Publications

We investigated multiple-rate diffusion as a possible explanation for observed behavior in a suite of single-well injection-withdrawal (SWIW) tests conducted in a fractured dolomite. We first investigated the ability of a conventional double-porosity model and a multirate diffusion model to explain the data. This revealed that the multirate diffusion hypothesis/model is most consistent with all available data, and is the only model to date that is capable of matching each of the recovery curves entirely. Second, we studied the sensitivity of the SWIW recovery curves to the distribution of diffusion rate coefficients and other parameters. We concluded that the SWIW test is very sensitive to the distribution of rate coefficients, but is relatively insensitive to other flow and transport parameters such as advective porosity and dispersivity. Third, we examined the significance of the constant double-log late-time slopes ({minus}2. 1 to {minus}2.8), which are present in several data sets. The observed late-time slopes are significantly different than would be predicted by either conventional double-porosity or single-porosity media, and are found to be a distinctive feature of multirate diffusion under SWIW test conditions. Fourth, we found that the estimated distributions of diffusion rate coefficients are very broad, with the distributions spanning a range of at least 3.6 to 5.7 orders of magnitude.

Synthetic Aperture Radars are coherent imaging systems that produce complex-valued images of the ground. Because modern systems can generate large amounts of data, there is substantial interest in applying image compression techniques to these products. In this paper, we examine the properties of complex-valued SAR images relevant to the task of data compression. We advocate the use of transform-based compression methods but employ radically different quantization strategies than those commonly used for incoherent optical images. The theory, methodology, and examples are presented.

Technology planning is relatively straightforward for well-established research and development (R and D) areas--those areas in which an organization has a history, the competitors are well understood, and the organization clearly knows where it is going with that technology. What we are calling the fuzzy front-end in this paper is that condition in which these factors are not well understood--such as for new corporate thrusts or emerging areas where the applications are embryonic. While strategic business planning exercises are generally good at identifying technology areas that are key to future success, they often lack substance in answering questions like: (1) Where are we now with respect to these key technologies? ... with respect to our competitors? (2) Where do we want or need to be? ... by when? (3) What is the best way to get there? In response to its own needs in answering such questions, Sandia National Laboratories is developing and implementing several planning tools. These tools include knowledge mapping (or visualization), PROSPERITY GAMES and technology roadmapping--all three of which are the subject of this paper. Knowledge mapping utilizes computer-based tools to help answer Question 1 by graphically representing the knowledge landscape that we populate as compared with other corporate and government entities. The knowledge landscape explored in this way can be based on any one of a number of information sets such as citation or patent databases. PROSPERITY GAMES are high-level interactive simulations, similar to seminar war games, which help address Question 2 by allowing us to explore consequences of various optional goals and strategies with all of the relevant stakeholders in a risk-free environment. Technology roadmapping is a strategic planning process that helps answer Question 3 by collaboratively identifying product and process performance targets and obstacles, and the technology alternatives available to reach those targets.

Microstructures in the reaction interface between molten Al and dense mullite have been studied by transmission electron microscopy to provide insight into mechanisms for forming ceramic-metal composites by reactive metal penetration. The reactions, which have the overall stoichiometry, 3Al{sub 6}Si{sub 2}O{sub 13} + (8 + x)Al {r_arrow} 13Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} + xAl + 6Si, were carried out at temperatures of 900, 1100, and 1200 C for 5 minutes and 60 minutes, and 1400 C for 15 minutes. Observed phases generally were those given in the above reaction, although their proportions and interfacial microstructure differed strongly with reaction temperature. After reaction at 900 C, a thin Al layer separated unreacted mullite from the {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al reaction products. No Si phase was found near the reaction front. After 5 minutes at 1100 C, the reaction front contained Si, {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and an aluminum oxide phase with a high concentration of Si. After 60 minutes at 1100 C many of the {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} particles were needle-shaped with a preferred orientation. After reaction at 1200 C, the reaction front contained a high density of Si particles that formed a continuous layer over many of the mullite grains. The sample reacted at 1400 C for 15 minutes had a dense {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} reaction layer less than 2 {micro}m thick. Some isolated Si particles were present between the {alpha}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer and the unreacted mullite. Using previously measured reaction kinetics data the observed temperature dependence of the interfacial microstructure have been modeled as three sequential steps, each one of which is rate-limiting in a different temperature range.

A family of uniform strain elements is presented for three-node triangular and four-node tetrahedral meshes. The elements use the linear interpolation functions of the original mesh, but each element is associated with a single node. As a result, a favorable constraint ratio for the volumetric response is obtained for problems in solid mechanics. The uniform strain elements do not require the introduction of additional degrees of freedom and their performance is shown to be significantly better than that of three-node triangular or four-node tetrahedral elements. In addition, nodes inside the boundary of the mesh are observed to exhibit superconvergent behavior for a set of example problems.

Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements were utilized to investigate deep level defects in metal-organic chemical deposition (MOCVD)-grown unintentionally doped p-type InGaAsN films lattice matched to GaAs. The as-grown material displayed a high concentration of deep levels distributed within the bandgap, with a dominant hole trap at E{sub v} + 0.10 eV. Post-growth annealing simplified the deep level spectra, enabling the identification of three distinct hole traps at 0.10 eV, 0.23 eV, and 0.48 eV above the valence band edge, with concentrations of 3.5 x 10{sup 14} cm{sup {minus}3}, 3.8 x 10{sup 14} cm{sup {minus}3}, and 8.2 x 10{sup 14} cm{sup {minus}3}, respectively. A direct comparison between the as-grown and annealed spectra revealed the presence of an additional midgap hole trap, with a concentration of 4 x 10{sup 14} cm{sup {minus}3} in the as-grown material. The concentration of this trap is sharply reduced by annealing, which correlates with improved material quality and minority carrier properties after annealing. Of the four hole traps detected, only the 0.48 eV level is not influenced by annealing, suggesting this level may be important for processed InGaAsN devices in the future.

Calculations can naturally be described as graphs in which vertices represent computation and edges reflect data dependencies. By partitioning the vertices of a graph, the calculation can be divided among processors of a parallel computer. However, the standard methodology for graph partitioning minimizes the wrong metric and lacks expressibility. We survey several recently proposed alternatives and discuss their relative merits.

It is shown how mobile H{sup +} ions can be generated thermally inside the oxide layer of Si/SiO{sub 2}/Si structures. The technique involves only standard silicon processing steps: the nonvolatile field effect transistor (NVFET) is based on a standard MOSFET with thermally grown SiO{sub 2} capped with a poly-silicon layer. The capped thermal oxide receives an anneal at {approximately}1100 C that enables the incorporation of the mobile protons into the gate oxide. The introduction of the protons is achieved by a subsequent 500-800 C anneal in a hydrogen-containing ambient, such as forming gas (N{sub 2}:H{sub 2} 95:5). The mobile protons are stable and entrapped inside the oxide layer, and unlike alkali ions, their space-charge distribution can be controlled and rapidly rearranged at room temperature by an applied electric field. Using this principle, a standard MOS transistor can be converted into a nonvolatile memory transistor that can be switched between normally on and normally off. Switching speed, retention, endurance, and radiation tolerance data are presented showing that this non-volatile memory technology can be competitive with existing Si-based non-volatile memory technologies such as the floating gate technologies (e.g. Flash memory).

A novel solution method has been developed to solve the coupled electron-photon transport problem on an unstructured triangular mesh. Instead of tackling the first-order form of the linear Boltzmann equation, this approach is based on the second-order form in conjunction with the conventional multi-group discrete-ordinates approximation. The highly forward-peaked electron scattering is modeled with a multigroup Legendre expansion derived from the Goudsmit-Saunderson theory. The finite element method is used to treat the spatial dependence. The solution method is unique in that the space-direction dependence is solved simultaneously, eliminating the need for the conventional inner iterations, a method that is well suited for massively parallel computers.

High-speed InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) for high-voltage circuit applications have been investigated. In order to obtain ideal IV characteristics, a lightly doped (N{sub DC} = 7.5 x 10{sup 15} cm{sup {minus}3}) thick (W{sub C} = 3.5 {micro}m) layer of GaAs was used as the collector layer. The devices fabricated have shown breakdown voltage exceeding 65 V. Device operated at up to a 60V bias, which is the highest operating voltage reported up to date for single heterojunction HBTs. Peak {line_integral}{sub T} and {line_integral}{sub MAX} values of 18 GHz and 29 GHz, respectively, have been achieved on a device with emitter area of 4x 12.5 {micro}m{sup 2}. Both {line_integral}{sub T} and {line_integral}{sub Max} degrades with higher bias, which is related to the elongation of the collector depletion width.

