Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “root productivity”

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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Suppression of electroconvective and morphological instabilities by an imposed cross flow of the electrolyte

Electroconvective (EC) instability and its influence on surface morphological perturbations (Morph) are important in many applications, including electrodialysis, batteries, and fuel cells. In this work, we study the effects of a two-dimensional channel flow on the EC and Morph instabilities using two approaches. In the bulk analysis, we derive the asymptotic solutions for small and large wave numbers by neglecting the space charge layer and imposing a second kind electroosmosis slip velocity boundary condition on the electroneutral bulk region. In the full analysis, the instability of the entire region of the liquid electrolyte is analyzed using the ultraspherical spectral method. Both studies show that the flow significantly affects the EC instability. The imposed flow distorts the concentration field, causing a sheltering effect which hinders the ion transport from low- to high-concentration regions, and therefore suppresses the EC instability below a certain wave number. In combination with the viscous stabilization of the high wave number modes by the space charge layer, a sufficiently strong imposed flow can fully suppress the EC instability. The increment in the critical voltage for the instability onset is roughly proportional to the square root of the product of imposed velocity and double layer thickness. The imposed flow has a smaller effect on the Morph instability, except that it may remove the morphological modes resulting from the EC instability and thereby change the wave number of the most unstable mode.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

Soil carbon stocks in temperate grasslands differ strongly across sites but are insensitive to decade-long fertilization

We report enhancing soil carbon (C) storage has the potential to offset human-caused increases in atmospheric CO 2 . Rising CO 2 has occurred concurrently with increasing supply rates of biologically limiting nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). However, it is unclear how increased supplies of N and P will alter soil C sequestration, particularly in grasslands, which make up nearly a third of non-agricultural land world-wide. Here, we leverage a globally distributed nutrient addition experiment (the Nutrient Network) to examine how a decade of N and P fertilization (alone and in combination) influenced soil C and N stocks at nine grassland sites spanning the continental United States. We measured changes in bulk soil C and N stocks and in three soil C fractions (light and heavy particulate organic matter, and mineral-associated organic matter fractions). Nutrient amendment had variable effects on soil C and N pools that ranged from strongly positive to strongly negative, while soil C and N pool sizes varied by more than an order of magnitude across sites. Piecewise SEM clarified that small increases in plant C inputs with fertilization did not translate to greater soil C storage. Nevertheless, peak season aboveground plant biomass (but not root biomass or production) was strongly positively related to soil C storage at seven of the nine sites, and across all nine sites, soil C covaried with moisture index and soil mineralogy, regardless of fertilization. Overall, we show that site factors such as moisture index, plant productivity, soil texture, and mineralogy were key predictors of cross-site soil C, while nutrient amendment had weaker and site-specific effects on C sequestration. This suggests that prioritizing the protection of highly productive temperate grasslands is critical for reducing future greenhouse gas losses arising from land use change.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1972

Effect of a circular hole on the buckling of cylindrical shells loaded by axial compression.

An experimental and analytical investigation of the effect of a circular hole on the buckling of thin cylindrical shells under axial compression was carried out. The experimental results were obtained from tests performed on seamless electroformed copper shells and Mylar shells with a lap joint seam. These results indicated that the character of the shell buckling was dependent on a parameter which is proportional to the hole radius divided by the square root of the product of the shell radius and thickness. For small values of this parameter, there was no apparent effect of the hole on the buckling load. For slightly larger values of the parameter, the shells still buckled into a general collapse configuration, but the buckling loads were sharply reduced as the parameter increased. For still larger values of the parameter, the buckling loads were further reduced, and the shells buckled into a stable local buckling configuration.

Starnes, J. H., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Method for determining thermo-physical properties of specimens

The square root of the product of thermophysical properties q, c and k, where p is density, c is specific heat and k is thermal conductivity, is determined directly on a test specimen such as a wind tunnel model. The test specimen and a reference specimen of known specific heat are positioned at a given distance from a heat source. The specimens are provided with a coating, such as a phase change coating, to visually indicate that a given temperature was reached. A shutter interposed between the heat source and the specimens is opened and a motion picture camera is actuated to provide a time record of the heating step. The temperature of the reference specimen is recorded as a function of time. The heat rate to which both the test and reference specimens were subjected is determined from the temperature time response of the reference specimen by the conventional thin-skin calorimeter equation.

