The A-primed (Agile Product Realization of Innovative electro-Mechanical Devices) project is defining and proving processes for agile product realization for the Department of Energy complex. Like other agile production efforts reported in the literature, A-primed uses concurrent engineering and information automation technologies to enhance information transfer. A unique aspect of our approach to agility is the qualification during development of a family of related product designs and their production processes, rather than a single design and its attendant processes. Applying engineering principles and statistical design of experiments, economies of test and analytic effort are realized for the qualification of the device family as a whole. Thus the need is minimized for test and analysis to qualify future devices from this family, thereby further reducing the design-to-production cycle time. As a measure of the success of the A-primed approach, the first design took 24 days to produce, and operated correctly on the first attempt. A flow diagram for the qualification process is presented. Guidelines are given for implementation, based on the authors experiences as members of the A-primed qualification team.
A method has been formulated and tested to provide laser weld schedules using a mathematical model and parameter optimization. This effort, on behalf of the Smartweld manufacturing initiative, seeks to provide: (1) laser power, (2) part travel speed, and (3) lens focal length to optimize weld process efficiency while constraining weld dimensions. Experimental data for three metals was fit to provide the mathematical model. Embedded material constants in the computational model allowed the extension to seven metals. A genetic algorithm, was used to accomplish the optimization. Lens focal length is a discrete variable and necessitated this type of algorithm. All coding was done in MATLAB and a graphical user interface was provided. Contour and surface plots, available through the interface, provide the analyst with insight as to optimum welds which are reachable within the problem-specified bounds on power, speed, and available focal lengths.
This paper is a presentation made in support of the statistics profession. This field can say it has had a major impact in most major fields of study presently undertaken by man, yet it is not perceived as an important, or critical field of study. It is not a growth field either, witness the almost level number of faculty and new PhD`s produced over the past twenty years. The author argues the profession must do a better job of selling itself to the students it educates. Awaken them to the impact of statistics in their lives and their business worlds, so that they see beyond the formulae to the application of these principles.
The System Surety Assessment Department 12332 of Sandia National Laboratories performed an independent nuclear safety assessment of the Non-nuclear Verification Instrument NNV-470AS. The NNV-470AS was assessed for structural integrity, characteristics of its electrical circuits, and its Radiated Electrical Emissions. Department 12332 concluded that the NNV-470AS and its Operational Procedures are safe to use with war reserve weapons. However, strict adherence to the Operational Procedures for the NNV-470AS is needed to prevent tampering with the instrument.
This document is a compilation of the Field Work Proposals (FWP) for the DOE BES Materials Sciences Program. The program is directed toward Scientifically Tailored Materials, specifically for energy applications.
MACCS was developed at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sponsorship to estimate the offsite consequences of potential severe accidents at nuclear power plants (NPPs). MACCS was publicly released in 1990. MACCS was developed to support the NRC`s probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) efforts. PSA techniques can provide a measure of the risk of reactor operation. PSAs are generally divided into three levels. Level one efforts identify potential plant damage states that lead to core damage and the associated probabilities, level two models damage progression and containment strength for establishing fission-product release categories, and level three efforts evaluate potential off-site consequences of radiological releases and the probabilities associated with the consequences. MACCS was designed as a tool for level three PSA analysis. MACCS performs probabilistic health and economic consequence assessments of hypothetical accidental releases of radioactive material from NPPs. MACCS includes models for atmospheric dispersion and transport, wet and dry deposition, the probabilistic treatment of meteorology, environmental transfer, countermeasure strategies, dosimetry, health effects, and economic impacts. The computer systems MACCS is designed to run on are the 386/486 PC, VAX/VMS, E3M RISC S/6000, Sun SPARC, and Cray UNICOS. This paper provides an overview of MACCS, reviews some of the applications of MACCS, international collaborations which have involved MACCS, current developmental efforts, and future directions.
We present three codes for the Intel Paragon that address the problem of three-dimensional seismic imaging of complex geologies. The first code models acoustic wave propagation and can be used to generate data sets to calibrate and validate seismic imaging codes. This code reported the fastest timings for acoustic wave propagation codes at a recent SEG (Society of Exploration Geophysicists) meeting. The second code implements a Kirchhoff method for pre-stack depth migration. Development of this code is almost complete, and preliminary results are presented. The third code implements a wave equation approach to seismic migration and is a Paragon implementation of a code from the ARCO Seismic Benchmark Suite.