Tungsten is a candidate material for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) as well as other future magnetic fusion energy devices. Tungsten is well suited for certain fusion applications in that it has a high threshold for sputtering as well as a very high melting point. As with all materials to be used on the inside of a tokamak or similar device, there is a need to know the behavior of hydrogen isotopes embedded in the material. With this need in mind, the Tritium Plasma Experiment (TPE) has been used to examine the retention of tritium in tungsten exposed to high fluxes of 100 eV tritons. Both tungsten and tungsten containing 1% lanthanum oxide were used in these experiments. Measurements were performed over the temperature range of 423-973 K. After exposure to the tritium the samples were transferred to an outgassing system containing an ionization chamber for detection of the tritium. The samples were outgassed using linear ramps from room temperature up to 1473 K. Unlike most other materials exposed to energetic tritium, the tritium retention in tungsten reaches a maximum at intermediate with low retention at both high and low temperatures. For the very high triton fluences used (>1025 T/m2), the fractional retention of the tritium was below 0.02% of the incident particles. This report presents not only the results of the tritium retention, but also includes the modeling of the results and the implication for ITER and other future fusion devices where tungsten is used.

Abstract not provided.

MAPVAR, as was the case with its precursor programs, MERLIN and MERLIN II, is designed to transfer solution results from one finite element mesh to another. MAPVAR draws heavily from the structure and coding of MERLIN II, but it employs a new finite element data base, EXODUS II, and offers enhanced speed and new capabilities not available in MERLIN II. In keeping with the MERLIN II documentation, the computational algorithms used in MAPVAR are described. User instructions are presented. Example problems are included to demonstrate the operation of the code and the effects of various input options.

Traditionally, Ion Mobility Spectroscopy has been used to examine ions of relatively low molecular weight and high ion mobility. In recent years, however, biomolecules such as bradykinin, cytochrome c, bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (BPTI), apomyoglobin, and lysozyme, have been successfully analyzed, but studies of whole bio-organisms have not been performed. In this study an attempt was made to detect and measure the mobility of two bacteriophages, {lambda}-phage and MS2 using electrospray methods to inject the viruses into the ion mobility spectrometer. Using data from Yeh, et al., which makes a comparison between the diameter of non-biologic particles and the specific particle mobility, the particle mobility for the MS2 virus was estimated to be 10{sup {minus}2} cm{sup 2}/volt-sec. From this mobility the drift time of these particles in our spectrometer was calculated to be approximately 65 msec. The particle mobility for the {lambda}-phage virus was estimated to be 10{sup {minus}3} cm{sup 2}/volt-sec. which would result in a drift time of 0.7 sec. Spectra showing the presence of a viral peak at the expected drift time were not observed. However, changes in the reactant ion peak that could be directly attributed to the presence of the viruses were observed. Virus clustering, excessive collisions, and the electrospray injection method limited the performance of this IMS. However, we believe that an instrument specifically designed to analyze such bioagents and utilizing other injection and ionization methods will succeed in directly detecting viruses and bacteria.

A high pressure test of the steel containment vessel (SCV) model was conducted on December 11-12, 1996 at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA. The test model is a mixed-scaled model (1:10 in geometry and 1:4 in shell thickness) of an improved Mark II boiling water reactor (BWR) containment. A concentric steel contact structure (CS), installed over the SCV model and separated at a nominally uniform distance from it, provided a simplified representation of a reactor shield building in the actual plant. The SCV model and contact structure were instrumented with strain gages and displacement transducers to record the deformation behavior of the SCV model during the high pressure test. This paper summarizes the conduct and the results of the high pressure test and discusses the posttest metallurgical evaluation results on specimens removed from the SCV model.

A high pressure test of a scale model of a steel containment vessel (SCV) was conducted on December 11-12, 1996 at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA. The test model is a mixed-scaled model (1:10 in geometry and 1:4 in shell thickness) of an improved Mark II boiling water reactor (BWR) containment. This testis part of a program to investigate the response of representative models of nuclear containment structures to pressure loads beyond the design basis accident. The posttest analyses of this test focused on three areas where the pretest analysis effort did not adequately predict the model behavior during the test. These areas are the onset of global yielding, the strain concentrations around the equipment hatch and the strain concentrations that led to a small tear near a weld relief opening that was not modeled in the pretest analysis.

A high pressure test of the steel containment vessel (SCV) model was conducted on December 11-12, 1996 at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM, USA. The test model is a mixed-scaled model (1:10 in geometry and 1:4 in shell thickness) of an improved Mark II boiling water reactor (BWR) containment. Several organizations from the US, Europe, and Asia were invited to participate in a Round Robin analysis to perform independent pretest predictions and posttest evaluations of the behavior of the SCV model during the high pressure test. Both pretest and posttest analysis results from all Round Robin participants were compared to the high pressure test data. This paper summarizes the Round Robin analysis activities and discusses the lessons learned from the collective effort.

