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At least 91 records · Page 5

Development of Three-Dimensional DRAGON Grid Technology

For a typical three dimensional flow in a practical engineering device, the time spent in grid generation can take 70 percent of the total analysis effort, resulting in a serious bottleneck in the design/analysis cycle. The present research attempts to develop a procedure that can considerably reduce the grid generation effort. The DRAGON grid, as a hybrid grid, is created by means of a Direct Replacement of Arbitrary Grid Overlapping by Nonstructured grid. The DRAGON grid scheme is an adaptation to the Chimera thinking. The Chimera grid is a composite structured grid, composing a set of overlapped structured grids, which are independently generated and body-fitted. The grid is of high quality and amenable for efficient solution schemes. However, the interpolation used in the overlapped region between grids introduces error, especially when a sharp-gradient region is encountered. The DRAGON grid scheme is capable of completely eliminating the interpolation and preserving the conservation property. It maximizes the advantages of the Chimera scheme and adapts the strengths of the unstructured and while at the same time keeping its weaknesses minimal. In the present paper, we describe the progress towards extending the DRAGON grid technology into three dimensions. Essential and programming aspects of the extension, and new challenges for the three-dimensional cases, are addressed.

Zheng, Yao↗

Structural Requirements for Design and Analysis of 25% Scale Subsonic Single Aft Engine (SUSAN) Research Aircraft

The purpose of this paper is to define a set of structural requirements which can be used for conceptual design studies of the Subsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) aircraft and the early design phases of a quarter scale flight research aircraft. SUSAN presents an architecture for a subsonic regional jet transport aircraft coupling a single turbofan engine to an electrified aircraft propulsion system (EAP). Presented within this paper are a consolidated set of requirements drawn from NASA, FAA (FAR), and non-government structural standards with a focus on loads. An example application of the breakout load tables and the approach for applying existing standards to those configurations is presented for the SUSAN 25% flight research vehicle. Positioning of the turbofan, electric engines, battery and the requirement for the 25% vehicle to be shippable in a cargo box are atypical structural design requirements. Particular focus is given to the primary aircraft structural elements such as the engine/tail mount, fuselage structure, and wing structure.

structures↗

Structural Requirements for Design and Analysis of 25% Scale Subsonic Single Aft Engine (SUSAN) Research Aircraft

The purpose of this paper is to define a set of structural requirements which can be used for conceptual design studies of the Subsonic Single Aft eNgine (SUSAN) aircraft and the early design phases of a quarter scale flight research aircraft. SUSAN presents an architecture for a subsonic regional jet transport aircraft coupling a single turbofan engine to an electrified aircraft propulsion system (EAP). Presented within this paper are a consolidated set of requirements drawn from NASA, FAA (FAR), and non-government structural standards with a focus on loads. An example application of the breakout load tables and the approach for applying existing standards to those configurations is presented for the SUSAN 25% flight research vehicle. Positioning of the turbofan, electric engines, battery and the requirement for the 25% vehicle to be shippable in a cargo box are atypical structural design requirements. Particular focus is given to the primary aircraft structural elements such as the engine/tail mount, fuselage structure, and wing structure.

Structures↗

A structural origin for the cantaloupe terrain of Triton

Cantaloupe terrain is unique to Triton. It is Triton's oldest terrain and includes about 250,000 km sq. region displaying sparsely cratered, closely spaced, nearly circular dimples about 30-40 km across. This terrain is found on no other planet because, only on Triton the final major global thermal pulse (1) caused completed (or nearly) interior melting resulting in a cooling history where large thermal stresses shattered and contorted a thin, weak lithosphere, and (2) occurred after heavy bombardment so that the surface features were preserved. The cantaloupe terrain is composed of intersecting sets of structures (folds and/or faults) that have developed as a result of global compression generated by volumetric changes associated with cooling of Triton's interior. Further, it is proposed that these structures developed after the period of heavy bombardment, and resulted from the last major global thermal epoch in Triton's unique history (either caused by tidal or radio metric heating). Initially, as the body cooled and the structures formed, their surface topography was most likely modified by thermal relaxation of the warm surface ices. In other bodies like Mercury, thermal stresses generated from global cooling and contraction have resulted in widely spaced thrust faults, whereas on Triton, thermal stresses produced more closely-spaced folds and faults sets. This difference in structural style is probably due to differences in lithospheric properties (thickness, strength, etc.), the magnitude of stress (directly dependent on the thermal history), and when the structures formed, relative to the period of heavy bombardment.