We have developed a new intracavity laser technique that uses a living or a fixed cell as an integral component of the laser. The cells are placed on an AlGaAs/GaAs surface-emitting semiconductor wafer and covered with a glass dielectric mirror to form a laser resonator. In this arrangement, the cells serve as optical waveguides (or lens elements) to confine (or focus) light generated in the resonator by the semiconductor. Because of the high transparency, the cells aid the lasing process to generate laser light. This ultra sensitive laser provides a novel imaging/spectroscopic technique for histologic examination which we demonstrate with normal and sickled human red blood cells. Extremely high contrast microscopic images of the cells are observed near 830-850 nm. These images correspond to electromagnetic modes of cell structures and are sensitive to shape of the cell. Using a high resolution spectrometer, we resolve the light emitted from these images into very narrow spectral peaks associated with the lasing modes. Analysis of the spectra reveals that the distribution of peaks is quite different for normal and sickled red blood cells. This technique, in a more developed form, may be useful for the rapid analysis of other kinds of normal and abnormal cells.
In 1992, a sinkhole was discovered above a Strategic Petroleum Reserve storage facility at Weeks Island, Louisiana. The oil is stored in an old salt mine located within a salt dome. In order to assess the hydrologic significance of the sink hole, an In Situ Permeable Flow Sensor was deployed within a sand-filled conduit in the salt dome directly beneath the sinkhole. The flow sensor is a recently developed instrument which uses a thermal perturbation technique to measure the magnitude and direction of the full 3-dimensional groundwater flow velocity vector in saturated, permeable materials. The flow sensor measured substantial groundwater flow directed vertically downward into the salt dome. The data obtained with the flow sensor provided critical evidence which was instrumental in assessing the significance of the sinkhole in terms of the integrity of the oil storage facility.
The World Wide Web provides a unified method of access to various information services on the Internet via a variety of protocols. Mosaic and other browsers give users a graphical interface to the Web that is easier to use and more visually pleasing than any other common Internet information service today. The availability of information via the Web and the number of users accessing it have both grown rapidly in the last year. The interest and investment of commercial firms in this technology suggest that in the near future, access to the Web may become as necessary to doing business as a telephone. This is problematical for organizations that use firewalls to protect their internal networks from the Internet. Allowing all the protocols and types of information found in the Web to pass their firewall will certainly increase the risk of attack by hackers on the Internet. But not allowing access to the Web could be even more dangerous, as frustrated users of the internal network are either unable to do their jobs, or find creative new ways to get around the firewall. The solution to this dilemma adopted at Sandia National Laboratories is described. Discussion also covers risks of accessing the Web, design alternatives considered, and trade-offs used to find the proper balance between access and protection.
Sandia is a multiprogram engineering and science laboratory operated for the Department of Energy with major facilities at Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California, and a test range near Tonapah, Nevada. It has major research and development responsibilities for nuclear weapons, arms control, energy, the environment, economic competitiveness, and other areas of importance to the needs of the nation. The principal mission is to support national defense policies by ensuring that the nuclear weapon stockpile meets the highest standards of safety, reliability, security, use control, and military performance. This publication gives a brief overview of the multifaceted research programs conducted by the laboratory.
The SANdia total-DOSe Estimator (SANDOSE) is used to estimate total radiation dose to a (BRL-CAT) solid model, SANDOSE uses the mass-sectoring technique to sample the model using ray-tracing techniques. The code is integrated directly into the BRL-CAD solid model editor and is operated using a simple graphical user interface. Several diagnostic tools are available to allow the user to analyze the results. Based on limited validation using several benchmark problems, results can be expected to fall between a 10% underestimate and a factor of 2 overestimate of the actual dose predicted by rigorous radiation transport techniques. However, other situations may be encountered where the results might fall outside of this range. The code is written in C and uses X-windows graphics. It presently runs on SUN SPARCstations, but in theory could be ported to any workstation with a C compiler and X-windows. SANDOSE is available via license by contacting either the Sandia National Laboratories Technology Transfer Center or the author.
