Publications

The implementation of a backscattered x-ray landmine detection system has been demonstrated in laboratories at both Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the University of Florida (UF). The next step was to evaluate the modality by assembling a system for field work. To assess the system's response to a variety of objects, buried plastic and metal antitank landmines, surface plastic antipersonnel landmines, and surface metal fragments were used as targets. The location of the test site was an unprepared field at SNL. The x-ray machine used for the field test system was an industrial x-ray machine which was operated at 150 kV and 5 mA and collimated to create a 2 cm diameter x-ray spot on the soil. The detectors used were two plastic scintillation detectors: one collimated (30 cm×30 cm active area) to respond primarily to photons that have undergone multiple collision and the other uncollimated (30 cm×7.6 cm active area) to respond primarily to photons that have had only one collision. To provide motion, the system was mounted on a gantry and rastered side-to-side using a computer-controlled stepper motor with a come-along providing the forward movement. Data generated from the detector responses were then analyzed to provide the images and locations of landmines. A new analysis method that increases resolution was used. Changing from the lab environment to the field did not decrease the system's ability to detect buried or obscured landmines. The addition of rain, blowing dust, rocky soil and native plant-life did not lower the system's resolution or contrast for the plastic or the metal landmines. Concepts for a civilian mine detection system based on this work using commercial off the shelf (COTS) equipment were developed.

A chemical solution powder synthesis technique has been developed that produces fine, uniform powders of lead magnesium niobate (PMN) with 60 to 80 nm crystallite size. The synthesis technique was based on the dissolution of lead acetate and alkoxide precursors in acetic acid followed by precipitation with oxalic acid/propanol solutions. Lead magnesium niobate ceramics fabricated from these chemically derived powders had smaller, more uniform grain size and higher dielectric constants than ceramics fabricated from mixed oxide powders that were processed under similar thermal conditions. Chem-prep PMN dielectrics with peak dielectric constants greater than 22,000 and polarizations in excess of 29 μC/cm2 were obtained for 1100 °C firing treatments. Substantial decreases in dielectric constant and polarization were measured for chemically prepared PMN ceramics fired at lower temperatures, consistent with previous work on mixed oxide materials.

The paper presents the history of safety devices used in nuclear weapons from the early days of separables to the latest advancements in MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS). Although the paper focuses on devices, the principles of Enhanced Nuclear Detonation Safety implementation will also be presented.

Given a complete undirected graph with non-negative costs on the edges, the 2-Edge Connected Subgraph Problem consists in finding the minimum cost spanning 2-edge connected subgraph (where multiedges are allowed in the solution). A lower bound for the minimum cost 2-edge connected subgraph is obtained by solving the linear programming relaxation for this problem, which coincides with the subtour relaxation of the traveling salesman problem when the costs satisfy the triangle inequality. The simplest fractional solutions to the subtour relaxation are the (Formula presented)-integral solutions in which every edge variable has a value which is a multiple of (Formula presented). We show that the minimum cost of a 2-edge connected subgraph is at most four-thirds the cost of the minimum cost (Formula presented)-integral solution of the subtour relaxation. This supports the long-standing (Formula presented) Conjecture for the TSP, which states that there is a Hamilton cycle which is within (Formula presented) times the cost of the optimal subtour relaxation solution when the costs satisfy the triangle inequality.

The need for advanced (electronic) ceramic components with smaller size, greater functionality, and enhanced reliability requires the ability to integrate electronic ceramics in complex 3-D architectures. However, traditional tape casting and screen printing approaches are poorly suited to the requirements of rapid prototyping and smalI-lot manufacturing. To address this need, we are developing a direct-write approach for fabricating highly integrated, multilayer components using a micropen to deposit slurries in precise patterns. This approach provides the ability to fabricate multifunctional, multimaterial integrated ceramic components (MMICCs) in an agile and rapid way, and has been used to make integrated passive devices such RC filters, inductors, and voltage transformers.

All systems, regardless of how carefully they have been constructed, suffer failures. This paper focuses on developing a formal understanding of failure with respect to system implementations. Furthermore, we would like the system design process to be able to leverage off of this understanding. It is important to deal with failures in a system context, rather than a priori limiting the solution to a particular technology, such as software alone. Our approach is limited to the class of systems that can be modeled by hybrid finite state machines (HFSMs) as described V.L. Winter. The purpose of this paper is to lay out a process, or framework, that can aid in identification and characterization of techniques for dealing with the different types of system threats. This framework leads naturally to a taxonomy of technologies and strategies for dealing with the various types of threats. In this process technologies are used to identify a priority list of technical capabilities for dealing with threats. The technologies are prioritized according to their analyzability and predictability. Strategies are then used to identify specific implementations that are best suited to dealing with the threat.

