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X-1: The challenge of high fusion yield

Cook, Don

In the past three years, tremendous strides have been made in x-ray production using high-current z-pinches. Today, the x-ray energy and power output of the Z accelerator (formerly PBFA II) is the largest available in the laboratory. These z-pinch x-ray sources have great potential to drive high-yield inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactions at affordable cost if several challenging technical problems can be overcome. Technical challenges in three key areas are discussed in this paper: (1) the design of a target for high yield, (2) the development of a suitable pulsed power driver, and (3) the design of a target chamber capable of containing the high fusion yield.

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Results of von Neumann analyses for reproducing kernel semi-discretizations

Voth, Thomas E.

The Reproducing Kernel Particle Method (RKPM) has many attractive properties that make it ideal for treating a broad class of physical problems. RKPM may be implemented in a mesh-full or a mesh-free manner and provides the ability to tune the method, via the selection of a dilation parameter and window function, in order to achieve the requisite numerical performance. RKPM also provides a framework for performing hierarchical computations making it an ideal candidate for simulating multi-scale problems. Although RKPM has many appealing attributes, the method is quite new and its numerical performance is still being quantified with respect to more traditional discretization methods. In order to assess the numerical performance of RKPM, detailed studies of RKPM on a series of model partial differential equations has been undertaken. The results of von Neumann analyses for RKPM semi-discretizations of one and two-dimensional, first and second-order wave equations are presented in the form of phase and group errors. Excellent dispersion characteristics are found for the consistent mass matrix with the proper choice of dilation parameter. In contrast, the influence of row-sum lumping the mass matrix is shown to introduce severe lagging phase errors. A higher-order mass matrix improves the dispersion characteristics relative to the lumped mass matrix but delivers severe lagging phase errors relative to the fully integrated, consistent mass matrix.

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Fusion with Z-pinches

Cook, Don

In the past thirty-six months, great progress has been made in x-ray production using high-current z-pinches. Today, the x-ray energy and power output of the Z accelerator (formerly PBFA-II) is the largest available in the laboratory. These z-pinch x-ray sources have the potential to drive high-yield ICF reactions at affordable cost if several challenging technical problems can be overcome. In this paper, the recent technical progress with Z-pinches will be described, and a technical strategy for achieving high-yield ICF with z-pinches will be presented.

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Development of the Weapon Borne Sensor parachute system

Behr, Vance L.

A parachute system was designed and prototypes built to deploy a telemetry package behind an earth-penetrating weapon just before impact. The parachute was designed to slow the 10 lb. telemetry package and wire connecting it to the penetrator to 50 fps before impact occurred. The parachute system was designed to utilize a 1.3-ft-dia cross pilot parachute and a 10.8-ft-dia main parachute. A computer code normally used to model the deployment of suspension lines from a packed parachute system was modified to model the deployment of wire from the weapon forebody. Results of the design calculations are presented. Two flight tests of the WBS were conducted, but initiation of parachute deployment did not occur in either of the tests due to difficulties with other components. Thus, the trajectory calculations could not be verified with data. Draft drawings of the major components of the parachute system are presented.

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Dynamic isosurface extraction and level-of-detail in voxel space

Linebarger, John M.

A new visualization technique is reported, which dramatically improves interactivity for scientific visualizations by working directly with voxel data and by employing efficient algorithms and data structures. This discussion covers the research software, the file structures, examples of data creation, data search, and triangle rendering codes that allow geometric surfaces to be extracted from volumetric data. Uniquely, these methods enable greater interactivity by allowing an analyst to dynamically specify both the desired isosurface threshold and required level-of-detail to be used while rendering the image. The key idea behind this visualization paradigm is that various levels-of-detail are represented as differently sized hexahedral virtual voxels, which are stored in a three-dimensional kd-tree; thus the level-of-detail representation is done in voxel space instead of the traditional approach which relies on surface or geometry space decimations. This algorithm has been implemented as an integral component in the EIGEN/VR project at Sandia National Laboratories, which provides a rich environment for scientists to interactively explore and visualize the results of very large-scale simulations performed on massively parallel supercomputers.

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Computational methods for predicting the response of critical as-built infrastructure to dynamic loads (architectural surety)

Preece, Dale S.

Coupled blast-structural computational simulations using supercomputer capabilities will significantly advance the understanding of how complex structures respond under dynamic loads caused by explosives and earthquakes, an understanding with application to the surety of both federal and nonfederal buildings. Simulation of the effects of explosives on structures is a challenge because the explosive response can best be simulated using Eulerian computational techniques and structural behavior is best modeled using Lagrangian methods. Due to the different methodologies of the two computational techniques and code architecture requirements, they are usually implemented in different computer programs. Explosive and structure modeling in two different codes make it difficult or next to impossible to do coupled explosive/structure interaction simulations. Sandia National Laboratories has developed two techniques for solving this problem. The first is called Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), a relatively new gridless method comparable to Eulerian, that is especially suited for treating liquids and gases such as those produced by an explosive. The SPH capability has been fully implemented into the transient dynamics finite element (Lagrangian) codes PRONTO-2D and -3D. A PRONTO-3D/SPH simulation of the effect of a blast on a protective-wall barrier is presented in this paper. The second technique employed at Sandia National Laboratories uses a relatively new code called ALEGRA which is an ALE (Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian) wave code with specific emphasis on large deformation and shock propagation. ALEGRA is capable of solving many shock-wave physics problems but it is especially suited for modeling problems involving the interaction of decoupled explosives with structures.

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Confidence in ASCI scientific simulations

Trucano, Timothy G.

The US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI) program calls for the development of high end computing and advanced application simulations as one component of a program to eliminate reliance upon nuclear testing in the US nuclear weapons program. This paper presents results from the ASCI program`s examination of needs for focused validation and verification (V and V). These V and V activities will ensure that 100 TeraOP-scale ASCI simulation code development projects apply the appropriate means to achieve high confidence in the use of simulations for stockpile assessment and certification. The authors begin with an examination of the roles for model development and validation in the traditional scientific method. The traditional view is that the scientific method has two foundations, experimental and theoretical. While the traditional scientific method does not acknowledge the role for computing and simulation, this examination establishes a foundation for the extension of the traditional processes to include verification and scientific software development that results in the notional framework known as Sargent`s Framework. This framework elucidates the relationships between the processes of scientific model development, computational model verification and simulation validation. This paper presents a discussion of the methodologies and practices that the ASCI program will use to establish confidence in large-scale scientific simulations. While the effort for a focused program in V and V is just getting started, the ASCI program has been underway for a couple of years. The authors discuss some V and V activities and preliminary results from the ALEGRA simulation code that is under development for ASCI. The breadth of physical phenomena and the advanced computational algorithms that are employed by ALEGRA make it a subject for V and V that should typify what is required for many ASCI simulations.

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Cost and performance analysis of conceptual designs of physical protection systems

Hicks, M.J.; Snell, M.S.; Sandoval, J.S.; Potter, C.S.

CPA -- Cost and Performance Analysis -- is a methodology that joins Activity Based Cost (ABC) estimation with performance based analysis of physical protection systems. CPA offers system managers an approach that supports both tactical decision making and strategic planning. Current exploratory applications of the CPA methodology are addressing analysis of alternative conceptual designs. To support these activities, the original architecture for CPA, is being expanded to incorporate results from a suite of performance and consequence analysis tools such as JTS (Joint Tactical Simulation), ERAD (Explosive Release Atmospheric Dispersion) and blast effect models. The process flow for applying CPA to the development and analysis conceptual designs is illustrated graphically.

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Prediction of the TNT signature from buried UXO/landmines

Webb, Stephen W.

The detection and removal of buried unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines is one of the most important problems facing the world today. Numerous detection strategies are being developed, including infrared, electrical conductivity, ground-penetrating radar, and chemical sensors. Chemical sensors rely on the detection of TNT molecules, which are transported from buried UXO/landmines by advection and diffusion in the soil. As part of this effort, numerical models are being developed to predict TNT transport in soils including the effect of precipitation and evaporation. Modifications will be made to TOUGH2 for application to the TNT chemical sensing problem. Understanding the fate and transport of TNT in the soil will affect the design, performance and operation of chemical sensors by indicating preferred sensing strategies.

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Site-specific thermal and mechanical property characterizations of in situ thermal test areas at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

Brodsky, Nancy S.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating Yucca Mountain, Nevada as a potential site for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The site is located near the southwest corner of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in southern Nye County, Nevada. The underground Exploratory Studies Facility (ESF) tunnel traverses part of the proposed repository block. Alcove 5, located within the ESF is being used to field two in situ ESF thermal tests: the Single Heater Test (SHT) and the Drift Scale Test (DST). Laboratory test specimens were collected from three sites within Alcove 5 including each in situ field test location and one additional site. The aim of the laboratory tests was to determine site-specific thermal and mechanical rock properties including thermal expansion, thermal conductivity, unconfined compressive strength, and elastic moduli. In this paper, the results obtained for the SHT and DST area characterization are compared with data obtained from other locations at the proposed repository site. Results show that thermal expansion, and mechanical properties of Alcove 5 laboratory specimens are slightly different than the average values obtained on specimens from surface drillholes.

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Development of security engineering curricula at US universities

Garcia, M.L.

The Southwest Surety Institute was formed in 1996 to create unique, science-based educational programs in security engineering. The programs will integrate business, technology, and criminal justice elements to educate a new generation of security professionals. Graduates of the programs will better understand basic security system design and evaluation and contribute to strengthening of the body of knowledge in the area of security. A systematic approach incorporating people, procedures, and equipment will be taught that will emphasize basic security principles and establish the science of security engineering. The use of performance measures in the analysis of designed systems will enable effective decisions by an enterprise and provide the rationale for investment in security systems. Along with educational programs, Institute members will conduct original research and development built on existing relationships with sponsors from government and industry in areas such as counterterroism, microelectronics, banking, aviation, and sensor development. Additional information and updates on the Southwest Surety Institute are available via the Institute home page at www.emrtc.nmt.edu/ssi.

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In-vessel tritium retention and removal in ITER

Wampler, William R.

The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is envisioned to be the next major step in the world`s fusion program from the present generation of tokamaks and is designed to study fusion plasmas with a reactor relevant range of plasma parameters. During normal operation, it is expected that a fraction of the unburned tritium, that is used to routinely fuel the discharge, will be retained together with deuterium on the surfaces and in the bulk of the plasma facing materials (PFMs) surrounding the core and divertor plasma. The understanding of he basic retention mechanisms (physical and chemical) involved and their dependence upon plasma parameters and other relevant operation conditions is necessary for the accurate prediction of the amount of tritium retained at any given time in the ITER torus. Accurate estimates are essential to assess the radiological hazards associated with routine operation and with potential accident scenarios which may lead to mobilization of tritium that is not tenaciously held. Estimates are needed to establish the detritiation requirements for coolant water, to determine the plasma fueling and tritium supply requirements, and to establish the needed frequency and the procedures for tritium recovery and clean-up. The organization of this paper is as follows. Section 2 provides an overview of the design and operating conditions of the main components which define the plasma boundary of ITER. Section 3 reviews the erosion database and the results of recent relevant experiments conducted both in laboratory facilities and in tokamaks. These data provide the experimental basis and serve as an important benchmark for both model development (discussed in Section 4) and calculations (discussed in Section 5) that are required to predict tritium inventory build-up in ITER. Section 6 emphasizes the need to develop and test methods to remove the tritium from the codeposited C-based films and reviews the status and the prospects of the most attractive techniques. Section 7 identifies the unresolved issues and provides some recommendations on potential R and D avenues for their resolution. Finally, a summary is provided in Section 8.

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Final report on LDRD Project: The double electron layer tunneling transistor (DELTT)

Simmons, J.A.

This report describes the research accomplishments achieved under the LDRD Project ``Double Electron Layer Tunneling Transistor.`` The main goal of this project was to investigate whether the recently discovered phenomenon of 2D-2D tunneling in GaAs/AlGaAs double quantum wells (DQWs), investigated in a previous LDRD, could be harnessed and implemented as the operating principle for a new type of tunneling device the authors proposed, the double electron layer tunneling transistor (DELTT). In parallel with this main thrust of the project, they also continued a modest basic research effort on DQW physics issues, with significant theoretical support. The project was a considerable success, with the main goal of demonstrating a working prototype of the DELTT having been achieved. Additional DELTT advances included demonstrating good electrical characteristics at 77 K, demonstrating both NMOS and CMOS-like bi-stable memories at 77 K using the DELTT, demonstrating digital logic gates at 77 K, and demonstrating voltage-controlled oscillators at 77 K. In order to successfully fabricate the DELTT, the authors had to develop a novel flip-chip processing scheme, the epoxy-bond-and-stop-etch (EBASE) technique. This technique was latter improved so as to be amenable to electron-beam lithography, allowing the fabrication of DELTTs with sub-micron features, which are expected to be extremely high speed. In the basic physics area they also made several advances, including a measurement of the effective mass of electrons in the hour-glass orbit of a DQW subject to in-plane magnetic fields, and both measurements and theoretical calculations of the full Landau level spectra of DQWs in both perpendicular and in-plane magnetic fields. This last result included the unambiguous demonstration of magnetic breakdown of the Fermi surface. Finally, they also investigated the concept of a far-infrared photodetector based on photon assisted tunneling in a DQW. Absorption calculations showed a narrowband absorption which persisted to temperatures much higher than the photon energy being detected. Preliminary data on prototype detectors indicated that the absorption is not only narrowband, but can be tuned in energy through the application of a gate voltage.

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The Yucca Mountain Project drift scale test

Finley, Ray E.

The Yucca Mountain Project is currently evaluating the coupled thermal-mechanical-hydrological-chemical (TMHC) response of the potential repository host rock through an in situ thermal testing program. A drift scale test (DST) was constructed during 1997 and heaters were turned on in December 1997. The DST includes nine canister-sized containers with thirty operating heaters each located within the heated drift (HD) and fifty wing heaters located in boreholes in both ribs with a total power output of nominally 210kW. A total of 147 boreholes (combined length of 3.3 km) houses most of the over 3700 TMHC sensors connected with 201 km of cabling to a central data acquisition system. The DST is located in the Exploratory Studies Facility in a 5-m diameter drift approximately 50 m in length. Heating will last up to four years and cooling will last another four years. The rock mass surrounding the DST will experience a harsh thermal environment with rock surface temperatures expected to reach a maximum of about 200 C. This paper describes the process of designing the DST. The first 38 m of the 50-m long Heated Drift (HD) is dedicated to collection of data that will lead to a better understanding of the complex coupled TMHC processes in the host rock of the proposed repository. The final 12 m is dedicated to evaluating the interactions between the heated rock mass and cast-in-place (CIP) concrete ground support systems at elevated temperatures. In addition to a description of the DST design, data from site characterization, and a general description of the analyses and analysis approach used to design the test and make pretest predictions are presented. Test-scoping and pretest numerical predictions of one way thermal-hydrologic, thermal-mechanical, and thermal-chemical behaviors have been completed (TRW, 1997a). These analyses suggest that a dry-out zone will be created around the DST and a 10,000 m{sup 3} volume of rock will experience temperatures above 100 C. The HD will experience large stress increases, particularly in the crown of the drift. Thermoelastic displacements of up to about 16 mm are predicted for some thermomechanical gages. Additional analyses using more complex models will be performed during the conduct of the DST and the results compared with measured data.

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Lubrication of polysilicon micromechanisms with self-assembled monolayers

Srinivasan, U.; Foster, J.D.; Habib, U.; Howe, R.T.; Maboudian, R.; Senft, D.C.; Dugger, M.T.

Here, the authors report on the lubricating effects of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on MEMS by measuring static and dynamic friction with two polysilicon surface- micromachined devices. The first test structure is used to study friction between laterally sliding surfaces and with the second, friction between vertical sidewalls can be investigated. Both devices are SAM-coated following the sacrificial oxide etch and the microstructures emerge released and dry from the final water rinse. The coefficient of static friction, {mu}{sub s} was found to decrease from 2.1 {+-} 0.8 for the SiO{sub 2} coating to 0.11 {+-} 0.01 and 0.10 {+-} 0.01 for films derived from octadecyltrichloro-silane (OTS) and 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl-trichlorosilane (FDTS). Both OTS and FDTS SAM-coated structures exhibit dynamic coefficients of friction, {mu}{sub d} of 0.08 {+-} 0.01. These values were found to be independent of the apparent contact area, and remain unchanged after 1 million impacts at 5.6 {micro}N (17 kPa), indicating that these SAMs continue to act as boundary lubricants despite repeated impacts. Measurements during sliding friction from the sidewall friction testing structure give comparable initial {mu}{sub d} values of 0.02 at a contact pressure of 84 MPa. After 15 million wear cycles, {mu}{sub d} was found to rise to 0.27. Wear of the contacting surfaces was examined by SEM. Standard deviations in the {mu} data for SAM treatments indicate uniform coating coverage.

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Time-resolved wave-profile measurements at impact velocities of 10 km/s

Chhabildas, Lalit C.

Development of well-controlled hypervelocity launch capabilities is the first step to understand material behavior at extreme pressures and temperatures not available using conventional gun technology. In this paper, techniques used to extend both the launch capabilities of a two-stage light-gas gun to 10 km/s and their use to determine material properties at pressures and temperature states higher than those ever obtained in the laboratory are summarized. Time-resolved interferometric techniques have been used to determine shock loading and release characteristics of materials impacted by titanium and aluminum fliers launched by the only developed three-stage light-gas gun at 10 km/s. In particular, the Sandia three stage light gas gun, also referred to as the hypervelocity launcher, HVL, which is capable of launching 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm thick by 6 mm to 19 mm diameter plates to velocities approaching 16 km/s has been used to obtain the necessary impact velocities. The VISAR, interferometric particle-velocity techniques has been used to determine shock loading and release profiles in aluminum and titanium at impact velocities of 10 km/s.

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Optimization and nondeterministic analysis with large simulation models: Issues and directions

Romero, Vicente J.

Economic and political demands are driving computational investigation of systems and processes like never before. It is foreseen that questions of safety, optimality, risk, robustness, likelihood, credibility, etc. will increasingly be posed to computational modelers. This will require the development and routine use of computing infrastructure that incorporates computational physics models within the framework of larger meta-analyses involving aspects of optimization, nondeterministic analysis, and probabilistic risk assessment. This paper describes elements of an ongoing case study involving the computational solution of several meta-problems in optimization, nondeterministic analysis, and optimization under uncertainty pertaining to the surety of a generic weapon safing device. The goal of the analyses is to determine the worst-case heating configuration in a fire that most severely threatens the integrity of the device. A large, 3-D, nonlinear, finite element thermal model is used to determine the transient thermal response of the device in this coupled conduction/radiation problem. Implications of some of the numerical aspects of the thermal model on the selection of suitable and efficient optimization and nondeterministic analysis algorithms are discussed.

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Russia-U.S. joint program on the safe management of nuclear materials

Young, Mary L.

The Russia-US joint program on the safe management of nuclear materials was initiated to address common technical issues confronting the US and Russia in the management of excess weapons grade nuclear materials. The program was initiated after the 1993 Tomsk-7 accident. This paper provides an update on program activities since 1996. The Fourth US Russia Nuclear Materials Safety Management Workshop was conducted in March 1997. In addition, a number of contracts with Russian Institutes have been placed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). These contracts support research related to the safe disposition of excess plutonium (Pu) and highly enriched uranium (HEU). Topics investigated by Russian scientists under contracts with SNL and LLNL include accident consequence studies, the safety of anion exchange processes, underground isolation of nuclear materials, and the development of materials for the immobilization of excess weapons Pu.

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A survey of probabilistic methods used in reliability, risk and uncertainty analysis: Analytical techniques 1

Robinson, David G.

This report provides an introduction to the various probabilistic methods developed roughly between 1956--1985 for performing reliability or probabilistic uncertainty analysis on complex systems. This exposition does not include the traditional reliability methods (e.g. parallel-series systems, etc.) that might be found in the many reliability texts and reference materials (e.g. and 1977). Rather, the report centers on the relatively new, and certainly less well known across the engineering community, analytical techniques. Discussion of the analytical methods has been broken into two reports. This particular report is limited to those methods developed between 1956--1985. While a bit dated, methods described in the later portions of this report still dominate the literature and provide a necessary technical foundation for more current research. A second report (Analytical Techniques 2) addresses methods developed since 1985. The flow of this report roughly follows the historical development of the various methods so each new technique builds on the discussion of strengths and weaknesses of previous techniques. To facilitate the understanding of the various methods discussed, a simple 2-dimensional problem is used throughout the report. The problem is used for discussion purposes only; conclusions regarding the applicability and efficiency of particular methods are based on secondary analyses and a number of years of experience by the author. This document should be considered a living document in the sense that as new methods or variations of existing methods are developed, the document and references will be updated to reflect the current state of the literature as much as possible. For those scientists and engineers already familiar with these methods, the discussion will at times become rather obvious. However, the goal of this effort is to provide a common basis for future discussions and, as such, will hopefully be useful to those more intimate with probabilistic analysis and design techniques. There are clearly alternative methods of dealing with uncertainty (e.g. fuzzy set theory, possibility theory), but this discussion will be limited to those methods based on probability theory.

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Risk-based system refinement

Winter, V.L.

When designing a high consequence system, considerable care should be taken to ensure that the system can not easily be placed into a high consequence failure state. A formal system design process should include a model that explicitly shows the complete state space of the system (including failure states) as well as those events (e.g., abnormal environmental conditions, component failures, etc.) that can cause a system to enter a failure state. In this paper the authors present such a model and formally develop a notion of risk-based refinement with respect to the model.

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A graph-based system for network-vulnerability analysis

Swiler, Laura P.

This paper presents a graph-based approach to network vulnerability analysis. The method is flexible, allowing analysis of attacks from both outside and inside the network. It can analyze risks to a specific network asset, or examine the universe of possible consequences following a successful attack. The graph-based tool can identify the set of attack paths that have a high probability of success (or a low effort cost) for the attacker. The system could be used to test the effectiveness of making configuration changes, implementing an intrusion detection system, etc. The analysis system requires as input a database of common attacks, broken into atomic steps, specific network configuration and topology information, and an attacker profile. The attack information is matched with the network configuration information and an attacker profile to create a superset attack graph. Nodes identify a stage of attack, for example the class of machines the attacker has accessed and the user privilege level he or she has compromised. The arcs in the attack graph represent attacks or stages of attacks. By assigning probabilities of success on the arcs or costs representing level-of-effort for the attacker, various graph algorithms such as shortest-path algorithms can identify the attack paths with the highest probability of success.