The Environmental Restoration (ER) Project at Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico is managing the project to assess and, when necessary, to remediate sites contaminated by the lab operations. Within the ER project, the site-wide hydrogeologic characterization task is responsible for the area-wide hydrogeologic investigation. The purpose of this task is to reduce the uncertainty about the rate and direction of groundwater flow beneath the area and across its boundaries. This specific report deals with the installation of PGS-1 monitoring well which provides information on the lithology and hydrology of the aquifer in the northern area of the Kirtland Air Force Base. The report provides information on the well design; surface geology; stratigraphy; structure; drilling, completion, and development techniques; and borehole geophysics information.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing to request the US Environmental Protection Agency to certify compliance with the radioactive waste disposal standards found in 40 CFR Part 191 for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP). The DOE will also need to demonstrate compliance with a number of other State and Federal standards and, in particular, the Land Disposal Restrictions of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), 40 CFR Part 268. Demonstrating compliance with these regulations requires an assessment of the long-term performance of the WIPP disposal system. Re-evaluation and extension of past scenario development for the WIPP forms an integral part of the ongoing performance assessment (PA) process.
Radiation in participating media is an important transport mechanism in many physical systems. The simulation of complex radiative transfer has not effectively exploited high-performance computing capabilities. In response to this need, a workshop attended by members active in the high-performance computing community, members active in the radiative transfer community, and members from closely related fields was held to identify how high-performance computing can be used effectively to solve the transport equation and advance the state-of-the-art in simulating radiative heat transfer. This workshop was held on March 29-30, 1994 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was conducted by Sandia National Laboratories. The objectives of this workshop were to provide a vehicle to stimulate interest and new research directions within the two communities to exploit the advantages of high-performance computing for solving complex radiative heat transfer problems that are otherwise intractable.
Perimeter intrusion detection systems are an integral part of most physical security systems. Sandia National Laboratories, under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Safeguards and Security; the U.S. Military Services; and many other U.S. Government Agencies, has over the last 20 years conducted surveys of available perimeter intrusion detection sensors and has tested many of the sensors manufactured in the United States and other countries. An overview of the newer and more advanced technologies employed in these sensors is provided.
An ovenized 10 pF standard capacitor was constructed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The dielectric material used as Wuprasil II grade fused silica. This report discusses a temperature coefficient analysis of the capacitor performed at the Primary Standards Laboratory (PSL) of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). The effects of temperature change on dielectric loss will also be discussed.
A common limitation to performance in data acquisition systems is storage of the collected data. Compressing the data would increase the amount of data that could be stored. However, most compression routines require that the data be collected and analyzed before compression is performed. Also, these compression routines often store the information required for decompression along with the data, thus decreasing the storage available for data. One solution to this problem is to create an encoding tree known to both the encoder and the decoder based on apriori knowledge of the data. Once the tree is created, optimal encoding schemes such as the Huffman algorithm may be used on the data as it is being collected. In this way the data is compressed as each byte is received and there is no overhead associated with storing decompression data. In this paper the idea of using a fixed Huffman tree is explored and the results are compared to a defacto standard in data compression, PKZIP.
A microscopic theory, that is based on the coupled Maxwell-semiconductor-Bloch equations, is used to investigate the effects of many-body Coulomb interactions in semiconductor laser devices. This paper describes two examples where the many-body effects play important roles. Experimental data supporting the theoretical results are presented.
Collection of Technical Papers - AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference
James, G.; Mayes, R.; Carne, T.; Simmermacher, T.; Goodding, J.
Two techniques for damage localization (Structural Translational and Rotational Error Checking - STRECH and MAtriX COmpletioN - MAXCON) are described and applied to operational structures. The structures include a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) blade undergoing a fatigue test and a highway bridge undergoing an induced damage test. STRECH is seen to provide a global damage indicator to assess the global damage state of a structure. STRECH is also seen to provide damage localization for static flexibility shapes or the first mode of simple structures. MAXON is a robust damage localization tool using the higher order dynamics of a structure. Several options are available to allow the procedure to be tailored to a variety of structures.
Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering
Smith, R.E.; Warren, M.E.; Wendt, J.R.; Vawter, G.A.
We have fabricated sub-wavelength diffractive optical elements with binary phase profiles for operation at 975 nm. Blazed transmission gratings with minimum features 63 nm wide were designed by using rigorous coupled-wave analysis and fabricated by direct-write e-beam lithography and reactive ion beam etching in gallium arsenide. Transmission measurements show 85% diffraction efficiency into the first order. Anti-reflection surfaces, with features 42 nm wide were also designed and fabricated.
