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At least 1,081 records · Page 60

Development of ASTM International D8405—Standard Test Method for Evaluating PM 2.5 Sensors or Sensor Systems Used in Indoor Applications

Sensors and sensor systems for monitoring fine particles with aerodynamic diameters smaller than 2.5 µm can provide real-time feedback on indoor air quality and thus can help guide actions to manage indoor air pollutant concentrations. Standardized verification of the performance and accuracy of sensors and sensor systems is crucial for predicting the efficacy of such monitoring. A new ASTM International standard test method (ASTM D8405) was created for this need and is the most exacting laboratory protocol published to date for evaluating indoor air quality sensors and sensor systems measuring particles smaller than 2.5 µm in diameter. ASTM D8405 subjects sensors and sensor systems to five test phases: (1) an initial particle concentration ramp; (2) exposure to various temperature and humidity conditions; (3) exposure to interfering particles; (4) temperature cycling; and (5) a final particle concentration ramp to assess drift. This paper discusses the development of the standard test method, key aspects of the testing process, example evaluation results, and a comparison of this standard test method against peer evaluation protocols.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Linking constituent phase properties to ductility and edge stretchability of two DP 980 steels

Two DP 980 steels were characterized with multiple methods to determine its microstructure characteristics, tensile properties and edge stretchability. The first (DP980-B) is a commercial grade DP980 steel produced by AK Steel, while the second (DP980-T) is a modification of the first one by a tempering process. Both contain two individual phases: ferrite and martensite with body centered cubic (BCC) and tetragonal (BCT) crystal structure respectively. ASTM standard tensile tests were performed for both materials, revealing that DP980-B has higher work hardening and larger total elongation than DP980-T. Standard hole piercing and subsequent hole expansion and extrusion tests were also performed. The critical hole expansion ratio (HER) of hole pierced sheet at different nominal clearances, on the other hand, show an opposite trend: the HER of DP980-T almost doubles that of DP980-B. This indicates the tensile ductility and edge stretchability are determined by different mechanisms due to different deformation modes. The ductility of sheet metal during uniaxial tension is determined by deformation instability, i.e. necking, due to less constraint at the region of deformation and fracture will occur quickly after necking. The contribution of post-necking deformation to the total elongation is insignificant for the high strength grades such as DP980 steels. The ductility during hole-expansion, however, is mainly determined by material fracture behavior that is dependent on phase property disparity and material intrinsic fracture parameters. With the individual phase properties for both DP steels determined by in situ tensile tests under high energy X-ray diffraction, the results show that DP980-T steel has lower property disparities between the two phases than DP980-B steel, due to the tempering process. This explains why the DP980-T steel has higher HER than DP980-B steel: lower phase disparity will lead to less local deformation during loading. The higher work hardening rate for DP980-B steel contributes to its higher uniform elongation compared with DP980-T steel based on the maximum load condition of deformation instability. An integrated finite element simulation framework for studying hole expansion is also presented here, based on the calculated individual phase properties from the combined high energy x-ray diffraction (HEXRD) and elastic plastic self-consistent modeling. The simulation results correlate well with the experimental results on the HER difference between the two materials.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Assessing laser powder bed fusion system geometric errors through artifact-based methods

Additive manufacturing (AM) machines have developed more rapidly than standardized frameworks needed for the qualification of their geometric capabilities. While some manufacturer-specific methods exist to test capabilities and perform some calibration tasks, standardization efforts have only recently been undertaken in the form of ISO/ASTM 52902. In this study, the recommended methodology prescribed by the standard was implemented by building geometric artifacts with a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) system and performing dimensional inspection with a coordinate measurement machine (CMM), amongst other methods. Typical dimensional capabilities of the LPBF system are identified and commentary is made on applying metrology methods, detecting geometric error, and diagnosing base causes in the LPBF system. In doing so, favored metrology practices and measurement analysis methods auxiliary to the standard are proposed. Artifact measurements were used to characterize beam positioning error and beam offset error. Methods for decoupling the effects of error sources are proposed. Difficulties in the inspection of AM components are identified, and the effects of various CMM measurement strategies are evaluated. Insights on the application of the new standard are presented, along with commentary as to its fitness for the LPBF process.