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Hydride transport vessel vibration and shock test report

Tipton, David G.

Sandia National Laboratories performed vibration and shock testing on a Savannah River Hydride Transport Vessel (HTV) which is used for bulk shipments of tritium. This testing is required to qualify the HTV for transport in the H1616 shipping container. The main requirement for shipment in the H1616 is that the contents (in this case the HTV) have a tritium leak rate of less than 1x10{sup {minus}7} cc/sec after being subjected to shock and vibration normally incident to transport. Helium leak tests performed before and after the vibration and shock testing showed that the HTV remained leaktight under the specified conditions. This report documents the tests performed and the test results.

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Experimental results and modeling of a dynamic hohlraum on SATURN

Derzon, Mark S.

Experiments were performed at SATURN, a high current z-pinch, to explore the feasibility of creating a hohlraum by imploding a tungsten wire array onto a low-density foam. Emission measurements in the 200--280 eV energy band were consistent with a 110--135 eV Planckian before the target shock heated, or stagnated, on-axis. Peak pinch radiation temperatures of nominally 160 eV were obtained. Measured early time x-ray emission histories and temperature estimates agree well with modeled performance in the 200--280 eV band using a 2D radiation magneto-hydrodynamics code. However, significant differences are observed in comparisons of the x-ray images and 2D simulations.

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An overview of reliability assessment and control for design of civil engineering structures

Field Jr., R.V.; Grigoriadis, K.M.; Bergman, L.A.; Skelton, R.E.

Random variations, whether they occur in the input signal or the system parameters, are phenomena that occur in nearly all engineering systems of interest. As a result, nondeterministic modeling techniques must somehow account for these variations to ensure validity of the solution. As might be expected, this is a difficult proposition and the focus of many current research efforts. Controlling seismically excited structures is one pertinent application of nondeterministic analysis and is the subject of the work presented herein. This overview paper is organized into two sections. First, techniques to assess system reliability, in a context familiar to civil engineers, are discussed. Second, and as a consequence of the first, active control methods that ensure good performance in this random environment are presented. It is the hope of the authors that these discussions will ignite further interest in the area of reliability assessment and design of controlled civil engineering structures.

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New method for predicting lifetime of seals from compression-stress relaxation experiments

Gillen, Kenneth T.

Interpretation of compression stress-relaxation (CSR) experiments for elastomers in air is complicated by (1) the presence of both physical and chemical relaxation and (2) anomalous diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO) effects. For a butyl material, the authors first use shear relaxation data to indicate that physical relaxation effects are negligible during typical high temperature CSR experiments. They then show that experiments on standard CSR samples ({approximately}15 mm diameter when compressed) lead to complex non-Arrhenius behavior. By combining reaction kinetics based on the historic basic autoxidation scheme with a diffusion equation appropriate to disk-shaped samples, they derive a theoretical DLO model appropriate to CSR experiments. Using oxygen consumption and permeation rate measurements, the theory shows that important DLO effects are responsible for the observed non-Arrhenius behavior. To minimize DLO effects, they introduce a new CSR methodology based on the use of numerous small disk samples strained in parallel. Results from these parallel, minidisk experiments lead to Arrhenius behavior with an activation energy consistent with values commonly observed for elastomers, allowing more confident extrapolated predictions. In addition, excellent correlation is noted between the CSR force decay and the oxygen consumption rate, consistent with the expectation that oxidative scission processes dominate the CSR results.

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Optical assembly of a visible through thermal infrared multispectral imaging system

Henson, Tammy D.

The Optical Assembly (OA) for the Multispectral Thermal Imager (MTI) program has been fabricated, assembled, and successfully tested for its performance. It represents a major milestone achieved towards completion of this earth observing E-O imaging sensor that is to be operated in low earth orbit. Along with its wide-field-of-view (WFOV), 1.82{degree} along-track and 1.38{degree} cross-track, and comprehensive on-board calibration system, the pushbroom imaging sensor employs a single mechanically cooled focal plane with 15 spectral bands covering a wavelength range from 0.45 to 10.7 {micro}m. The OA has an off-axis three-mirror anastigmatic (TMA) telescope with a 36-cm unobscured clear aperture. The two key performance criteria, 80% enpixeled energy in the visible and radiometric stability of 1% 1{sigma} in the visible/near-infrared (VNIR) and short wavelength infrared (SWIR), of 1.45% 1{sigma} in the medium wavelength infrared (MWIR), and of 0.53% 1{sigma} long wavelength infrared (LWIR), as well as its low weight (less than 49 kg) and volume constraint (89 cm x 44 cm x 127 cm) drive the overall design configuration of the OA and fabrication requirements.

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Modular redundant number systems

Johnston, Anna M.

With the increased use of public key cryptography, faster modular multiplication has become an important cryptographic issue. Almost all public key cryptography, including most elliptic curve systems, use modular multiplication. Modular multiplication, particularly for the large public key modulii, is very slow. Increasing the speed of modular multiplication is almost synonymous with increasing the speed of public key cryptography. There are two parts to modular multiplication: multiplication and modular reduction. Though there are fast methods for multiplying and fast methods for doing modular reduction, they do not mix well. Most fast techniques require integers to be in a special form. These special forms are not related and converting from one form to another is more costly than using the standard techniques. To this date it has been better to use the fast modular reduction technique coupled with standard multiplication. Standard modular reduction is much more costly than standard multiplication. Fast modular reduction (Montgomery`s method) reduces the reduction cost to approximately that of a standard multiply. Of the fast multiplication techniques, the redundant number system technique (RNS) is one of the most popular. It is simple, converting a large convolution (multiply) into many smaller independent ones. Not only do redundant number systems increase speed, but the independent parts allow for parallelization. RNS form implies working modulo another constant. Depending on the relationship between these two constants; reduction OR division may be possible, but not both. This paper describes a new technique using ideas from both Montgomery`s method and RNS. It avoids the formula problem and allows fast reduction and multiplication. Since RNS form is used throughout, it also allows the entire process to be parallelized.

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Dirac II series in 800 T fields: Reflectivity measurements on low-dimensional, low electron density materials

Physica B: Condensed Matter

Simmons, J.A.

We report reflectivity measurements at 810 nm wavelength on GaAs/GaAlAs multiple quantum wells and NbSe2 layers at 75 K up to magnetic fields of 800 T. In the GaAs system, we observed in two separate measurements new, reproducible oscillatory phenomena in the reflectivity between 30 and 800 T, and in a third measurement on 2H-NbSe2 we observed a decrease in reflectivity of about 50% above 200 T, with some additional evidence for oscillatory behavior. We discuss these measurements based on the expected behavior in terms of their known physical properties, and consider future prospects for the application of optical methods to study condensed matter physics under these extremes. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

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Perforation of HY-100 steel plates with 4340 R{sub c} 38 and T-250 maraging steel rod projectiles

Forrestal, M.J.

The authors conducted perforation experiments with 4340 Rc 38 and T-250 maraging steel, long rod projectiles and HY-100 steel target plates at striking velocities between 80 and 370 m/s. Flat-end rod projectiles with lengths of 89 and 282 mm were machined to nominally 30-mm-diameter so they could be launched from a 30-mm-powder gun without sabots. The target plates were rigidly clamped at a 305-mm-diameter and had nominal thicknesses of 5.3 and 10.5 mm. Four sets of experiments were conducted to show the effects of rod length and plate thickness on the measured ballistic limit and residual velocities. In addition to measuring striking and residual projectile velocities, they obtained framing camera data on the back surfaces of several plates that showed clearly the plate deformation and plug ejection process. They also present a beam model that exhibits qualitatively the experimentally observed mechanisms.

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Analysis of the Rotopod: An all revolute parallel manipulator

Schmitt, D.J.

This paper introduces a new configuration of parallel manipulator call the Rotopod which is constructed from all revolute type joints. The Rotopod consists of two platforms connected by six legs and exhibits six Cartesian degrees of freedom. The Rotopod is initially compared with other all revolute joint parallel manipulators to show its similarities and differences. The inverse kinematics for this mechanism are developed and used to analyze the accessible workspace of the mechanism. Optimization is performed to determine the Rotopod design configurations which maximum the accessible workspace based on desirable functional constraints.

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Assembly planning at the micro scale

Feddema, John T.

This paper investigates a new aspect of fine motion planning for the micro domain. As parts approach 1--10 {micro}m or less in outside dimensions, interactive forces such as van der Waals and electrostatic forces become major factors which greatly change the assembly sequence and path plans. It has been experimentally shown that assembly plans in the micro domain are not reversible, motions required to pick up a part are not the reverse of motions required to release a part. This paper develops the mathematics required to determine the goal regions for pick up, holding, and release of a micro-sphere being handled by a rectangular tool.

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Creating virtual humans for simulation-based training and planning

Stansfield, S.

Sandia National Laboratories has developed a distributed, high fidelity simulation system for training and planning small team Operations. The system provides an immersive environment populated by virtual objects and humans capable of displaying complex behaviors. The work has focused on developing the behaviors required to carry out complex tasks and decision making under stress. Central to this work are techniques for creating behaviors for virtual humans and for dynamically assigning behaviors to CGF to allow scenarios without fixed outcomes. Two prototype systems have been developed that illustrate these capabilities: MediSim, a trainer for battlefield medics and VRaptor, a system for planning, rehearsing and training assault operations.

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Modeling fires in adjacent ship compartments with computational fluid dynamics

Wix, Steven D.

This paper presents an analysis of the thermal effects on radioactive (RAM) transportation packages with a fire in an adjacent compartment. An assumption for this analysis is that the adjacent hold fire is some sort of engine room fire. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis tools were used to perform the analysis in order to include convective heat transfer effects. The analysis results were compared to experimental data gathered in a series of tests on tile US Coast Guard ship Mayo Lykes located at Mobile, Alabama.

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Agile manufacturing prototyping system (AMPS)

Garcia, P.

The Agile Manufacturing Prototyping System (AMPS) is being integrated at Sandia National Laboratories. AMPS consists of state of the industry flexible manufacturing hardware and software enhanced with Sandia advancements in sensor and model based control; automated programming, assembly and task planning; flexible fixturing; and automated reconfiguration technology. AMPS is focused on the agile production of complex electromechanical parts. It currently includes 7 robots (4 Adept One, 2 Adept 505, 1 Staubli RX90), conveyance equipment, and a collection of process equipment to form a flexible production line capable of assembling a wide range of electromechanical products. This system became operational in September 1995. Additional smart manufacturing processes will be integrated in the future. An automated spray cleaning workcell capable of handling alcohol and similar solvents was added in 1996 as well as parts cleaning and encapsulation equipment, automated deburring, and automated vision inspection stations. Plans for 1997 and out years include adding manufacturing processes for the rapid prototyping of electronic components such as soldering, paste dispensing and pick-and-place hardware.

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Rapid small lot manufacturing

Harrigan, Raymond W.

The direct connection of information, captured in forms such as CAD databases, to the factory floor is enabling a revolution in manufacturing. Rapid response to very dynamic market conditions is becoming the norm rather than the exception. In order to provide economical rapid fabrication of small numbers of variable products, one must design with manufacturing constraints in mind. In addition, flexible manufacturing systems must be programmed automatically to reduce the time for product change over in the factory and eliminate human errors. Sensor based machine control is needed to adapt idealized, model based machine programs to uncontrolled variables such as the condition of raw materials and fabrication tolerances.

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Manufacturing in the world of Internet collaboration

McDonald, Michael J.

The Internet and the applications it supports are revolutionizing the way people work together. This paper presents four case studies in engineering collaboration that new Internet technologies have made possible. These cases include assembly design and analysis, simulation, intelligent machine system control, and systems integration. From these cases, general themes emerge that can guide the way people will work together in the coming decade.

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Proactive DSA application and implementation

Hamilton, Victoria A.

Data authentication as provided by digital signatures is a well known technique for verifying data sent via untrusted network links. Recent work has extended digital signatures to allow jointly generated signatures using threshold techniques. In addition, new proactive mechanisms have been developed to protect the joint private key over long periods of time and to allow each of the parties involved to verify the actions of the other parties. In this paper, the authors describe an application in which proactive digital signature techniques are a particularly valuable tool. They describe the proactive DSA protocol and discuss the underlying software tools that they found valuable in developing an implementation. Finally, the authors briefly describe the protocol and note difficulties they experienced and continue to experience in implementing this complex cryptographic protocol.

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A graph-based network-vulnerability analysis system

Swiler, Laura P.

This paper presents a graph based approach to network vulnerability analysis. The method is flexible, allowing analysis of attacks from both outside and inside the network. It can analyze risks to a specific network asset, or examine the universe of possible consequences following a successful attack. The analysis system requires as input a database of common attacks, broken into atomic steps, specific network configuration and topology information, and an attacker profile. The attack information is matched with the network configuration information and an attacker profile to create a superset attack graph. Nodes identify a stage of attack, for example the class of machines the attacker has accessed and the user privilege level he or she has compromised. The arcs in the attack graph represent attacks or stages of attacks. By assigning probabilities of success on the arcs or costs representing level of effort for the attacker, various graph algorithms such as shortest path algorithms can identify the attack paths with the highest probability of success.

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Review of the Palisades pressure vessel accumulated fluence estimate and of the least squares methodology employed

Griffin, Patrick J.

This report provides a review of the Palisades submittal to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requesting endorsement of their accumulated neutron fluence estimates based on a least squares adjustment methodology. This review highlights some minor issues in the applied methodology and provides some recommendations for future work. The overall conclusion is that the Palisades fluence estimation methodology provides a reasonable approach to a {open_quotes}best estimate{close_quotes} of the accumulated pressure vessel neutron fluence and is consistent with the state-of-the-art analysis as detailed in community consensus ASTM standards.

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xdamp Version 3: An IDL{reg_sign}-based data and image manipulation program

Ballard, William P.

The original DAMP (DAta Manipulation Program) was written by Mark Hedemann of Sandia National Laboratories and used the CA-DISSPLA{trademark} (available from Computer Associates International, Inc., Garden City, NY) graphics package as its engine. It was used to plot, modify, and otherwise manipulate the one-dimensional data waveforms (data vs. time) from a wide variety of accelerators. With the waning of CA-DISSPLA and the increasing popularity of Unix{reg_sign}-based workstations, a replacement was needed. This package uses the IDL{reg_sign} software, available from Research Systems Incorporated in Boulder, Colorado, as the engine, and creates a set of widgets to manipulate the data in a manner similar to the original DAMP and earlier versions of xdamp. IDL is currently supported on a wide variety of Unix platforms such as IBM{reg_sign} workstations, Hewlett Packard workstations, SUN{reg_sign} workstations, Microsoft{reg_sign} Windows{trademark} computers, Macintosh{reg_sign} computers and Digital Equipment Corporation VMS{reg_sign} and Alpha{reg_sign} systems. Thus, xdamp is portable across many platforms. The author has verified operation, albeit with some minor IDL bugs, on personal computers using Windows 95 and Windows NT; IBM Unix platforms; and DEC alpha and VMS systems; HP 9000/700 series workstations; and Macintosh computers, both regular and PowerPC{trademark} versions. Version 3 adds the capability to manipulate images to the original xdamp capabilities.

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GaAs-based JFET and PHEMT technologies for ultra-low-power microwave circuits operating at frequencies up to 2.4 GHz

Baca, A.G.

In this work the authors report results of narrowband amplifiers designed for milliwatt and submilliwatt power consumption using JFET and pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistors (PHEMT) GaAs-based technologies. Enhancement-mode JFETs were used to design both a hybrid amplifier with off-chip matching as well as a monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) with on-chip matching. The hybrid amplifier achieved 8--10 dB of gain at 2.4 GHz and 1 mW. The MMIC achieved 10 dB of gain at 2.4 GHz and 2 mW. Submilliwatt circuits were also explored by using 0.25 {micro}m PHEMTs. 25 {micro}W power levels were achieved with 5 dB of gain for a 215 MHz hybrid amplifier. These results significantly reduce power consumption levels achievable with the JFETs or prior MESFET, heterostructure field effect transistor (HFET), or Si bipolar results from other laboratories.

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Size dependence of selectively oxidized VCSEL transverse mode structure

Choquette, K.D.

The performance of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) has improved greatly in recent years. Much of this improvement can be attributed to the use of native oxide layers within the laser structure, providing both electrical and optical transverse confinement. Understanding this optical confinement will be vital for the future realization of yet smaller lasers with ultralow threshold currents. Here the authors report the spectral and modal properties of small (0.5 {micro}m to 5 {micro}m current aperture) VCSELs and identify Joule heating as a dominant effect in the resonator properties of the smallest lasers.

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In situ reflectance and virtual interface analysis for compound semiconductor process control

Breiland, William G.

The authors review the use of in-situ normal incidence reflectance, combined with a virtual interface model, to monitor and control the growth of complex compound semiconductor devices. The technique is being used routinely on both commercial and research metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) reactors and in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to measure growth rates and high temperature optical constants of compound semiconductor alloys. The virtual interface approach allows one to extract the calibration information in an automated way without having to estimate the thickness or optical constants of the alloy, and without having to model underlying thin film layers. The method has been used in a variety of data analysis applications collectively referred to as ADVISOR (Analysis of Deposition using Virtual Interfaces and Spectroscopic Optical Reflectance). This very simple and robust monitor and ADVISOR method provides one with the equivalent of a real-time reflection high energy electron reflectance (RHEED) tool for both MBE and MOCVD applications.

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Automated spray cleaning using flammable solvents in a glovebox

Garcia, P.; Meirans, L.

The phase-out of the ozone-depleting solvents has forced industry to look to solvents such as alcohol, terpenes and other flammable solvents to perform the critical cleaning processes. These solvents are not as efficient as the ozone-depleting solvents in terms of soil loading, cleaning time and drying when used in standard cleaning processes such as manual sprays or ultrasonic baths. They also require special equipment designs to meet part cleaning specifications and operator safety requirements. This paper describes a cleaning system that incorporates the automated spraying of flammable solvents to effectively perform precision cleaning processes. Key to the project`s success was the development of software that controls the robotic system and automatically generates robotic cleaning paths from three dimensional CAD models of the items to be cleaned.

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Deep high-aspect ratio Si etching for advanced packaging technologies

Shul, Randy J.

Deep high-aspect ratio Si etching (HARSE) has shown potential application for passive self-alignment of dissimilar materials and devices on Si carriers or waferboards. The Si can be etched to specific depths and; lateral dimensions to accurately place or locate discrete components (i.e lasers, photodetectors, and fiber optics) on a Si carrier. It is critical to develop processes which maintain the dimensions of the mask, yield highly anisotropic profiles for deep features, and maintain the anisotropy at the base of the etched feature. In this paper the authors report process conditions for HARSE which yield etch rates exceeding 3 {micro}m/min and well controlled, highly anisotropic etch profiles. Examples for potential application to advanced packaging technologies will also be shown.

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A multi-agent system for coordinating international shipping

Goldsmith, Steven Y.

Moving commercial cargo across the US-Mexico border is currently a complex, paper-based, error-prone process that incurs expensive inspections and delays at several ports of entry in the Southwestern US. Improved information handling will dramatically reduce border dwell time, variation in delivery time, and inventories, and will give better control of the shipment process. The Border Trade Facilitation System (BTFS) is an agent-based collaborative work environment that assists geographically distributed commercial and government users with transshipment of goods across the US-Mexico border. Software agents mediate the creation, validation and secure sharing of shipment information and regulatory documentation over the Internet, using the World Wide Web to interface with human actors. Agents are organized into Agencies. Each agency represents a commercial or government agency. Agents perform four specific functions on behalf of their user organizations: (1) agents with domain knowledge elicit commercial and regulatory information from human specialists through forms presented via web browsers; (2) agents mediate information from forms with diverse otologies, copying invariant data from one form to another thereby eliminating the need for duplicate data entry; (3) cohorts of distributed agents coordinate the work flow among the various information providers and they monitor overall progress of the documentation and the location of the shipment to ensure that all regulatory requirements are met prior to arrival at the border; (4) agents provide status information to human actors and attempt to influence them when problems are predicted.

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Double-blind evaluation of the DKL LifeGuard Model 2

Murray, Dale W.

On March 20, 1998, Sandia National Laboratories performed a double-blind test of the DKL LifeGuard human presence detector and tracker. The test was designed to allow the device to search for individuals well within the product`s published operational parameters. The Test Operator of the DKL LifeGuard was provided by the manufacturer and was a high-ranking member of DKL management. The test was developed and implemented to verify the performance of the device as specified by the manufacturer. The device failed to meet its published specifications and it performed no better than random chance.

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Replacement of petroleum based hydraulic fluids with a soybean-based alternative

Rose, William A.

Despite the best preventative measures, ruptured hoses, spills and leaks occur with use of all hydraulic equipment. Although these releases do not usually produce a RCRA regulated waste, they are often a reportable occurrence. Clean-up and subsequent administrative procedure involves additional costs, labor and work delays. Concerns over these releases, especially related to Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) vehicles hauling waste on public roads prompted Fleet Services (FS) to seek an alternative to the standard petroleum based hydraulic fluid. Since 1996 SNL has participated in a pilot program with the University of Iowa (UNI) and selected vehicle manufacturers, notably John Deere, to field test hydraulic fluid produced from soybean oil in twenty of its vehicles. The vehicles included loaders, graders, sweepers, forklifts and garbage trucks. Research was conducted for several years at UNI to modify and market soybean oils for industrial uses. Soybean oil ranks first in worldwide production of vegetable oils (29%), and represents a tremendous renewable resource. Initial tests with soybean oil showed excellent lubrication and wear protection properties. Lack of oxidative stability and polymerization of the oil were concerns. These concerns were being addressed through genetic alteration, chemical modification and use of various additives, and the improved lubricant is in the field testing stage.

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Cold-Cathodes for Sensors and Vacuum Microelectronics

Siegal, Michael P.

The aim of this laboratory-directed research and development project was to study amorphous carbon (a-C) thin films for eventual cold-cathode electron emitter applications. The development of robust, cold-cathode emitters are likely to have significant implications for modern technology and possibly launch a new industry: vacuum micro-electronics (VME). The potential impact of VME on Sandia`s National Security missions, such as defense against military threats and economic challenges, is profound. VME enables new microsensors and intrinsically radiation-hard electronics compatible with MOSFET and IMEM technologies. Furthermore, VME is expected to result in a breakthrough technology for the development of high-visibility, low-power flat-panel displays. This work covers four important research areas. First, the authors studied the nature of the C-C bonding structures within these a-C thin films. Second, they determined the changes in the film structures resulting from thermal annealing to simulate the effects of device processing on a-C properties. Third, they performed detailed electrical transport measurements as a function of annealing temperature to correlate changes in transport properties with structural changes and to propose a model for transport in these a-C materials with implications on the nature of electron emission. Finally, they used scanning atom probes to determine important aspects on the nature of emission in a-C.

