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At least 1,387 records · Page 77

An Introduction to Magnetospheric Physics by Means of Simple Models

The large scale structure and behavior of the Earth's magnetosphere is discussed. The model is suitable for inclusion in courses on space physics, plasmas, astrophysics or the Earth's environment, as well as for self-study. Nine quantitative problems, dealing with properties of linear superpositions of a dipole and a constant field are presented. Topics covered include: open and closed models of the magnetosphere; field line motion; the role of magnetic merging (reconnection); magnetospheric convection; and the origin of the magnetopause, polar cusps, and high latitude lobes.

Stern, D. P.↗

A preliminary structural analysis of space-based inflatable tubular frame structures

The use of inflatable structures has often been proposed for aerospace and planetary applications. The advantages of such structures include low launch weight and easy assembly. The use of inflatables for applications requiring very large frame structures intended for aerospace use are proposed. In order to consider using an inflated truss, the structural behavior of the inflated frame must be examined. The statics of inflated tubes as beams was discussed in the literature, but the dynamics of these elements has not received much attention. In an effort to evaluate the vibration characteristics of the inflated beam a series of free vibration tests of an inflated fabric cantilevers were performed. Results of the tests are presented and models for system behavior posed.

Main, John A.↗

Elucidating Cycling Rate-Dependent Electrochemical Strains in Sodium Iron Phosphate Cathodes for Na-ion Batteries

Battery electrodes materials undergo significant mechanical instabilities which affects their longevity and exert rate-limitations during the cycling process. In this study, we investigate the rate-dependent mechanical response of sodium iron phosphate (NaFePO4, NFP) cathodes during Na intercalation via galvanostatic cycling at different rates by employing digital image correlation, electrochemical methods, and mathematical model. The mechanical behaviour of the electrode shows strong dependance on the applied scan rate. At slower rates, electrode shows asymmetrical strain generation between anodic and cathodic cycles, which is attributed to the formation of cathode-electrolyte interface layers. The electrode undergoes smaller strain generation when cycled at slower rates when the same amount of Na ions is removed or inserted into the electrode. A mathematical model was developed to predict strain evolution in the composite electrode as well as the concentration profile of the Na ions in the electrode particles. Rate-dependent and time dependent factors on the strain generation in the electrode are attributed to the capacity-dependent intercalation strains, rate-dependent mismatch strains, and time-dependent irreversible strains. The combination of in situ strain measurements with the analytical model provided new insight into the electrochemically induced mechanical deformations in Na-ion cathode electrodes.

Ozdogru, Bertan↗

Thermomechanical Behavior of Advanced SiC Fiber Multifilament Tows

In order to relate single fiber behavior to multiple fiber behavior in composites, fast-fracture tensile strength, creep, and stress-rupture studies were conducted on advanced SiC fiber multifilament tows in the temperature range from 20 to 1400 C in air as well as in inert environments. For conditions of small fiber creep (short times and low temperatures), the tow results of this study confirm the ability of limited single fiber data to model the strength behavior of multiple fibers in a bundle. For conditions of high creep (long times and high temperatures), further studies are needed to explain tow rupture behavior being better than average single fiber behavior.

Yun, Hee Mann↗

SIM_EXPLORE: Software for Directed Exploration of Complex Systems

Physics-based numerical simulation codes are widely used in science and engineering to model complex systems that would be infeasible to study otherwise. While such codes may provide the highest- fidelity representation of system behavior, they are often so slow to run that insight into the system is limited. Trying to understand the effects of inputs on outputs by conducting an exhaustive grid-based sweep over the input parameter space is simply too time-consuming. An alternative approach called "directed exploration" has been developed to harvest information from numerical simulators more efficiently. The basic idea is to employ active learning and supervised machine learning to choose cleverly at each step which simulation trials to run next based on the results of previous trials. SIM_EXPLORE is a new computer program that uses directed exploration to explore efficiently complex systems represented by numerical simulations. The software sequentially identifies and runs simulation trials that it believes will be most informative given the results of previous trials. The results of new trials are incorporated into the software's model of the system behavior. The updated model is then used to pick the next round of new trials. This process, implemented as a closed-loop system wrapped around existing simulation code, provides a means to improve the speed and efficiency with which a set of simulations can yield scientifically useful results. The software focuses on the case in which the feedback from the simulation trials is binary-valued, i.e., the learner is only informed of the success or failure of the simulation trial to produce a desired output. The software offers a number of choices for the supervised learning algorithm (the method used to model the system behavior given the results so far) and a number of choices for the active learning strategy (the method used to choose which new simulation trials to run given the current behavior model). The software also makes use of the LEGION distributed computing framework to leverage the power of a set of compute nodes. The approach has been demonstrated on a planetary science application in which numerical simulations are used to study the formation of asteroid families.