Berez, J.↗

Analyzing System on A Chip Single Event Upset Responses using Single Event Upset Data, Classical Reliability Models, and Space Environment Data

We are investigating the application of classical reliability performance metrics combined with standard single event upset (SEU) analysis data. We expect to relate SEU behavior to system performance requirements. Our proposed methodology will provide better prediction of SEU responses in harsh radiation environments with confidence metrics. single event upset (SEU), single event effect (SEE), field programmable gate array devises (FPGAs)

single event effect (SEE)↗

GSFC Cutting Edge Avionics Technologies for Spacecraft

With the launch of NASA's first fiber optic bus on SAMPEX in 1992, GSFC has ushered in an era of new technology development and insertion into flight programs. Predating such programs the Lewis and Clark missions and the New Millenium Program, GSFC has spearheaded the drive to use cutting edge technologies on spacecraft for three reasons: to enable next generation Space and Earth Science, to shorten spacecraft development schedules, and to reduce the cost of NASA missions. The technologies developed have addressed three focus areas: standard interface components, high performance processing, and high-density packaging techniques enabling lower cost systems. To realize the benefits of standard interface components GSFC has developed and utilized radiation hardened/tolerant devices such as PCI target ASICs, Parallel Fiber Optic Data Bus terminals, MIL-STD-1773 and AS1773 transceivers, and Essential Services Node. High performance processing has been the focus of the Mongoose I and Mongoose V rad-hard 32-bit processor programs as well as the SMEX-Lite Computation Hub. High-density packaging techniques have resulted in 3-D stack DRAM packages and Chip-On-Board processes. Lower cost systems have been demonstrated by judiciously using all of our technology developments to enable "plug and play" scalable architectures. The paper will present a survey of development and insertion experiences for the above technologies, as well as future plans to enable more "better, faster, cheaper" spacecraft. Details of ongoing GSFC programs such as Ultra-Low Power electronics, Rad-Hard FPGAs, PCI master ASICs, and Next Generation Mongoose processors.

Luers, Philip J.↗

An XML-Based Protocol for Distributed Event Services

A recent trend in distributed computing is the construction of high-performance distributed systems called computational grids. One difficulty we have encountered is that there is no standard format for the representation of performance information and no standard protocol for transmitting this information. This limits the types of performance analysis that can be undertaken in complex distributed systems. To address this problem, we present an XML-based protocol for transmitting performance events in distributed systems and evaluate the performance of this protocol.

Smith, Warren↗

Convolutional neural networks on the HEALPix sphere: a pixel-based algorithm and its application to CMB data analysis

We describe a novel method for the application of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to fields defined on the sphere, using the Hierarchical Equal Area Latitude Pixelization scheme (HEALPix). Specifically, we have developed a pixel-based approach to implement convolutional and pooling layers on the spherical surface, similarly to what is commonly done for CNNs applied to Euclidean space. The main advantage of our algorithm is to be fully integrable with existing, highly optimized libraries for NNs (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.). We present two applications of our method: (i) recognition of handwritten digits projected on the sphere; (ii) estimation of cosmological parameter from simulated maps of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The latter represents the main target of this exploratory work, whose goal is to show the applicability of our CNN to CMB parameter estimation. We have built a simple NN architecture, consisting of four convolutional and pooling layers, and we have used it for all the applications explored herein. Concerning the recognition of handwritten digits, our CNN reaches an accuracy of ~95%, comparable with other existing spherical CNNs, and this is true regardless of the position and orientation of the image on the sphere. For CMB-related applications, we tested the CNN on the estimation of a mock cosmological parameter, defining the angular scale at which the power spectrum of a Gaussian field projected on the sphere peaks. We estimated the value of this parameter directly from simulated maps, in several cases: temperature and polarization maps, presence of white noise, and partially covered maps. For temperature maps, the NN performances are comparable with those from standard spectrum-based Bayesian methods. For polarization, CNNs perform about a factor four worse than standard algorithms. Nonetheless, our results demonstrate, for the first time, that CNNs are able to extract information from polarization fields, both in full-sky and masked maps, and to distinguish between E and B -modes in pixel space. Lastly, we have applied our CNN to the estimation of the Thomson scattering optical depth at reionization ( τ ) from simulated CMB maps. Even without any specific optimization of the NN architecture, we reach an accuracy comparable with standard Bayesian methods. This work represents a first step towards the exploitation of NNs in CMB parameter estimation and demonstrates the feasibility of our approach.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Safety Functions and Features, Events and Processes for the E-Area Performance Assessment