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Divertor erosion in DIII-D

Wampler, William R.

Net erosion rates of carbon target plates have been measured in situ for the DIII-D lower divertor. The principal method of obtaining this data is the DiMES sample probe. Recent experiments have focused on erosion at the outer strike-point of two divertor plasma conditions: (1) attached (Te > 40 eV) ELMing plasmas and (2) detached (Te < 2 eV) ELMing plasmas. The erosion rates for the attached cases are > 10 cm/year, even with incident heat flux < 1 MW/m{sup 2}. In this case, measurements and modeling agree for both gross and net carbon erosion, showing the near-surface transport and redeposition of the carbon is well understood and that effective sputtering yields are > 10%. In ELM-free discharges, this erosion rate can account for the rate of carbon accumulation in the core plasma. Divertor plasma detachment eliminates physical sputtering, while spectroscopically measured chemical erosion yields are also found to be low (Y(C/D{sup +}) {le} 2.0 {times} 10{sup {minus}3}). This leads to suppression of net erosion at the outer strike-point, which becomes a region of net redeposition ({approximately} 4 cm/year). The private flux wall is measured to be a region of net redeposition with dense, high neutral pressure, attached divertor plasmas. Leading edges intercepting parallel heat flux ({approximately} 50 MW/m{sup 2}) have very high net erosion rates ({approximately} 10 {micro}m/s) at the OSP of an attached plasma. Leading edge erosion, and subsequent carbon redeposition, caused by tile gaps can account for half of the deuterium codeposition in the DIII-D divertor.

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Design tools and issues of silicon micromachined (MEMS) devices

Davies, Brady R.

This paper describes the design and design issues associated with silicon surface micromachined device design Some of the tools described are adaptations of macro analysis tools. Design issues in the microdomain differ greatly from design issues encountered in the macrodomain. Microdomain forces caused by electrostatic attraction, surface tension, Van der Walls forces, and others can be more significant than inertia, friction, or gravity. Design and analysis tools developed for macrodomain devices are inadequate in most cases for microdomain devices. Microdomain specific design and analysis tools are being developed, but are still immature and lack adequate functionality. The fundamental design process for surface micromachined devices is significantly different than the design process employed in the design of macro-sized devices. In this paper, MEMS design will be discussed as well as the tools used to develop the designs and the issues relating fabrication processes to design. Design and analysis of MEMS devices is directly coupled to the silicon micromachining processes used to fabricate the devices. These processes introduce significant design limitations and must be well understood before designs can be successfully developed. In addition, some silicon micromachining fabrication processes facilitate the integration of silicon micromachines with microelectronics on-chip. For devices requiring on-chip electronics, the fabrication processes introduce additional design constraints that must be taken into account during design and analysis.

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Automated analysis for lifecycle assembly processes

Galpin, Terri L.

Many manufacturing companies today expend more effort on upgrade and disposal projects than on clean-slate design, and this trend is expected to become more prevalent in coming years. However, commercial CAD tools are better suited to initial product design than to the product`s full life cycle. Computer-aided analysis, optimization, and visualization of life cycle assembly processes based on the product CAD data can help ensure accuracy and reduce effort expended in planning these processes for existing products, as well as provide design-for-lifecycle analysis for new designs. To be effective, computer aided assembly planning systems must allow users to express the plan selection criteria that apply to their companies and products as well as to the life cycles of their products. Designing products for easy assembly and disassembly during its entire life cycle for purposes including service, field repair, upgrade, and disposal is a process that involves many disciplines. In addition, finding the best solution often involves considering the design as a whole and by considering its intended life cycle. Different goals and constraints (compared to initial assembly) require one to re-visit the significant fundamental assumptions and methods that underlie current assembly planning techniques. Previous work in this area has been limited to either academic studies of issues in assembly planning or applied studies of life cycle assembly processes, which give no attention to automatic planning. It is believed that merging these two areas will result in a much greater ability to design for; optimize, and analyze life cycle assembly processes.

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Manufacturing microsystems-on-a-chip with 5-level surface micromachining technology

Sniegowski, Jeffry J.

An agile microsystem manufacturing technology has been developed that provides unprecedented 5 levels of independent polysilicon surface-micromachine films for the designer. Typical surface-micromachining processes offer a maximum of 3 levels, making this the most complex surface-micromachining process technology developed to date. Leveraged from the extensive infrastructure present in the microelectronics industry, the manufacturing method of polysilicon surface-micromachining offers similar advantages of high-volume, high-reliability, and batch-fabrication to microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) as has been accomplished with integrated circuits (ICs). These systems, comprised of microscopic-sized mechanical elements, are laying the foundation for a rapidly expanding, multi-billion dollar industry 2 which impacts the automotive, consumer product, and medical industries to name only a few.

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Development and validation of nondestructive inspection techniques for composite doubler repairs on commercial aircraft

Roach, D.

Composite doublers, or repair patches, provide an innovative repair technique which can enhance the way aircraft are maintained. Instead of riveting multiple steel or aluminum plates to facilitate an aircraft repair, it is possible to bond a single boron-epoxy composite doubler to the damaged structure. In order for the use of composite doublers to achieve widespread use in the civil aviation industry, it is imperative that methods be developed which can quickly and reliably assess the integrity of the doubler. In this study, a specific composite application was chosen on an L-1011 aircraft in order to focus the tasks on application and operation issues. Primary among inspection requirements for these doublers is the identification of disbonds, between the composite laminate and aluminum parent material, and delaminations in the composite laminate. Surveillance of cracks or corrosion in the parent aluminum material beneath the doubler is also a concern. No single nondestructive inspection (NDI) method can inspect for every flaw type, therefore it is important to be aware of available NDI techniques and to properly address their capabilities and limitations. A series of NDI tests were conducted on laboratory test structures and on full-scale aircraft fuselage sections. Specific challenges, unique to bonded composite doubler applications, were highlighted. An array of conventional and advanced NDI techniques were evaluated. Flaw detection sensitivity studies were conducted on applicable eddy current, ultrasonic, X-ray and thermography based devices. The application of these NDI techniques to composite doublers and the results from test specimens, which were loaded to provide a changing flaw profile, are presented in this report. It was found that a team of these techniques can identify flaws in composite doubler installations well before they reach critical size.

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Data and methods for the assessment of the risks associated with the maritime transport of radioactive materials: Results of the SeaRAM program studies. Volume 2 -- Appendices

Sprung, J.L.

This report describes ship accident event trees, ship collision and ship fire frequencies, representative ships and shipping practices, a model of ship penetration depths during ship collisions, a ship fire spread model, cask to environment release fractions during ship collisions and fires, and illustrative consequence calculations. This report contains the following appendices: Appendix 1 -- Representative Ships and Shipping Practices; Appendix 2 -- Input Data for Minorsky Calculations; Appendix 3 -- Port Ship Speed Distribution; and Appendix 4 -- Cask-to-Environment Release Fractions.

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Atomic-scale properties of semiconductor heterostructures probed by scanning tunneling microscopy

Biefeld, Robert M.

The engineering of advanced semiconductor heterostructure materials and devices requires a detailed understanding of, and control over, the structure and properties of semiconductor materials and devices at the atomic to nanometer scale. Cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy has emerged as a unique and powerful method to characterize structural morphology and electronic properties in semiconductor epitaxial layers and device structures at these length scales. The basic experimental techniques in cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy are described, and some representative applications to semiconductor heterostructure characterization drawn from recent investigations in the authors laboratory are discussed. Specifically, they describe some recent studies of InP/InAsP and InAsP/InAsSb heterostructures in which nanoscale compositional clustering has been observed and analyzed.

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Committee to evaluate Sandia`s risk expertise: Final report. Volume 1: Presentations

Hunter, Regina L.

On July 1--2, 1997, Sandia National Laboratories hosted the External Committee to Evaluate Sandia`s Risk Expertise. Under the auspices of SIISRS (Sandia`s International Institute for Systematic Risk Studies), Sandia assembled a blue-ribbon panel of experts in the field of risk management to assess their risk programs labs-wide. Panelists were chosen not only for their own expertise, but also for their ability to add balance to the panel as a whole. Presentations were made to the committee on the risk activities at Sandia. In addition, a tour of Sandia`s research and development programs in support of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission was arranged. The panel attended a poster session featuring eight presentations and demonstrations for selected projects. Overviews and viewgraphs from the presentations are included in Volume 1 of this report. Presentations are related to weapons, nuclear power plants, transportation systems, architectural surety, environmental programs, and information systems.

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The Z accelerator as a source of > 100 kJ of x-rays above 4.8 keV

Deeney, Christopher D.

Recent K-shell scaling experiments on the 20 MA Z accelerator at Sandia National Laboratories have shown that large diameter (40 and 55 mm) arrays can be imploded with 80 to 210 wires of titanium or stainless steel. These implosions have produced up to 150 kJ of > 4.5 keV x-rays and 65 kJ of > 6.0 keV x-rays in 7 to 18 ns FWHM pulses. This is a major advance in plasma radiation source (PRS) capability since there is presently limited test capability above 3 keV. In fact, Z produces more > 4.5 keV x-rays than previous aboveground simulators produced at 1.5 keV. Z also produces some 200 kJ of x-rays between 1 and 3 keV in a continuous spectrum for these loads. The measured spectra and yields are consistent with 1-dimensional MHD calculations performed by NRL. Thermoelastic calorimeters, PVDF gauges, and optical impulse gauges have been successfully fielded with these sources.

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Results of experiments on rigid polyurethane foam (RPF) for protection from mines

Woodfin, R.L.

Sandia National Labs has been investigating the use of rigid polyurethane foam (RPF) for military use, particularly for mine protection for the past two years. Results of explosive experiments and mine/foam interaction experiments are presented. The RPF has proved to be effective in absorbing direct shock from explosives. Quantitative data are presented. As reported elsewhere, it has proved effective in reducing the signature of vehicles passing over anti-tank (AT) mines to prevent the mine from firing. This paper presents the results of experiments done to understand the interaction of RPF with anti-craft (AC) mines during foam formation in shallow water in a scaled surf environment.

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Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers emitting near 1.5 {mu}m with Sb-based reflectors

Blum, O.; Klem, J.F.; Vawter, G.A.

We describe use of AlAsSb/AlGaAsSb lattice matched to InP for distributed Bragg reflectors. These structures are integral to several surface normal devices, in particular vertical cavity surface emitting lasers. The high refractive index ratio of these materials allows formation of a highly reflective mirror with relatively few mirror pairs. As a result, we have been able to show for the first time the 77K CW operation of an optically pumped, monolithic, all-epitaxial vertical cavity laser, emitting at 1.56 {mu}m.

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Model-based safety assessments

Carlson, David D.

Sandia National Laboratories performs systems analysis of high risk, high consequence systems. In particular, Sandia is responsible for the engineering of nuclear weapons, exclusive of the explosive physics package. In meeting this responsibility, Sandia has developed fundamental approaches to safety and a process for evaluating safety based on modeling and simulation. These approaches provide confidence in the safety of our nuclear weapons. Similar concepts may be applied to improve the safety of other high consequence systems.

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The Waveform Correlation Event Detection System project, Phase II: Testing with the IDC primary network

Young, Christopher J.

Further improvements to the Waveform Correlation Event Detection System (WCEDS) developed by Sandia Laboratory have made it possible to test the system on the accepted Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) seismic monitoring network. For our test interval we selected a 24-hour period from December 1996, and chose to use the Reviewed Event Bulletin (REB) produced by the Prototype International Data Center (PIDC) as ground truth for evaluating the results. The network is heterogeneous, consisting of array and three-component sites, and as a result requires more flexible waveform processing algorithms than were available in the first version of the system. For simplicity and superior performance, we opted to use the spatial coherency algorithm of Wagner and Owens (1996) for both types of sites. Preliminary tests indicated that the existing version of WCEDS, which ignored directional information, could not achieve satisfactory detection or location performance for many of the smaller events in the REB, particularly those in the south Pacific where the network coverage is unusually sparse. To achieve an acceptable level of performance, we made modifications to include directional consistency checks for the correlations, making the regions of high correlation much less ambiguous. These checks require the production of continuous azimuth and slowness streams for each station, which is accomplished by means of FK processing for the arrays and power polarization processing for the three-component sites. In addition, we added the capability to use multiple frequency-banded data streams for each site to increase sensitivity to phases whose frequency content changes as a function of distance.

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User`s guide for the Augmented Computer Exercise for Inspection Training (ACE-IT), Version 2.0 software

Dobranich, Pauline R.

The on-site inspection provisions in many current and proposed arms control agreements require extensive preparation and training on the part of both the Inspection Teams (inspectors) and Inspected Parties (hosts). Traditional training techniques include lectures, table-top inspections, and practice inspections. The Augmented Computer Exercise for Inspection Training (ACE-IT), an interactive computer training tool, increases the utility of table-top inspections. ACE-IT is used for training both inspectors and hosts to conduct a hypothetical challenge inspection under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The training covers the entire sequence of events in the challenge inspection regime, from initial notification of an inspection through post-inspection activities. The primary emphasis of the training tool is on conducting the inspection itself, and in particular, implementing the concept of managed access. (Managed access is a technique used to assure the inspectors that the facility is in compliance with the CWC, while at the same time protecting sensitive information unrelated to the CWC.) Information for all of the activities is located in the electronic {open_quotes}Exercise Manual.{close_quotes} In addition, interactive menus are used to negotiate access to each room and to alternate information during the simulated inspection. ACE-IT also demonstrates how various inspection provisions impact compliance determination and the protection of sensitive information.

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A user`s guide for BREAKUP: A computer code for parallelizing the overset grid approach

Barnette, D.W.

In this user`s guide, details for running BREAKUP are discussed. BREAKUP allows the widely used overset grid method to be run in a parallel computer environment to achieve faster run times for computational field simulations over complex geometries. The overset grid method permits complex geometries to be divided into separate components. Each component is then gridded independently. The grids are computationally rejoined in a solver via interpolation coefficients used for grid-to-grid communications of boundary data. Overset grids have been in widespread use for many years on serial computers, and several well-known Navier-Stokes flow solvers have been extensively developed and validated to support their use. One drawback of serial overset grid methods has been the extensive compute time required to update flow solutions one grid at a time. Parallelizing the overset grid method overcomes this limitation by updating each grid or subgrid simultaneously. BREAKUP prepares overset grids for parallel processing by subdividing each overset grid into statically load-balanced subgrids. Two-dimensional examples with sample solutions, and three-dimensional examples, are presented.

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RADTRAD: A simplified model for RADionuclide Transport and Removal And Dose estimation

Bixler, Nathan E.

This report documents the RADTRAD computer code developed for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) to estimate transport and removal of radionuclides and dose at selected receptors. The document includes a users` guide to the code, a description of the technical basis for the code, the quality assurance and code acceptance testing documentation, and a programmers` guide. The RADTRAD code can be used to estimate the containment release using either the NRC TID-14844 or NUREG-1465 source terms and assumptions, or a user-specified table. In addition, the code can account for a reduction in the quantity of radioactive material due to containment sprays, natural deposition, filters, and other natural and engineered safety features. The RADTRAD code uses a combination of tables and/or numerical models of source term reduction phenomena to determine the time-dependent dose at user-specified locations for a given accident scenario. The code system also provides the inventory, decay chain, and dose conversion factor tables needed for the dose calculation. The RADTRAD code can be used to assess occupational radiation exposures, typically in the control room; to estimate site boundary doses; and to estimate dose attenuation due to modification of a facility or accident sequence.

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Collective search by mobile robots using alpha-beta coordination

Goldsmith, Steven Y.

One important application of mobile robots is searching a geographical region to locate the origin of a specific sensible phenomenon. Mapping mine fields, extraterrestrial and undersea exploration, the location of chemical and biological weapons, and the location of explosive devices are just a few potential applications. Teams of robotic bloodhounds have a simple common goal; to converge on the location of the source phenomenon, confirm its intensity, and to remain aggregated around it until directed to take some other action. In cases where human intervention through teleoperation is not possible, the robot team must be deployed in a territory without supervision, requiring an autonomous decentralized coordination strategy. This paper presents the alpha beta coordination strategy, a family of collective search algorithms that are based on dynamic partitioning of the robotic team into two complementary social roles according to a sensor based status measure. Robots in the alpha role are risk takers, motivated to improve their status by exploring new regions of the search space. Robots in the beta role are motivated to improve but are conservative, and tend to remain aggregated and stationary until the alpha robots have identified better regions of the search space. Roles are determined dynamically by each member of the team based on the status of the individual robot relative to the current state of the collective. Partitioning the robot team into alpha and beta roles results in a balance between exploration and exploitation, and can yield collective energy savings and improved resistance to sensor noise and defectors. Alpha robots waste energy exploring new territory, and are more sensitive to the effects of ambient noise and to defectors reporting inflated status. Beta robots conserve energy by moving in a direct path to regions of confirmed high status.

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Development and optimization of a cryogenic-aerosol-based wafer-cleaning system

Torczynski, J.R.

A summary of recent advances in cryogenic-aerosol-based wafer-processing technology for semiconductor wafer cleaning is presented. An argon/nitrogen cryogenic-aerosol-based tool has been developed and optimized for removal of particulate contaminants. The development of the tool involved a combination of theoretical (modeling) and experimental efforts aimed at understanding the mechanisms of aerosol formation and the relation between aerosol characteristics and particle-removal ability. It is observed that the highest cleaning efficiencies are achieved, in general, when the cryogenic aerosol is generated by the explosive atomization of an initially liquid jet of the cryogenic mixture.

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The effects of irradiation and proton implantation on the density of mobile protons in SiO{sub 2} films

Fleetwood, D.M.

Proton implantation into the buried oxide of Si/SiO{sub 2}/Si structures does not introduce mobile protons. The cross section for capture of radiation-induced electrons by mobile protons is two orders of magnitude smaller than for electron capture by trapped holes. The data provide new insights into the atomic mechanisms governing the generation and radiation tolerance of mobile protons in SiO{sub 2}. This can lead to improved techniques for production and radiation hardening of radiation tolerant memory devices.

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Simulation of a fast framing staring sensor

Page, Karen J.

A sensor system simulation has been developed which aids in the evaluation of a proposed fast framing staring sensor as it will perform in its operational environment. Beginning with a high resolution input image, a sequence of frames at the target sensor resolution are produced using the assumed platform motion and the contribution of various noise sources as input data. The resulting frame sequence can then be used to help define system requirements, to aid algorithm development, and to predict system performance. In order to assess the performance of a sensor system, the radiance measured by the system is modeled using a variety of scenarios. For performance prediction, the modeling effort is directed toward providing the ability to determine the minimum Noise Equivalent Target (NET) intensities for each band of the sensor system. The NET is calculated at the entrance pupil of the instrument in such a way that the results can be applied to a variety of point source targets and collection conditions. The intent is to facilitate further study within the user community as new mission areas and/or targets of interest develop that are not addressed explicitly during sensor conceptual design.

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Prototype circuit boards assembled with non-lead bearing solders

Vianco, Paul T.

The 91.84Sn-3.33Ag-4.83Bi and 96.5Sn-3.5Ag Pb-free solders were evaluated for surface mount circuit board interconnects. The 63Sn-37Pb solder provided the baseline data. All three solders exhibited suitable manufacturability per a defect analyses of circuit board test vehicles. Thermal cycling had no significant effect on the 91.84Sn-3.33Ag-4.83Bi solder joints. Some degradation in the form of grain boundary sliding was observed in 96.5Sn-3.5Ag and 63Sn-37Pb solder joints. The quality of the solder joint microstructures showed a slight degree of degradation under thermal shock exposure for all of the solders tested. Trends in the solder joint shear strengths could be traced to the presence of Pd in the solder, the source of which was the Pd/Ni finish on the circuit board conductor features. The higher, intrinsic strengths of the Pb-free solders encouraged the failure path to be located in proximity to the solder/substrate interface where Pd combined with Sn to form brittle PdSn{sub 4} particles, resulting in reduced shear strengths.

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Surety of the nation`s critical infrastructures: The challenge restructuring poses to the telecommunications sector

Gilliom, L.

The telecommunications sector plays a pivotal role in the system of increasingly connected and interdependent networks that make up national infrastructure. An assessment of the probable structure and function of the bit-moving industry in the twenty-first century must include issues associated with the surety of telecommunications. The term surety, as used here, means confidence in the acceptable behavior of a system in both intended and unintended circumstances. This paper outlines various engineering approaches to surety in systems, generally, and in the telecommunications infrastructure, specifically. It uses the experience and expectations of the telecommunications system of the US as an example of the global challenges. The paper examines the principal factors underlying the change to more distributed systems in this sector, assesses surety issues associated with these changes, and suggests several possible strategies for mitigation. It also studies the ramifications of what could happen if this sector became a target for those seeking to compromise a nation`s security and economic well being. Experts in this area generally agree that the U. S. telecommunications sector will eventually respond in a way that meets market demands for surety. Questions remain open, however, about confidence in the telecommunications sector and the nation`s infrastructure during unintended circumstances--such as those posed by information warfare or by cascading software failures. Resolution of these questions is complicated by the lack of clear accountability of the private and the public sectors for the surety of telecommunications.

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Interphase mechanical properties in epoxy-glass fiber composites as measured by interfacial force microscopy

Houston, Jack E.

The research focuses on the measurement of the nanomechanical properties associated with the interphase region of a polymer matrix fiber composite with a nanometer resolution in chemically characterized model composites. The Interfacial Force Microscope (IFM) is employed to measure, with nanometer resolution, the mechanical properties of the interphase region of epoxy/glass fiber composites. The chemistry of the interphase is altered by the adsorption on to the fiber surface a coupling agent, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane ({gamma}-APS) which is known to covalently bond to the glass fiber surface and the epoxy resin. Recent work utilizing FT-IR fiber optic evanescent wave spectroscopy provides a method for the characterization of the interphase chemistry. This technique has been used to investigate the interphase chemistry of epoxy/amine curing agent/amine-terminated organosilane coupling agent/silica optical fiber model composites. This body of work has shown that a substantial fraction of the amine of the organosilane-coupling agent does not participate in a reaction with the epoxy resin. This evidence suggests an interphase that will have mechanical properties significantly different than the bulk epoxy/amine matrix. Previous research has shown that drastic changes occur in the coupling agent chemistry, interphase chemistry, and composite mechanical properties as the amount of adsorbed coupling agent is varied over the industrially relevant range used in this work. A commercially available epoxy resin, EPON 828, and aliphatic amine-curing agent, EPI-CURE 3283, make up the polymer matrix in this study. The reinforcement is silica optical or E-glass fibers.