Burl, Michael↗

Deep glassy state dynamic data challenge glass models: Configurational entropy models

This work was the result of the student's (Dongjie Chen) qualifying exam response. In it the experimental observation from our labs that the relaxation times of ultrastable glasses (a 20 million year old amber and a vapor deposited amorphous teflon) do not follow the expected Vogel-Fulcher or WLF types of divergence as the temperatures fall below the glass transition temperature. In the work we evaluated several theories by considering them in different ways. We used them as generally used and show that they do not capture the non-diverging behavior. Because the models were all entropy-based models, we also considered the possibility that the temperature dependence of the entropy used in the models is incorrect and chose two ways of estimating the entropy that do not follow the classical theoretical models. First we used the actually measured calorimetric response for the two ultrastable glasses, and we used the Milchev model, which does not go to zero above 0 Kelvin. Both of these approaches led to improved agreement between the theories and the experimental data. Finally, we also asked what the temperature dependence of the entropy would have to be so that the models agreed with the observed data. In some cases the entropy so-calculated was reasonable, while in others it was unphysical. In sum, the important point of the work is that the observation of non-diverging time-scales that suggest that there is no ideal glass transition can be reasonably captured by current theories if they take more realistic models of the entropy than is usually the case.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A Data-driven Approach for Predicting Nepheline Crystallization in High-Level Waste Glasses

High-level waste (HLW) glasses with high aluminum content are prone to nepheline crystallization during the slow canister cooling that is experienced during large-scale production. Due to its detrimental effects on glass durability, nepheline precipitation must be avoided; however, developing robust, predictive models for nepheline crystallization behavior in HLW glasses is difficult due to their compositional complexity. Using overly conservative constraints to predict nepheline formation can limit the waste loading to lower than the achievable capacity. In this study, a robust data-driven model using five compositional features has been developed to predict nepheline formation. The analysis of the model and the data show that there is an overlap, instead of a distinct compositional boundary, between glasses that form and do not form nepheline. As a result, the model’s predictive accuracy is not the same throughout the feature space and instead is dependent on the location of the glass composition in the dimensionally reduced feature space.

Sargin, Irmak↗

Measurement-based reliability prediction methodology

In the past, analytical and measurement based models were developed to characterize computer system behavior. An open issue is how these models can be used, if at all, for system design improvement. The issue is addressed here. A combined statistical/analytical approach to use measurements from one environment to model the system failure behavior in a new environment is proposed. A comparison of the predicted results with the actual data from the new environment shows a close correspondence.

Linn, Linda Shen↗

Automated generation of reliability models

The abstract semi-Markov specification interface to the SURE (Semi-Markov Range Evaluator) tool (ASSIST) program allows the user to describe the Markov model in a high-level language. Instead of listing the individual states of the model, the user specifies the rules governing the behavior of the system, and these are used to automatically generate the model. A small number of statements in the abstract language can describe a large, complex model. Becuase no assumptions are made about the system being modeled, ASSIST can be used to generate models describing the behavior of any type of system. The abstract model definition and the automatic model generation strategy are described. Analysis of an example fault-tolerant architecture, a triad of processor with cold spare processors, shows how the behavior of a system can be captured by a few general rules. The syntax of the ASSIST input language is then described and demonstrated by creating a model to describe the fault behavior of the example architecture. The flexibility of the abstract language is demonstrated by expanding the example to model multiple triads of processors sharing a pool of cold spare processors.