The DOE Technical Standard, “Disposal Authorization Statement and Tank Closure Documentation,” (DOE 2017) recommends the use of safety functions and features, events and processes (FEPs) to support development of conceptual models and identification of scenarios to be considered in a performance assessment (PA). The FEP process provides a means to describe how a PA considers and addresses the factors that could influence the performance of key barriers. Understanding the roles of barriers in terms of limiting migration helps to focus on how changes in the system could lead to a situation where those roles cannot be fulfilled and there is the potential for compromised performance. The FEPs screening and review process was used to identify FEPs that are relevant for the EArea Low-Level Waste Facility (LLWF) and specifically those FEPs that could have a detrimental impact on the effectiveness of a given safety function. For this PA, a default list of FEPs developed at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA 2004) and an approach implemented for PAs at the Hanford and Idaho sites (Mehta et al. 2016, DOE-ID 2019) are used to identify processes and events that could influence the effectiveness of a given safety function for the E-Area LLWF (e.g., subsidence can impact the safety function of the cover system and lead to increased infiltration). The Hanford and Idaho PAs represent two of the most recent applications of this approach. The PA evaluates the potential impacts of changes in performance of different features of the system and demonstrates that the safety functions represent multiple and redundant barriers. Barrier analyses, assuming a safety function is not present, also test the robustness of the system in the event of the loss of one or more safety functions. Such evaluations also support a qualitative illustration of the concept of defense in depth. The safety concept for closure of the E-Area LLWF (generically referred to as “E-Area”) encompasses a variety of different features (i.e., administrative controls, natural site features, and engineered barriers) that reduce the potential impacts on human health and the environment from the residual waste that will remain after closure. These features can be represented as a collection of safety functions acting independently and as a system to provide for overall safety. In some applications, there have been attempts to assign numerical expectations to specific safety functions, but that is not the intent in this case. The concept of safety functions is used more qualitatively in two ways for this PA: 1. To illustrate the robustness of the E-Area design, operational practices and closure approach by documenting features that are and are not credited in different modeling cases. 2. To identify the roles of the different features and potential processes and events that could compromise the performance of safety features and need to be considered when developing the modeling approach. This report addresses both safety functions and FEPs for the E-Area PA.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

Performance of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Help Desk

The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) Help Desk, managed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), provides user assistance using a multi-tiered structure in support of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) CFATS program. The CFATS Help Desk consists of a Call Service Center (CSC), managed by ORNL, and a group of ORNL Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). The CSC, operated by an ORNL subcontractor, resolves front-line issues (called “Tier 1”) or escalates more technical issues (called “Tier 2”) to the ORNL SMEs. Issues resolvable only by DHS (called “Tier 3”) are escalated to DHS. The CFATS Help Desk has captured and reported on usage data since 2007 and has implemented measures to improve user experience. This paper describes how the CFATS Help Desk provides support and how usage statistics are presented.