Preliminary STMBMS and SEM results of the thermal decomposition of AP in the orthorhombic phase are presented. The overall decomposition is shown to be complex and controlled by both physical and chemical processes. The data show that the physical and chemical processes can be probed and characterized utilizing SEM and STMBMS. The overall decomposition is characterized by three distinguishing features: an induction period, and accelerator period and a deceleratory period. The major decomposition event occurs in the subsurface of the AP particles and propagates towards the center of the particle with time. The amount of total decomposition is dependent upon particle size and increases from 23% for {approximately}50{micro}m-diameter AP to 33% for {approximately}200{micro}m-diameter AP. A conceptual model of the physical processes is presented. Insight into the chemical processes is provided by the gas formation rates that are measured for the gaseous products. To our knowledge, this is the first presentation of data showing that the chemical and physical decomposition processes can be identified from one another, probed and characterized at the level that is required to better understand the thermal decomposition behavior of AP. Future work is planned with the goal of obtaining data that can be used to develop a mathematical description for the thermal decomposition of o-AP.

In recent years, serious investigations of potential extension of the useful life of older caverns or of the use of abandoned caverns for waste disposal have been of interest to the technical community. All of the potential applications depend upon understanding the reamer in which older caverns and sealing systems can fail. Such an understanding will require a more detailed knowledge of the fracture of salt than has been necessary to date. Fortunately, the knowledge of the fracture and healing of salt has made significant advances in the last decade, and is in a position to yield meaningful insights to older cavern behavior. In particular, micromechanical mechanisms of fracture and the concept of a fracture mechanism map have been essential guides, as has the utilization of continuum damage mechanics. The Multimechanism Deformation Coupled Fracture (MDCF) model, which is summarized extensively in this work was developed specifically to treat both the creep and fracture of salt, and was later extended to incorporate the fracture healing process known to occur in rock salt. Fracture in salt is based on the formation and evolution of microfractures, which may take the form of wing tip cracks, either in the body or the boundary of the grain. This type of crack deforms under shear to produce a strain, and furthermore, the opening of the wing cracks produce volume strain or dilatancy. In the presence of a confining pressure, microcrack formation may be suppressed, as is often the case for triaxial compression tests or natural underground stress situations. However, if the confining pressure is insufficient to suppress fracture, then the fractures will evolve with time to give the characteristic tertiary creep response. Two first order kinetics processes, closure of cracks and healing of cracks, control the healing process. Significantly, volume strain produced by microfractures may lead to changes in the permeability of the salt, which can become a major concern in cavern sealing and operation. The MDCF model is used in three simulations of field experiments in which indirect measures were obtained of the generation of damage. The results of the simulations help to verify the model and suggest that the model captures the correct fracture behavior of rock salt. The model is used in this work to estimate the generation and location of damage around a cylindrical storage cavern. The results are interesting because stress conditions around the cylindrical cavern do not lead to large amounts of damage. Moreover, the damage is such that general failure can not readily occur, nor does the extent of the damage suggest possible increased permeation when the surrounding salt is impermeable.

This report outlines the application of finite element methodology to large deformation solid mechanics problems, detailing also some of the key technological issues that effective finite element formulations must address. The presentation is organized into three major portions: first, a discussion of finite element discretization from the global point of view, emphasizing the relationship between a virtual work principle and the associated fully discrete system, second, a discussion of finite element technology, emphasizing the important theoretical and practical features associated with an individual finite element; and third, detailed description of specific elements that enjoy widespread use, providing some examples of the theoretical ideas already described. Descriptions of problem formulation in nonlinear solid mechanics, nonlinear continuum mechanics, and constitutive modeling are given in three companion reports.

On January 14--15, 1999, Sandia National Laboratories sponsored Deans Day, a conference for the Deans of Engineering and other executive-level representatives from 29 invited universities. Through breakout sessions and a wrap-up discussion, university and Sandia participants identified activities to further develop their strategic relationships. The four primary activities are: (A) concentrate joint efforts on current and future research strengths and needs; (B) attract the best students (at all grade levels) to science and engineering; (C) promote awareness of the need for and work together to influence a national science and technology R and D policy; and (D) enable the universities and Sandia to be true allies, jointly pursuing research opportunities and funding from government agencies and industry.

Abstract not provided.

Work was performed on seven subtasks. Several of these ended before the close of the program. This report contains a summary of each subtask.

Site Screening and Technical Guidance for Monitored Natural Attenuation at DOE Sites briefly outlines the biological and geochemical origins of natural attenuation, the tendency for natural processes in soils to mitigate contaminant transport and availability, and the means for relying on monitored natural attenuation (MNA) for remediation of contaminated soils and groundwaters. This report contains a step-by-step guide for (1) screening contaminated soils and groundwaters on the basis of their potential for remediation by natural attenuation and (2) implementing MNA consistent with EPA OSWER Directive 9200.4-17. The screening and implementation procedures are set up as a web-based tool (http://www.sandia.gov/eesector/gs/gc/na/mnahome.html) to assist US Department of Energy (DOE) site environmental managers and their staff and contractors to adhere to EPA guidelines for implementing MNA. This document is intended to support the Decision Maker's Framework Guide and Monitoring Guide both to be issued from DOE EM-40. Further technical advances may cause some of the approach outlined in this document to change over time.