High-energy pulsed-power devices routinely access field strengths above those at which broad-area, cathode-initiated, high-voltage vacuum-breakdown occur (> le7 - 3e7 V/m). Examples include magnetically-insulated-transmission-lines and current convolutes, high-current-density electron and ion diodes, high-power microwave devices, and cavities and other structures for electrostatic and RF accelerators. Energy deposited in anode surfaces may exceed anode plasma thermal-desorption creation thresholds on the time-scale of the pulse. Stimulated desorption by electron or photon bombardment can also lead to plasma formation on electrode or insulator surfaces. Device performance is limited above these thresholds, particularly in pulselength and energy, by the formation and expansion of plasmas formed primarily from electrode contaminants. Insitu conditioning techniques to modify and eliminate the contaminants through multiple high-voltage pulses, low base pressures, RF discharge cleaning, heating, surface coatings, and ion- and electron-beam surface treatment allow access to new regimes of performance through control of plasma formation and modification of the plasma properties. Experimental and theoretical progress from a variety of devices and small scale experiments with a variety of treatment methods will be reviewed and recommendations given for future work.

The von Mises stress is often used as the metric for evaluating design margins, particularly for structures made of ductile materials. For deterministic loads, both static and dynamic, the calculation of von Mises stress is straightforward, as is the resulting calculation of reliability. For loads modeled as random processes, the task is different; the response to such loads is itself a random process and its properties must be determined in terms of those of both the loads and the system. This has been done in the past by Monte Carlo sampling of numerical realizations that reproduce the second order statistics of the problem. Here, we present a method that provides analytic expressions for the probability distributions of von Mises stress which can be evaluated efficiently and with good precision numerically. Further, this new approach has the important advantage of

The rapidly increasing use of composites on commercial airplanes coupled with the potential for economic savings associated with their use in aircraft structures means that the demand for composite materials technology will continue to increase. Inspecting these composite structures is a critical element in assuring their continued airworthiness. The FAA's Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center, in conjunction with the Commercial Aircraft Composite Repair Committee, is developing a set of composite reference standards to be used in NDT equipment calibration for accomplishment of damage assessment and post-repair inspection of all commercial aircraft composites. In this program, a series of NDI tests on a matrix of composite aircraft structures and prototype reference standards were completed in order to minimize the number of standards needed to carry out composite inspections on aircraft. Two tasks, related to composite laminates and non-metallic composite honeycomb configurations, were addressed. A suite of 64 honeycomb panels, representing the bounding conditions of honeycomb construction on aircraft, were inspected using a wide array of NDI techniques. An analysis of the resulting data determined the variables that play a key role in setting up NDT equipment. This has resulted in a prototype set of minimum honeycomb reference standards that include these key variables. A sequence of subsequent tests determined that this minimum honeycomb reference standard set is able to fully support inspections over the full range of honeycomb construction scenarios. Current tasks are aimed at optimizing the methods used to engineer realistic flaws into the specimens. In the solid composite laminate arena, we have identified what appears to be an excellent candidate, G11 Phenolic, as a generic solid laminate reference standard material. Testing to date has determined matches in key velocity and acoustic impedance properties, as well as, low attenuation relative to carbon laminates. Furthermore, comparisons of resonance testing response curves from the G11 Phenolic prototype standard was very similar to the resonance response curves measured on the existing carbon and fiberglass laminates. NDI data shows that this material should work for both pulse-echo (velocity-based) and resonance (acoustic impedance-based) inspections. Additional testing and industry review activities are underway to complete the validation of this material. © 1998 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.

Geologic, and historical well failure, production, and injection data were analyzed to guide development of three-dimensional geomechanical models of the Belridge Diatomite Field, California. Time-dependent reservoir pressure fields that were calculated from three-dimensional finite difference reservoir simulations were input into three-dimensional nonlinear finite element geomechanical simulations. In general, the simulations suggest the three types of casing damage observed, and show that although water injection has mitigated surface subsidence, it can, under some circumstances, increase the lateral gradients in effect stress, that in turn can accelerate subsurface horizontal motions.

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.