Emissive flat panel display systems operating in full color demand higher performance at low voltages (ca. 50 - 1000 V) from cathodoluminescent (CL) phosphors than cathode ray tubes require. Hydrothermal synthesis has been suggested as a route to phosphors with improved efficiencies, lower voltage thresholds, and increased saturation power. This hypothesis was tested in europium-doped yttrium orthovanadate (YVO4:Eu), an efficient, red emitting CL phosphor. The CL efficiency of YVO4:Eu crystallized from aqueous solution at 200°C is relatively low until it is annealed. The distribution of particle sizes in the low-temperature phosphor is similar to that in material made via a solid-state route, but crystallites remain much smaller (ca. 400 angstrom) until they are annealed. These observations, along with the anomalously strong dependence of CL intensity on europium concentration, support a model in which efficiency principally depends on crystallite size. CL efficiency of both solid state and hydrothermal YVO4:Eu increases with voltage at constant power. Surface-bound electrons are likely the dominant influence on efficiency at voltages near threshold. Saturation power is independent of synthetic route. It is apparent that the CL properties of hydrothermally synthesized YVO4:Eu are essentially the same as those of YVO4:Eu produced via conventional, high-temperature routes.
Experiments have been conducted with a molten salt loop at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM to resolve issues associated with the operation of the 10MW{sub e} Solar Two Central Receiver Power Plant located near Barstow, CA. The salt loop contained two receiver panels, components such as flanges and a check valve, vortex shedding and ultrasonic flow meters, and an impedance pressure transducer. Tests were conducted on procedures for filling and thawing a panel, and assessing components and instrumentation in a molten salt environment. Four categories of experiments were conducted: (1) cold filling procedures, (2) freeze/thaw procedures, (3) component tests, and (4) instrumentation tests. Cold-panel and -piping fill experiments are described, in which the panels and piping were preheated to temperatures below the salt freezing point prior to initiating flow, to determine the feasibility of cold filling the receiver and piping. The transient thermal response was measured, and heat transfer coefficients and transient stresses were calculated from the data. Freeze/thaw experiments were conducted with the panels, in which the salt was intentionally allowed to freeze in the receiver tubes, then thawed with heliostat beams. Slow thermal cycling tests were conducted to measure both how well various designs of flanges (e.g., tapered flanges or clamp type flanges) hold a seal under thermal conditions typical of nightly shut down, and the practicality of using these flanges on high maintenance components. In addition, the flanges were thermally shocked to simulate cold starting the system. Instrumentation such as vortex shedding and ultrasonic flow meters were tested alongside each other, and compared with flow measurements from calibration tanks in the flow loop.
Switchable polarization can be significantly suppressed in ferroelectric (FE) materials by optical, thermal, and electrical processes. The thermal process can occur by either annealing the FE in a reducing environment or by heating it in air to 100 °C while impressing a bias near the switching threshold. The optical process occurs while biasing the FE near the switching threshold and illuminating with bandgap light. And the electrical suppression effect occurs by subjecting the FE to repeated polarization reversals. Using electron paramagnetic resonance, polarization-voltage measurements, and charge injection scenarios, we have been able to elucidate both electronic and ionic trapping effects that lead to a suppression in the amount of switchable polarization in FE materials. The relative roles of electronic and ionic effects in the same material can depend on the stress condition. For instance, in oxidized BaTiO3 crystals, optical and thermal suppressions occur by electronic domain pinning; electrical fatigue in the BaTiO3 crystals also appears to involve electronic charge trapping, however, it is suggested that these electronic traps are further stabilized by nearby ionic defects. In sol-gel PZT thin films with either Pt, RuO2, or La-Sr-Co-O electrodes it appears that the polarization suppression induced by electrical fatigue, a temperature/bias combination, or a light/bias combination are all primarily due to the trapping of electronic charge carriers to first order.