Jones, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Effective thermal property improves phase change paint data

The phase-change coating technique presents itself as a valuable tool in determining the heat transfer rate over the surface of small complex wind tunnel models. A numerical technique is described which shows that an effective thermophysical property - the square root of the product of thermal conductivity, density, and specific heat - may significantly improve the accuracy of the phase-change coating technique with allowance for model inhomogeneity and temperature dependency in a transient environment. Results of the measured steady-state variation of the effective thermophysical property with temperature and the effect of surface heating rate on the effective thermophysical property are plotted for a representative homogeneous model material and for an extreme nonhomogeneous model material. The use of an effective thermophysical property to reduce phase-change paint data is recommended. The analysis also confirms that the apparatus described by Corwin and Kramer (1975) can be used to measure directly this effective thermophysical property for use in wind tunnel model heat-transfer measurements.

Drummond, J. P.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Thermal inertia mapping of Mars from 60 deg S to 60 deg N

The considered region comprises 81% of the surface of Mars. Thermal inertia I is a composite surface property, which is equal to the square root of the product of three factors, including the thermal conductivity, the density, and the specific heat. I is the sole thermal parameter which governs the temperature variation of a periodically heated homogeneous surface, and, as such, is the prime intermediary between remote temperature observations and their geologic interpretation. The values for the thermal inertia found imply particulate surface materials. The variation in Martian surface thermal conductivity is about two orders of magnitude. Three large regions of low-inertia material are defined. Low-inertia material always possesses high albedo. There is a general tendency for higher-thermal-inertia surfaces to be darker but exceptions occur which may be related to a thin mantling of light dust or bonding of light material.

Palluconi, F. D.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Energy efficient engine shroudless, hollow fan blade technology report

The Shroudless, Hollow Fan Blade Technology program was structured to support the design, fabrication, and subsequent evaluation of advanced hollow and shroudless blades for the Energy Efficient Engine fan component. Rockwell International was initially selected to produce hollow airfoil specimens employing the superplastic forming/diffusion bonding (SPF/DB) fabrication technique. Rockwell demonstrated that a titanium hollow structure could be fabricated utilizing SPF/DB manufacturing methods. However, some problems such as sharp internal cavity radii and unsatisfactory secondary bonding of the edge and root details prevented production of the required quantity of fatigue test specimens. Subsequently, TRW was selected to (1) produce hollow airfoil test specimens utilizing a laminate-core/hot isostatic press/diffusion bond approach, and (2) manufacture full-size hollow prototype fan blades utilizing the technology that evolved from the specimen fabrication effort. TRW established elements of blade design and defined laminate-core/hot isostatic press/diffusion bonding fabrication techniques to produce test specimens. This fabrication technology was utilized to produce full size hollow fan blades in which the HIP'ed parts were cambered/twisted/isothermally forged, finish machined, and delivered to Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and NASA for further evaluation.

Michael, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Enhancement of in vitro Guayule propagation

A method for stimulating in vitro propagation of Guayule from a nutrient medium containing Guayule tissue by adding a substituted trialkyl amine bioinducing agent to the nutrient medium is described. Selective or differentiated propagation of shoots or callus is obtained by varying the amounts of substituted trialky amine present in the nutrient medium. The luxuriant growth provided may be processed for its poly isoprene content or may be transferred to a rooting medium for production of whole plants as identical clones of the original tissue. The method also provides for the production of large numbers of Guayule plants having identical desirable properties such as high polyisoprene levels.