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Development of a hydraulic borehole seismic source

Cutler, Robert P.

This report describes a 5 year, $10 million Sandia/Industry project to develop an advanced borehole seismic source for use in oil and gas exploration and production. The development Team included Sandia, Chevron, Amoco, Conoco, Exxon, Raytheon, Pelton, and GRI. The seismic source that was developed is a vertically oriented, axial point force, swept frequency, clamped, reaction-mass vibrator design. It was based on an early Chevron prototype, but the new tool incorporates a number of improvements which make it far superior to the original prototype. The system consists of surface control electronics, a special heavy duty fiber optic wireline and draw works, a cablehead, hydraulic motor/pump module, electronics module, clamp, and axial vibrator module. The tool has a peak output of 7,000 lbs force and a useful frequency range of 5 to 800 Hz. It can operate in fluid filled wells with 5.5-inch or larger casing to depths of 20,000 ft and operating temperatures of 170 C. The tool includes fiber optic telemetry, force and phase control, provisions to add seismic receiver arrays below the source for single well imaging, and provisions for adding other vibrator modules to the tool in the future. The project yielded four important deliverables: a complete advanced borehole seismic source system with all associated field equipment; field demonstration surveys funded by industry showing the utility of the system; industrial sources for all of the hardware; and a new service company set up by their industrial partner to provide commercial surveys.

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Fracture mechanics based design for radioactive material transport packagings -- Historical review

Smith, J.A.

The use of a fracture mechanics based design for the radioactive material transport (RAM) packagings has been the subject of extensive research for more than a decade. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has played an important role in the research and development of the application of this technology. Ductile iron has been internationally accepted as an exemplary material for the demonstration of a fracture mechanics based method of RAM packaging design and therefore is the subject of a large portion of the research discussed in this report. SNL`s extensive research and development program, funded primarily by the U. S. Department of Energy`s Office of Transportation, Energy Management and Analytical Services (EM-76) and in an auxiliary capacity, the office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, is summarized in this document along with a summary of the research conducted at other institutions throughout the world. In addition to the research and development work, code and standards development and regulatory positions are also discussed.

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Investigation of radial shear in the wall-base juncture of a 1:4 scale prestressed concrete containment vessel model

Hessheimer, Michael F.

Construction of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) model is underway as part of a cooperative containment research program at Sandia National Laboratories. The work is co-sponsored by the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC) of Japan and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Preliminary analyses of the Sandia 1:4 Scale PCCV Model have determined axisymmetric global behavior and have estimated the potential for failure in several areas, including the wall-base juncture and near penetrations. Though the liner tearing failure mode has been emphasized, the assumption of a liner tearing failure mode is largely based on experience with reinforced concrete containments. For the PCCV, the potential for shear failure at or near the liner tearing pressure may be considerable and requires detailed investigation. This paper examines the behavior of the PCCV in the region most susceptible to a radial shear failure, the wall-basemat juncture region. Prediction of shear failure in concrete structures is a difficult goal, both experimentally and analytically. As a structure begins to deform under an applied system of forces that produce shear, other deformation modes such as bending and tension/compression begin to influence the response. Analytically, difficulties lie in characterizing the decrease in shear stiffness and shear stress and in predicting the associated transfer of stress to reinforcement as cracks become wider and more extensive. This paper examines existing methods for representing concrete shear response and existing criteria for predicting shear failure, and it discusses application of these methods and criteria to the study of the 1:4 scale PCCV.

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Federal laboratories for the 21st century

Gover, J.

Federal laboratories have successfully filled many roles for the public; however, as the 21st Century nears it is time to rethink and reevaluate how Federal laboratories can better support the public and identify new roles for this class of publicly-owned institutions. The productivity of the Federal laboratory system can be increased by making use of public outcome metrics, by benchmarking laboratories, by deploying innovative new governance models, by partnerships of Federal laboratories with universities and companies, and by accelerating the transition of federal laboratories and the agencies that own them into learning organizations. The authors must learn how government-owned laboratories in other countries serve their public. Taiwan`s government laboratory, Industrial Technology Research Institute, has been particularly successful in promoting economic growth. It is time to stop operating Federal laboratories as monopoly institutions; therefore, competition between Federal laboratories must be promoted. Additionally, Federal laboratories capable of addressing emerging 21st century public problems must be identified and given the challenge of serving the public in innovative new ways. Increased investment in case studies of particular programs at Federal laboratories and research on the public utility of a system of Federal laboratories could lead to increased productivity of laboratories. Elimination of risk-averse Federal laboratory and agency bureaucracies would also have dramatic impact on the productivity of the Federal laboratory system. Appropriately used, the US Federal laboratory system offers the US an innovative advantage over other nations.

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Laboratory column experiments for radionuclide adsorption studies of the Culebra dolomite member of the Rustler Formation

Lucero, Daniel A.

Radionuclide transport experiments were carried out using intact cores obtained from the Culebra member of the Rustler Formation inside the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Air Intake Shaft. Twenty-seven separate tests are reported here and include experiments with {sup 3}H, {sup 22}Na, {sup 241}Am, {sup 239}Np, {sup 228}Th, {sup 232}U and {sup 241}Pu, and two brine types, AIS and ERDA 6. The {sup 3}H was bound as water and provides a measure of advection, dispersion, and water self-diffusion. The other tracers were injected as dissolved ions at concentrations below solubility limits, except for americium. The objective of the intact rock column flow experiments is to demonstrate and quantify transport retardation coefficients, (R) for the actinides Pu, Am, U, Th and Np, in intact core samples of the Culebra Dolomite. The measured R values are used to estimate partition coefficients, (kd) for the solute species. Those kd values may be compared to values obtained from empirical and mechanistic adsorption batch experiments, to provide predictions of actinide retardation in the Culebra. Three parameters that may influence actinide R values were varied in the experiments; core, brine and flow rate. Testing five separate core samples from four different core borings provided an indication of sample variability. While most testing was performed with Culebra brine, limited tests were carried out with a Salado brine to evaluate the effect of intrusion of those lower waters. Varying flow rate provided an indication of rate dependent solute interactions such as sorption kinetics.

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Development and application of a light-weight, wind-turbine rotor-based data acquisition system

Berg, Dale E.

Wind-energy researchers at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC), representing Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), are developing a new, light-weight, modular data acquisition unit capable of acquiring long-term, continuous time-series data from small and/or dynamic wind-turbine rotors. The unit utilizes commercial data acquisition hardware, spread-spectrum radio modems, and Global Positioning System receivers, and a custom-built programmable logic device. A prototype of the system is now operational, and initial field deployment is expected this summer. This paper describes the major subsystems comprising the unit, summarizes the current status of the system, and presents the current plans for near-term development of hardware and software.

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Integrated micro-electro-mechanical sensor development for inertial applications

Allen, James J.

Electronic sensing circuitry and micro electro mechanical sense elements can be integrated to produce inertial instruments for applications unheard of a few years ago. This paper will describe the Sandia M3EMS fabrication process, inertial instruments that have been fabricated, and the results of initial characterization tests of micro-machined accelerometers.

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Micromachined accelerometer design, modeling and validation

Davies, Brady R.

Micromachining technologies enable the development of low-cost devices capable of sensing motion in a reliable and accurate manner. The development of various surface micromachined accelerometers and gyroscopes to sense motion is an ongoing activity at Sandia National Laboratories. In addition, Sandia has developed a fabrication process for integrating both the micromechanical structures and microelectronics circuitry of Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) on the same chip. This integrated surface micromachining process provides substantial performance and reliability advantages in the development of MEMS accelerometers and gyros. A Sandia MEMS team developed a single-axis, micromachined silicon accelerometer capable of surviving and measuring very high accelerations, up to 50,000 times the acceleration due to gravity or 50 k-G (actually measured to 46,000 G). The Sandia integrated surface micromachining process was selected for fabrication of the sensor due to the extreme measurement sensitivity potential associated with integrated microelectronics. Measurement electronics capable of measuring at to Farad (10{sup {minus}18} Farad) changes in capacitance were required due to the very small accelerometer proof mass (< 200 {times} 10{sup {minus}9} gram) used in this surface micromachining process. The small proof mass corresponded to small sensor deflections which in turn required very sensitive electronics to enable accurate acceleration measurement over a range of 1 to 50 k-G. A prototype sensor, based on a suspended plate mass configuration, was developed and the details of the design, modeling, and validation of the device will be presented in this paper. The device was analyzed using both conventional lumped parameter modeling techniques and finite element analysis tools. The device was tested and performed well over its design range.

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On enabling secure applications through off-line biometric identification

Matt, B.J.

In developing secure applications and systems, the designers often must incorporate secure user identification in the design specification. In this paper, the authors study secure off line authenticated user identification schemes based on a biometric system that can measure a user`s biometric accurately (up to some Hamming distance). The schemes presented here enhance identification and authorization in secure applications by binding a biometric template with authorization information on a token such as a magnetic strip. Also developed here are schemes specifically designed to minimize the compromise of a user`s private biometrics data, encapsulated in the authorization information, without requiring secure hardware tokens. In this paper the authors furthermore study the feasibility of biometrics performing as an enabling technology for secure system and application design. The authors investigate a new technology which allows a user`s biometrics to facilitate cryptographic mechanisms.

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Ultra-low power microwave CHFET integrated circuit development

Baca, A.G.

This report summarizes work on the development of ultra-low power microwave CHFET integrated circuit development. Power consumption of microwave circuits has been reduced by factors of 50--1,000 over commercially available circuits. Positive threshold field effect transistors (nJFETs and PHEMTs) have been used to design and fabricate microwave circuits with power levels of 1 milliwatt or less. 0.7 {micro}m gate nJFETs are suitable for both digital CHFET integrated circuits as well as low power microwave circuits. Both hybrid amplifiers and MMICs were demonstrated at the 1 mW level at 2.4 GHz. Advanced devices were also developed and characterized for even lower power levels. Amplifiers with 0.3 {micro}m JFETs were simulated with 8--10 dB gain down to power levels of 250 microwatts ({mu}W). However 0.25 {micro}m PHEMTs proved superior to the JFETs with amplifier gain of 8 dB at 217 MHz and 50 {mu}W power levels but they are not integrable with the digital CHFET technology.

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A compact, repetitive accelerator for military and industrial applications

Zutavern, Fred J.

A compact, short pulse, repetitive accelerator has many useful military and commercial applications in biological counter proliferation, materials processing, radiography, and sterilization (medical instruments, waste, and food). The goal of this project was to develop and demonstrate a small, 700 kV accelerator, which can produce 7 kA particle beams with pulse lengths of 10--30 ns at rates up to 50 Hz. At reduced power levels, longer pulses or higher repetition rates (up to 10 kHz) could be achieved. Two switching technologies were tested: (1) spark gaps, which have been used to build low repetition rate accelerators for many years; and (2) high gain photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSS), a new solid state switching technology. This plan was economical, because it used existing hardware for the accelerator, and the PCSS material and fabrication for one module was relatively inexpensive. It was research oriented, because it provided a test bed to examine the utility of other emerging switching technologies, such as magnetic switches. At full power, the accelerator will produce 700 kV and 7 kA with either the spark gap or PCSS pulser.

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The integration of surface micromachined devices with optoelectronics: Technology and applications

Warren, M.E.

Sandia National Laboratories has a substantial effort in development of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technologies. This miniaturization capability can lead to low-cost, small, high-performance systems-on-a-chip, and have many applications ranging from advanced military systems to large-volume commercial markets like automobiles, rf or land-based communications networks and equipment, or commercial electronics. One of the key challenges in realization of the microsystem is integration of several technologies including digital electronics; analog and rf electronics, optoelectronics, sensors and actuators, and advanced packaging technologies. In this work they describe efforts in integrating MEMS and optoelectronic or photonic functions and the fabrication constraints on both system components. the MEMS technology used in this work are silicon surface-machined systems fabricated using the SUMMiT (Sandia Ultraplanar Multilevel MEMS Technology) process developed at Sandia. This process includes chemical-mechanical polishing as an intermediate planarization step to allow the use of 4 or 5 levels of polysilicon.

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An automated vacuum gauge calibration system

Benner, Mark S.

An automated system for calibrating vacuum gauges over the pressure range of 10{sup {minus}6} to 0.1 Pa was designed and constructed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the Department of Energy (DOE) Primary Standards Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). Calculable pressures are generated by passing a known flow of gas through an orifice of known conductance. The orifice conductance is derived from dimensional measurements and accurate flows are generated using metal capillary leaks. The expanded uncertainty (k = 2) in the generated pressure is estimated to be between 1% and 4% over the calibration range. The design, calibration results. and component uncertainties will be discussed.

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Application of a new technique for human event analysis (ATHEANA) at a pressurized-water reactor

Forester, John A.

Over the past several years, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has sponsored the development of a new method for performing human reliability analyses (HRAs). A major impetus for the program was the recognized need for a method that would not only address errors of omission (EOOs), but also errors of commission (EOCs). Although several documents have been issued describing the basis and development of the new method referred to as ``A Technique for Human Event Analysis`` (ATHEANA), two documents were drafted to initially provide the necessary documentation for applying the method: the frame of reference (FOR) manual, which served as the technical basis document for the method and the implementation guideline (IG), which provided step by step guidance for applying the method. Upon the completion of the draft FOR manual and the draft IG in April 1997, along with several step-throughs of the process by the development team, the method was ready for a third-party test. The method was demonstrated at Seabrook Station in July 1997. The main goals of the demonstration were to (1) test the ATHENA process as described in the FOR manual and the IG, (2) test a training package developed for the method, (3) test the hypothesis that plant operators and trainers have significant insight into the EFCs that can make UAs more likely, and (4) identify ways to improve the method and its documentation. The results of the Seabrook demonstration are evaluated against the success criteria, and important findings and recommendations regarding ATHENA that were obtained from the demonstration are presented here.

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Cost and performance analysis of physical security systems

Hicks, M.J.; Yates, D.; Jago, W.H.; Phillips, A.W.

Analysis of cost and performance of physical security systems can be a complex, multi-dimensional problem. There are a number of point tools that address various aspects of cost and performance analysis. Increased interest in cost tradeoffs of physical security alternatives has motivated development of an architecture called Cost and Performance Analysis (CPA), which takes a top-down approach to aligning cost and performance metrics. CPA incorporates results generated by existing physical security system performance analysis tools, and utilizes an existing cost analysis tool. The objective of this architecture is to offer comprehensive visualization of complex data to security analysts and decision-makers.

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Dynamic modeling of physical phenomena for PRAs using neural networks

Benjamin, A.S.

In most probabilistic risk assessments, there is a set of accident scenarios that involves the physical responses of a system to environmental challenges. Examples include the effects of earthquakes and fires on the operability of a nuclear reactor safety system, the effects of fires and impacts on the safety integrity of a nuclear weapon, and the effects of human intrusions on the transport of radionuclides from an underground waste facility. The physical responses of the system to these challenges can be quite complex, and their evaluation may require the use of detailed computer codes that are very time consuming to execute. Yet, to perform meaningful probabilistic analyses, it is necessary to evaluate the responses for a large number of variations in the input parameters that describe the initial state of the system, the environments to which it is exposed, and the effects of human interaction. Because the uncertainties of the system response may be very large, it may also be necessary to perform these evaluations for various values of modeling parameters that have high uncertainties, such as material stiffnesses, surface emissivities, and ground permeabilities. The authors have been exploring the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) as a means for estimating the physical responses of complex systems to phenomenological events such as those cited above. These networks are designed as mathematical constructs with adjustable parameters that can be trained so that the results obtained from the networks will simulate the results obtained from the detailed computer codes. The intent is for the networks to provide an adequate simulation of the detailed codes over a significant range of variables while requiring only a small fraction of the computer processing time required by the detailed codes. This enables the authors to integrate the physical response analyses into the probabilistic models in order to estimate the probabilities of various responses.

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GaN etching in BCl{sub 3}Cl{sub 2} plasmas

Shul, Randy J.

GaN etching can be affected by a wide variety of parameters including plasma chemistry and plasma density. Chlorine-based plasmas have been the most widely used plasma chemistries to etch GaN due to the high volatility of the GaCl{sub 3} and NCl etch products. The source of Cl and the addition of secondary gases can dramatically influence the etch characteristics primarily due to their effect on the concentration of reactive Cl generated in the plasma. In addition, high-density plasma etch systems have yielded high quality etching of GaN due to plasma densities which are 2 to 4 orders of magnitude higher than reactive ion etch (RIE) plasma systems. The high plasma densities enhance the bond breaking efficiency of the GaN, the formation of volatile etch products, and the sputter desorption of the etch products from the surface. In this study, the authors report GaN etch results for a high-density inductively coupled plasma (ICP) as a function of BCl{sub 3}:Cl{sub 2} flow ratio, dc-bias, chamber-pressure, and ICP source power. GaN etch rates ranging from {approximately}100 {angstrom}/min to > 8,000 {angstrom}/min were obtained with smooth etch morphology and anisotropic profiles.

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Use of pulsed high power ion beams to enhance tribological properties of stainless steel, Ti, and Al

Senft, D.C.; Renk, T.J.; Dugger, M.T.; Grabowski, K.S.; Thompson, M.O.

Enhanced tribological properties have been observed after treatment with pulsed high power ion beams, which results in rapid melting and resolidification of the surface. The authors have treated and tested 440C martensitic stainless steel (Fe-17 Cr-1 C). Ti and Al samples were sputter coated and ion beam treated to produce surface alloying. The samples were treated at the RHEPP-I facility at Sandia National Laboratories (0.5 MV, 0.5--1 {micro}s at sample location, <10 J/cm{sup 2}, 1--5 {micro}m ion range). They have observed a reduction in size of second phase particles and other microstructural changes in 440C steel. The hardness of treated 440C increases with ion beam fluence and a maximum hardness increase of a factor of 5 is obtained. Low wear rates are observed in wear tested of treated 440C steel. Surface alloyed Ti-Pt layers show improvements in hardness up to a factor of 3 over untreated Ti, and surface alloys of Al-Si result in a hardness increase of a factor of two over untreated Al. Both surface alloys show increased durability in wear testing. Rutherford Backscattering (RBS) measurements show overlayer mixing to the depth of the melted layer. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and TEM confirm the existence of metastable states within the treated layer. Treated layer depths have been measured from 1--10 {micro}m.

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Intelligent design using expertise knowledge, manufacturing data, and legacy codes

Rivera, J.J.

The mission of the national laboratories has changed from weapon design and production to stockpile maintenance. Design engineers are becoming few in number and years worth of experience is about to be lost. What will happen when new weapons are designed or retrofits need to be made? Who will know the lessons learned in the past? What process will be followed? When and what software codes should be used? Intelligent design is the answer to the questions posed above for weapon design; for any design. An interactive design development environment will allow the designers of the future access to the knowledge of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Design guides, rules of thumb, lessons learned, production capabilities, production data, process flow, and analysis codes will be included in intelligent design. An intelligent design environment is being developed as a heuristic, knowledge based system and as a diagnostic design tool. The system provides the framework for incorporating rules of thumb from experienced design engineers, available manufacturing processes, including the newest ones, and manufacturing databases, with current data, to help reduce design margins. The system also has the capability to access analysis and legacy codes appropriately. A modular framework allows for various portions to be added or deleted based on the application. This paper presents the driving forces for developing an intelligent design environment and an overview of the system. This overview will include the system architecture and how it relates to the capture and utilization of design and manufacturing knowledge. The paper concludes with a discussion of realized and expected benefits.

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Refocus of constant velocity moving targets in synthetic aperture radar imagery

Jakowatz Jr., C.V.; Wahl, D.E.; Eichel, P.H.

The detection and refocus of moving targets in SAR imagery is of interest in a number of applications. In this paper the authors address the problem of refocusing a blurred signature that has by some means been identified as a moving target. They assume that the target vehicle velocity is constant, i.e., the motion is in a straight line with constant speed. The refocus is accomplished by application of a two-dimensional phase function to the phase history data obtained via Fourier transformation of an image chip that contains the blurred moving target data. By considering separately the phase effects of the range and cross-range components of the target velocity vector, they show how the appropriate phase correction term can be derived as a two-parameter function. They then show a procedure for estimating the two parameters, so that the blurred signature can be automatically refocused. The algorithm utilizes optimization of an image domain contrast metric. They present results of refocusing moving targets in real SAR imagery by this method.

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Chemical sensing system for classification of mine-like objects by explosives detection

Chambers, William B.

Sandia National Laboratories has conducted research in chemical sensing and analysis of explosives for many years. Recently, that experience has been directed towards detecting mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) by sensing the low-level explosive signatures associated with these objects. The authors focus has been on the classification of UXO in shallow water and anti-personnel/anti tank mines on land. The objective of this work is to develop a field portable chemical sensing system which can be used to examine mine-like objects (MLO) to determine whether there are explosive molecules associated with the MLO. Two sampling subsystems have been designed, one for water collection and one for soil/vapor sampling. The water sampler utilizes a flow-through chemical adsorbent canister to extract and concentrate the explosive molecules. Explosive molecules are thermally desorbed from the concentrator and trapped in a focusing stage for rapid desorption into an ion-mobility spectrometer (IMS). The authors describe a prototype system which consists of a sampler, concentrator-focuser, and detector. The soil sampler employs a light-weight probe for extracting and concentrating explosive vapor from the soil in the vicinity of an MLO. The chemical sensing system is capable of sub-part-per-billion detection of TNT and related explosive munition compounds. They present the results of field and laboratory tests on buried landmines which demonstrate their ability to detect the explosive signatures associated with these objects.

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Analysis in support of storage of residues in the pipe overpack container

Ammerman, Douglas J.

The disposition of the large backlog of plutonium residues at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (Rocky Flats) will require interim storage and subsequent shipment to a waste repository. Current plans call for disposal at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) and the transportation to WIPP in the TRUPACT-II. The transportation phase will require the residues to be packaged in a container that is more robust than a standard 55 gallon waste drum. Rocky Flats has designed the Pipe Overpack Container to meet this need. The potential for damage to this container during onsite storage in unhardened structures for several hypothetical accident scenarios has been addressed using finite element calculations. This report will describe the initial conditions and assumptions for these analyses and the predicted response of the container.