Boyce, Joseph M.↗

Stochastic Home Energy Management Systems with Varying Controllable Resources

This paper studies the performance of a model predictive control (MPC) algorithm in a home energy management system (HEMS) as the set of controllable resources varies and under both a constant and a time-of-use (TOU) electricity price structure. The set of controllable resources includes residentially-owned photovoltaic (PV) panels, a home battery system (HBS), an electric vehicle (EV), and a home heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The HEMS optimally schedules the set of controllable resources given user preferences such as indoor thermal comfort and electricity cost sensitivity. The home energy management system is built on a chance constrained, MPC-based algorithm, where the chance constraint ensures the indoor thermal comfort is satisfied with a high probability given uncertainty in the outdoor temperature and solar irradiance forecasts. Simulation results for varying sets of controllable resources under two different electricity price structures demonstrate the variation in the HEMS control with respect to HBS operation, electricity cost, and grid power usage.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

A second-order structural identification procedure via state space-based system identification

A theory is presented for transforming the system theory-based realization models into the corresponding physical coordinate-based structural models. The theory has been implemented into a computational procedure and applied to several example problems. The results show that the present transformation theory yields an objective model basis possessing a unique set of structural parameters from an infinite set of equivalent system realization models. For proportionally damped systems, the transformation directly and systematically yields the normal modes and modal damping. When non-proportional damping is present, the relative magnitude and phase of the damped model shapes are separately characterized, and a corrective transformation is then employed to capture the undamped normal modes and non-diagonal modal damping matrix.

Alvin, K. F.↗

Structural Models and Sequence Alignment Results of the Rhodospirillum rubrum Proteome

This dataset contains the structural models for the primary transcripts of the Rhodospirillum rubrum proteome as well as sequence alignment results for a subset of the encoded proteins. For each protein, the five models inferred from AlphaFold 2 are provided. The largest pTM-scoring model for each protein was energy minimized; this minimized structure as well as its AlphaFold pickle output file are also provided. This set of structures represent an alternate source of models for the R. rubrum proteome to those available in the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database. For proteins that have been annotated as hypothetical, sequence alignment results from the HHblits and SAdLSA alignment methods are provided. These methods are often more capable to resolve sequence homology than other methods. Therefore, the results from both HHblits and SAdLSA are provided to identify possible homologs for these challenging proteins. Numerous sequence databases are utilized for these alignments. References AlphaFold v2 Multimer: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.04.463034. References HHBlits: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-019-3019-7. References SAdLSA: https://doi.org/10.3389/fbinf.2021.689960.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Structural Models and Sequence Alignment Results of the Desulfovibrio vulgaris Proteome

This dataset contains the structural models for the primary transcripts of the Desulfovibrio vulgaris proteome as well as sequence alignment results for a subset of the encoded proteins. For each protein, the five models inferred from AlphaFold 2 are provided. The largest pTM-scoring model for each protein was energy minimized; this minimized structure as well as its AlphaFold pickle output file are also provided. This set of structures represent an alternate source of models for the D. vulgaris proteome to those available in the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database (AFDB). This is a bit more complicated since the proteins reporting in the AFDB originate from an outdated form of the D. vulgaris sequence. The different versions of the D. vulgaris gene annotation are collected in the Chronology subdirectory; further consideration of these changes on the structural space of the proteome are currently underway. For proteins that have been annotated as hypothetical, sequence alignment results from the HHblits and SAdLSA alignment methods are provided. These methods are often more capable to resolve sequence homology than other methods. Therefore, the results from both HHblits and SAdLSA are provided to identify possible homologs for these challenging proteins. Numerous sequence databases are utilized for these alignments. References AlphaFold v2 Multimer: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.04.463034. References HHblits: hhtps://doi.org/10.1186/s12859-019-3019-7. References SAdLSA: hhtps://doi.org/10.3389/fbinf.2021.689960.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Structural Models of the Rhodopseudomonas palustris Proteome