Several metal macrocyclic complexes were synthesized for use as catalysts in fuel cells. An initial evaluation of their ability to catalyze the fuel cell reactions were completed. Based on this initial evaluation, one metal macrocyclic catalyst was selected and long-term stability testing in a fuel cell was initiated. The fuel cell employing this catalyst was operated continuously for one year with little signs of catalyst degradation. The effect of synthetic reformates on the performance of the catalyst in the fuel cell environment also demonstrated high tolerance of this catalyst for common contaminants and poisons.

It is shown that dissolutive wetting initially yields a metastable equilibrium. A compact model for the kinetics of approach to this metastable state is described. The technique for constructing these kinetics stems from the early work of Onsager and begins with a relationship for the entropy production. From this, a coupled set of nonlinear, ordinary differential equations can be written directly. The equations are solved numerically for the wetted area and compared with experimental data. The model captures many of the subtle complexities of dissolutive wetting such as multiple metastable states. Sessile drop experiments involving a variety of Bi-Sn alloys on solid Bi substrates were performed. Substrates prepared from small and large-grained polycrystals and single crystals were used to measure equilibrium and metastable contact angles and estimate the surface tension and equilibrium contact angle of the solid-liquid interface. The substrates were also used to investigate the coupling of the dissolution and wetting processes and to investigate the effect of substrate grain size on wetting. It was determined that the equilibrium wetting geometry is independent of linear scale and that grain size has little influence on wetting or dissolution in the Bi-Sn system. To investigate the atomic behavior of liquids at interfaces during wetting, the authors simulated wetting in the Ag-Cu system using molecular dynamics with atomic potentials and observed both atomic dynamics and structural correlations of the liquid-solid interface. The authors found that spreading is prompted by interactions between the liquid and the substrate surface that cause the liquid layer in contact with the substrate to take on some of the symmetry of the substrate surface and result in the formation of a liquid monolayer that extends beyond the major part of the liquid droplet.

This report summarizes the development of in situ optical photoreflectance as a tool for measuring impurity concentrations in compound semiconductors. The authors have successfully explored the use of photoreflectance as an in situ tool for measuring n-type doping levels in metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) grown GaAs materials. The technique measures phase and frequency shifts in Franz-Keldysh oscillations measured on uniformly doped thin films. Doping concentrations from 5 {times} 10{sup 16} to 1 {times} 10{sup 18} can be measured at temperatures below 130 C. A method has been developed to include photoreflectance as the last step in the pre-growth in situ calibration procedure for MOCVD thin film structures. This combined capability now enables one to rapidly and accurately determine growth rates, chemical composition, and doping levels necessary to generate a recipe to fabricate complex optoelectronic compound semiconductor devices.

The W88 Integrated Circuit Shelf Life Program was created to monitor the long term performance, reliability characteristics, and technological status of representative WR ICs manufactured by the Allied Signal Albuquerque Microelectronics Operation (AMO) and by Harris Semiconductor Custom Integrated Circuits Division. Six types of ICs were used. A total of 272 ICs entered two storage temperature environments. Electrical testing and destructive physical analysis were completed in 1995. During each year of the program, the ICs were electrically tested and samples were selected for destructive physical analysis (DPA). ICs that failed electrical tests or DPA criteria were analyzed. Fifteen electrical failures occurred, with two dominant failure modes: electrical overstress (EOS) damage involving the production test programs and electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage during analysis. Because of the extensive handling required during multi-year programs like this, it is not unusual for EOS and ESD failures to occur even though handling and testing precautions are taken. The clustering of the electrical test failures in a small subset of the test operations supports the conclusion that the test operation itself was responsible for many of the failures and is suspected to be responsible for the others. Analysis of the electrical data for the good ICs found no significant degradation trends caused by the storage environments. Forty-six ICs were selected for DPA with findings primarily in two areas: wire bonding and die processing. The wire bonding and die processing findings are not surprising since these technology conditions had been documented during manufacturing and were determined to present acceptable risk. The current reliability assessment of the W88 stockpile assemblies employing these and related ICs is reinforced by the results of this shelf life program. Data from this program will aid future investigation of 4/3 micron or MNOS IC technology failure modes.