Wafer processing involves several heating cycles to temperatures as high as 400 C. These thermal excursions are known to cause growth of voids that limit reliability of parts cut from the wafer. A model for void growth is constructed that can simulate the effect of these thermal cycles on void growth. The model is solved for typical process steps and the kinetics and extent of void growth are determined for each. It is shown that grain size, void spacing, and conductor line width are very important in determining void and stress behavior. For small grain sizes, stress relaxation can be rapid and can lead to void shrinkage during subsequent heating cycles. The effect of rapid quenching from process temperatures is to suppress void growth but induce large remnant stress in the conductor line. This stress can provide the driving force for void growth during storage even at room temperature. For isothermal processes the model can be solved analytically and estimates of terminal void size a nd lifetime are obtained.

Secondary containment for high speed rotating machinery, such as a centrifuge, is extremely important for operating personnel safety. Containment techniques can be very costly, ungainly and time consuming to construct. A novel containment concept is introduced which is fabricated out of modular sections of polycarbonate glazed into a Unistrut metal frame. A containment study for a high speed centrifuge is performed which includes the development of parameters for secondary containment design. The Unistrut/polycarbonate shield framing concept is presented including design details and proof testing procedures. The economical fabrication and modularity of the design indicates a usefulness for this shielding system in a wide variety of containment scenarios.

Abstract not provided.

Abstract not provided.

The authors developed a general model that describes the electrical responses of thickness shear mode resonators subject to a variety of surface conditions. The model incorporates a physically diverse set of single component loadings, including rigid solids, viscoelastic media, and fluids (Newtonian or Maxwellian). The model allows any number of these components to be combined in any configuration. Such multiple loadings are representative of a variety of physical situations encountered in electrochemical and other liquid phase applications, as well as gas phase applications. In the general case, the response of the composite load is not a linear combination of the individual component responses. The authors discuss application of the model in a qualitative diagnostic fashion to gain insight into the nature of the interfacial structure, and in a quantitative fashion to extract appropriate physical parameters such as liquid viscosity and density, and polymer shear moduli.

Layered semicrystalline silico-alumino-titanate (Si-Al-Ti) mixed oxides were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method with hydrothermal synthesis temperatures less than 200 C and autogenic pressure. The solid products are semicrystalline materials with a surface area of 136-367 m{sup 2}/g and a monomodal pore size distribution with an average pore diameter of 3.6-4.7 nrn. The catalytic activity for pyrene hydrogenation in a batch reactor at 300 C and 500 psig was determined for sulfided Ni-Mo supported on the Si-Al-Ti mixed oxide. The activity was a function of the support composition the heat treatment before and after loading the active metals, the addition of organic templates, and different methods of metal loading. The most active sulfided Ni-Mo/Si-Al-Ti catalyst has an activity in the same range as the commercial catalyst, Shell 324, but the metal loading is 37% less than the commercial catalyst.

HATS is a general purpose syntax derivation tree based transformation system in which transformation sequences are described in special purpose language. A powerful feature of this language is that unification is an explicit operation. By making unification explicit, an elegant framework arises in which to express complex application conditions which in turn enables refined control strategies to be realized. This paper gives an overview of HATS, focusing especially on the framework provided by the transformation language and its potential with respect to control and general purpose transformation.

The following software packages for uncertainty, sensitivity, and decision analysis were reviewed and also tested with several simple analysis problems: Crystal Ball, RiskQ, SUSA-PC, Analytica, PRISM, Ithink, Stella, LHS, STEPWISE, and JMP. Results from the review and test problems are presented. The study resulted in the recognition of the importance of four considerations in the selection of a software package: (1) the availability of an appropriate selection of distributions, (2) the ease with which data flows through the input sampling, model evaluation, and output analysis process, (3) the type of models that can be incorporated into the analysis process, and (4) the level of confidence in the software modeling and results.

Density-functional calculations for a wide variety of metals show that, contrary to the rebonding view of adsorbate bonding, addimers do not have notably longer surface bonds than adatoms, do not reside farther above the surface, and do not meet the rebonding arguments for augmented mobility. Rebonding concepts are found to have some utility in explaining addimer stability.