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A novel algorithm for real-time adaptive signal detection and identification

Sleefe, Gerard E.

This paper describes a novel digital signal processing algorithm for adaptively detecting and identifying signals buried in noise. The algorithm continually computes and updates the long-term statistics and spectral characteristics of the background noise. Using this noise model, a set of adaptive thresholds and matched digital filters are implemented to enhance and detect signals that are buried in the noise. The algorithm furthermore automatically suppresses coherent noise sources and adapts to time-varying signal conditions. Signal detection is performed in both the time-domain and the frequency-domain, thereby permitting the detection of both broad-band transients and narrow-band signals. The detection algorithm also provides for the computation of important signal features such as amplitude, timing, and phase information. Signal identification is achieved through a combination of frequency-domain template matching and spectral peak picking. The algorithm described herein is well suited for real-time implementation on digital signal processing hardware. This paper presents the theory of the adaptive algorithm, provides an algorithmic block diagram, and demonstrate its implementation and performance with real-world data. The computational efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated through benchmarks on specific DSP hardware. The applications for this algorithm, which range from vibration analysis to real-time image processing, are also discussed.

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Identifying sources of variation for reliability analysis of field inspections

Spencer, Floyd W.

It has been recognized that nondestructive inspection (NDI) techniques and instruments that have proven themselves in the laboratory do not always perform as well under field conditions. In this paper the authors explore combinations of formal laboratory and field experimentation to characterize NDI processes as they may be implemented in field conditions. They also discuss appropriate modeling for probability of detection (POD) curves as applied to data gathered under field conditions. A case is made for expanding the more traditional two-parameter models to models using either three or four parameters. They use NDI data gathered from various airframe inspection programs to illustrate the points.

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Ultra-high implant activation efficiency in GaN using novel high temperature RTP system

Rieger, Dennis J.

Si{sup +} implant activation efficiencies above 90%, even at doses of 5 {times} 10{sup 15} cm{sup {minus}2}, have been achieved in GaN by RTP at 1,400--1,500 C for 10 secs. The annealing system utilizes with MoSi{sub 2} heating elements capable of operation up to 1,900 C, producing high heating and cooling rates (up to 100 C{center_dot}s{sup {minus}1}). Unencapsulated GaN show severe surface pitting at 1,300 C, and complete loss of the film by evaporation at 1,400 C. Dissociation of nitrogen from the surface is found to occur with an approximate activation energy of 3.8 eV for GaN (compared to 4.4 eV for AlN and 3.4 eV for InN). Encapsulation with either rf-magnetron reactively sputtered or MOMBE-grown AlN thin films provide protection against GaN surface degradation up to 1,400 C, where peak electron concentrations of {approximately} 5 {times} 10{sup 20} cm{sup {minus}3} can be achieved in Si-implanted GaN. SIMS profiling showed little measurable redistribution of Si, suggesting D{sub Si} {le} 10{sup {minus}13} cm{sup 2}{center_dot}s{sup {minus}1} at 1,400 C . The implant activation efficiency decreases at higher temperatures, which may result from Si{sub Ga} to Si{sub N} site switching and resultant self-compensation.

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Semi-orthogonal wavelets for elliptic variational problems

Roach, D.W.

In this paper the authors give a construction of wavelets which are (a) semi-orthogonal with respect to an arbitrary elliptic bilinear form a({center_dot},{center_dot}) on the Sobolev space H{sub 0}{sup 1}((0, L)) and (b) continuous and piecewise linear on an arbitrary partition of [0, L]. They illustrate this construction using a model problem. They also construct alpha-orthogonal Battle-Lemarie type wavelets which fully diagonalize the Galerkin discretized matrix for the model problem with domain IR. Finally they describe a hybrid basis consisting of a combination of elements from the semi-orthogonal wavelet basis and the hierarchical Schauder basis. Numerical experiments indicate that this basis leads to robust scalable Galerkin discretizations of the model problem which remain well-conditioned independent of {epsilon}, L, and the refinement level K.

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WinMod: An expert advisor for investment casting

Maguire, Michael C.

Investment casting is an important method for fabricating a variety of high quality components in mechanical systems. Cast components, unfortunately, have a large design and gate/runner build time associated with their fabrication. In addition, casting engineers often require many years of actual experience in order to consistently pour high quality castings. Since 1989, Sandia National Laboratories has been investigating casting technology and software that will reduce the time overhead involved in producing quality casts. Several companies in the casting industry have teamed up with Sandia to form the FASTCAST Consortium. One result of this research and the formation of the FASTCAST consortium is the creation of the WinMod software, an expert casting advisor that supports the decision making process of the casting engineer through visualization and advice to help eliminate possible casting defects.

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Temperature effects on the performance of PMAN-derived carbon anodes in 1M LiPF{sub 6}/EC-DMC solution

Guidotti, Ronald A.

The effect of temperature on the reversible and irreversible capacities of disordered carbons derived from polymethacryonitrile (PMAN) and divinylbenzene (DVB) copolymers was studied in 1 M LiPF{sub 6}/ethylene carbonate (EC)-dimethyl carbonate (DMC) (1:1 v/v) solution by galvanostatic cycling. The kinetics of passive film formation were examined by complex-impedance spectroscopy. Temperatures of 5, 21, and 35 C were used in the study.

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The use of hybrid-power sources for improved performance with pulsed loads

Roth, E.P.; Nagasubramanian, G.

Electrical characteristics of hybrid power sources consisting of Li-ion cells and double layer capacitors were studied at 25 C and {minus}20 C. The cells were initially evaluated for pulse performance and then measured in hybrid modes of operation. Cells manufactured by Panasonic delivered pulses up to 3A and cells from A and T delivered 4A at 25 C before cell capacity dropped. Measured cell resistances were 0.15 ohms and 0.12 ohms, respectively. These measurements were repeated at {minus}20 C. Direct coupling of the cells and capacitors (dumb hybrid) extended the pulse limits to 5.6A using the Panasonic cells and 9A for the A and T cells. Operation in a smart hybrid mode using uncoupled cell/capacitor discharge allowed full cell capacity usage at 25 C and showed a factor of 5 improvement in delivered capacity at {minus}20 C.

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Development of a high-voltage, high-power thermal battery

Guidotti, Ronald A.

The power requirements for an inverter application were specified to be 500 V at 360 A, or 180 kW per each of six 1-s pulses delivered over a period of 10 minutes. Conventional high-power sources (e.g., flywheels) could not meet these requirements and the use of a thermal battery was considered. The final design involved four, 125-cell, 50-kW modules connected in series. A module using the LiSi/CoS{sub 2} couple and all-Li (LiCI-LiBr-LiF minimum-melting) electrolyte was successfully developed and tested. A power level of over 40 kW was delivered during a 0.5-s pulse. This translates into a specific power level of over 9 kW/kg or 19.2 kW/L delivered from a module. The module was still able to deliver over 30 kW during a 1-s pulse after 10 minutes.

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A study of the ignition processes in a center-hole-fired thermal battery

Guidotti, Ronald A.

The ignition processes that take place during activation of a 16 cell, center hole fired thermal battery were examined by monitoring the voltage of each cell during activation. The average rise time of each cell to a voltage of 1.125 V was determined for the LiSi/LiCl-LiBr-LiF/FeS{sub 2} electrochemical system. The effects of heat pellet composition, center hole diameter, and the load on the activation parameters were examined for three different igniters. A large variability in individual cell performance was evident along with cell reversal, depending on the location of the cell in the stack. It was not possible to draw detailed statistical information of the relative ignition sequence due to the intrinsic large scatter in the data.

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Aeroelastic tailoring in wind-turbine blade applications

Veers, Paul S.

This paper reviews issues related to the use of aeroelastic tailoring as a cost-effective, passive means to shape the power curve and reduce loads. Wind turbine blades bend and twist during operation, effectively altering the angle of attack, which in turn affects loads and energy production. There are blades now in use that have significant aeroelastic couplings, either on purpose or because of flexible and light-weight designs. Since aeroelastic effects are almost unavoidable in flexible blade designs, it may be desirable to tailor these effects to the authors advantage. Efforts have been directed at adding flexible devices to a blade, or blade tip, to passively regulate power (or speed) in high winds. It is also possible to build a small amount of desirable twisting into the load response of a blade with proper asymmetric fiber lay up in the blade skin. (Such coupling is akin to distributed {delta}{sub 3} without mechanical hinges.) The tailored twisting can create an aeroelastic effect that has payoff in either better power production or in vibration alleviation, or both. Several research efforts have addressed different parts of this issue. Research and development in the use of aeroelastic tailoring on helicopter rotors is reviewed. Potential energy gains as a function of twist coupling are reviewed. The effects of such coupling on rotor stability have been studied and are presented here. The ability to design in twist coupling with either stretching or bending loads is examined also.

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Two-dimensional Green`s function Poisson solution appropriate for cylindrical-symmetry simulations

Riley, Merle E.

This report describes the numerical procedure used to implement the Green`s function method for solving the Poisson equation in two-dimensional (r,z) cylindrical coordinates. The procedure can determine the solution to a problem with any or all of the applied voltage boundary conditions, dielectric media, floating (insulated) conducting media, dielectric surface charging, and volumetric space charge. The numerical solution is reasonably fast, and the dimension of the linear problem to be solved is that of the number of elements needed to represent the surfaces, not the whole computational volume. The method of solution is useful in the simulation of plasma particle motion in the vicinity of complex surface structures as found in microelectronics plasma processing applications. This report is a stand-alone supplement to the previous Sandia Technical Report SAND98-0537 presenting the two-dimensional Cartesian Poisson solver.

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The surface area modulation downhole telemetry system for measurement while drilling

Ballard, Sanford B.

The need for a reliable, fast, wireless telemetry system in the drilling industry is great but the technical challenge to develop such a system is huge. A downhole wireless telemetry system based on Surface Area Modulation (SAM) has been developed which involves the introduction of an electrically insulated gap near the bottom of an otherwise conductive drillstring. The electrical resistance of this gap can be modulated to alter the electrical characteristics of a circuit involving a surface power supply, the sections of the drillstring above and below the gap, the earth, and a nearby return electrode. These changes alter the current in the circuit, which can be monitored at the surface with an ammeter. Downhole data are encoded and transmitted to the surface as a pattern of current oscillations. In a field test, the SAM system successfully transmitted downhole information from depths of 1,400 ft below the fluid level to the surface at a rate of 110 baud. Electrical insulation on the outside of the simulated drillstring was required to achieve this level of performance. Electrically insulated tubing improved the data transmission rate at a given depth by more than an order of magnitude, and increased the maximum depth from which successful data telemetry could be achieved by more than a factor of two.

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Efficient Monte Carlo probability estimation with finite element response surfaces built from progressive lattice sampling

Romero, Vicente J.

The concept of ``progressive Lattice Sampling`` as a basis for generating successive finite element response surfaces that are increasingly effective in matching actual response functions is investigated here. The goal is optimal response surface generation, which achieves an adequate representation of system behavior over the relevant parameter space of a problem with a minimum of computational and user effort. Such is important in global optimization and in estimation of system probabilistic response, which are both made much more viable by replacing large complex computer models of system behavior by fast running accurate approximations. This paper outlines the methodology for Finite Element/Lattice Sampling (FE/LS) response surface generation and examines the effectiveness of progressively refined FE/LS response surfaces in decoupled Monte Carlo analysis of several model problems. The proposed method is in all cases more efficient (generally orders of magnitude more efficient) than direct Monte Carlo evaluation, with no appreciable loss of accuracy. Thus, when arriving at probabilities or distributions by Monte Carlo, it appears to be more efficient to expend computer model function evaluations on building a FE/LS response surface than to expend them in direct Monte Carlo sampling. Furthermore, the marginal efficiency of the FE/LS decoupled Monte Carlo approach increases as the size of the computer model increases, which is a very favorable property.

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Sub-wavelength diffractive optics

Warren, M.E.

This report represents the completion of a three-year Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program to investigate sub-wavelength surface relief structures fabricated by direct-write e-beam technology as unique and very high-efficiency optical elements. A semiconductor layer with sub-wavelength sized etched openings or features can be considered as a layer with an effective index of refraction determined by the fraction of the surface filled with semiconductor relative to the fraction filled with air or other material. Such as a layer can be used to implement planar gradient-index lenses on a surface. Additionally, the nanometer-scale surface structures have diffractive properties that allow the direct manipulation of polarization and altering of the reflective properties of surfaces. With this technology a single direct-write mask and etch can be used to integrate a wide variety of optical functions into a device surface with high efficiencies; allowing for example, direct integration of polarizing optics into the surface with high efficiencies; allowing for example, direct integration of polarizing optics into the surfaces of devices, forming anti-reflection surfaces or fabricating high-efficiency, high-numerical aperture lenses, including integration inside vertical semiconductor laser cavities.

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High-speed modulation of vertical cavity surface emitting lasers

Hietala, Vincent M.

This report summarizes work on the development of high-speed vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) for multi-gigabit per second optical data communications applications (LDRD case number 3506.010). The program resulted in VCSELs that operate with an electrical bandwidth of 20 GHz along with a simultaneous conversion efficiency (DC to light) of about 20%. To achieve the large electrical bandwidth, conventional VCSELs were appropriately modified to reduce electrical parasitics and adapted for microwave probing for high-speed operation.

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High-G accelerometer for earth-penetrator weapons applications. LDRD final report

Davies, Brady R.

Micromachining technologies, or Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), enable the develop of low-cost devices capable of sensing motion in a reliable and accurate manner. Sandia has developed a MEMS fabrication process for integrating both the micromechanical structures and microelectronics circuitry of surface micromachined sensors, such as silicon accelerometers, on the same chip. Integration of the micromechanical sensor elements with microelectronics provides substantial performance and reliability advantages for MEMS accelerometers. A design team at Sandia was assembled to develop a micromachined silicon accelerometer capable of surviving and measuring very high accelerations (up to 50,000 times the acceleration due to gravity). The Sandia integrated surface micromachining process was selected for fabrication of the sensor due to the extreme measurement sensitivity potential associated with integrated microelectronics. Very fine measurement sensitivity was required due to the very small accelerometer proof mass (< 200 {times} 10{sup {minus}9} gram) obtainable with this surface micromachining process. The small proof mass corresponded to small sensor deflections which required very sensitive electronics to enable accurate acceleration measurement over a range of 1,000 to 50,000 times the acceleration due to gravity. Several prototype sensors, based on a suspended plate mass configuration, were developed and the details of the design, modeling, fabrication and validation of the device will be presented in this paper. The device was analyzed using both conventional lumped parameter modeling techniques and finite element analysis tools. The device was tested and performed well over its design range (the device was tested over a range of a few thousand G to 46,000 G, where 1 G equals the acceleration due to gravity).

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Flocking small smart machines: An experiment in cooperative, multi-machine control

Klarer, Paul R.

The intent and purpose of this work was to investigate and demonstrate cooperative behavior among a group of mobile robot machines. The specific goal of this work was to build a small swarm of identical machines and control them in such a way as to show a coordinated movement of the group in a flocking manner, similar to that observed in nature. Control of the swarm`s individual members and its overall configuration is available to the human user via a graphic man-machine interface running on a base station control computer. Any robot may be designated as the nominal leader through the interface tool, which then may be commanded to proceed to a particular geographic destination. The remainder of the flock follows the leader by maintaining their relative positions in formation, as specified by the human controller through the interface. The formation`s configuration can be altered manually through an interactive graphic-based tool. An alternative mode of control allows for teleoperation of one robot, with the flock following along as described above.

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An advanced unmanned vehicle for remote applications

Pletta, J.B.

An autonomous mobile robotic capability is critical to developing remote work applications for hazardous environments. A few potential applications include humanitarian demining and ordnance neutralization, extraterrestrial science exploration, and hazardous waste cleanup. The ability of the remote platform to sense and maneuver within its environment is a basic technology requirement which is currently lacking. This enabling technology will open the door for force multiplication and cost effective solutions to remote operations. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a mobile robotic platform that can identify and avoid local obstacles as it traverses from its current location to a specified destination. This goal directed autonomous navigation scheme uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) to identify the robot`s current coordinates in space and neural network processing of LADAR range images for local obstacle detection and avoidance. The initial year funding provided by this LDRD project has developed a small exterior mobile robotic development platform and a fieldable version of Sandia`s Scannerless Range Imager (SRI) system. The robotic testbed platform is based on the Surveillance And Reconnaissance ground Equipment (SARGE) robotic vehicle design recently developed for the US DoD. Contingent upon follow-on funding, future enhancements will develop neural network processing of the range map data to traverse unstructured exterior terrain while avoiding obstacles. The SRI will provide real-time range images to a neural network for autonomous guidance. Neural network processing of the range map data will allow real-time operation on a Pentium based embedded processor board.

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The role of data analysis in sampling design of environmental monitoring

Shyr, L.J.; Herrera, H.; Haaker, R.

The report is intended to address the need for data analysis in environmental sampling programs. Routine environmental sampling has been conducted at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) to ensure that site operations have not resulted in undue risk to the public and the environment. Over the years, large amounts of data have been accumulated. The richness of the data should be fully utilized to improve sampling design and prioritize sampling needs for a technically-sound, yet cost-effective sampling design. The report presents a methodology for analyzing environmental monitoring data and demonstrates the application by using SNL`s historical monitoring data. Recommendations for sampling design modification were derived based on the results of the analyses.

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A user`s guide to LUGSAN II. A computer program to calculate and archive lug and sway brace loads for aircraft-carried stores

Dunn, W.N.

LUG and Sway brace ANalysis (LUGSAN) II is an analysis and database computer program that is designed to calculate store lug and sway brace loads for aircraft captive carriage. LUGSAN II combines the rigid body dynamics code, SWAY85, with a Macintosh Hypercard database to function both as an analysis and archival system. This report describes the LUGSAN II application program, which operates on the Macintosh System (Hypercard 2.2 or later) and includes function descriptions, layout examples, and sample sessions. Although this report is primarily a user`s manual, a brief overview of the LUGSAN II computer code is included with suggested resources for programmers.

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Final report on the design and development of a Rolling Float Meter for drilling-fluid outflow measurement

Staller, George E.

Lost circulation, which is the loss of well drilling fluids to the formation while drilling, is a common problem encountered while drilling geothermal wells. The rapid detection of the loss of well drilling fluids is critical to the successful and cost-effective treatment of the wellbore to stop or minimize lost circulation. Sandia National Laboratories has developed an instrument to accurately measure the outflow rate of drilling fluids while drilling. This instrument, the Rolling Float Meter, has been under development at Sandia since 1991 and is now available for utilization by interested industry users. This report documents recent Rolling Float Meter design upgrades resulting from field testing and industry input, the effects of ongoing testing and evaluation both in the laboratory and in the field, and the final design package that is available to transfer this technology to industry users.

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Calculation of electron emission from a tantalum foil irradiated by 100-kV and 50-kV x-rays

Ballard, William P.

Two Monte Carlo programs, XITRAN and XMTRAN, were developed for calculating the emission of electrons from high-Z foils irradiated with x rays. XITRAN follows all individual elastic collisions of electrons with atoms, whereas XMTRAN uses the condensed-random-walk model. Both codes take into account photo-electrons, fluorescence radiation, and Auger electrons. Comparisons are made with an experiment by Dolan at Sandia Laboratories involving the backward and forward emission of electrons from a tantalum foil irradiated by 100-kV and 50-kV x-ray beams. There is good agreement between results from the XITRAN and XMTRAN codes. There emitted per incident x-ray photon, and in regard to the angular distribution of the emerging electrons. In regard to the electron energy spectra, there is fair agreement down to a spectral energy of 20 keV, whereas below 20 keV the calculated spectra lie considerably below the measurements.

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GRAFLAB 2.3 for UNIX - A MATLAB database, plotting, and analysis tool: User`s guide

Dunn, W.N.

This report is a user`s manual for GRAFLAB, which is a new database, analysis, and plotting package that has been written entirely in the MATLAB programming language. GRAFLAB is currently used for data reduction, analysis, and archival. GRAFLAB was written to replace GRAFAID, which is a FORTRAN database, analysis, and plotting package that runs on VAX/VMS.

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Impact failure and fragmentation properties of metals

Kipp, Marlin E.

In the present study we describe the development of an experimental fracture material property test method specific to dynamic fragmentation. Spherical test samples of the metals of interest are subjected to controlled impulsive stress loads by acceleration to high velocities with a light-gas launcher facility and subsequent normal impact on thin plates. Motion, deformation and fragmentation of the test samples are diagnosed with multiple flash radiography methods. The impact plate materials are selected to be transparent to the x-ray method so that only test metal material is imaged. Through a systematic series of such tests both strain-to-failure and fragmentation resistance properties are determined through this experimental method. Fragmentation property data for several steels, copper, aluminum, tantalum and titanium have been obtained to date. Aspects of the dynamic data have been analyzed with computational methods to achieve a better understanding of the processes leading to failure and fragmentation, and to test an existing computational fragmentation model.

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GaAs Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) development for high performance communications

Sullivan, Charles T.

Sandia has established a foundational technology in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) based on the (Al,Ga,In)As material system for optical communication, radar control and testing, and network switching applications at the important 1.3{mu}m/1.55{mu}m wavelengths. We investigated the optical, electrooptical, and microwave performance characteristics of the fundamental building-block PIC elements designed to be as simple and process-tolerant as possible, with particular emphasis placed on reducing optical insertion loss. Relatively conventional device array and circuit designs were built using these PIC elements: (1) to establish a baseline performance standard; (2) to assess the impact of epitaxial growth accuracy and uniformity, and of fabrication uniformity and yield; (3) to validate our theoretical and numerical models; and (4) to resolve the optical and microwave packaging issues associated with building fully packaged prototypes. Novel and more complex PIC designs and fabrication processes, viewed as higher payoff but higher risk, were explored in a parallel effort with the intention of meshing those advances into our baseline higher-yield capability as they mature. The application focus targeted the design and fabrication of packaged solitary modulators meeting the requirements of future wideband and high-speed analog and digital data links. Successfully prototyped devices are expected to feed into more complex PICs solving specific problems in high-performance communications, such as optical beamforming networks for phased array antennas.