Johnson, Sally C.↗

First steps toward predicting corrosion behavior of structural materials in molten salts

To address the need for physics-based models to predict corrosion behavior of materials in molten salts, here we propose potential methods to aid in selection of optimum materials for structural components in molten salt powered technologies. In the present work, the role of alloy thermodynamics and kinetics on governing corrosion rates of Ni-based alloys will be discussed combining experimental and computational methods. A few strategies are presented to quantify corrosion rates of Ni-based materials isothermally exposed in purified KCl-MgCl 2 salts at 600° C-800° C. The influence of capsule material, potential corrosion products and role of alloy composition on the observed corrosion rates was discussed with coupled thermodynamic-kinetic models. Larger depths of corrosion attack were observed in alloy 230 specimens compared to other alloys under similar conditions was attributed to the much higher chemical activity of Cr in the alloy that results in a larger Cr chemical potential gradient.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A UML Profile for State Analysis

State Analysis is a systems engineering methodology for the specification and design of control systems, developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The methodology emphasizes an analysis of the system under control in terms of States and their properties and behaviors and their effects on each other, a clear separation of the control system from the controlled system, cognizance in the control system of the controlled system's State, goal-based control built on constraining the controlled system's States, and disciplined techniques for State discovery and characterization. State Analysis (SA) introduces two key diagram types: State Effects and Goal Network diagrams. The team at JPL developed a tool for performing State Analysis. The tool includes a drawing capability, backed by a database that supports the diagram types and the organization of the elements of the SA models. But the tool does not support the usual activities of software engineering and design - a disadvantage, since systems to which State Analysis can be applied tend to be very software-intensive. This motivated the work described in this paper: the development of a preliminary Unified Modeling Language (UML) profile for State Analysis. Having this profile would enable systems engineers to specify a system using the methods and graphical language of State Analysis, which is easily linked with a larger system model in SysML (Systems Modeling Language), while also giving software engineers engaged in implementing the specified control system immediate access to and use of the SA model, in the same language, UML, used for other software design. That is, a State Analysis profile would serve as a shared modeling bridge between system and software models for the behavior aspects of the system. This paper begins with an overview of State Analysis and its underpinnings, followed by an overview of the mapping of SA constructs to the UML metamodel. It then delves into the details of these mappings and the constraints associated with them. Finally, we give an example of the use of the profile for expressing an example SA model.

Murray, Alex↗

Experimental Validation of a Thermoelastic Model for SMA Hybrid Composites

This study presents results from experimental validation of a recently developed model for predicting the thermomechanical behavior of shape memory alloy hybrid composite (SMAHC) structures, composite structures with an embedded SMA constituent. The model captures the material nonlinearity of the material system with temperature and is capable of modeling constrained, restrained, or free recovery behavior from experimental measurement of fundamental engineering properties. A brief description of the model and analysis procedures is given, followed by an overview of a parallel effort to fabricate and characterize the material system of SMAHC specimens. Static and dynamic experimental configurations for the SMAHC specimens are described and experimental results for thermal post-buckling and random response are presented. Excellent agreement is achieved between the measured and predicted results, fully validating the theoretical model for constrained recovery behavior of SMAHC structures.

Turner, Travis L.↗

The Method of Finite Averages: A rigorous upscaling methodology for heterogeneous porous media

Rigorous upscaling techniques offer accurate and computationally-efficient strategies for modeling the average behaviors of multi-physical, multiscale phenomena in geological porous media. However, such techniques often rely on a variety of methodological assumptions that prohibit their rigorous application to practical systems (e.g., systems involving heterogeneous porous media, system-scale boundary conditions, and fine-scale dynamics that are not diffusion-dominant). In this work, we aim to formulate an upscaling methodology with few methodological assumptions to provide high levels of model generality and foster the utilization of rigorously-derived upscaled models in practice. In particular, we introduce the Method of Finite Averages (MoFA), a novel upscaling methodology for rigorously modeling heterogeneous porous media and system-scale boundary conditions. We then detail MoFA’s implementation for the advective–diffusive transport of a single species and compare the methodology with classic numerical techniques, as well as other rigorous upscaling techniques, to highlight MoFA’s unique combination of rigor and generality. We then validate the derived model while demonstrating its benefits in three numerical experiments. The results suggest that (1.) the applicability and a priori error guarantees of MoFA models do not directly depend on system geometry, (2.) a model’s applicability and error guarantees can be can arbitrarily expanded and reduced, respectively, with further computational expense, and (3.) downscaling with MoFA provides an efficient strategy for generating accurate pore-scale solutions from upscaled results. Ultimately, the results evidence that upscaled models can be rigorously derived for heterogeneous porous media systems and resolved in a fraction of the time it takes to perform the equivalent pore-scale simulations.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

A transonic study of active flutter suppression based on an aerodymamic energy concept

The application of active control technology to the suppression of flutter has been successfully demonstrated in the Langley transonic dynamics tunnel. This study involved the implementation of an aerodynamic-energy criterion to suppress flutter of a simplified delta-wing model. Use of this technique with both leading- and trailing-edge active controls has resulted in an increase in dynamic pressure of 22% above the basic wing flutter point and with only a trailing-edge active control has resulted in an increase in dynamic pressure of 30% above the basic wing flutter point at a Mach number of 0.9. Analytical methods used to predict the open- and closed-loop behavior of the model are also discussed.