Scannerless range imaging (SRI) is a unique approach to three dimensional imaging without scanners. SRI does, however, allow a more powerful light source to be used as compared to conventional laser radar (LADAR) systems due to the speed of operation associated with this staring system. As a result, a more efficient method of operation was investigated. As originally conceived, SRI transmits a continuous intensity modulated sinusoidal signal; however, a square wave driver is more energy efficient than a sinusoidal driver. In order to take advantage of this efficiency, a square wave operational methodology was investigated. As a result, four image frames are required for the extraction of range using a square wave to unambiguously resolve all time delays within one time period compared to a minimum of three frames for the sinusoidal wave.
The most common tool used by aircraft inspectors is the personal flashlight. While it is compact and very portable, it is generally typified by poor beam quality which can interfere with the ability for an inspector to detect small defects and anomalies, such as cracks and corrosion sites, which may be indicators of major structural problems. A Light Shaping Diffuser TM (LSD) installed in a stock flashlight as a replacement to the lens can improve the uniformity of an average flashlight and improve the quality of the inspection. Field trials at aircraft maintenance facilities have demonstrated general acceptance of the LSD by aircraft inspection and maintenance personnel.
Several studies have shown that the surface morphology can be smoother during simultaneous ion bombardment and growth than during growth alone, however, the atomistic mechanism responsible for the smoothing effect has been difficult to determine. We have developed Monte Carlo simulations of growth and defect diffusion to model the interaction between growth atoms and ion-induced defects and to present a simple atomistic mechanism that describes the effects of low-energy ion bombardment during ion-assisted growth of germanium. Measurements of ion-induced point defect production indicate that a large number of defects exist only temporarily on the surface at typical growth temperatures, because the defects have sufficient mobility to recombine and annihilate. We propose that this ion-induced transient defect population plays a significant role in modifying the dynamic surface morphology. The simulations support a surface smoothing mechanism that involves the destabilization of adatom islands by the transient ion-induced defects. The optimum simulated steady-state surface morphology can be achieved with ion-induced defect production rates less than or equal to 10 defects/ion. We find that low-energy ion bombardment during growth effectively lowers the temperature at which step-flow growth can be achieved.
We have characterized the optical properties of heteroepitaxial Si1-xCx and Si0.924-xGe0.076Cx (0≤x≤0.014) alloys grown on Si substrates by solid phase epitaxy using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The measured dielectric function confirms that the samples are of good crystalline quality. We determined the E1 and E2 band gaps by lineshape-fitting the features in the second derivative spectra of the dielectric functions. Also, we discuss the shift of the band gaps with C concentration arising from strain and chemical alloying.
A dry barrier may be formed by circulating dry air through a soil layer above or below a waste disposal site, thus reducing the soil moisture content to very low values. Drying a horizontal soil layer creates a barrier to vertical water movement in three ways. First, the drying removes water from the system, intercepting water infiltrating down from the surface. Second, drying a soil layer increases its water storage capacity so the soil will tend to retain rather than transmit water. Third, as a soil layer dries, moisture is removed from progressively smaller interstitial pores so that the hydraulic conductivity of the formation (for liquid flow) decreases. For example, the hydraulic conductivity of a typical sand may decrease by three orders of magnitude as its moisture content is reduced from 20 to 10 percent. This study analyzed the technical and economic feasibility of the subsurface dry barrier concept for containment of a migrating contaminant plume in unsaturated soil. The concept was shown to be a viable option for limiting aqueous migration of pollutants through unsaturated media, with estimated capital costs of between $130,000 and $260,000 for a 1-hectare barrier, and annual operating costs of $10,000 per year.
Inferring phylogenetic trees is a fundamental problem in computational-biology. We present a new objective criterion, the phylogenetic number, for evaluating evolutionary trees for species defined by biomolecular sequences or other qualitative characters. The phylogenetic number of a tree T is the maximum number of times that any given character state arises in T. By contrast, the classical parsimonycriterion measures the total number of times that different character states arise in T. We consider the following related problems: finding the tree with minimum phylogenetic number, and computing the phylogenetic number of a given topology in which only the leaves are labeled by species. When the number of states is bounded (as is the case for biomolecular sequence characters), we can solve the second problem in polynomial time. We can also compute a fixed-topology 2-phylogeny (when one exists) for an arbitrary number of states. This algorithm can be used to further distinguish trees that are equal under parsimony. We also consider a number of other related problems.