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Performance assessment in support of compliance certification application for the WIPP project

Jow, H.N.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is being developed by the US Department of Energy for the geologic (deep underground) disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. A Compliance Certification Application (CCA) of the WIPP (1) for such disposal was submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in October, 1996, and is currently under review, with a decision anticipated in late 1997. An important component of the CCA is a performance assessment (PA) for the WIPP carried out by Sandia National Laboratories. The final outcome of the PA is a complementary cumulative distribution function (CCDF) for radionuclide releases from the WIPP to the accessible environment and an assessment of the confidence with which this CCDF can be estimated. This paper describes the computational process used to develop the CCDF. The results of uncertainty and sensitivity analysis are also presented.

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Experimental investigation of creep behavior of reactor vessel lower head

Chu, Tze Y.

The objective of the USNRC supported Lower Head Failure (LHF) Experiment Program at Sandia National Laboratories is to experimentally investigate and characterize the failure of the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) lower head due to the thermal and pressure loads of a severe accident. The experimental program is complemented by a modeling program focused on the development of a constitutive formulation for use in standard finite element structure mechanics codes. The problem is of importance because: lower head failure defines the initial conditions of all ex-vessel events; the inability of state-of-the-art models to simulate the result of the TMI-II accident (Stickler, et al. 1993); and TMI-II results suggest the possibility of in-vessel cooling, and creep deformation may be a precursor to water ingression leading to in-vessel cooling.

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Emerging NDE Technology for aging aircraft

Moore, David G.

This paper presents an overview of several emerging nondestructive evaluation technologies that are being employed or considered for use to inspect commercial transport, commuter aircraft and military aircraft. An overview of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center (AANC) is described and how AANC teams with industry, universities, and other federal entities to assess these technologies.

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Finite-element/progressive-lattice-sampling response surface methodology and application to benchmark probability quantification problems

Romero, Vicente J.

Optimal response surface construction is being investigated as part of Sandia discretionary (LDRD) research into Analytic Nondeterministic Methods. The goal is to achieve an adequate representation of system behavior over the relevant parameter space of a problem with a minimum of computational and user effort. This is important in global optimization and in estimation of system probabilistic response, which are both made more viable by replacing large complex computer models with fast-running accurate and noiseless approximations. A Finite Element/Lattice Sampling (FE/LS) methodology for constructing progressively refined finite element response surfaces that reuse previous generations of samples is described here. Similar finite element implementations can be extended to N-dimensional problems and/or random fields and applied to other types of structured sampling paradigms, such as classical experimental design and Gauss, Lobatto, and Patterson sampling. Here the FE/LS model is applied in a ``decoupled`` Monte Carlo analysis of two sets of probability quantification test problems. The analytic test problems, spanning a large range of probabilities and very demanding failure region geometries, constitute a good testbed for comparing the performance of various nondeterministic analysis methods. In results here, FE/LS decoupled Monte Carlo analysis required orders of magnitude less computer time than direct Monte Carlo analysis, with no appreciable loss of accuracy. Thus, when arriving at probabilities or distributions by Monte Carlo, it appears to be more efficient to expend computer-model function evaluations on building a FE/LS response surface than to expend them in direct Monte Carlo sampling.

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Criticality Issues with Highly Enriched Fuels in a Repository Environment

Sanchez, Lawrence C.

This paper presents preliminary analysis of a volcanic tuff repository containing a combination of low enrichment commercial spent nuclear fuels (SNF) and DOE-owned SNF packages. These SNFs were analyzed with respect to their criticality risks. Disposal of SNF packages containing significant fissile mass within a geologic repository must comply with current regulations relative to criticality safety during transportation and handling within operational facilities. However, once the repository is closed, the double contingency credits for criticality safety are subject to unremediable degradation, (e.g., water intrusion, continued presence of neutron absorbers in proximity to fissile material, and fissile material reconfiguration). The work presented in this paper focused on two attributes of criticality in a volcanic tuff repository for near-field and far-field scenarios: (1) scenario conditions necessary to have a criticality, and (2) consequences of a nuclear excursion that are components of risk. All criticality consequences are dependent upon eventual water intrusion into the repository and subsequent breach of the disposal package. Key criticality parameters necessary for a critical assembly are: (1) adequate thermal fissile mass, (2) adequate concentration of fissile material, (3) separation of neutron poison from fissile materials, and (4) sufficient neutron moderation (expressed in units of moderator to fissile atom ratios). Key results from this study indicated that the total energies released during a single excursion are minimal (comparable to those released in previous solution accidents), and the maximum frequency of occurrence is bounded by the saturation and temperature recycle times, thus resulting in small criticality risks.

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Integrated separation and optical detection for novel on-chip chemical analysis

Warren, M.E.

This report represents the completion of a two years Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program to investigate miniaturized systems for chemical detection and analysis. The future of advanced chemical detection and analysis is in miniature devices that are able to characterize increasingly complex samples, a laboratory on a chip. In this concept, chemical operations used to analyze complicated samples in a chemical laboratory sample handling, species separation, chemical derivitization and detection are incorporated into a miniature device. By using electrokinetic flow, this approach does not require pumps or valves, as fluids in microfabricated channels can be driven by externally applied voltages. This is ideal for sample handling in miniature devices. This project was to develop truly miniature on-chip optical systems based on Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) and diffractive optics. These can be built into a complete system that also has on-chip electrokinetic fluid handling and chemical separation in a microfabricated column. The primary goal was the design and fabrication of an on-chip separation column with fluorescence sources and detectors that, using electrokinetic flow, can be used as the basis of an automated chemical analysis system. Secondary goals involved investigation of a dispersed fluorescence module that can be used to extend the versatility of the basic system and on chip, intracavity laser absorption as a high sensitivity detection technique.

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Quality prediction and mistake proofing: An LDRD final report

McDonald, Michael J.

Sandia National Laboratories is responsible for assuring that the US nuclear deterrent remains credible and that the one in a billion disaster of unintended nuclear detonation never occurs. Letting mistake-generated defects into the stockpile would undermine its mission. The current era of shrinking stockpiles is shrinking Sandia`s opportunities to discover and correct mistakes and fine tune processes over long production runs. In response, Sandia has chosen to develop and use a science-based, life cycle systems engineering practices that, in part, require understanding the design to manufacturing issues in enough detail to tune processes and eliminate mistakes before ever making a part. Defect prevention is a key area of concern that currently lacks sufficient theoretical understanding. This report is the result of a scoping study in the application of best-practice quality techniques that could address Sandia`s stockpile mission. The study provides detail on sources and control of mistakes, poka-yoke or mistake-proofing techniques, the Toyota Production system, and design theory in relation to manufacturing quality prediction. Scoping experiments are described and areas for future research are identified.

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Two-dimensional Green`s function Poisson solution appropriate for feature-scale microelectronics simulations

Riley, Merle E.

This report describes the numerical procedure used to implement the Green`s function method for solving the Poisson equation in two-dimensional Cartesian coordinates. The procedure can determine the solution to a problem with any or all of applied voltage boundary conditions, dielectric media, floating (insulated) conducting media, dielectric surface charging, periodic (reflective) boundary conditions, and volumetric space charge. The numerical solution is reasonably fast, and the dimension of the linear problem to be solved is that of the number of elements needed to represent the surfaces, not the whole computational volume. The method of solution is useful in the simulation of plasma particle motion in the vicinity of complex surface structures as found in microelectronics plasma processing applications. A FORTRAN implementation of this procedure is available from the author.

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Micromechanics and homogenization techniques for analyzing the continuum damage of rock salt

Devries, K.L.; Allen, D.H.; Hurtado, L.D.

This paper presents a model for evaluating microcrack development and dilatant behavior of crystalline rocks. The model is developed within the concepts of continuum mechanics, with special emphasis on the development of internal boundaries in the continuum by utilizing fracture mechanics based cohesive zone models. The model is capable of describing the evolution from initial debonding through complete separation and subsequent void growth of an interface. An example problem of a rock salt specimen subjected to a high deviatoric load and low confinement is presented that predicts preferential opening of fractures oriented parallel with the maximum compressive stress axis.

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Diffusion with condensation and evaporation in porous media

Ho, Clifford K.

Vapor phase transport in porous media is important in a number of environmental and industrial processes: soil moisture transport, vapor phase transport in the vadose zone, transport in the vicinity of buried nuclear waste, and industrial processes such as drying. The diffusion of water vapor in a packed bed containing residual liquid is examined experimentally. The objective is to quantify the effect of enhanced vapor diffusion resulting from evaporation/condensation in porous media subjected to a temperature gradient. Isothermal diffusion experiments in free-space were conducted to qualify the experimental apparatus and techniques. For these experiments measured diffusion coefficients are within 3.6% of those reported in the literature for the temperature range from 25 C to 40 C. Isothermal experiments in packed beds of glass beads were used to determine the tortuosity coefficient resulting in {tau} = 0.78 {+-} 0.028, which is also consistent with previously reported results. Nonisothermal experiments in packed beds in which condensation occurs were conducted to examine enhanced vapor diffusion. The interpretation of the results for these experiments is complicated by a gradual, but continuous, build-up of condensate in the packed beds during the course of the experiment. Results indicate diffusion coefficients which increase as a function of saturation resulting in enhancement of the vapor-phase transport by a factor of approximately four compared to a dry porous medium.

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Real time 3D and heterogeneous data fusion

Little, Charles

This project visualizes characterization data in a 3D setting, in real time. Real time in this sense means collecting the data and presenting it before it delays the user, and processing faster than the acquisition systems so no bottlenecks occur. The goals have been to build a volumetric viewer to display 3D data, demonstrate projecting other data, such as images, onto the 3D data, and display both the 3D and projected images as fast as the data became available. The authors have examined several ways to display 3D surface data. The most effective was generating polygonal surface meshes. They have created surface maps form a continuous stream of 3D range data, fused image data onto the geometry, and displayed the data with a standard 3D rendering package. In parallel with this, they have developed a method to project real-time images onto the surface created. A key component is mapping the data on the correct surfaces, which requires a-priori positional information along with accurate calibration of the camera and lens system.

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Chemical solution deposition of SrBi{sub 2}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9} (SBT) films for non-volatile memory applications

Boyle, Timothy J.

SrBi{sub 2}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 9} (SBT) films have received considerable attention for use as non-volatile memory elements. The authors have developed a process to prepare SBT films with good ferroelectric properties at low temperatures. In this paper, they will present strategies used to optimize the properties of the films including film composition, the nature of the substrate (or bottom electrode) used, and the thermal processing cycle. Under appropriate conditions, {approximately} 1,700 {angstrom} films can be prepared which have a large switchable polarization (2P{sub r} > 10{micro}C/cm{sup 2}), and an operating voltage {le} 2.0 V.

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Results of performance testing the Russian RPV temperature measurement probe used for annealing

Nakos, James T.

This paper provides information on three (3) topics related to temperature measurements in an annealing procedure: (1) results of a series of experiments performed by CNIITMASH of the Russian consortium MOHT on their reactor pressure vessel (RPV) temperature measurement probe, (2) a discussion regarding uncertainties and errors in RPV temperature measurements, and (3) predictions from a thermal model of a spherical RPV temperature measurement probe. MOHT teamed with MPR Associates and was to perform the Annealing Demonstration Project (ADP) on behalf of the US Department of Energy, ESEERCo, EPRI, CRIEPI, Framatome, and Consumers Power Co. at the Midland plant. Experimental results show that the CNIITMASH probe errors are a maximum of about 27 C (49 F) during a 15 C/hr (27 F/hr) heat-up but only about 3 C (5.4 F) (0.6%) during the hold portion at 470 C (878 F). These errors are much smaller than those obtained from a similar series of experiments performed by Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia). The discussion about uncertainties and errors shows that results presented as a temperature difference provides a measure of the probe error. Qualitative agreement is shown between the model predictions, the experimental results of the CNIITMASH probe and the experimental results of a series of similar experiments performed by Sandia.

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Near Net Shape production of metal components using LENS

Schlienger, M.E.

Rapid Prototyping and Near Net Shape manufacturing technologies are the subject of considerable attention and development efforts. At Sandia National Laboratories, one such effort is LENS (Laser Engineered Net Shaping). The LENS process utilizes a stream of powder and a focused Nd YAG laser to build near net shape fully dense metal parts. In this process, a 3-D solid model is sliced, then an X-Y table is rastered under the beam to build each slice. The laser 1 powder head is incremented upward with each slice and the deposition process is controlled via shuttering of the laser. At present, this process is capable of producing fully dense metal parts of iron, nickel and titanium alloys including tool steels and aluminides. Tungsten components have also been produced. A unique aspect of this process is the ability to produce components wherein the composition varies at differing locations in the part. Such compositional variations may be accomplished in either a stepped or graded fashion. In this paper, the details of the process will be described. The deposition mechanism will be characterized and microstructures and their associated properties will be discussed. Examples of parts which have been produced will be shown and issues regarding dimensional control and surface finish will be addressed.

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Chemical detection of buried landmines

Phelan, James M.

Of all the buried landmine identification technologies currently available, sensing the chemical signature from the explosive components found in landmines is the only technique that can classify non-explosive objects from the real threat. In the last two decades, advances in chemical detection methods has brought chemical sensing technology to the foreground as an emerging technological solution. In addition, advances have been made in the understanding of the fundamental transport processes that allow the chemical signature to migrate from the buried source to the ground surface. A systematic evaluation of the transport of the chemical signature from inside the mine into the soil environment, and through the soil to the ground surface is being explored to determine the constraints on the use of chemical sensing technology. This effort reports on the results of simulation modeling using a one-dimensional screening model to evaluate the impacts on the transport of the chemical signature by variation of some of the principal soil transport parameters.

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Physical and mechanical properties of degraded waste surrogate material

Hansen, Francis D.

This paper discusses rock mechanics testing of surrogate materials to provide failure criteria for compacted, degraded nuclear waste. This daunting proposition was approached by first assembling all known parameters such as the initial waste inventory and rock mechanics response of the underground setting after the waste is stored. Conservative assumptions allowing for extensive degradation processes helped quantify the lowest possible strength conditions of the future state of the waste. In the larger conceptual setting, computations involve degraded waste behavior in transient pressure gradients as gas exits the waste horizon into a wellbore. Therefore, a defensible evaluation of tensile strength is paramount for successful analyses and intentionally provided maximal failed volumes. The very conservative approach assumes rampant degradation to define waste surrogate composition. Specimens prepared from derivative degradation product were consolidated into simple geometries for rock mechanics testing. Tensile strength thus derived helped convince a skeptical peer review panel that drilling into the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) would not likely expel appreciable solids via the drill string.

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Evaluation of the capabilities of the Hanford Reservation and Envirocare of Utah for disposal of potentially problematic mixed low-level waste streams

Waters, Robert D.

The US Department of Energy`s (DOE) Mixed Waste Focus Area is developing a program to address and resolve issues associated with final waste form performance in treating and disposing of DOE`s mixed low-level waste (MLLW) inventory. A key issue for the program is identifying MLLW streams that may be problematic for disposal. Previous reports have quantified and qualified the capabilities of fifteen DOE sites for MLLW disposal and provided volume and radionuclide concentration estimates for treated MLLW based on the DOE inventory. Scoping-level analyses indicated that 101 waste streams identified in this report (approximately 6,250 m{sup 3} of the estimated total treated MLLW) had radionuclide concentrations that may make their disposal problematic. The radionuclide concentrations of these waste streams were compared with the waste acceptance criteria (WAC) for a DOE disposal facility at Hanford and for Envirocare`s commercial disposal facility for MLLW in Utah. Of the treated MLLW volume identified as potentially problematic, about 100 m{sup 3} exceeds the WAC for disposal at Hanford, and about 4,500 m{sup 3} exceeds the WAC for disposal at Envirocare. Approximately 7% of DOE`s total MLLW inventory has not been sufficiently characterized to identify a treatment process for the waste and was not included in the analysis. In addition, of the total treated MLLW volume, about 30% was associated with waste streams that did not have radionuclide concentration data and could not be included in the determination of potentially problematic waste streams.

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Simulation of the environmental fate and transport of chemical signatures from buried landmines

Phelan, James M.

The fate and transport of chemical signature molecules that emanate from buried landmines is strongly influenced by physical chemical properties and by environmental conditions of the specific chemical compounds. Published data have been evaluated as the input parameters that are used in the simulation of the fate and transport processes. A one-dimensional model developed for screening agricultural pesticides was modified and used to simulate the appearance of a surface flux above a buried landmine and estimate the subsurface total concentration. The physical chemical properties of TNT cause a majority of the mass released to the soil system to be bound to the solid phase soil particles. The majority of the transport occurs in the liquid phase with diffusion and evaporation driven advection of soil water as the primary mechanisms for the flux to the ground surface. The simulations provided herein should only be used for initial conceptual designs of chemical pre-concentration subsystems or complete detection systems. The physical processes modeled required necessary simplifying assumptions to allow for analytical solutions. Emerging numerical simulation tools will soon be available that should provide more realistic estimates that can be used to predict the success of landmine chemical detection surveys based on knowledge of the chemical and soil properties, and environmental conditions where the mines are buried. Additional measurements of the chemical properties in soils are also needed before a fully predictive approach can be confidently applied.

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Vehicle exhaust gas chemical sensors using acoustic wave resonators

Cernosek, R.W.

Under Sandia`s Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program, novel acoustic wave-based sensors were explored for detecting gaseous chemical species in vehicle exhaust streams. The need exists for on-line, real-time monitors to continuously analyze the toxic exhaust gases -- nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HC) -- for determining catalytic converter efficiency, documenting compliance to emission regulations, and optimizing engine performance through feedback control. In this project, the authors adapted existing acoustic wave chemical sensor technology to the high temperature environment and investigated new robust sensor materials for improving gas detection sensitivity and selectivity. This report describes one new sensor that has potential use as an exhaust stream residual hydrocarbon monitor. The sensor consists of a thickness shear mode (TSM) quartz resonator coated with a thin mesoporous silica layer ion-exchanged with palladium ions. When operated at temperatures above 300 C, the high surface area film catalyzes the combustion of the hydrocarbon vapors in the presence of oxygen. The sensor acts as a calorimeter as the exothermic reaction slightly increases the temperature, stressing the sensor surface, and producing a measurable deviation in the resonator frequency. Sensitivities as high as 0.44 (ppm-{Delta}f) and (ppm-gas) have been measured for propylene gas, with minimum detectable signals of < 50 ppm of propylene at 500 C.

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Development of the SEA Corporation Powergrid{trademark} photovoltaic concentrator

Maish, Alexander B.

This report covers the three phase effort to bring the SEA Corporation`s Powergrid{trademark} from the concept stage to pilot production. The three phases of this contract covered component development, prototype module development, and pilot line production. The Powergrid is a photovoltaic concentrator that generates direct current electricity directly from sunlight using a linear Fresnel lens. Analysis has shown that the Powergrid has the potential to be very low cost in volume production. Before the start of the project, only proof of concept demonstrations of the components had been completed. During the project, SEA Corporation developed a low cost extruded Fresnel lens, a low cost receiver assembly using one sun type cells, a low cost plastic module housing, a single axis tracking system and frame structure, and pilot production equipment and techniques. In addition, an 800 kW/yr pilot production rate was demonstrated and two 40 kW systems were manufactured and installed.

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Renewable generation and storage project industry and laboratory recommendations

Butler, Paul C.

The US Department of Energy Office of Utility Technologies is planning a series of related projects that will seek to improve the integration of renewable energy generation with energy storage in modular systems. The Energy Storage Systems Program and the Photovoltaics Program at Sandia National Laboratories conducted meetings to solicit industry guidance and to create a set of recommendations for the proposed projects. Five possible projects were identified and a three pronged approach was recommended. The recommended approach includes preparing a storage technology handbook, analyzing data from currently fielded systems, and defining future user needs and application requirements.

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Development of laser cutting/welding depth control using laser spectroscopy and open architecture control of a robotic system

McKee, George R.

This project was driven by the need to identify and provide unique, state-of-the-art solutions to the robotic path planning and precision motion execution problems that face automated processes such as welding and cutting using lasers. The initial LDRD proposal was for a full three years program with a schedule that would create a precision robotic platform capable of providing path planning and precision motion execution using sensor and graphical programming technologies as the first year milestone. Milestones for year two were centered in developing and deploying sensor technologies that support welding and cutting. And year three milestones included the integration of any developed sensors onto the robotic platform under software control to achieve autonomous control of laser welding and cutting processes. The work performed was directed at the goal of establishing a precision robotics platform with the capability to integrate graphical programming, CAD model based path planning, and motion execution under real-time sensor based control. This report covers the progress made toward that goal during the one year of funding.

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Development of a cryogenic EOS capability for the Z Pulsed Radiation Source: Goals and accomplishments of FY97 LDRD project

Hanson, D.L.; Johnston, R.R.; Asay, J.R.

Experimental cryogenic capabilities are essential for the study of ICF high-gain target and weapons effects issues involving dynamic materials response at low temperatures. This report describes progress during the period 2/97-11/97 on the FY97 LDRD project ``Cryogenic EOS Capabilities on Pulsed Radiation Sources (Z Pinch)``. The goal of this project is the development of a general purpose cryogenic target system for precision EOS and shock physics measurements at liquid helium temperatures on the Z accelerator Z-pinch pulsed radiation source. Activity during the FY97 LDRD phase of this project has focused on development of a conceptual design for the cryogenic target system based on consideration of physics, operational, and safety issues, design and fabrication of principal system components, construction and instrumentation of a cryogenic test facility for off-line thermal and optical testing at liquid helium temperatures, initial thermal testing of a cryogenic target assembly, and the design of a cryogenic system interface to the Z pulsed radiation source facility. The authors discuss these accomplishments as well as elements of the project that require further work.

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A suitable low-order, eight-node tetrahedral finite element for solids

Key, Samuel W.

To use the all-tetrahedral mesh generation existing today, the authors have explored the creation of a computationally efficient eight-node tetrahedral finite element (a four-node tetrahedral finite element enriched with four mid-face nodal points). The derivation of the element`s gradient operator, studies in obtaining a suitable mass lumping, and the element`s performance in applications are presented. In particular they examine the eight-node tetrahedral finite element`s behavior in longitudinal plane wave propagation, in transverse cylindrical wave propagation, and in simulating Taylor bar impacts. The element samples only constant strain states and, therefore, has 12 hour-glass modes. In this regard it bears similarities to the eight-node, mean-quadrature hexahedral finite element. Comparisons with the results obtained from the mean-quadrature eight-node hexahedral finite element and the four-node tetrahedral finite element are included. Given automatic all-tetrahedral meshing, the eight-node, constant-strain tetrahedral finite element is a suitable replacement for the eight-node hexahedral finite element in those cases where mesh generation requires an inordinate amount of user intervention and direction to obtain acceptable mesh properties.