Dastoor, M. N.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The role of porosity in thermal inertia variations on basaltic lavas

Thermal inertia, defined as the square root of the product of thermal conductivity, density, and specific heat, has been noted to vary in inverse proportion to porosity in Hawaiian basalts. It is presently suggested that porosities of the order of more than 80 percent are required if the low thermal inertias observed in Martian shield volcanoes are the result of pristine lava flow surface properties. An aeolian origin is held to be most likely in view of thermal measurements on Mars; the volcanic surfaces in question are anticipated to have a short lifetime in their environment.

Zimbelman, James R.↗
NASA NTRS1959

Interaction Effects Produced by Jet Exhausting Laterally Near Base of Ogive-Cylinder Model in Supersonic Main Stream

The experimentally determined interaction effects of a side jet exhausting near the base of an ogive-cylinder model are presented and discussed. The interaction force appears to be independent of main-stream Mach number, boundary-layer condition (laminar or turbulent), angle of attack, and forebody length. The ratio of interaction force to jet force is found to be inversely proportional to the square root of the product of jet stagnation-to-free-stream pressure ratio and jet-to-body diameter ratio.

Vinson, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Reanalysis Surface Mass Balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet along K-transect (2000-2014)

Accurate estimates of surface mass balance over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) would contribute to understanding the cause of recent changes and would help to better estimate the future contribution of the GrIS to sea-level rise. Given the limitations of in-situ measurement, modeling, and remote sensing, it is critical to explore the opportunity to merge the available data to better characterize the spatial and temporal variation of the GrIS surface mass balance (SMB). This work utilizes a particle batch smoother data assimilation technique that yields SMB estimates that benefit from the snow model Crocus and a 16-day albedo product derived from satellite remote sensing data. Comparison of the results against in-situ SMB measurements shows that the assimilation of the albedo product reduces the root mean square error (RMSE) of the posterior estimates of SMB by 51% and reduces bias by 95%.

Greenland Ice Sheet↗
NASA NTRS2018

Assessing Version 4 of the SMAP L4_SM Data Product

Version 4 of the SMAP Level 4 Surface and Root Zone Soil Moisture (L4_SM) product benefits from an improved land surface modeling system. Surface soil moisture is typically drier by several volumetric percent in Version 4 compared to Version 3, whereas root zone soil moisture is wetter in Version 4 in some regions and drier in others. Results from core validation site comparisons show that Version 4 of the L4_SM data product meets the accuracy requirement, which is formulated in terms of the RMSE after removal of the long-term mean difference (ubRMSE). The overall ubRMSE of the 3-hourly L4_SM data at the 9 km scale is 0.039 m3 m-3 for surface soil moisture and 0.029 m3 m-3 for root zone soil moisture, below the 0.04 m3 m-3 requirement. L4_SM surface and root zone soil moisture estimates are more skillful than model-only simulation estimates that are not informed by SMAP brightness temperature observations, with statistically significant improvements at the 5% level for surface soil moisture R and anomaly R values. Results from comparisons of the L4_SM product to in situ measurements from more than 400 sparse network sites corroborate the core validation site results.

Reichle, R.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Colonization of Naive Roots from Populus tremula × alba Involves Successive Waves of Fungi and Bacteria with Different Trophic Abilities