The compound semiconductor system InGaAsN exhibits many intriguing properties which are particularly useful for the development of innovative high efficiency thin film solar cells and long wavelength lasers. The bandgap in these semiconductors can be varied by controlling the content of N and In and the thin films can yet be lattice-matched to GaAs. In the present work, x-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and grazing incidence x-ray scattering (GIXS) techniques have been employed to probe the local environment surrounding both N and In atoms as well as the interface morphology of InGaAsN thin films epitaxially grown on GaAs. The soft x-ray XAFS results around nitrogen K-edge reveal that N is in the sp{sup 3} hybridized bonding configuration in InGaAsN and GaAsN, suggesting that N impurities most likely substitute for As sites in these two compounds. The results of In K-edge XAFS suggest a possible trend of a slightly larger coordination number of As nearest neighbors around In atoms in InGaAsN samples with a narrower bandgap whereas the In-As interatomic distance remains practically the same as in InAs within the experimental uncertainties. These results combined suggest that N-substitution of the As sites plays an important role of bandgap-narrowing while in the meantime counteracting the compressive strain caused by In-doping. Grazing incidence x-ray scattering (GIXS) experiments verify that InGaAsN thin films can indeed form very smooth interfaces with GaAs yielding an average interfacial roughness of 5-20{angstrom}.

An implicit Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm is implemented to solve the time-dependent Schroedinger equation with application to charge-exchange collisions. Cross sections are calculated for He{sup 2} on H and compared with experiment and other theoretical results. A disagreement between previously published theoretical results is resolved.

Random vibration is the phenomenon wherein random excitation applied to a mechanical system induces random response. We summarize the state of the art in random vibration analysis and testing, commenting on history, linear and nonlinear analysis, the analysis of large-scale systems, and probabilistic structural testing.

This study models the incremental radiological risk of transporting NARM to the Hanford commercial LLW facility, both for incident-free transportation and for possible transportation accidents, compared with the radiological risk of transporting LLW to that facility. Transportation routes are modeled using HIGHWAY 3.1 and risks are modeled using RADTRAN 4. Both annual population doses and risks, and annual average individual doses and risks are reported. Three routes to the Hanford site were modeled from Albany, OR, from Coeur d'Alene, ID (called the Spokane route), and from Seattle, WA. Conservative estimates are used in the RADTRAN inputs, and RADTRAN itself is conservative.

A parametric analysis is presented which summarizes the amount of total ({gamma}/NbC + {gamma}/Laves) and individual {gamma}/NbC and {gamma}/Laves constituents which form during solidification of {gamma}{sub (Fe,Ni,Cr)} alloys with variations in nominal Nb and C contents. Calculated results are presented for Fe base alloys and Ni base alloys. The results provide a quantitative rationale for understanding the relation between alloy composition and solidification microstructures and should provide useful insight into commercial alloys of similar composition.

There are two sources of contamination in solder alloys. The first source is trace elements from the primary metals used in the as-manufactured product, be that product in ingot, wire, or powder form. Their levels in the primary metal are determined by the refining process. While some of these trace elements are naturally occurring materials, additional contamination can result from the refining and/or forming processes. Sources include: furnace pot liners, debris on the cutting edges of shears, rolling mill rollers, etc. The types and levels of contaminants per solder alloy are set by recognized industrial, federal, military, and international specifications. For example, the 63Sn-37Pb solder purchased to the ASTM B 32 standard can have maximum levels of contamination for the following metals: 0.08(wt.)%Cu, 0.001 %Cd, 0.005%Al, 0.25%Bi, 0.03%As, 0.02%Fe, and 0.005 %Zn. A second cause of contamination in solders, and solder baths in particular, is their actual use in soldering operations. Each time a workpiece is introduced into the bath, some dissolution of the joint base metal(s), protective or solderable coatings, and fixture metal takes place which adds to contamination levels in the solder. The potential impurities include Cu; Ni; Au or other noble metals used as protective finishes and Al; Fe; and Zn to name a few. Even dissolution of the pot wall or liner is a source of impurities, typically Fe.

This paper details the application of a standard physical security system design process to a US Border Port of Entry (PoE) for vehicle entry/exit. The physical security design methodology is described as well as the physical security similarities to facilities currently at a US Border PoE for vehicles. The physical security design process description includes the various elements that make up the methodologies well as the considerations that must be taken into account when dealing with system integration of those elements. The distinctions between preventing unlawful entry/exit of illegal contraband and personnel are described. The potential to enhance the functions of drug/contraband detection in the Pre-Primary Inspection area through the application of emerging technologies are also addressed.

We consider the problem of planning shortest paths for a tethered robot with a finite length tether in a 2D environment with polygonal obstacles. We present an algorithm that runs in time O((k{sub 1} + 1){sup 2}n{sup 4}) and finds the shortest path or correctly determines that none exists that obeys the constraints; here n is the number obstacle vertices, and k{sub 1} is the number loops in the initial configuration of the tether. The robot may cross its tether but nothing can cross obstacles, which cause the tether to bend. The algorithm applies as well for planning a shortest path for the free end of an anchored cable.