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An approach to the development and analysis of wind turbine control algorithms

Veers, Paul S.

The objective of this project is to develop the capability of symbolically generating an analytical model of a wind turbine for studies of control systems. This report focuses on a theoretical formulation of the symbolic equations of motion (EOMs) modeler for horizontal axis wind turbines. In addition to the power train dynamics, a generic 7-axis rotor assembly is used as the base model from which the EOMs of various turbine configurations can be derived. A systematic approach to generate the EOMs is presented using d`Alembert`s principle and Lagrangian dynamics. A Matlab M file was implemented to generate the EOMs of a two-bladed, free yaw wind turbine. The EOMs will be compared in the future to those of a similar wind turbine modeled with the YawDyn code for verification. This project was sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories as part of the Adaptive Structures and Control Task. This is the final report of Sandia Contract AS-0985.

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Final report of LDRD project: Electromagnetic impulse radar for detection of underground structures

Loubriel, Guillermo M.

This report provides a summary of the LDRD project titled: Electromagnetic impulse radar for the detection of underground structures. The project met all its milestones even with a tight two year schedule and total funding of $400 k. The goal of the LDRD was to develop and demonstrate a ground penetrating radar (GPR) that is based on high peak power, high repetition rate, and low center frequency impulses. The idea of this LDRD is that a high peak power, high average power radar based on the transmission of short impulses can be utilized effect can be utilized for ground penetrating radar. This direct time-domain system the authors are building seeks to increase penetration depth over conventional systems by using: (1) high peak power, high repetition rate operation that gives high average power, (2) low center frequencies that better penetrate the ground, and (3) short duration impulses that allow for the use of downward looking, low flying platforms that increase the power on target relative to a high flying platform. Specifically, chirped pulses that are a microsecond in duration require (because it is difficult to receive during transmit) platforms above 150 m (and typically 1 km) while this system, theoretically could be at 10 m above the ground. The power on target decays with distance squared so the ability to use low flying platforms is crucial to high penetration. Clutter is minimized by time gating the surface clutter return. Short impulses also allow gating (out) the coupling of the transmit and receive antennas.

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D-D fusion experiments using fast Z pinches

Spielman, Rick B.

The development of high current (I > 10 MA) drivers provides the authors with a new tool for the study of neutron-producing plasmas in the thermal regime. The imploded deuterium mass (or collisionality) increases as I{sup 2} and the ability of the driver to heat the plasma to relevant fusion temperatures improves as the power of the driver increases. Additionally, fast (<100 ns) implosions are more stable to the usual MHD instabilities that plagued the traditional slower implosions. The authors describe experiments in which deuterium gas puffs or CD{sub 2} fiber arrays were imploded in a fast z-pinch configuration on Sandia`s Saturn facility generating up to 3 {times} 10{sup 12} D-D neutrons. These experiments were designed to explore the physics of neutron-generating plasmas in a z-pinch geometry. Specifically, the authors intended to produce neutrons from a nearly thermal plasma where the electrons and ions have a nearly Maxwellian distribution. This is to be clearly differentiated from the more usual D-D beam-target neutrons generated in many dense plasma focus (DPF) devices.

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Industrial ecology Prosperity Game{trademark}

Beck, David F.

Industrial ecology (IE) is an emerging scientific field that views industrial activities and the environment as an interactive whole. The IE approach simultaneously optimizes activities with respect to cost, performance, and environmental impact. Industrial Ecology provides a dynamic systems-based framework that enables management of human activity on a sustainable basis by: minimizing energy and materials usage; insuring acceptable quality of life for people; minimizing the ecological impact of human activity to levels that natural systems can sustain; and maintaining the economic viability of systems for industry, trade and commerce. Industrial ecology applies systems science to industrial systems, defining the system boundary to incorporate the natural world. Its overall goal is to optimize industrial activities within the constraints imposed by ecological viability, globally and locally. In this context, Industrial systems applies not just to private sector manufacturing and services but also to government operations, including provision of infrastructure. Sandia conducted its seventeenth Prosperity Game{trademark} on May 23--25, 1997, at the Hyatt Dulles Hotel in Herndon, Virginia. The primary sponsors of the event were Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory, who were interested in using the format of a Prosperity Game to address some of the issues surrounding Industrial Ecology. Honorary game sponsors were: The National Science Foundation; the Committee on Environmental Improvement, American Chemical Society; the Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Division, American Chemical Society; the US EPA--The Smart Growth Network, Office of Policy Development; and the US DOE-Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development.

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Transformation of filter transmission data for f-number and chief ray angle

Rienstra, Jeffrey L.

This paper describes a method for transforming measured optical and infrared filter data for use with optical systems of arbitrary f-number and angle of incidence. Although it is generally desirable to have normal incidence at the filter (i.e., collimated light where an optical filter is used), other system design considerations may take precedence. In the case of a multispectral sensor under development at Sandia National Laboratories, system constraints require optical filter placement very near the focal plane. The light rays incident on the filters are therefore converging as determined by the system f-number while the chief ray of each ray bundle varies with focal plane position. To analyze the system`s spectral response at different points on the focal plane, a method was devised to transform the filter vendor`s measured data to account for the optical system design. The key to the transformation is the determination of weighting factors and shift factors for each angle of incidence making up a ray bundle. A computer worksheet was developed using a popular mathematical software package which performs this transformation for 75 key points on the focal plane.

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Software attribute visualization for high integrity software

Pollock, Guylaine M.

This report documents a prototype tool developed to investigate the use of visualization and virtual reality technologies for improving software surety confidence. The tool is utilized within the execution phase of the software life cycle. It provides a capability to monitor an executing program against prespecified requirements constraints provided in a program written in the requirements specification language SAGE. The resulting Software Attribute Visual Analysis Tool (SAVAnT) also provides a technique to assess the completeness of a software specification.

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Development of a biaxial test facility for structural evaluation of aircraft fuselage panels

Roach, D.

The number of commercial airframes exceeding twenty years of service continues to grow. An unavoidable by-product of aircraft use is that crack and corrosion flaws develop throughout the aircraft`s skin and substructure elements. Economic barriers to the purchase of new aircraft have created an aging aircraft fleet and placed even greater demands on efficient and safe repair methods. Composite doublers, or repair patches, provide an innovative repair technique which can enhance the way aircraft are maintained. Instead of riveting multiple steel or aluminum plates to facilitate an aircraft repair, it is now possible to bond a single Boron-Epoxy composite doubler to the damaged structure. The composite doubler repair process produces both engineering and economic benefits. The FAA`s Airworthiness Assurance Center at Sandia National Labs completed a project to introduce composite doubler repair technology to the commercial aircraft industry. This paper focuses on a specialized structural test facility which was developed to evaluate the performance of composite doublers on actual aircraft structure. The facility can subject an aircraft fuselage section to a combined load environment of pressure (hoop stress) and axial, or longitudinal, stress. The tests simulate maximum cabin pressure loads and use a computerized feedback system to maintain the proper ratio between hoop and axial loads. Through the use of this full-scale test facility it was possible to: (1) assess general composite doubler response in representative flight load scenarios, and (2) verify the design and analysis approaches as applied to an L-1011 door corner repair.

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Space charge limited degradation of bipolar oxides at low electric-fields

Fleetwood, D.M.

Radiation-induced degradation of many types of bipolar transistors and circuits is more severe following low dose rate exposure than following high dose rate exposure. Since microelectronic devices in space are generally subjected to low dose rate irradiation, this complicates the hardness assurance testing of linear circuits and can lead to an overestimation of device lifetime in space. Previous work examining the physical mechanisms responsible for this dose rate effect has focused primarily on oxide trapped charge. Reduced net positive oxide trapped charge densities at high dose rates and zero bias have been attributed to space charge effects from slowly transporting holes trapped metastably at O vacancy complexes. Decreasing the dose rate or increasing the irradiation temperature leads to an increase in net positive oxide trapped charge near the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface by reducing these space charge effects. In this work, concentrations of hydrogen transport through two types of bipolar oxides are estimated from dopant passivation measurements in MOS capacitors. For unbiased irradiations, hydrogen passivation of substrate acceptors is greatly reduced at high dose rates compared to that at low dose rates or elevated temperatures. Consistent with other widely accepted models, it is argued that fewer interface traps are formed by high dose rate irradiation under zero bias, because fewer H{sup +} ions can drift to the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface and react with trap precursors. Similar to hole transport in these oxides, drift of the H{sup +} ions is inhibited at high dose rates by space charge accumulated in the oxide bulk.

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A basic parallel sparse eigensolver for structural dynamics

Day, David M.

In this work the basic Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting (FETI) linear system solver and the PARPACK eigensolver are combined to compute the smallest modes of symmetric generalized eigenvalue problems that arise from structures modeled primarily by solid finite elements. Problems with over one million unknowns are solved. A comprehensive and relatively self-contained description of the FETI method is presented.

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Field testing results for the strategic petroleum reserve pipeline corrosion control program

Buchheit, R.G.; Maestas, L.M.; Hinkebein, T.E.

Results of two studies conducted as part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Pipeline Corrosion Control Program are reported. These studies focused on evaluation of rotary-applied concrete materials for internal pipeline protection against the erosive and corrosive effects of flowing brine. The study also included evaluation of liners applied by hand on pipe pieces that cannot be lined by rotary methods. Such pipe pieces include tees, elbows and flanged pipe sections. Results are reported from a corrosion survey of 17 different liner formulations tested at the-Big-Rill SPR Site. Testing consisted of electrochemical corrosion rate measurements made on lined pipe sections exposed, in a test manifold, to flowing SPR generated fluids. Testing also involved cumulative immersion exposure where samples were exposed to static site-generated brine for increasing periods of time. Samples were returned to the laboratory for various diagnostic analyses. Results of this study showed that standard calcium silicate concrete (API RP10E) and a rotary calcium aluminate concrete formulation were excellent performers. Hand-lined pipe pieces did not provide as much corrosion protection. The focus of the second part of the study was on further evaluation of the calcium silicate, calcium aluminate and hand-applied liners in actual SPR equipment and service. It was a further objective to assess the practicality of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for field corrosion monitoring of concrete lined pipe compared to the more well-known linear polarization technique. This study showed that concrete linings reduced the corrosion rate for bare steel from 10 to 15 mils per year to 1 mil per year or less. Again, the hand-applied liners did not provide as much corrosion protection as the rotary-applied liners. The EIS technique was found to be robust for field corrosion measurements. Mechanistic and kinetic corrosion rate data were reliably obtained.

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Selective dehydrogenation of propane over novel catalytic materials

Sault, Allen G.

The conversion of small alkanes into alkenes represents an important chemical processing area; ethylene and propylene are the two most important organic chemicals manufactured in the U.S. These chemicals are currently manufactured by steam cracking of ethane and propane, an extremely energy intensive, nonselective process. The development of catalytic technologies (e.g., selective dehydrogenation) that can be used to produce ethylene and propylene from ethane and propane with greater selectivity and lower energy consumption than steam cracking will have a major impact on the chemical processing industry. This report details a study of two novel catalytic materials for the selective dehydrogenation of propane: Cr supported on hydrous titanium oxide ion-exchangers, and Pt nanoparticles encapsulated in silica and alumina aerogel and xerogel matrices.

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Department 1824 Job Card System: A new web-based business tool

Brangan, J.R.

The Analytical Chemistry Department uses a system of job cards to control and monitor the work through the organization. In the past, many different systems have been developed to allow each laboratory to monitor their individual work and report data. Unfortunately, these systems were separate and unique which caused difficulty in ascertaining any overall picture of the Department`s workload. To overcome these shortcomings, a new Job Card System was developed on Lotus Notes/Domino{trademark} for tracking the work through the laboratory. This application is groupware/database software and is located on the Sandia Intranet which allows users of any type of computer running a network browser to access the system. Security is provided through the use of logons and passwords for users who must add and/or modify information on the system. Customers may view the jobs in process by entering the system as an anonymous user. An overall view of the work in the department can be obtained by selecting from a variety of on screen reports. This enables the analysts, customers, customer contacts, and the Department Manager to quickly evaluate the work in process, the resources required, and the availability of equipment. On-line approval of the work and e-mail messaging of completed jobs has been provided to streamline the review and approval cycle. This paper provides a guide for the use of the Job Card System and information on maintenance of the system.

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Nondestructive inspection assessment of eddy current and electrochemical analysis to separate inconel and stainless steel alloys

Moore, David G.

This report presents a nondestructive inspection assessment of eddy current and electrochemical analysis to separate inconel alloys from stainless steel alloys as well as an evaluation of cleaning techniques to remove a thermal oxide layer on aircraft exhaust components. The results of this assessment are presented in terms of how effective each technique classifies a known exhaust material. Results indicate that either inspection technique can separate inconel and stainless steel alloys. Based on the experiments conducted, the electrochemical spot test is the optimum for use by airframe and powerplant mechanics. A spot test procedure is proposed for incorporation into the Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 65-9A Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic - General Handbook. 3 refs., 70 figs., 7 tabs.

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An efficient method for calculating RMS von Mises stress in a random vibration environment

Segalman, Daniel J.

An efficient method is presented for calculation of RMS von Mises stresses from stress component transfer functions and the Fourier representation of random input forces. An efficient implementation of the method calculates the RMS stresses directly from the linear stress and displacement modes. The key relation presented is one suggested in past literature, but does not appear to have been previously exploited in this manner.

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A user`s guide to LHS: Sandia`s Latin Hypercube Sampling Software

Wyss, Gregory D.

This document is a reference guide for LHS, Sandia`s Latin Hypercube Sampling Software. This software has been developed to generate either Latin hypercube or random multivariate samples. The Latin hypercube technique employs a constrained sampling scheme, whereas random sampling corresponds to a simple Monte Carlo technique. The present program replaces the previous Latin hypercube sampling program developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SAND83-2365). This manual covers the theory behind stratified sampling as well as use of the LHS code both with the Windows graphical user interface and in the stand-alone mode.

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Sensor-fusion-based biometric identity verification

Bouchard, Ann M.

Future generation automated human biometric identification and verification will require multiple features/sensors together with internal and external information sources to achieve high performance, accuracy, and reliability in uncontrolled environments. The primary objective of the proposed research is to develop a theoretical and practical basis for identifying and verifying people using standoff biometric features that can be obtained with minimal inconvenience during the verification process. The basic problem involves selecting sensors and discovering features that provide sufficient information to reliably verify a person`s identity under the uncertainties caused by measurement errors and tactics of uncooperative subjects. A system was developed for discovering hand, face, ear, and voice features and fusing them to verify the identity of people. The system obtains its robustness and reliability by fusing many coarse and easily measured features into a near minimal probability of error decision algorithm.

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Sensing and compressing 3-D models

Carlson, Jeffrey J.

The goal of this research project was to create a passive and robust computer vision system for producing 3-D computer models of arbitrary scenes. Although the authors were unsuccessful in achieving the overall goal, several components of this research have shown significant potential. Of particular interest is the application of parametric eigenspace methods for planar pose measurement of partially occluded objects in gray-level images. The techniques presented provide a simple, accurate, and robust solution to the planar pose measurement problem. In addition, the representational efficiency of eigenspace methods used with gray-level features were successfully extended to binary features, which are less sensitive to illumination changes. The results of this research are presented in two papers that were written during the course of this project. The papers are included in sections 2 and 3. The first section of this report summarizes the 3-D modeling efforts.

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Demonstration of real-time monitoring of a photolithographic exposure process using chemical ionization mass spectrometry

Mowry, Curtis D.

Silicon wafers are coated with photoresist and exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light in a laboratory to simulate typical conditions expected in an actual semiconductor manufacturing process tool. Air is drawn through the exposure chamber and analyzed using chemical ionization mass spectrometry (CI/MS). Species that evaporate or outgas from the wafer are thus detected. The purpose of such analyses is to determine the potential of CI/MS as a real-time process monitoring tool. Results demonstrate that CI/MS can remotely detect the products evolved before, during, and after wafer UV exposure; and that the quantity and type of products vary with the photoresist coated on the wafer. Such monitoring could provide semiconductor manufacturers benefits in quality control and process analysis. Tool and photoresist manufacturers could also realize benefits from this measurement technique with respect to new tool, method, or photoresist development. The benefits realized can lead to improved device yields and reduced product and development costs.

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Mechanical diode: Comparing numerical and experimental characterizations

Sagartz, M.J.

In this introductory work, joint compliance is studied in both a numerical and experimental setting. A simple bolted interface is used as the test article and compliance is measured for the joint in both compression and in tension. This simple interface is shown to exhibit a strong non-linearity near the transition from compression to tension (or vice-versa). Modeling issues pertaining to numerically solving for the compliance are addressed. It is shown that the model predictions, in spite of convergence being very sensitive to numerical artifacts of the interface model, are in good agreement with experimentally measured strains and joint compliances. The joint behavior is a mechanical analogy to a diode, i.e., in compression, the joint is very stiff, acting almost as a rigid link, while in tension the joint is relatively soft, acting as a spring.

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Molecular dynamics simulations of microscale fluid transport

Wong, C.C.; Lopez, A.R.; Stevens, M.J.; Plimpton, S.J.

Recent advances in micro-science and technology, like Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS), have generated a group of unique liquid flow problems that involve characteristic length scales of a Micron. Also, in manufacturing processes such as coatings, current continuum models are unable to predict microscale physical phenomena that appear in these non-equilibrium systems. It is suspected that in these systems, molecular-level processes can control the interfacial energy and viscoelastic properties at the liquid/solid boundary. A massively parallel molecular dynamics (MD) code has been developed to better understand microscale transport mechanisms, fluid-structure interactions, and scale effects in micro-domains. Specifically, this MD code has been used to analyze liquid channel flow problems for a variety of channel widths, e.g. 0.005-0.05 microns. This report presents results from MD simulations of Poiseuille flow and Couette flow problems and addresses both scaling and modeling issues. For Poiseuille flow, the numerical predictions are compared with existing data to investigate the variation of the friction factor with channel width. For Couette flow, the numerical predictions are used to determine the degree of slip at the liquid/solid boundary. Finally, the results also indicate that shear direction with respect to the wall lattice orientation can be very important. Simulation results of microscale Couette flow and microscale Poiseuille flow for two different surface structures and two different shear directions will be presented.

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Development of explosive event scale model testing capability at Sandia`s large scale centrifuge facility

Davie, Neil T.

Geotechnical structures such as underground bunkers, tunnels, and building foundations are subjected to stress fields produced by the gravity load on the structure and/or any overlying strata. These stress fields may be reproduced on a scaled model of the structure by proportionally increasing the gravity field through the use of a centrifuge. This technology can then be used to assess the vulnerability of various geotechnical structures to explosive loading. Applications of this technology include assessing the effectiveness of earth penetrating weapons, evaluating the vulnerability of various structures, counter-terrorism, and model validation. This document describes the development of expertise in scale model explosive testing on geotechnical structures using Sandia`s large scale centrifuge facility. This study focused on buried structures such as hardened storage bunkers or tunnels. Data from this study was used to evaluate the predictive capabilities of existing hydrocodes and structural dynamics codes developed at Sandia National Laboratories (such as Pronto/SPH, Pronto/CTH, and ALEGRA). 7 refs., 50 figs., 8 tabs.

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Vectors a Fortran 90 module for 3-dimensional vector and dyadic arithmetic

Brock, Billy C.

A major advance contained in the new Fortran 90 language standard is the ability to define new data types and the operators associated with them. Writing computer code to implement computations with real and complex three-dimensional vectors and dyadics is greatly simplified if the equations can be implemented directly, without the need to code the vector arithmetic explicitly. The Fortran 90 module described here defines new data types for real and complex 3-dimensional vectors and dyadics, along with the common operations needed to work with these objects. Routines to allow convenient initialization and output of the new types are also included. In keeping with the philosophy of data abstraction, the details of the implementation of the data types are maintained private, and the functions and operators are made generic to simplify the combining of real, complex, single- and double-precision vectors and dyadics.

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Spatial and temporal resolution of fluid flows: LDRD final report

Tieszen, Sheldon R.

This report describes a Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) activity to develop a diagnostic technique for simultaneous temporal and spatial resolution of fluid flows. The goal is to obtain two orders of magnitude resolution in two spatial dimensions and time simultaneously. The approach used in this study is to scale up Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) to acquire meter-size images at up to 200 frames/sec. Experiments were conducted in buoyant, fully turbulent, non-reacting and reacting plumes with a base diameter of one meter. The PIV results were successful in the ambient gas for all flows, and in the plume for non-reacting helium and reacting methane, but not reacting hydrogen. No PIV was obtained in the hot combustion product region as the seed particles chosen vaporized. Weak signals prevented PLIF in the helium. However, in reacting methane flows, PLIF images speculated to be from Poly-Aromatic-Hydrocarbons were obtained which mark the flame sheets. The results were unexpected and very insightful. A natural fluorescence from the seed particle vapor was also noted in the hydrogen tests.

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Final report on LDRD project: Low-cost Pd-catalyzed metallization technology for rapid prototyping of electronic substrates and devices

Chen, Ken S.

A low-cost, thermally-activated, palladium-catalyzed metallization process was developed for rapid prototyping of polymeric electronic substrates and devices. The process was successfully applied in producing adhesiveless copper/polyimide laminates with high peel strengths and thick copper coating; copper/polyimide laminates are widely used in fabricating interconnects such as printed wiring boards (PWBs) and flexible circuits. Also successfully metallized using this low-cost metallization process were: (1) scaled-down models of radar-and-communication antenna and waveguide; (2) scaled-down model of pulsed-power-accelerator electrode; (3) three-dimensional micro-porous, open-cell vitreous carbon foams. Moreover, additive patterned metallization was successfully achieved by selectively printing or plotting the catalyst ink only on areas where metallization is desired, and by uniform thermal activation. Additive patterned metallization eliminates the time-consuming, costly and environmentally-unfriendly etching process that is routinely carried out in conventional subtractive patterned metallization. A metallization process via ultraviolet (UV) irradiation activation was also demonstrated. In this process palladium-catalyst solution is first uniformly coated onto the substrate. A masking pattern is used to cover the areas where metallization is not wanted. UV irradiation is applied uniformly to activate the palladium catalyst and to cure the polymer carrier in areas that are not covered by the mask. Metal is then deposited by electroless plating only or by a combination of electroless and electrolytic plating. This UV-activation technique is particularly useful in additive fine-line patterned metallization. Lastly, computer models for electrolytic and electroless plating processes were developed to provide guidance in plating-process design.