New techniques have been recently developed that allow unstructured, free meshes to be embedded into standard 3-dimensional, rectilinear, finite-difference time-domain grids. The resulting hybrid-grid modeling capability allows the higher resolution and fidelity of modeling afforded by free meshes to be combined with the simplicity and efficiency of rectilinear techniques. Integration of these new methods into the full-featured, general-purpose QUICKSILVER electromagnetic, Particle-In-Cell (PIC) code provides new modeling capability for a wide variety of electromagnetic and plasma physics problems. To completely exploit the integration of this technology into QUICKSILVER for applications requiring the self-consistent treatment of charged particles, this project has extended existing PIC methods for operation on these hybrid unstructured/rectilinear meshes. Several technical issues had to be addressed in order to accomplish this goal, including the location of particles on the unstructured mesh, adequate conservation of charge, and the proper handling of particles in the transition region between structured and unstructured portions of the hybrid grid.

Modifications to the constitutive model used to describe the deformation of crushed salt are presented in this report. Two mechanisms--dislocation creep and grain boundary diffusional pressure solutioning--defined previously but used separately are combined to form the basis for the constitutive model governing the deformation of crushed salt. The constitutive model is generalized to represent three-dimensional states of stress. New creep consolidation tests are combined with an existing database that includes hydrostatic consolidation and shear consolidation tests conducted on Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and southeastern New Mexico salt to determine material parameters for the constitutive model. Nonlinear least-squares model fitting to data from the shear consolidation tests and a combination of the shear and hydrostatic consolidation tests produced two sets of material parameter values for the model. The change in material parameter values from test group to test group indicates the empirical nature of the model but demonstrates improvement over earlier work with the previous models. Key improvements are the ability to capture lateral strain reversal and better resolve parameter values. To demonstrate the predictive capability of the model, each parameter value set was used to predict each of the tests in the database. Based on the fitting statistics and the ability of the model to predict the test data, the model appears to capture the creep consolidation behavior of crushed salt quite well.

WIPP Salado Hydrology Program Data Report {number_sign}3 presents hydrologic data collected during permeability testing, coupled permeability and hydrofracture testing, and gas-threshold-pressure testing of the Salado Formation performed from November 1991 through October 1995. Fluid-pressure monitoring data representing August 1989 through May 1995 are also included. The report presents data from the drilling and testing of three boreholes associated with the permeability testing program, nine boreholes associated with the coupled permeability and hydrofracture testing program, and three boreholes associated with the gas-threshold-pressure testing program. The purpose of the permeability testing program was to provide data with which to interpret the disturbed and undisturbed permeability and pore pressure characteristics of the different Salado Formation lithologies. The purpose of the coupled permeability and hydrofracture testing program was to provide data with which to characterize the occurrence, propagation, and direction of pressure induced fractures in the Salado Formation lithologies, especially MB139. The purpose of the gas-threshold-pressure testing program was to provide data with which to characterize the conditions under which pressurized gas displaces fluid in the brine-saturated Salado Formation lithologies. All of the holes were drilled from the WIPP underground facility 655 m below ground surface in the Salado Formation.

This report describes the methodology for using a genetic programming model to develop tracking behaviors for autonomous, microscale robotic vehicles. The use of such vehicles for surveillance and detection operations has become increasingly important in defense and humanitarian applications. Through an evolutionary process similar to that found in nature, the genetic programming model generates a computer program that when downloaded onto a robotic vehicle`s on-board computer will guide the robot to successfully accomplish its task. Simulations of multiple robots engaged in problem-solving tasks have demonstrated cooperative behaviors. This report also discusses the behavior model produced by genetic programming and presents some results achieved during the study.

In this report the analysis of a micro-scale pump is described. This micro-pump uses active control to produce a distributed body force in a fluid micro-channel. The desired effect of this body force is to drive fluid through the channel. Limitations, assumptions, and design parameters are discussed. The mathematical analysis of pump dynamics is explained in detail. A perturbation analysis is used on the equations of mass, momentum and state to produce equations of motion for first and second order effects. The first order effects are described by linear wave motion in the fluid and are found by using integral equation methods. The second order effects are driven by body forces resulting from first order effects. Thus, by controlling the production of wave motion in the channel, second order excitation can also be controlled. This report is all theory and therefore needs experimental validation. Although many of the assumptions used in this report have been used elsewhere in the literature and have been found to be sufficient, there are many aspects of the problem which have been left unresolved. In particular, flow separation in the fluid channel is a critical problem. If the fluid does not separate, pumping will occur through the channel, however, if internal or external forces are not sufficient to stop separation, this type of pump will not function.