This dataset contains the structural models for the primary transcripts of the Rhodopseudomonas palustris proteome. For each protein, the five models inferred from AlphaFold 2 are provided. The largest pTM-scoring model for each protein was energy minimized; this minimized structure as well as its AlphaFold pickle output file are also provided. This set of structures represent an alternate source of models for the R. palustris proteome to those available in the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Large modal survey testing using the Ibrahim time domain /ITD/ identification technique

The ability of the ITD identification algorithm in identifying a complete set of structural modal parameters using a large number of free-response time histories simultaneously in one analysis, assuming a math model with a high number of degrees-of-freedom, has been studied. Identification results using simulated free responses of a uniform rectangular plate, with 225 measurement stations, and experimental responses from a ground vibration test of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) Space Shuttle payload, with 142 measurement stations, are presented. As many as 300 degrees-of-freedom were allowed in analyzing these data. In general, the use of a significantly oversized math model in the identification process was found to maintain or increase identification accuracy and to identify modes of low response level that are not identified with smaller math model sizes. The concept of a Mode Shape Correlation Constant is introduced for use when more than one identification analysis of the same structure are conducted. This constant quantifies the degree of correlation between any two sets of complex mode shapes identified using different excitation conditions, different user-selectable algorithm constants, or overlapping sets of measurements.

Ibrahim, S. R.↗

Large Modal Survey Testing Using the Ibrahim Time Domain Identification Technique

The ability of the ITD identification algorithm in identifying a complete set of structural modal parameters using a large number of free-response time histories simultaneously in one analysis, assuming a math model with a high number of degrees-of-freedom, has been studied. Identification results using simulated free responses of a uniform rectangular plate, with 225 measurement stations, and experimental responses from a ground vibration test of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) Space Shuttle payload, with 142 measurement stations, are presented. As many as 300 degrees-of-freedom were allowed in analyzing these data. In general, the use of a significantly oversized math model in the identification process was found to maintain or increase identification accuracy and to identify modes of low response level that are not identified with smaller math model sizes. The concept of a Mode Shape Correlation Constant is introduced for use when more than one identification analysis of the same structure are conducted. This constant quantifies the degree of correlation between any two sets of complex mode shapes identified using different excitation conditions, different user-selectable algorithm constants, or overlapping sets of measurements.

Ibrahim, S. R.↗

A Nonlinear Modal Aeroelastic Solver for FUN3D

A nonlinear structural solver has been implemented internally within the NASA FUN3D computational fluid dynamics code, allowing for some new aeroelastic capabilities. Using a modal representation of the structure, a set of differential or differential-algebraic equations are derived for general thin structures with geometric nonlinearities. ODEPACK and LAPACK routines are linked with FUN3D, and the nonlinear equations are solved at each CFD time step. The existing predictor-corrector method is retained, whereby the structural solution is updated after mesh deformation. The nonlinear solver is validated using a test case for a flexible aeroshell at transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flow conditions. Agreement with linear theory is seen for the static aeroelastic solutions at relatively low dynamic pressures, but structural nonlinearities limit deformation amplitudes at high dynamic pressures. No flutter was found at any of the tested trajectory points, though LCO may be possible in the transonic regime.