The authors have developed a new type of heat spreader based on the integration of heat pipes directly within a thin planar structure suitable for use as a heat spreader or as the base layer in a substrate. The process uses micromachining methods to produce micron scale patterns that act as a wick in these small scale heat pipes. By using silicon or a low expansion metal as the wall material of these spreaders, they achieve a good match to the thermal coefficient of expansion of the die. The match allows the use of a thin high performance die attachment even on large size die. The embedded heat pipes result in high effective thermal conductivity for the new spreader technology.

Sampling during environmental drilling is essential to fully characterize the spatial distribution and migration of near surface contaminants. However, analysis of the samples is expensive and time-consuming: off-site laboratory analysis can take weeks or months. An alternative screening technology, Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling (EMWD), could save money and valuable time by quickly distinguishing between contaminated and uncontaminated areas. Real time measurements provided by an EMWD system enable on-the-spot decisions to be made regarding sampling strategies. The system also enhances worker safety and provides the added flexibility of being able to steer a drill bit in or out of hazardous zones.

Sampling during environmental drilling is essential to fully characterize the spatial distribution and migration of subsurface contaminants. However, analysis of the samples is expensive and time-consuming: off-site laboratory analysis can take weeks or months. Real-time information on environmental conditions, drill bit location and temperature during drilling is valuable in many environmental restoration operations. This type of information can be used to provide field screening data and improved efficiency of site characterization activities. The Environmental Measurement-While-Drilling (EMWD) System represents an innovative blending of new and existing technology in order to obtain real-time data during drilling. The system consists of two subsystems. The down-hole subsystem (at the drill bit) consists of sensors, a power supply, a signal conditioning and transmitter board, and a radio-frequency (RF) coaxial cable. The up-hole subsystem consists of a battery pack/coil, pickup coil, receiver, and personal computer. The system is compatible with fluid miser drill pipe, a directional drilling technique that uses minimal drilling fluids and generates little to no secondary waste. In EMWD, downhole sensors are located behind the drill bit and linked by a high-speed data transmission system to a computer at the surface. Sandia-developed Windows{trademark}-based software is used for data display and storage. As drilling is conducted, data is collected on the nature and extent of contamination, enabling on-the-spot decisions regarding drilling and sampling strategies. Initially, the downhole sensor consisted of a simple gamma radiation detector, a Geiger-Mueller tube (GMT). The design includes data assurance techniques to increase safety by reducing the probability of giving a safe indication when an unsafe condition exists. The EMWD system has been improved by the integration of a Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) in place of the GMT. The GRS consists of a sodium iodide-thallium activated crystal coupled to a photomultiplier tube (PMT). The output of the PMT goes to a multichannel analyzer (MCA).The MCA data is transmitted to the surface via a signal conditioning and transmitter board similar to that used with the GMT. The EMWD system is described and the results of the GRS field tests and field demonstration are presented.

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 demonstration of the EMWD-GRS was a complete success. The results show general agreement between the soil sampling and EMWD-GRS techniques for CS-137. It was recognized that the EMWD-GRS tool would better satisfy our customers' needs if the instrument location could be continuously monitored. During the demonstration at SRS, an electromagnetic beacon with a walkover monitor (Subsite{reg_sign}) was used to measure bit location at depth. To use a beacon locator drilling must be stopped, thus it is normally only used when a new section of pipe was added. The location of contamination could only be estimated based on the position of the EMED-GRS package and the distance between locator beacon readings. A continuous location system that would allow us to know the location of each spectrum as it is obtained is needed.

The iterative advanced mean value algorithm (AMV+), introduced nearly ten years ago, is now widely used as a cost-effective probabilistic structural analysis tool when the use of sampling methods is cost prohibitive (Wu et al., 1990). The need to establish confidence bounds on calculated probabilities arises because of the presence of uncertainties in measured means and variances of input random variables. In this paper an algorithm is proposed that makes use of the AMV+ procedure and analytically derived probability sensitivities to determine confidence bounds on calculated probabilities.

Several ultrasonic inspection methods were developed at the Federal Aviation Administration's Airworthiness Assurance NDI Validation Center (AANC) to easily and rapidly detect hidden stress corrosion cracks in all vertical windshield posts on the US Coast Guard (USCG) HU-25 Guardian aircraft. The inspection procedure locates cracks as small as 2.0 millimeters emanating from internal fastener holes and determines their length. A test procedure was developed and a baseline assessment of the USCG fleet was conducted. Inspection results on twenty-five aircraft revealed a good correlation with results made during subsequent structural disassembly and visual inspection.

