinates than the data’s intrinsic dimension to achieve stable sampling and (ii) lacks a smooth, basis-independent lifting back to the data domain; moreover, standard Diffusion Maps emphasize harmonic eigenfunctions and can miss non-harmonic latent structure. We address these limitations by decoupling geometry learning from sampling: a first Diffusion Maps pass identifies non-harmonic coordinates on which we formulate a full-order ISDE directly in the latent space, while Double Diffusion Maps captures multiscale geometric features and Geometric Harmonics (GH) learns a smooth lifting map to the ambient variables that is independent of the particular diffusion basis. This hybrid design preserves the system’s dynamical richness with a compact geometric representation and enables principled out-of-sample inference. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method are illustrated through two numerical studies: one based on data generated from two-dimensional Hermite polynomial functions and another based on high-fidelity simulations of a detonation wave in a reactive flow.

Double diffusion maps↗

Protostellar hydrodynamics: Constructing and testing a spatially and temporally second-order-accurate method. I - Spherical coordinates

Two related numerical schemes for calculating the 3D collapse of protostellar clouds are defined, developed, and checked on a wide variety of test problems in spherical symmetry and multiple dimensions. One scheme is first-order accurate in time (code S), and the other second-order accurate in time (code ST). Through convergence testing, the codes are shown to be second-order accurate in spatial differences. Compared with the previous 3D code, the combination of reduced numerical dissipation through second-order accuracy and of removing the systematic bias toward central concentrations implies that the tendency for fragmentation into binary or multiple protostars should increase. A reinvestigation of fragmentation as a mechanism for forming binary stars is expected to yield an even more favorable evaluation.

Boss, Alan P.↗

Crystallization of Chicken Egg White Lysozyme from Sulfate Salts

It has been "known" that chicken egg white lysozyme does not crystallize from sulfate, particularly ammonium sulfate, salts, but instead gives amorphous precipitates. This has been the basis of several studies using lysozyme comparing macromolecule crystal nucleation and amorphous precipitation. Recently Ries-Kautt et al (Acta Cryst D50, (1994) 366) have shown that purified isoionic CEWL could be crystallized from low concentrations of sulfate at basic pH, and we subsequently showed that in fact CEWL could be purified in both the tetragonal and orthorhombic forms using ammonium sulfate over the pH range 4.0 to 7.8 (Acta Cryst D53, (1997) 795). We have now extended these observations to include a range of common sulfate salts, specifically sodium, potassium, rubidium, magnesium, and manganese sulfates. In all cases but the manganese sulfates both the familiar tetragonal and orthorhombic forms were obtained, with unit cell dimensions close to those known for the "classic" sodium chloride crystallized forms. Manganese sulfate has only yielded orthorhombic crystals to date. All crystallizations were carried out using low (typically less than or equal to 6 M) salt and high (greater than approximately 90 mg/ml) protein concentrations. As with ammonium sulfate, the tetragonal - orthorhombic phase shift appears to be a function of both the temperature and the protein concentration, with higher temperatures and concentrations favoring the orthorhombic and lower the tetragonal form. The phase change range is somewhat reduced for the sulfate salts, depending upon conditions being typically between approximately 15 - 20 C. Both the magnesium and manganese sulfates gave crystals at salt concentrations over 0.6 M as well, with magnesium sulfate giving a very slowly nucleating and growing hexagonal form. A triclinic crystal form, characterized by aggressively small crystals (typically 0.1 mm in size) has been occasionally obtained from ammonium sulfate. Finally, preliminary spot solubility determinations have suggested that in some cases the solubility increases with increasing salt concentrations.