ABSTRACT Through their roots, trees interact with a highly complex community of microorganisms belonging to various trophic guilds and contributing to tree nutrition, development, and protection against stresses. Tree roots select for specific microbial species from the bulk soil communities. The root microbiome formation is a dynamic process, but little is known on how the different microorganisms colonize the roots and how the selection occurs. To decipher whether the final composition of the root microbiome is the product of several waves of colonization by different guilds of microorganisms, we planted sterile rooted cuttings of gray poplar obtained from plantlets propagated in axenic conditions in natural poplar stand soil. We analyzed the root microbiome at different time points between 2 and 50 days of culture by combining high-throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the fungal ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer and bacterial 16S rRNA amplicons with confocal laser scanning microscopy observations. The microbial colonization of poplar roots took place in three stages, but bacteria and fungi had different dynamics. Root bacterial communities were clearly different from those in the soil after 2 days of culture. In contrast, if fungi were also already colonizing roots after 2 days, the initial communities were very close to that in the soil and were dominated by saprotrophs. They were slowly replaced by endophytes and ectomycorhizal fungi. The replacement of the most abundant fungal and bacterial community members observed in poplar roots over time suggest potential competition effect between microorganisms and/or a selection by the host. IMPORTANCE The tree root microbiome is composed of a very diverse set of bacterial and fungal communities. These microorganisms have a profound impact on tree growth, development, and protection against different types of stress. They mainly originate from the bulk soil and colonize the root system, which provides a unique nutrient-rich environment for a diverse assemblage of microbial communities. In order to better understand how the tree root microbiome is shaped over time, we observed the composition of root-associated microbial communities of naive plantlets of poplar transferred in natural soil. The composition of the final root microbiome relies on a series of colonization stages characterized by the dominance of different fungal guilds and bacterial community members over time. Our observations suggest an early stabilization of bacterial communities, whereas fungal communities are established following a more gradual pattern.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Adoption of ROOT RNTuple for the next main event data storage technology in the ATLAS production framework Athena

Since the start of LHC in 2008, the ATLAS experiment has relied on ROOT to provide storage technology for all its processed event data. Internally, ROOT files are organized around TTree structures that are capable of storing complex C++ objects. The capabilities of TTrees developed over the years and are now offering support for advanced concepts like polymorphism, schema evolution and user defined collections and ATLAS makes use of these features to handle its EDM. But some original TTrees concepts, like the POSIX file model and sequential writing, remain unchanged since the beginning and could be an obstacle to achieving the performance required for High Luminosity LHC. With the HL-LHC performance goals in mind, the ROOT project developed a new storage format - the RNTuple. RNTuple, with its accompanying user API, is now in the final development stage and is planned to be production-ready at the end of 2024. Soon after that, the TTree will become a legacy format. ATLAS intends to have its main Event processing framework Athena ready to use RNTuple in the production environment as early as possible. The work on adopting RNTuple as another ROOT storage technology in Athena started already in 2021 and is now nearly complete. Although the initial goal was to focus on derived-AOD products (PHYS and PHYSLITE), with a little added effort all ATLAS data products: RDO, HITS, ESD, AOD and DAOD can be now stored in RNTuple format and transparently read back. In this paper we will describe the current state of RNTuple adoption in the Athena framework and explain the ATLAS EDM requirements that had to be met on the ROOT side to successfully integrate both environments. We will demonstrate the ability to run standard ATLAS production workflows, based on RNTuple as the Event data storage technology, and point out key advantages of the new format.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
NASA NTRS1993

Statistical analysis of environmental variability within the CELSS breadboard project's biomass production chamber

Variability in the aerial and root environments of NASA's Breadboard Project's Biomass Production Chamber (BPC) was determined. Data from two lettuce and two potato growouts were utilized. One growout of each crop was conducted prior to separating the upper and lower chambers; the other was subsequent to separation. There were little or no differences in pH, EC, or solution temperature between the upper and lower chamber or within a chamber. Variation in the aerial environment within a chamber was two to three times greater than variation between chambers for air temperature, relative humidity, and PPF. High variability in air velocity, relative to tray position, was observed. Separating the BPC had no effect on PPF, air velocity, solution temperature, pH, or EC. Separation reduced the gradient in air temperature and relative humidity between the upper and lower chambers, but increased the variability within a chamber. Variation between upper and lower chambers was within 5 percent of environmental set-points and of little or no physiological significance. In contrast, the variability within a chamber limits the capability of the BPC to generate statistically reliable data from individual tray treatments at this time.