Sandford, M. C.↗

Micro–macro finite element modeling method for rub response in abradable coating materials

Gas turbine engines experience “rub” when the rotating blades come in contact with a static abradable coating. This results in extreme strain rates and dynamics inside a high-temperature/high-pressure environment. Current rub models are phenomenological and do not reflect the underlying microstructures, thus limiting their prediction accuracy. In this work, a microstructure-informed, reduced order modeling framework is introduced for simulating abradable coating “rub" behavior. This framework comprises a microscale model constructed based on digitized abradable microstructure and explicitly simulates the mechanical behavior of each constituent phases and their interactions. After calibration and validation with experiment data, the calibrated microscale model is used to generate data across a vast range of applied strain rates and temperature with various load paths. Then, the virtually generated data are used to fit the macroscopic-reduced order model, which enables fast component scale rub simulation without compromising the integrity of the complex material behavior. In conclusion, the proposed effort will address the technical challenge of predicting abradable material behavior during rub through the application of multiscale modeling from microstructure to engines behavior, effectively reducing the development costs and time of new abradable material for better “rub” properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Modeling of Switching and Hysteresis in Molecular Transport

The conventional way of modeling current transport in two and three terminal molecular devices could be inadequate for certain cases involving switching and hysteresis. Here we present an alternate approach. Contrary to the regular way where applied bias directly modulates the conducting energy levels of the molecule, our method introduces a nonlinear potential energy surface varying with the applied bias as a control parameter. A time-dynamics is also introduced properly accounting for switching and hysteresis behavior. Although the model is phenomenological at this stage, we believe any detailed model would contain similar descriptions at its core.

Samanta, Manoj P.↗

Airframe Icing Research Gaps: NASA Perspective

qCurrent Airframe Icing Technology Gaps: Development of a full 3D ice accretion simulation model. Development of an improved simulation model for SLD conditions. CFD modeling of stall behavior for ice-contaminated wings/tails. Computational methods for simulation of stability and control parameters. Analysis of thermal ice protection system performance. Quantification of 3D ice shape geometric characteristics Development of accurate ground-based simulation of SLD conditions. Development of scaling methods for SLD conditions. Development of advanced diagnostic techniques for assessment of tunnel cloud conditions. Identification of critical ice shapes for aerodynamic performance degradation. Aerodynamic scaling issues associated with testing scale model ice shape geometries. Development of altitude scaling methods for thermal ice protections systems. Development of accurate parameter identification methods. Measurement of stability and control parameters for an ice-contaminated swept wing aircraft. Creation of control law modifications to prevent loss of control during icing encounters. 3D ice shape geometries. Collection efficiency data for ice shape geometries. SLD ice shape data, in-flight and ground-based, for simulation verification. Aerodynamic performance data for 3D geometries and various icing conditions. Stability and control parameter data for iced aircraft configurations. Thermal ice protection system data for simulation validation.

Potapczuk, Mark↗

Creep rupture behavior of unidirectional advanced composites

A 'material modeling' methodology for predicting the creep rupture behavior of unidirectional advanced composites is proposed. In this approach the parameters (obtained from short-term tests) required to make the predictions are the three principal creep compliance master curves and their corresponding quasi-static strengths tested at room temperature (22 C). Using these parameters in conjunction with a failure criterion, creep rupture envelopes can be generated for any combination of in-plane loading conditions and ambient temperature. The analysis was validated experimentally for one composite system, the T300/934 graphite-epoxy system. This was done by performing short-term creep tests (to generate the principal creep compliance master curves with the time-temperature superposition principle) and relatively long-term creep rupture tensile tests of off-axis specimens at 180 C. Good to reasonable agreement between experimental and analytical results is observed.

Yeow, Y. T.↗