45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEF↗

SISO Space Reference FOM - Tools and Testing

The Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization (SISO) Space Reference Federation Object Model (SpaceFOM) version 1.0 is nearing completion. Earlier papers have described the use of the High Level Architecture (HLA) in Space simulation as well as technical aspects of the SpaceFOM. This paper takes a look at different SpaceFOM tools and how they were used during the development and testing of the standard.The first organizations to develop SpaceFOM-compliant federates for SpaceFOM development and testing were NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), the University of Calabria (UNICAL), and Pitch Technologies.JSC is one of NASA's lead centers for human space flight. Much of the core distributed simulation technology development, specifically associated with the SpaceFOM, is done by the NASA Exploration Systems Simulations (NExSyS) team. One of NASA's principal simulation development tools is the Trick Simulation Environment. NASA's NExSyS team has been modifying and using Trick and TrickHLA to help develop and test the SpaceFOM.The System Modeling And Simulation Hub Laboratory (SMASH-Lab) at UNICAL has developed the Simulation Exploration Experience (SEE) HLA Starter kit, that has been used by most SEE teams involved in the distributed simulation of a Moon base. It is particularly useful for the development of federates that are compatible with the SpaceFOM. The HLA Starter Kit is a Java based tool that provides a well-structured framework to simplify the formulation, generation, and execution of SpaceFOM-compliant federates.Pitch Technologies, a company specializing in distributed simulation, is utilizing a number of their existing HLA tools to support development and testing of the SpaceFOM. In addition to the existing tools, Pitch has developed a few SpaceFOM specific federates: Space Master for managing the initialization, execution and pacing of any SpaceFOM federation; EarthEnvironment, a simple Root Reference Publisher; and Space Monitor, a graphical tool for monitoring reference frames and physical entities.Early testing of the SpaceFOM was carried out in the SEE university outreach program, initiated in SISO. Students were given a subset of the FOM, that was later extended. Sample federates were developed and frameworks were developed or adapted to the early FOM versions.As drafts of the standard matured, testing was performed using federates from government, industry, and academia. By mixing federates developed by different teams the standard could be tested with respect to functional correctness, robustness and clarity.These frameworks and federates have been useful when testing and verifying the design of the standard. In addition to this, they have since formed a starting point for developing SpaceFOM-compliant federations in several projects, for example for NASA, ESA as well as SEE.

Möller, Björn↗

State of Innovation 2025: Progress in Accelerating Next-Generation Cement and Concrete Technologies

The cement and concrete sectors are entering a decisive period as next-generation technologies advance from laboratory research to demonstration, early deployment, and first-of-a-kind commercial plants. Building on the 2024 State of Innovation report, the 2025 outlook highlights both the rapid acceleration of innovation and the urgent need for coordinated action across the value chain. Venture capital activity into the cement and concrete space stabilized following the record surge of 2022-2023, yet landmark financings, such as Sublime Systems' $200 million round and Terra CO2's $124 million Series B, signal continued investor confidence in companies approaching commercialization. Corporate procurement has become a powerful new catalyst, with Microsoft, Amazon, and CRH (Cement Roadstone Holdings) Ventures providing long-term commitments that underpin the first wave of next-generation cementitious products. The sector is shifting from early-stage experimentation toward the scaling of well-capitalized leaders capable of bridging the critical "capitalization gap." Early innovators continue to expand the toolkit through novel binders, electrochemical cements, biogenic limestone, and carbonate mineralization pathways. Going into 2026, cost competitiveness, durability validation, and scalability enabled by resilient supply chains remain the decisive factors for market adoption. At the 2025 Next Generation Cement and Concrete Critical Technologies Meeting, attendees emphasized dual-track funding strategies that integrate federal grants with private capital as key to enabling market breakthrough. State programs and corporate demand are sustaining momentum, while successful companies increasingly demonstrate both economic value and reduced dependence on imported materials. The National Concrete Pavement Technology Center and others underscored that broad integration of next-generation materials will hinge on standards compatibility, verified field performance, and workforce readiness. Colorado continues to serve as a proving ground through pilot programs that combine supplier training, phased implementation, and real-world data to de-risk innovation and provide replicable models for other regions. The 2025 Cement and Concrete Critical Technologies Workshop reinforced that scaling next-generation materials will require alignment among technology innovation, performance validation, and market demand. Stakeholders must move beyond siloed efforts toward collaborative frameworks that coordinate standards, funding, and infrastructure deployment. As a neutral convener and technical validator, the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) plays a pivotal role in bridging innovation and market adoption through collaborative research, technology validation, and entrepreneurship programs. By uniting innovators, incumbents, policymakers, contractors, and investors, NLR and its partners are helping chart a credible pathway toward widespread commercialization in the decade ahead.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗

Time and frequency measuring metrological equipment in the USSR

The complex of the means of providing time and frequency traceability in the USSR includes the system of time and frequency standards of the National Time and Frequency Calibration Service, time and frequency transfer facilities and local time and frequency standards. Control on measurement correctness is performed by the All-Union State Standard calibration service. The hardware of most of the above-mentioned systems is provided by the instruments developed by our institute. A common scientific and technological approach allowed us to create a unified system of time-frequency equipment composed of widely used serial instruments, sets, automated systems and complexes. Primary frequency standards of different classes, time and frequency references and instruments are based on the unified system. CH1-70 hydrogen frequency standard and its CH1-70A, CH1-80 modifications are used in the group time and frequency standards. Measuring time and data processing techniques, and also instrumentation specifications on the results of 10-year operation are given. The existing system provides time-frequency measurements with 2 times 10(exp -13) plus or minus 1 times 10(exp -14) accuracy.

Uljanov, Adolph A.↗

Development and evaluation of a set of group delay standards

A set of cable assemblies serving as group delay standards having nominal delays of 15, 30, and 60 nsec are described. Various types of measurements were performed on the cable standards, including impedance, microwave phase shift, RF pulse burst delay, modulation pulsed delay, and envelope phase shift measurements. The results of these tests are given, and various sources of error are discussed, in particular, dispersion and internal reflections.

Otoshi, T. Y.↗

Vacuum ultraviolet radiometry. III - The argon mini-arc as a new secondary standard of spectral radiance

A miniature argon arc has been designed and tested as a new transfer standard of spectral radiance for the wavelength range from 114 nm to 330 nm. Calibration has been performed using two primary standard sources: the hydrogen arc from 130 nm to 330 nm and the blackbody line radiator from 114 nm to 130 nm. The mini-arc provides an intense, stable, and reproducible UV continuum with dc power requirements of less than 1.5 kW. The arc characteristics have been investigated, and the sensitivity of the radiant power output to various operating parameters has been measured. The rms uncertainty in the spectral radiance is estimated to be 5.3% above 140 nm and 10.1% between 114 nm and 140 nm, due primarily to uncertainties in the primary standard sources.

Bridges, J. M.↗

Advanced Ceramics Property Measurements

Mechanical and physical properties of ceramic bodies can be difficult to measure correctly unless the proper techniques are used. The Advanced Ceramics Committee of ASTM, C-28, has developed dozens of consensus test standards and practices to measure various properties of a ceramic monolith, composite, or coating. The standards give the "what, how, how not, and why" for measurement of many mechanical, physical, thermal, and performance properties. Using these standards will provide accurate, reliable, and complete data for rigorous comparisons with other test results from your test lab, or another. The C-28 Committee has involved academics, producers, and users of ceramics to write and continually update more than 45 standards since the committee's inception in 1986. Included in this poster is a pictogram of the C-28 standards and information on how to obtain individual copies with full details or the complete collection of standards in one volume.

Salem, Jonathan↗

Process for ultra-sensitive quantification of target analytes in complex biological systems

Antibody-free processes are disclosed that provide accurate quantification of a wide variety of low-abundance target analytes in complex samples. The processes can employ high-pressure, high-resolution chromatographic separations for analyte enrichment. Intelligent selection of target fractions may be performed via on-line Selected Reaction Monitoring (SRM) or off-line rapid screening of internal standards. Quantification may be performed on individual or multiplexed fractions. Applications include analyses of, e.g., very low abundance proteins or candidate biomarkers in plasma, cell, or tissue samples without the need for affinity-specific reagents.

Shi, Tujin↗