The NASA Standard Detonator (NSD) is employed in support of a number of current applications, including the Space Shuttle. This effort was directed towards providing test results to characterize the output of this device for its use in a safe and arm device. As part of the investigation, flash X-ray was used to provide stop-motion photographs of the flying metal plate that is created by initiation of the detonator. This provided researchers with a better understanding of the shape and character of the high- velocity disk as it propagated across the gap between the detonator and next assembly. The second portion of the study used a velocity interferometer to evaluate the acceleration and velocity histories of the flying plate, providing a quantified assessment of the detonator’s ability to initiate the explosive in the next explosive.
For many years, explosive components have used hotwires to convert an electrical stimulus into the thermal energy required to initiate the device. A Semi-conductor Bridge (SCB) performs the same function, but with the advantage of requiring approximately 1/10 the input energy of a comparable hotwire, while retaining excellent no-fire characteristics. The SCB also demonstrates faster function times due to its inherently-lower thermal mass. This paper discusses the development and production of two SCB-based devices, the MC4491 Initiator and the MC4492 Actuator. The initiator is designed to shock initiate a linear shaped charge by accelerating a thin metal plate across a small gap. The actuator functions several different components, sewing as either an actuator by producing a rapidly expanding gas to activate piston mechanisms or as an ignitor by providing hot particles for initiating pyrotechnic mixtures. Details are provided on the construction of both devices, methods of assembly, and performance characteristics (function time, flyer velocity, pressure in a closed bomb, heat content, and no-fire and all-fire levels).
As photovoltaic (PV) systems gain more acceptance in utility-interactive applications throughout the world, many organizations are placing increasingly higher priorities on writing guidelines, codes and standards. These guidelines and codes are being written to improve safety, installation, acceptance, listing or certification of the PV components or systems. Sandia National Laboratories` PV System Applications Department is working closely with the PV industry to address issues that are associated with fire and personnel safety and with National Electrical Code (NEC) requirements. Additionally, the United States has agreed to participate in two of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Annexes (topical tasks) of the Implementing Agreement for a Cooperative Programme on Photovoltaic Power Systems. This paper describes events and activities associated with the NEC and the IEA that are being led by Sandia National Laboratories with broad participation by the US PV industry.
Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Assembly and Task Planning
Hwang, Yong K.
We present a motion planner for multiple moving objects in two dimensions. The search for collision-free paths is performed in the composite configuration space of all the moving objects to guarantee a solution, and the efficiency of our planner is demonstrated with examples. Our motion planner can be characterized with a hierarchical, multi-resolution search of the configuration space along with a generate-and-test paradigm for solution paths. Because of the high dimensionality of the composite configuration space, our planner is most useful for cases with a small number of moving objects. Some of the potential applications are navigation of several mobile robots, and planning part motions for a multi-handed assembly operation.
A method is reported for generating mechanical spacecraft propulsion from unsymmetrical magnetic induction fields. It is based on an unsymmetrical three-dimensional loop antenna structure driven by a repetitively-pulsed high-current power supply. Antenna geometry is optimized for generating propulsive thrust rather than radiating electromagnetic energy. Part of this antenna consists of flat electrical conductors, which form a partially-closed quasi-cylindrical volume around a center conductor. Magnetic flux concentrates at the closed end of the quasi-cylindrical volume thereby creating a magnetic field flux density gradient along a single axis collinear to the Center Conductor. This magnetic field density gradient imbalances the magneto-mechanical forces that result from the interactions of the internal magnetic induction field with the current in the conductors of the antenna structure, in accordance with Lorentz’s Force Law. Also, there are electrically isolated prismatic conductor surfaces attached to the inside surface of the flat conductors which form the closed end of the quasi-cylindrical volume. Mechanical pressures occur on these conductor prisms because of the changing internal magnetic field and are a consequence of Faraday’s Induction Law and Lenz’s Law. Input current rise time and wave shape are crucial to maximizing spacecraft propulsive thrust.
Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Assembly and Task Planning
Hwang, Yong K.
There have been numerous research efforts in the field of motion planning, resulting in many theoretical and practical results. We review the current status of existing motion planning algorithms, evaluate their completenesses and efficiencies on modern computers, and suggest fruitful future research directions.