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CONTAIN assessment of the NUPEC mixing experiments. Supplement 1

Stamps, D.W.

In the original report (Reference 1), to which this report is a supplement, the results of CONTAIN code calculations were presented for five thermal-hydraulic experiments performed in the NUPEC 1/4-scale model containment, including the International Standard Problem ISP-35. In the original report, calculated helium concentrations were presented per NUPEC`s specifications for ISP-35. In contrast, this supplemental report presents the helium concentrations on a conventional dry basis, which is physically consistent with the gas chromatography data. These conventionally defined dry helium concentrations are compared with the previously reported results and are found to exhibit trends that are more consistent with measured data. While agreement between the predicted results and data is substantially improved in general for the M-8-1 experiment using these helium concentrations as opposed to the ISP-35 specifications, general improvement in agreement is not observed in all cases.

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Integration of US Department of Energy contractor installations for the purpose of optimizing treatment, storage, and disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLW)

Lucas, Michael D.

The US Department of Energy (DOE) manages a multibillion dollar environmental management (EM) program. In June 1996, the Assistant Secretary of Energy for EM issued a memorandum with guidance and a vision for a ten year planning process for the EM Program. The purpose of this process, which became known as the Accelerated Cleanup: Focus on 2006, is to make step changes within the DOE complex regarding the approach for making meaningful environmental cleanup progress. To augment the process, Assistant Secretary requested the site contractors to engage in an effort to identify and evaluate integration alternatives for EM waste stream treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) that would parallel the 2006 Plan. In October 1996, ten DOE contractor installations began the task of identifying alternative opportunities for low level radioactive waste (LLW). Cost effective, efficient solutions were necessary to meet all requirements associated with storing, characterizing, treating, packaging, transporting, and disposing of LLW while protecting the workers` health and safety, and minimizing impacts to the environment. To develop these solutions, a systems engineering approach was used to establish the baseline requirements, to develop alternatives, and to evaluate the alternatives. Key assumptions were that unique disposal capabilities exist within the DOE that must be maintained; private sector disposal capability for some LLW may not continue to exist into the foreseeable future; and decisions made by the LLW Team must be made on a system or complex wide basis to fully realize the potential cost and schedule benefits. This integration effort promoted more accurate waste volume estimates and forecasts; enhanced recognition of existing treatment, storage, and disposal capabilities and capacities; and improved identification of cost savings across the complex.

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Integration and evaluation of a position sensor with continuous read-out for use with the Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling Gamma Ray Spectrometer system

Williams, Cecelia V.

The Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling-Gamma Ray Spectrometer (EMWD-GRS) system represents an innovative blend of new and existing technology that provides real-time environmental and drill bit data during drilling operations. The EMWD-GRS technology was demonstrated at Savannah River Site (SRS) F-Area Retention Basin. The EMWD-GRS technology demonstration consisted of continuously monitoring for gamma-radiation-producing contamination while drilling two horizontal boreholes below the backfilled waste retention basin. These boreholes passed near previously sampled locations where concentrations of contaminant levels of cesium had been measured. Contaminant levels continuously recorded by the EMWD-GRS system during drilling were compared to contaminant levels previously determined through quantitative laboratory analysis of soil samples. The results show general agreement between the soil sampling and EMWD-GRS techniques for Cs-137. The EMWD-GRS system has been improved by the integration of an orientation sensor package for position sensing (PS) (EMWD-GRS/PS). This added feature gives the capability of calculating position, which is tied directly to EMWD-GRS sensor data obtained while drilling. The EMWD-GRS/PS system is described and the results of the field tests are presented.

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Natural attenuation of metals and radionuclides -- An overview of the Sandia/DOE approach

Waters, Robert D.

Sandia National Laboratories is developing guidelines that outline the technical basis for relying on natural attenuation for the remediation of metals and radionuclide-contaminated soils and groundwaters at US Department of Energy (DOE) sites for those specific cases where natural processes are effective at ameliorating soil and groundwater toxicity. Remediation by monitored natural attenuation (MNA) requires a clear identification of the specific reaction(s) by which contaminant levels are made less available as well as considerable long-term monitoring. Central to MNA is the development of a conceptual model describing the biogeochemical behavior of contaminant(s) in the subsurface. The conceptual model will be used to make testable predictions of contaminant availability over time. In many cases, comparison between this prediction and field measurements will provide the test of whether MNA is to be implemented. As a result, development of the conceptual model should guide site characterization activities as well as long-term monitoring.

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New trends in the commercial IC industry and the impact on defense electronics

Dellin, Theodore A.

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Dynamic visualization techniques for high consequence software

Pollock, Guylaine M.

This report documents a prototype tool developed to investigate the use of visualization and virtual reality technologies for improving software surety confidence. The tool is utilized within the execution phase of the software life cycle. It provides a capability to monitor an executing program against prespecified requirements constraints provided in a program written in the requirements specification language SAGE. The resulting Software Attribute Visual Analysis Tool (SAVAnT) also provides a technique to assess the completeness of a software specification. The prototype tool is described along with the requirements constraint language after a brief literature review is presented. Examples of how the tool can be used are also presented. In conclusion, the most significant advantage of this tool is to provide a first step in evaluating specification completeness, and to provide a more productive method for program comprehension and debugging. The expected payoff is increased software surety confidence, increased program comprehension, and reduced development and debugging time.

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The impact of tungsten long rod penetrators into water filled targets

Hertel, Eugene S.

Twelve experiments were conducted to determine the effect of water filled targets on the penetration of tungsten long rods in terms of their residual mass and integrity. CTH hydrocode calculations were performed for each of the experiments to ensure that the erosion and breakup of the tungsten projectiles could be accurately reproduced. The CTH hydrocode predictions correlation well with the experimental results in most cases. Only 8% of the variance is unexplained. The slip interface between the rod and water was approximated in one of two ways: (1) using the CTH BLINT option in 2-D or (2) using a standard Eulerian mixed cells treatment. Results indicate that a 3-D BLINT algorithm is critical to predicting rod residual lengths. The authors were unable to reproduce rod fracture that occurred in every experiment where the water column exceeded 25 cm in length. The authors feel that this is due to a change in rod material properties during penetration, and continue to investigate the issue.

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Benchmarking the SPHINX and CTH shock physics codes for three problems in ballistics

Hertel, Eugene S.

The CTH Eulerian hydrocode, and the SPHINX smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH) code were used to model a shock tube, two long rod penetrations into semi-infinite steel targets, and a long rod penetration into a spaced plate array. The results were then compared to experimental data. Both SPHINX and CTH modeled the one-dimensional shock tube problem well. Both codes did a reasonable job in modeling the outcome of the axisymmetric rod impact problem. Neither code correctly reproduced the depth of penetration in both experiments. In the 3-D problem, both codes reasonably replicated the penetration of the rod through the first plate. After this, however, the predictions of both codes began to diverge from the results seen in the experiment. In terms of computer resources, the run times are problem dependent, and are discussed in the text.

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Crack detection on HC-130H aircraft using low frequency eddy current

Moore, David G.

An eddy current inspection method was developed at the Federal Aviation Administration`s Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center (AANC) to easily and rapidly detect subsurface fatigue cracks in the wheel well fairing on the US Coast Guard (USCG) HC-130H aircraft caused by fatigue. The inspection procedure locates cracks as small as 10.2 millimeters in length at 2.54 mm below the skin surface at raised fastener sites. The test procedure developed baseline three USCG aircraft. Inspection results on the three aircraft reveals good correlation with results made during subsequent structural disassembly.

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Dielectrics for GaN based MIS-diodes

Baca, A.G.

GaN MIS diodes were demonstrated utilizing AlN and Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3}(Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3}) as insulators. A 345 {angstrom} of AlN was grown on the MOCVD grown n-GaN in a MOMBE system using trimethylamine alane as Al precursor and nitrogen generated from a wavemat ECR N2 plasma. For the Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3}(Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3}) growth, a multi MBE chamber was used and a 195 {angstrom} oxide is E-beam evaporated from a single crystal source of Ga{sub 5}Gd{sub 3}O{sub 12}. The forward breakdown voltage of AlN and Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3}(Gd{sub 2}O{sub 3}) diodes are 5V and 6V, respectively, which are significantly improved from {approximately} 1.2 V of schottky contact. From the C-V measurements, both kinds of diodes showed good charge modulation from accumulation to depletion at different frequencies. The insulator GaN interface roughness and the thickness of the insulator were measured with x-ray reflectivity.

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Industrial Partnership Prosperity Game{trademark}

Boyack, Kevin W.

Prosperity Games TM are an outgrowth and adaptation move/countermove and seminar War Games. Prosperity Games TM are simulations that explore complex issues in a variety of areas including economics, politics, sociology, environment, education, and research. These issues can be examined from a variety of perspectives ranging from a global, macroeconomic and geopolitical viewpoint down to the details of customer/supplier/market interactions in specific industries. All Prosperity Games TM are unique in that both the game format and the player contributions vary from game to game. This report documents the Industry Partnership Prosperity Game sponsored by the Technology Partnerships and Commercialization Center at Sandia National Laboratories. Players came from the Sandia line organizations, the Sandia business development and technology partnerships organizations, the US Department of Energy, academia, and industry The primary objectives of this game were to: explore ways to increase industry partnerships to meet long-term Sandia goals; improve Sandia business development and marketing strategies and tactics; improve the process by which Sandia develops long-term strategic alliances. The game actions and recommendations of these players provided valuable insights as to what Sandia can do to meet these objectives.

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Optimization strategies for complex engineering applications

Eldred, Michael S.

LDRD research activities have focused on increasing the robustness and efficiency of optimization studies for computationally complex engineering problems. Engineering applications can be characterized by extreme computational expense, lack of gradient information, discrete parameters, non-converging simulations, and nonsmooth, multimodal, and discontinuous response variations. Guided by these challenges, the LDRD research activities have developed application-specific techniques, fundamental optimization algorithms, multilevel hybrid and sequential approximate optimization strategies, parallel processing approaches, and automatic differentiation and adjoint augmentation methods. This report surveys these activities and summarizes the key findings and recommendations.

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Lessons learned from early microelectronics production at Sandia National Laboratories

Weaver, H.T.

During the 1980s Sandia designed, developed, fabricated, tested, and delivered hundreds of thousands of radiation hardened Integrated Circuits (IC) for use in weapons and satellites. Initially, Sandia carried out all phases, design through delivery, so that development of next generation ICs and production of current generation circuits were carried out simultaneously. All this changed in the mid-eighties when an outside contractor was brought in to produce ICs that Sandia developed, in effect creating a crisp separation between development and production. This partnership had a severe impact on operations, but its more damaging effect was the degradation of Sandia`s microelectronics capabilities. This report outlines microelectronics development and production in the early eighties and summarizes the impact of changing to a separate contractor for production. This record suggests that low volume production be best accomplished within the development organization.

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Free form fabrication of thermoplastic composites

Kaufman, Stephen G.

This report describes the results of composites fabrication research sponsored by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Sandia National Laboratories. They have developed, prototyped, and demonstrated the feasibility of a novel robotic technique for rapid fabrication of composite structures. Its chief innovation is that, unlike all other available fabrication methods, it does not require a mold. Instead, the structure is built patch by patch, using a rapidly reconfigurable forming surface, and a robot to position the evolving part. Both of these components are programmable, so only the control software needs to be changed to produce a new shape. Hence it should be possible to automatically program the system to produce a shape directly from an electronic model of it. It is therefore likely that the method will enable faster and less expensive fabrication of composites.

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Understanding the system in risk assessment

Craft, R.

In the assessment of a system, understanding the system is central. Even so, most of the current literature takes a narrow view of understanding, making only the catalog of system ``assets`` explicit, while maintaining the balance of the analyst`s understanding inside the analyst`s head. This can lead to problems with non-repeatability and incompleteness of assessment results. This paper introduces the notion of using explicit system models to document the analyst`s understanding of the system and shows that, from these models, standard assessment products, such as fault trees and event trees, can be automatically derived. This paper also presents five ``views`` of a system that can be used to document the analyst`s understanding of the system. These views go well beyond the standard instruction to identify the system`s assets to show that a much richer understanding of the system can be required for effective assessment.

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Planning and scheduling for agile manufacturers: The Pantex Process Model

Kjeldgaard, Edwin A.

Effective use of resources that are shared among multiple products or processes is critical for agile manufacturing. This paper describes the development and implementation of a computerized model to support production planning in a complex manufacturing system at the Pantex Plant, a US Department of Energy facility. The model integrates two different production processes (nuclear weapon disposal and stockpile evaluation) that use common facilities and personnel at the plant. The two production processes are characteristic of flow-shop and job shop operations. The model reflects the interactions of scheduling constraints, material flow constraints, and the availability of required technicians and facilities. Operational results show significant productivity increases from use of the model.

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A one-dimensional analysis of sol-gel film-coating drying: Pore evolution, network shrinkage and stress development

Chen, Ken S.

Highly porous sol-gel films have potential applications as electrical and thermal insulators, catalyst supports, sensors, and membranes for gas separations. Pore dimensions in these sol-gel films are usually small e.g., on the order of tens of nanometers or less. Their successful fabrications, however, greatly depend on the fundamental understanding of mechanisms that underlie the phenomena of pore evolution, network shrinkage, and stress development since the final microstructure of a solid gel film is strongly affected by composition of its starting sol and its processing conditions. This report documents a simplified one-dimensional analysis of drying a solidifying sol-gel thin film coating supported by an impermeable solid substrate. Portions of this work were presented at the 1994 Annual Joint Meeting of the New Mexico Section of the American Ceramic Society and Materials Research Society in Albuquerque. The authors considered the solid/liquid two phase coexistent regime during the drying solidifying process in which solvent is removed continuously via evaporation, the solid phase grows significantly in mechanical strength, and pore space shrinks appreciably. From overall and differential mass balances and a force balance at equilibrium, coupled with empirical correlations of solid phase modulus and permeability to strain or deformation, the authors followed the evolution of pore space, solid phase elastic stress, and liquid phase hydrodynamic pressure; they also determined their respective values at equilibrium. By assuming microscopic pore shape models, they estimated and compared the predicted mean pore radii. Their simplified one-dimensional analysis shows that the final mean pore radius is controlled by four parameters: pore-liquid surface tension, solid phase modulus, mean pore radius, and porosity at the initial stress-free state. The one-dimensional model can be employed to guide process design and optimization in sol-gel film fabrications.

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Comparison of three work of adhesion measurements

Emerson, John A.

Practical work of adhesion measurements are being studied for several types of polymer/metal combinations in order to obtain a better understanding of the adhesive failure mechanisms for systems containing encapsulated and bonded components. The primary question is whether studies of model systems can be extended to systems of technological interest. The authors report on their first attempts to obtain the work of adhesion between a PDMS polymer and stainless steel. The work of adhesion measurements were made using three techniques -- contact angle, adhesive fracture energy at low deformation rates and JKR. Previous work by Whitesides` group show a good correlation between JKR and contact angle measurements for PDMS. Their initial work focused on duplicating the PDMS measurements of Chaudury. In addition, in this paper the authors extend the work of adhesion measurement to third technique -- interfacial failure energy. The ability to determine the reversible work of adhesion for practical adhesive joints allows understanding of several issues that control adhesion: surface preparation, nature of the interphase region, and bond durability.

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Precursor ion damage and single event gate rupture in thin oxides

Sexton, Frederick W.

Gate oxide electric fields are expected to increase to greater than 5 MV/cm as feature size approaches 0.1 micrometers in advanced integrated circuit (IC) technologies. Work by Johnston, et al. raised the concern that single event gate rupture (SEGR) may limit the scaling of advanced ICs for space applications. SEGR has also been observed in field programmable gate arrays, which rely on thin dielectrics for electrical programming at very high electric fields. The focus of this effort is to further explore the mechanisms for SEGR in thin gate oxides. The authors examine the characteristics of heavy ion induced breakdown and compare them to ion induced damage in thin gate oxides. Further, the authors study the impact of precursor damage in oxides on SEGR threshold. Finally, they compare thermal and nitrided oxides to see if SEGR is improved by incorporating nitrogen in the oxide.

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Overview of the joint US/Russia surety program in the Sandia National Laboratories Cooperative Measures Program

Smith, R.E.

Sandia National Laboratories has initiated many joint research and development projects with the two premier Russian nuclear laboratories, VNIIEF and VNIITF, (historically known as Arzamas-16 and Chelyabinsk-70) in a wide spectrum of areas. One of the areas in which critical dialogue and technical exchange is continuing to take place is in the realm of system surety. Activities primarily include either safety or security methodology development, processes, accident environment analyses and testing, accident data-bases, assessments, and product design. Furthermore, a continuing dialog has been established between the organizations with regard to developing a better understanding of how risk is perceived and analyzed in Russia versus that in the US. The result of such efforts could reduce the risk of systems to incur accidents or incidents resulting in high consequences to the public. The purpose of this paper is to provide a current overview of the Sandia surety program and its various initiatives with the Russian institutes, with an emphasis on the program scope and rationale. The historical scope of projects will be indicated. A few specific projects will be discussed, along with results to date. The extension of the joint surety initiatives to other government and industry organizations will be described. This will include the current status of a joint Sandia/VNIIEF initiative to establish an International Surety Center for Energy Intensive and High Consequence Systems and Infrastructures.

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Modeling macroscopic response of random composites

Aidun, John B.

Preliminary work is presented on an effort to generate synthetic constitutive data for random composite materials. The long-ranged goal is to use the overall response determined from finite element simulations of representative volumes (RV) of the heterogeneous material to construct a homogenized constitutive model. A simple composite of a matrix containing polydispersed spheres was chosen as the first configuration to simulate. Here the accuracy of the numerical simulation tools is tested by determining effective elastic constants of the ordered elastic composite in which equal-sized spheres are arranged in each of three cubic lattice configurations. The resulting anisotropic effective elastic constant values agree with theoretical results to better than 10%, with typical agreement being better than 4%.

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Boundary element method applied to a gas-fired pin-fin-enhanced heat pipe

Andraka, Charles E.

The thermal conduction of a portion of an enhanced surface heat exchanger for a gas fired heat pipe solar receiver was modeled using the boundary element and finite element methods (BEM and FEM) to determine the effect of weld fillet size on performance of a stud welded pin fin. A process that could be utilized by others for designing the surface mesh on an object of interest, performing a conversion from the mesh into the input format utilized by the BEM code, obtaining output on the surface of the object, and displaying visual results was developed. It was determined that the weld fillet on the pin fin significantly enhanced the heat performance, improving the operating margin of the heat exchanger. The performance of the BEM program on the pin fin was measured (as computational time) and used as a performance comparison with the FEM model. Given similar surface element densities, the BEM method took longer to get a solution than the FEM method. The FEM method creates a sparse matrix that scales in storage and computation as the number of nodes (N), whereas the BEM method scales as N{sup 2} in storage and N{sup 3} in computation.

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Transition to management -- A personal perspective

Williams, Janet L.

This paper explores one woman`s journey through her recent promotion into management, and will identify key factors that helped prepare and position her to be ready to exercise leadership through a formal management role. It discusses assessment of qualifications and skills, acquisition of needed skills, the influence of luck and timing, and the use of mentors and delegation as survival skills to get through the transition period and become fully functional as a manager. It also includes insights into sensitive issues such as how to relate to former peers, how to gain credibility as the junior member of the management team, and how to juggle family responsibilities with increased time commitments at work. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging the help the authors receive in reaching their own career goals and offering the same kind of help and support to those in the early stages of their careers.

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Massively parallel linear stability analysis with P_ARPACK for 3D fluid flow modeled with MPSalsa

Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)

Lehoucq, Richard B.

We are interested in the stability of three-dimensional fluid flows to small disturbances. One computational approach is to solve a sequence of large sparse generalized eigenvalue problems for the leading modes that arise from discretizating the differential equations modeling the flow. The modes of interest are the eigenvalues of largest real part and their associated eigenvectors. We discuss our work to develop an efficient and reliable eigensolver for use by the massively parallel simulation code MPSalsa. MPSalsa allows simulation of complex 3D fluid flow, heat transfer, and mass transfer with detailed bulk fluid and surface chemical reaction kinetics.

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Development of high-Z plasma facing components for ITER

Fusion Technology

Watson, Robert D.

During the ITER EDA (Engineering Design Activity), the US Home Team developed improved methods for fabricating tungsten armored plasma facing components. Thermo-mechanical modeling indicated the desirability of using `brush-like' structures (clusters of small filaments or rods) as a means of reducing thermal stresses. The commercial availability of tungsten welding electrode rods (1.6 mm and 3.2 mm diameter) significantly reduced the raw material costs. Three approaches were developed: (1) Cu is plasma sprayed to the W brushes followed by diffusion bonding or e-beam welding the copper backing to the CuCrZr heat sink, (2) Molten Cu is cast directly on the tips of the W brushes followed by the diffusion bonding step, and (3) W rods are sputter-coated with a bonding aid and are directly bonded to the CuCrZr heat sink using HIP or vacuum hot pressing. High heat flux testing was performed up to 18 MW/m2 without damage to two small-scale divertor mockups.

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Determination of modal residues and residual flexibility for time-domain system realization

Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics

Alvin, Kenneth F.

A linear least-squares procedure for the determination of modal residues using time-domain system realization theory is presented. The present procedure is intended to complement existing techniques for time-domain system identification and is shown to be theoretically equivalent to residue determination in realization algorithms such as the eigensystem realization algorithm and Q-Markov covariance equivalent realization method. However, isolating the optimal residue estimation problem from the general realization problem affords several alternative strategies as compared to standard realization algorithms for structural dynamics identification. Primary among these are alternative techniques for handling data sets with large numbers of sensors using small numbers of reference point responses and the inclusion of terms that accurately model the effects of residual flexibility. The accuracy and efficiency of the present realization theory-based procedure is demonstrated for both simulated and experimental data.

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Re-START: The second operational test of the String Thermionic Assembly Research Testbed

Wyant, Francis J.

The second operational test of the String Thermionic Assembly Research Testbed -- Re-START -- was carried out from June 9 to June 14, 1997. This test series was designed to help qualify and validate the designs and test methods proposed for the Integrated Solar Upper Stage (ISUS) power converters for use during critical evaluations of the complete ISUS bimodal system during the Engine Ground Demonstration (EGD). The test article consisted of eight ISUS prototype thermionic converter diodes electrically connected in series.

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Results 91201–91400 of 96,771
Results 91201–91400 of 96,771