In this paper, we will discuss the use of z-pinch sources for shock wave studies at multi-Mbar pressures. Experimental plans to use the technique for absolute shock Hugoniot measurements are discussed. Recent developments have demonstrated the use of pulsed power techniques for producing intense radiation sources (Z pinches) for driving planar shock waves in samples with spatial dimensions significantly larger than possible with other radiation sources. Initial indications are that using Z pinch sources for producing Planckian radiation sources in secondary hohlraums can be used to drive shock waves in samples with diameters to a few millimeters and thickness approaching one millimeter in thickness. These dimensions provides the opportunity to measure both shock velocity and the particle velocity behind the shock front with accuracy comparable to that obtained with gun launchers. In addition, the peak hohlraum temperatures of nearly 150 eV that are now possible with Z pinch sources result in shock wave pressures approaching 45 Mbar in high impedance materials such as tungsten and 10-15 Mbar in low impedance materials such as aluminum and plastics. In this paper, we discuss the use of Z pinch sources for making accurate absolute EOS measurements in the megabar pressure range.

We have developed a method for encoding phase and amplitude in microscopic computer-generated holograms (microtags) for security applications. Eight-by-eight-cell and 12 x 12-cell phase-only and phase-and-amplitude microtag designs has been exposed in photoresist using the extreme-ultraviolet (13.4 nm) lithography (EUVL) tool developed at Sandia National Laboratories. Using EUVL, we have also fabricated microtags consisting of 150-nm lines arranged to form 300-nm-period gratings. The microtags described in this report were designed for readout at 632.8 nm and 442 nm. The smallest microtag measures 56 {mu}m x 80 {mu}m when viewed at normal incidence. The largest microtag measures 80 by 160 microns and contains features 0.2 {mu}m wide. The microtag design process uses a modified iterative Fourier-transform algorithm to create either phase-only or phase-and-amplitude microtags. We also report on a simple and compact readout system for recording the diffraction pattern formed by a microtag. The measured diffraction patterns agree very well with predictions. We present the results of a rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) of microtags. Microtags are CD modeled as consisting of sub-wavelength gratings of a trapezoidal profile. Transverse-electric (TE) and TM readout polarizations are modeled. The objective of our analysis is the determination of optimal microtag-grating design parameter values and tolerances on those parameters. The parameters are grating wall-slope angle, grating duty cycle, grating depth, and metal-coating thickness. Optimal microtag-grating parameter values result in maximum diffraction efficiency. Maximum diffraction efficiency is calculated at 16% for microtag gratings in air and 12% for microtag gratings underneath a protective dielectric coating, within fabrication constraints. TM-microtag gratings. Finally, we suggest several additional microtag concepts, such as two-dimensional microtags and pixel-code microtags.

One of the most formidable intelligence challenges existing in the non-proliferation community is the detection of buried targets. The physical parameter that all buried targets share, whether the target is buried armaments, a tunnel or a bunker, is mass. In the case of buried armaments, there is an excess mass (higher density) compared to the surrounding area; for a tunnel or bunker, the mass is missing. In either case, this difference in mass generates a distinct gravitational signature. The Superconducting Gravity Gradiometer project at Sandia worked toward developing an airborne device for the detection of these underground structures.

Monuments, buildings, and works of art constructed of carbonate-based stone (calcite, e.g., limestone and marble) are subject to deterioration resulting from the effects of environmental exposure, granular disintegration, freeze/thaw cycles, and salt recrystallization. This damage can potentially be reversed by the use of mineral-specific chemical passivants and consolidants that prevent hydrolytic attack and mechanical weakening. The treatment strategy combined the use of calcite coupling molecules to passivate the surfaces against new weathering with alkoxysilane strengthening or consolidating layers to arrest physical deterioration. The authors report on the effectiveness of passivating agents designed through a combined approach of modeling their adhesive and passivating properties using computations at the molecular scale and testing those properties using simulated leaching tests, microscopic evaluation, and characterization of mechanical strength. The experimental results indicate that there may be a threshold binding energy for the passivant above which the dissolution rate of calcite is actually enhanced. Passivant/consolidant treatments were identified which showed substantial reductions in the leach rate of calcite exposed to simulated acid rain conditions.

The fields of tolerancing and assembly analysis have depended for decades on ad hoc, shop floor methods. This causes serious problems when subjected toleranced designs to automated, analytical methods. This project attempted to further the formalization and mathematization of tolerancing by extending the concept of the Maximum Material Part. A software system was envisioned that would guide designers in the use of appropriate tolerance specifications and then create software models of Maximum Material Parts from the toleranced nominal parts.