Forsythe, Elizabeth↗

A solution procedure for two- and three-dimensional unsteady viscous flows

An efficient computational procedure for solving three-dimensional unsteady turbulent flows is described. The consistently split Linearized Block Implicit (LBI) scheme is used in conjunction with the QR operator scheme to solve an approximate form of the Navier-Stokes equations in generalized nonorthogonal coordinates employing physical velocity components. As a demonstration calculation the turbulent oscillating flow over a flat plate corresponding to the experiment of Karlsson is considered in both two and three dimensions. New inflow boundary conditions are proposed which yield physically plausible solutions near the upstream boundary. The results obtained agree both qualitatively and quantitatively with Karlsson's data and shed new light on the controversy concerning the interpretation of the skin friction phase angle as a function of reduced frequency.

Weinberg, B. C.↗

Visualizing Size-Dependent Dynamics of CeO 2-δ {100}-Supported CoO x Nanoparticles Under CO 2 Hydrogenation Conditions

Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. In order to optimize processes focused on its chemical valorization, one needs detailed information about the effects of CO 2 and/or CO 2 /H 2 mixtures on the structure and morphology of metal/oxide catalysts. Here, in this study, the evolution of a catalyst with cobalt supported on CeO 2 -cube nanostructures under CO 2 hydrogenation conditions was investigated by using a set of in situ characterization techniques (X-ray absorption fine structure, X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and environmental transmission electron microscopy (TEM)). The {100} facets of the ceria support displayed an unexpectedly high stability due to strong interactions with the aggregates of cobalt oxide. A significant influence of interfacial bonding between CoO x and CeO 2-δ {100} is evident through a clear preference in the orientation of CoO x nanoparticles (NPs) with respect to the substrate. For initially reduced Co/CeO 2 -cube nanostructures, a kinetically controlled oxidation of cobalt upon the introduction of CO 2 was observed during the early stages of CO 2 hydrogenation. Environmental TEM revealed the size-dependent morphological behavior of cobalt oxide NPs due to strong interactions with the CeO 2 {100} surface. When the environment was switched from H 2 to a mixture of H 2 and CO 2 at 250 °C, small CoO x NPs (in the largest dimension < 2.5 nm) rapidly transformed from a pyramidal three-dimensional (3D) form to a planar, monatomic layer attached to the concurrently oxidized CeO 2-δ {100} surface. This maximizes the number of sites available for the binding of CO 2 or reaction intermediates. The shape transformation reflected the oxophilic character of cobalt and strong metal–support interactions. The removal of CO 2 from the gas phase led to a reduction of the cobalt oxide NPs by hydrogen and a reversible two-dimensional → 3D transformation. In contrast, no significant morphological changes, apart from further oxidation, were observed for big CoO x NPs (in the largest dimension > 3 nm). These trends are not seen for nanoparticles of noble metals. The observed morphological and structural changes in the small CoO x NPs affected the stability of reaction intermediates and modified the selectivity of the CoO x /CeO 2 catalyst system for methane production.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Faster Johnson–Lindenstrauss transforms via Kronecker products

The Kronecker product is an important matrix operation with a wide range of applications in signal processing, graph theory, quantum computing and deep learning. In this work, we introduce a generalization of the fast Johnson–Lindenstrauss projection for embedding vectors with Kronecker product structure, the Kronecker fast Johnson–Lindenstrauss transform (KFJLT). The KFJLT reduces the embedding cost by an exponential factor of the standard fast Johnson–Lindenstrauss transform’s cost when applied to vectors with Kronecker structure, by avoiding explicitly forming the full Kronecker products. Here, we prove that this computational gain comes with only a small price in embedding power: consider a finite set of $p$ points in a tensor product of $d$ constituent Euclidean spaces $\bigotimes _{k=d}^{1}{\mathbb{R}}^{n_k}$, and let $N = \prod _{k=1}^{d}n_k$. With high probability, a random KFJLT matrix of dimension $m \times N$ embeds the set of points up to multiplicative distortion $(1\pm \varepsilon )$ provided $m \gtrsim \varepsilon ^{-2} \, \log ^{2d - 1} (p) \, \log N$. We conclude by describing a direct application of the KFJLT to the efficient solution of large-scale Kronecker-structured least squares problems for fitting the CP tensor decomposition.

Kronecker structure↗