Stutte, G. W.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Data for “Tree root nutrient uptake kinetics vary with nutrient availability, environmental conditions, and root traits: A global analysis”

This data package contains data and code used in the paper “Tree root nutrient uptake kinetics vary with nutrient availability, environmental conditions, and root traits: A global analysis”. The central product is a global dataset of root inorganic nutrient uptake rates and kinetics parameters covering temperate, boreal, and sub/tropical tree species, representing a collection of nutrient uptake data from published studies. This dataset enables tree investigation of root nutrient uptake rates across species, space, and experimental conditions. The data can also be combined with supplementary data on root and soil traits or with external datasets (e.g. R scripts contained within use data from FRED 3.0; (Iversen et al., 2021)). Contained within is the main nutrient data “uptake_data.csv” as well as 4 additional .csv files that link uptake data to supplementary measurements, source references, taxonomic information, and additional nutrient uptake measurements across nutrient gradients, and 1 .csv file that records meta-analysis results for plotting with the R scripts. There are seven R scripts that support data analysis and creation of the figures in the related publication.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2018

Achieving Improved Reliability with Failure Analysis

Reliability is the ability of a product to properly function, within specified performance limits, for a specified period of time, under the life cycle application conditions. Failure analysis is a vital tool in the effort to ensure reliability of electronic products and systems throughout their product lifecycle. Today, organizations involved in activities within the electronics supply chain are facing new challenges, not just from complex assembly styles, harsher lifecycle environments, and sophisticated supply chains, but also from customers who are demanding a quicker turn-around. Unfortunately, root cause failure analysis is often performed incompletely, leading to a poor understanding of failure mechanisms and causes and, customer dissatisfaction due to recurring failures. The PDC starts with an introduction to reliability concepts, physics of failure and an overview of failure mechanisms that affect PCBs, PCBAs and components. The PDC then dives into root cause hypothesizing techniques (Pareto, FMEA, fishbone, FTA), non-destructive and destructive analysis and, materials characterization will be discussed. Numerous failure analysis case studies will be used to illustrate the techniques and analysis principles to arrive at the root cause(s) of field failures on printed circuit boards, active components, and assemblies. What Will You Learn: Topics include: Overview of Reliability Concepts Failure mechanisms of electronic products Root cause analysis Failure analysis techniques -Non-destructive techniques (optical, CSAM etc.) -Destructive analysis (DPA, Decap, FIB etc.) -Materials characterization (XRF, EDS, TMA/DSC etc.) Who Will Benefit: Reliability engineers, failure analysis engineers, engineering managers, design engineers, component engineers, quality assurance functions and, personnel involved with reliability activities within their company.

non-destructive techniques↗
NASA NTRS2019

Achieving Improved Reliability with Failure Analysis

Reliability is the ability of a product to properly function, within specified performance limits, for a specified period of time, under the life cycle application conditions. Failure analysis is a vital tool in the effort to ensure reliability of electronic products and systems throughout their product lifecycle. Today, organizations involved in activities within the electronics supply chain are facing new challenges, not just from complex assembly styles, harsher lifecycle environments, and sophisticated supply chains, but also from customers who are demanding a quicker turn-around. Unfortunately, root cause failure analysis is often performed incompletely, leading to a poor understanding of failure mechanisms and causes and, customer dissatisfaction due to recurring failures. The PDC (Professional Development Course) starts with an introduction to reliability concepts, physics of failure and an overview of failure mechanisms that affect PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), PCBAs (Printed Circuit Board Assembly) and components. The PDC then dives into root cause hypothesizing techniques (Pareto, FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), fishbone (Cause-And-Effect Diagram), FTA (Fault Tree Analysis)), non-destructive and destructive analysis and, materials characterization will be discussed. Numerous failure analysis case studies will be used to illustrate the techniques and analysis principles to arrive at the root cause(s) of field failures on printed circuit boards, active components, and assemblies. What Attendees will Learn: Topics include: Overview of Reliability Concepts Failure mechanisms of electronic products Root cause analysis Failure analysis techniques -Non-destructive techniques (optical, CSAM (Confocal Scanning Electron Microscopy) etc.) -Destructive analysis (DPA (Destructive Physical Analysis), Decap (Decapsulation), FIB (Focused Ion Beam) etc.) -Materials characterization (XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) , EDS (Error Detection Sequential), TMA/DSC (Thermal Mechanical Analysis/Differential Scanning Calorimetry) etc.)

PCB quality↗