Goldman, Benjamin D.↗

ORNL_AISD_NiNb

This dataset describes the nickel-niobium solid solution binary alloy, where the two constituent elements nickel (Ni) and niobium (Nb) are randomly placed on an underlying crystal lattice. This dataset for nickel-niobium (Ni-Nb) alloys available includes the formation energy and bulk modulus for each crystal structure. Each atomic sample has a disordered phase which is obtained starting from an initial regular crystal structure of type body-centered cubic (BCC), face-centered cubic (FCC), or hexagonal compact packed (HCP). The geometry optimization ensures that all the alloy samples reached the equilibrium with negative formation energy. We perform geometry optimizations using the LAMMPS simulation package [1], a flexible simulation tool for particle-based materials modeling at the atomic, meso, and continuum scales. We utilized the embedded atom model (EAM) potential for Ni and Nb developed in a previous study [2]. The potential could describe behaviors of the liquid and solid phases of Ni-Nb alloy. The structural factors and angular distributions of three atoms are well-matched with X-ray and ab initio-based molecular dynamics data. We prepared the three different crystals with different initial lattice parameters (3.52 Ã… for FCC, 3.32 Ã… for BCC, and 3.5 Ã… for HCP). We performed energy minimization in two steps. Firstly, we minimized the structures with an isotropic unit cell to minimize the side effects from our arbitrary lattice parameters for all other compositions. Then, we applied geometry optimization with a triclinic (non-orthogonal) unit cell to fully minimize the stress components to calculate the elastic constants. In this procedure, we chose 10,000 as the maximum number of allowable steps aimed at obtaining fully relaxed atomic geometries. The dataset consists of three sets of crystal structures. The first set contains 46,086 irregular crystal structures, each of them with 54 atoms, obtained through optimization starting from a regular BCC crystal structure. The second set contains 24,543 irregular crystal structures, each of them with 32 atoms, obtained through optimization starting from a regular FCC crystal structure. The third set contains 39,303 irregular crystal structures, each of them with 48 atoms, obtained through optimization starting from a regular HCP crystal structure. The atomic configurations within each set span the possible compositional range. The three sets have been unified in a global dataset, which is extremely heterogeneous in terms of crystal structures, lattice volumes, and atomic configurations. Organization of files inside the dataset: the dataset contains three subdirectories called • BCC_opt • FCC_opt • HCP_opt based on the type of initial regular structure used to start the geometry optimization. Inside each of these folders, every atomic structure is identified by a string “A_B_Câ€, where A denotes the number of Nb in the system, B denotes index of structure with a given Nb number, and C denotes the total number of structures generated with a given Nb number. For each optimized crystal structure identified by the unique string of characters “A_B_Câ€, three files are provided: • A_B_C_opt.xyz: The optimized geometries in xyz format • A_B_C_opt.cfg: The optimized geometries in cfg format. It includes cell information and atomic energy, and forces calculated from LAMMPS. • A_B_C.elastic: Raw data of 21 elastic constants from LAMMPS output. • A_B_C.bulk: Calculated upper and lower bounds of bulk modulus and averaged one based on Voigt-Reuss-Hill approach from *.elastic. References: [1] A. P. Thompson, H. M. Aktulga, R. Berger, D. S. Bolintineanu, W. M. Brown, P. S. Crozier, P. J. in 't Veld, A. Kohlmeyer, S. G. Moore, T. D. Nguyen, R. Shan, M. J. Stevens, J. Tranchida, C. Trott, and S. J. Plimpton. LAMMPS - a flexible simulation tool for particle-based materials modeling at the atomic, meso, and continuum scales. Comp. Phys. Comm., 271:108171, 2022. [2] Y Zhang, R Ashcraft, MI Mendelev, CZ Wang, and KF Kelton. Experimental and molecular dynamics simulation study of structure of liquid and amorphous ni62nb38 alloy. The Journal of chemical physics, 145(20):204505, 2016.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mechanistic insights into structural parameters maximizing energy storage density in Si mesoporous electrodes for Li-ion batteries

Mesoporous Si electrodes have an interesting set of structural parameters, which, when carefully optimized, can lead to ultrahigh energy density Si electrodes for Li-ion batteries. We present here in this paper details of a systematic research leading to the discovery of an “ideal” structure of mesoporous Si electrode, which results in exceptional cracking/damage resistance, while simultaneously having very high specific (>2000 mAh g-1) and total (>1.5 mAh cm-2) capacities for large number of cycles. The electrodes near the “ideal” value of the characteristic structural parameter (the ratio of Si wall thickness to pore diameter) are free from first-cycle capacity degradation, and are efficient in accommodating the volume changes during lithiation by uniformly filling up the porous space between Si walls. Interestingly, these electrodes are also found to be structurally damage-resistant, surviving through many lithiation-delithiation cycles. Using charge-discharge cycling and electron microscopy we show that ideal structure is the key for achieving ultrahigh energy storage density in Si mesoporous electrodes for Li-ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Time simulation of flutter with large stiffness changes

Time simulation of flutter, involving large local structural changes, is formulated with a state-space model that is based on a relatively small number of generalized coordinates. Free-free vibration modes are first calculated for a nominal finite-element model with relatively large fictitious masses located at the area of structural changes. A low-frequency subset of these modes is then transformed into a set of structural modal coordinates with which the entire simulation is performed. These generalized coordinates and the associated oscillatory aerodynamic force coefficient matrices are used to construct an efficient time-domain, state-space model for a basic aeroelastic case. The time simulation can then be performed by simply changing the mass, stiffness, and damping coupling terms when structural changes occur. It is shown that the size of the aeroelastic model required for time simulation with large structural changes at a few apriori known locations is similar to that required for direct analysis of a single structural case. The method is applied to the simulation of an aeroelastic wind-tunnel model. The diverging oscillations are followed by the activation of a tip-ballast decoupling mechanism that stabilizes the system but may cause significant transient overshoots.