The semiconductor bridge, SCB, developed by Sandia National Laboratories is a maturing technology now being used in several applications by Sandia customers. Most applications arose because of a need at the system level to provide explosive assemblies that were light weight, small volume, low cost and required small quantities of electrical energy to function — for the purposes of this paper we define an explosive assembly to mean the combination of the firing set and an explosive component. As a result, and because conventional firing systems could not meet the stringent size, weight and energy requirements of our customers, we designed and are investigating SCB applications that range from devices for Sandia applications to igniters for fireworks. We present in this paper an overview of SCB technology with specific examples of the systems designed for our customers to meet modern requirements that sophisticated explosive systems must satisfy in today’s market environments.
Land subsidence. Proc. international symposium, The Hague, 1995
Neal, J.T.
A sinkhole was observed over the edge of the two-level former salt mine that was converted for oil storage. Diagnostic studies suggest a direct connection exists between the surface collapse area and the underground mine as shown by correlative measurements of sediment slump rates and probable brine influx into the mine. The dissolution of salt below the sinkhole that initiated the leak into the mine was likely caused by several confluent geologic processes, and exacerbated by mining-induced stresses that created fractures which served as hydrologic flowpaths. Modelling studies of mine stresses show that years may be required before tensional cracking begins to occur, but once begun can continue to develop, and relieve the stress in that specific regime. The crack regime creates the avenue for incursion of groundwater. Mitigation measures include increasing the mine pressure, slowing the dissolution by injecting brine into the sinkhole throat, and construction of a freeze curtain to restrict hydrologic flowpaths. -from Authors
A general method for applying command shaping to various multiple degree of freedom cranes is described such that the payload moves to a specified point without residual oscillation. A dynamic programming is used for general command shaping for optimal maneuvers. The results taken are compared to near-optimal solutions where the commands are linear combinations of accelerations pulse basis functions. Simulation results and experimental verification for a variable load-line length rotary crane are also presented using design procedures.
The issues of verification, calibration, and validation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes has been receiving increasing levels of attention in the research literature and in engineering technology. Both CFD researchers and users of CFD codes are asking more critical and detailed questions concerning the accuracy, range of applicability, reliability and robustness of CFD codes and their predictions. This is a welcomed trend because it demonstrates that CFD is maturing from a research tool to the world of impacting engineering hardware and system design. In this environment, the broad issue of code quality assurance becomes paramount, However, the philosophy and methodology of building confidence in CFD code predictions has proven to be more difficult than many expected. A wide variety of physical modeling errors and discretization errors are discussed. Here, discretization errors refer to all errors caused by conversion of the original partial differential equations to algebraic equations, and their solution. Boundary conditions for both the partial differential equations and the discretized equations will be discussed. Contrasts are drawn between the assumptions and actual use numerical method consistency and stability. Commen are also made concerning the existence and uniqueness solutions for both the partial differential equations and the discrete equations. Various techniques are suggested for the detection and estimation of errors caused by physical modeling and discretization of the partial differential equations.
Carbon Nitride (CNx) films have been grown by ion-assisted pulsed-laser deposition (IAPLD). Graphite targets were laser ablated while bombarding the substrate with ions from a broad-beam Kaufman-type ion source. The ion voltage, current density, substrate temperature, and feed gas composition (N2 in Ar) have been varied. The resultant films were characterized by Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and Rutherford back scattering (RBS) spectroscopy. Samples with ≈30% N/C ratio have been fabricated. The corresponding Raman and FTIR spectra indicate that nitrogen is incorporated into the samples by insertion into sp2- bonded structure. A low level of C≡N triple bonds is also found. As the ion current and voltage are increased with a pure Ar ion beam, Raman peaks associated with nanocrystalline graphite appear in the spectra. Adding low levels of nitrogen to the ion beam first reduces the Raman intensity in the vicinity of the graphite disorder peak without adding detectable amounts of nitrogen to the films (as measured by RBS). At higher nitrogen levels in the ion beam, significant amounts of nitrogen are incorporated into the samples, and the magnitude of the ″disorder″ peak increases. By increasing the temperature of the substrate during deposition, the broad peak due mainly to sp2-bonded C-N in the FTIR spectra is shifted to lower wavenumber. This could be interpreted as evidence of single-bonded C-N; however, it is more likely that the character of the sp2 bonding is changing.
Extensive surface pressure measurements were obtained on a hypersonic vehicle configuration at Mach 8. All of the experimental results were obtained in the Sandia National Laboratories Mach 8 hypersonic wind tunnel for lamipar boundary layer conditions. The basic vehicle configuration IS a spherically blunted 100 half-angle cone with a slice parallel with the axis of the vehicle. The bluntness ratio of the geometly IS 10% and the slice begins at 70% of the length of the vehicle. Surface pressure measurements were obtained for angles of attack from -10 to +180. for various roll angles, at 96 locations on the body surface. A new and innovative uncertainty analysis was devised to estimate the contributors to surface pressure meaSment uncenainty. Quantitative estimates were computed for the uncertainty contributions due to the complete insmmentation system, nonunifoxmity of flow in the test section of the wind Nnnel. and variations in the wind tunnel model. This extensive set of high-quality surface pressure measurements is recommended for use in the calibration and validation of computational fluid dynamics codes for hyuersonic flow conditions.
The chemical inertness and high bond strengths of the 3-5 nitrides lead to slower plasma etching rates than for more conventional 3-5 semiconductors under the same conditions. High ion density conditions (greater than 3 x 10(exp 11) cm(exp {minus}3)) such as those obtained in ECR or magnetron reactors produce etch rates up to an order of magnitude higher than for RIE, where the ion densities are in the 10(exp 9) cm(exp {minus}3) range. The authors have developed smooth anisotropic dry etches for GaN, InN, AlN and their alloys based on Cl2/CH4/H2/Ar, BCl3/Ar, Cl2/H2, Cl2/SF6, HBr/H2 and HI/H2 plasma chemistries achieving etch rates up to approx. 4,000 A/min at moderate dc bias voltages (less than or equal to {minus}150 V). Ion-induced damage in the nitrides appears to be less apparent than in other 3-5`s. One of the key remaining issues is the achievement of high selectivities for removal of one layer from another.
Quantum well microdisk laser structures have been fabricated in the GaN/InGaN, GaAs/AlGaAs and GaAs/InGaP systems using a combination of ECR dry etching Cl2/CH4/H2/Ar, BCl3/Ar or CH4/H2/Ar plasma chemistries respectively, and subsequent wet chemical etching of a buffer layer underlying the quantum wells. While wet etchants such as HF/H2O and HCl/HNO3/H2O are employed for AlGaAs and InGaP, respectively, a new KOH based solution has been developed for AlN which is completely selective over both GaN and InGaN. Typical mask materials include PR or SiN(x), while the high surface recombination velocity of exposed AlGaAs (approximately) 10(exp 5)cm(center dot)/sec requires encapsulation with ECR-CVD SiN(x) to stabilize the optical properties of the modulators.
This [updated 1/95] report outlines the technology of modern solar central receiver power plants, showing how they could be an important domestic source of energy within the next decade
With all the advances in the microelectronics industry, a limiting factor to computer chip speed and size is becoming the dielectric constant of the interlayer insulating materials. Dielectric constants of these layers have been reduced in going from inorganic to organic type materials. A further reduction in dielectric constant, coupled with better mechanical properties are still required for these types of materials. The authors have developed a technique involving spincoating in conjunction with a thermodynamic process called {open_quotes}Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation{close_quotes} (NSIPS) to create microporous polyimide films that exhibit both a lower dielectric constant and better stress reduction properties compared to their solid film counterparts. In this technique, the authors spincoat a soluble polyimide solution in 1,3-dimethoxybenzene solvent onto a silicon wafer, and then immediately submerse the {open_quotes}wet{close_quotes} polymer film into a non-solvent bath, typically toluene. Phase separation of the polymer occurs on a micron size scale and the resulting microporous structure becomes locked in by the high glass transition temperature of the polyimide. The authors have determined the factors affecting the film morphology, thickness, pore size, and percent porosity; these factors include the polymer concentration, spin speed, and the type of non-solvent used. The different morphologies obtained for the varying non-solvents are explained in terms of thermodynamics and kinetics of phase separation and diffusion, using an idealized ternary phase diagram. One particular film having a porosity of 68%, thickness of 22 microns and pore size of 1.4 microns had a measured dielectric constant of 1.88 and dielectric loss of 0.002. Stress measurements indicated that the microporous film reduced surface stress on the wafer by more than a factor of 10 when compared to the analogous solid polyimide film.