Karpel, Mordechay↗

Time simulation of flutter with large stiffness changes

Time simulation of flutter, involving large local structural changes, is formulated with a state-space model that is based on a relatively small number of generalized coordinates. Free-free vibration modes are first calculated for a nominal finite-element model with relatively large fictitious masses located at the area of structural changes. A low-frequency subset of these modes is then transformed into a set of structural modal coordinates with which the entire simulation is performed. These generalized coordinates and the associated oscillatory aerodynamic force coefficient matrices are used to construct an efficient time-domain, state-space model for basic aeroelastic case. The time simulation can then be performed by simply changing the mass, stiffness and damping coupling terms when structural changes occur. It is shown that the size of the aeroelastic model required for time simulation with large structural changes at a few a priori known locations is similar to that required for direct analysis of a single structural case. The method is applied to the simulation of an aeroelastic wind-tunnel model. The diverging oscillations are followed by the activation of a tip-ballast decoupling mechanism that stabilizes the system but may cause significant transient overshoots.

Karpel, M.↗

Single Crystals of Vanadium Oxides as a Lens for Understanding Structural and Electronic Phase Transformations, Ion Transport, Chemo-Mechanical Coupling, and Electrothermal Neuronal Emulation

Vanadium oxides cystallize in a diverse array of structures and compositions arising from the redox versatility of vanadium, variable covalency of V−O bonds, and myriad coordination geometries. Their open frameworks present abundant interstitial sites that enable insertion of guest-ions. In such compounds, V3d electron and spin localization and disorder couple strongly to structural preferences. The rich structural diversity manifests as a “rugged” free energy landscape with multiple interconvertible polymorphs. Such a landscape sets up structural, electronic, and magnetic transitions that underpin the promise of these materials as ion-insertion battery electrodes; compact primitives for brain-inspired computing, and heterogeneous catalysts. Here, we examine the structural and compositional diversity, electronic instabilities, defect dynamics, structure transformations, mechanical properties, and surface structure of vanadium oxides using single crystals as a distinctive lens. Single crystals enable the measurement of structure−function correlations without the ensemble and orientational averaging inevitable in polycrystalline materials. Their well-defined surfaces further enable examination of facet-dependent reactivity toward molecular adsorbates, ion fluxes, and lattice (mis)matched solids. We provide a comprehensive account of vanadium-oxide single-crystal studies, from delineation of common structural motifs to single-crystal growth techniques, topochemical modification strategies, mechanisms underpinning electronic instabilities, and implementation as electrothermal neurons and battery electrode materials.

Ponis, John [Texas A&M University, College Station↗

Machine learning inversion from small-angle scattering for charged polymers

We develop Monte Carlo simulations for uniformly charged polymers and a machine learning algorithm to interpret the intra-polymer structure factor of the charged polymer system, which can be obtained from small-angle scattering experiments. The polymer is modeled as a chain of fixed-length bonds, where the connected bonds are subject to bending energy, and there is also a screened Coulomb potential for charge interaction between all joints. The bending energy is determined by the intrinsic bending stiffness, and the charge interaction depends on the interaction strength and screening length. All three contribute to the stiffness of the polymer chain and lead to longer and larger polymer conformations. The screening length also introduces a second length scale for the polymer besides the bending persistence length. To obtain the inverse mapping from the structure factor to these polymer conformation and energy-related parameters, we generate a large data set of structure factors by running simulations for a wide range of polymer energy parameters. We use principal component analysis to investigate the intra-polymer structure factors and determine the feasibility of the inversion using the nearest neighbor distance. We employ Gaussian process regression to achieve the inverse mapping and extract the characteristic parameters of polymers from the structure factor with low relative error.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