As III-V nitride device structures become more complicated and design rules shrink, well-controlled etch processes are necessary. Due to limited wet chemical etch results for the group-III nitrides, a significant amount of effort has been devoted to the development of dry etch processing. Dry etch development was initially focused on mesa structures where high etch rates, anisotropic profiles, smooth sidewalls, and equi-rate etching of dissimilar materials were required. For example, commercially available LEDs and laser facets for GaN-based laser diodes have been patterned using reactive ion etching (RIE). With the recent interest in high power, high temperature electronic devices, etch characteristics may also require smooth surface morphology, low plasma-induced damage, and selective etching of one layer over another. The principal criteria for any plasma etch process is its utility in the fabrication of a device. In this study, we will report plasma etch results for the group-III nitrides and their application to device structures.

The experimentally determined creep responses of a number of domal salts have been reported in, the literature. Some of these creep results were obtained using standard (conventional) creep tests. However, more typically, the creep data have come from multistage creep tests, where the number of specimens available for testing was small. An incremental test uses abrupt changes in stress and temperature to produce several time increments (stages) of different creep conditions. Clearly, the ability to analyze these limited data and to correlate them with each other could be of considerable potential value in establishing the mechanical characteristics of salt domes, both generally and specifically. In any analysis, it is necessary to have a framework of rules to provide consistency. The basis for the framework is the Multimechanism-Deformation (M-D) constitutive model. This model utilizes considerable general knowledge of material creep deformation to supplement specific knowledge of the material response of salt. Because the creep of salt is controlled by just a few micromechanical mechanisms, regardless of the origin of the salt, certain of the material parameters are values that can be considered universal to salt. Actual data analysis utilizes the methodology developed for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) program, and the response of a bedded pure WIPP salt as the baseline for comparison of the domal salts. Creep data from Weeks Island, Bryan Mound, West Hackberry, Bayou Choctaw, and Big Hill salt domes, which are all sites of Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) storage caverns, were analyzed, as were data from the Avery Island, Moss Bluff, and Jennings salt domes. The analysis permits the parameter value sets for the domal salts to be determined in terms of the M-D model with various degrees of completeness. In turn this permits detailed numerical calculations simulating cavern response. Where the set is incomplete because of the sparse database, reasonable assumptions permit the set to be completed. From the analysis, two distinct response groups were evident, with the salts of one group measurably more creep resistant than the other group. Interestingly, these groups correspond well with the indirectly determined creep closure of the SPR storage caverns, a correlation that probably should be expected. Certainly, the results suggest a simple laboratory determination of the creep characteristics of a salt material from a dome site can indicate the relative behavior of any potential cavern placed within that dome.

Three-dimensional imaging techniques, numerical methods for simulating flow and transport, and emergent computational architectures are combined to enable fundamental studies of fluid flow at the pore scale. High resolution reconstructions of porous media obtained using laser scanning confocal microscopy reduce sampling artifacts to sub-micron features, and simultaneously capture multiple grain length scales. However, the volumetric image data sets are extremely large, and there are significant computational challenges in utilizing this information effectively. The principal problem lies in the complexity of the geometry and the retention of this structure in numerical analyses. Lattice Boltzmann (LB) methods provide a direct means to simulate transport processes in complex geometric domains due to the unique ability to treat accurately and efficiently the multitude of discrete boundary conditions. LB methods are numerically explicit as formulated, and this characteristic is exploited through a mapping of the numerical domain to distributed computing architectures. These techniques are applied to perform single phase flow simulations in 3D data sets obtained from cores of Berea sandstone using confocal microscopy. Simulations are performed using both a purpose-built distributed processor computer and a massively parallel processer (MPP) platform.

The authors designed and conducted experiments in a heterogeneous sand pack where gravity-destabilized nonwetting phase invasion (CO{sub 2} and TCE) could be recorded using high resolution light transmission methods. The heterogeneity structure was designed to be reminiscent of fluvial channel lag cut-and-fill architecture and contain a series of capillary barriers. As invasion progressed, nonwetting phase structure developed a series of fingers and pools; behind the growing front they found nonwetting phase saturation to pulsate in certain regions when viscous forces were low. Through a scale analysis, they derive a series of length scales that describe finger diameter, pool height and width, and regions where pulsation occurs within a heterogeneous porous medium. In all cases, they find that the intrinsic pore scale nature of the invasion process and resulting structure must be incorporated into the analysis to explain experimental results. The authors propose a simple macro-scale structural growth model that assembles length scales for sub-structures to delineate nonwetting phase migration from a source into a heterogeneous domain. For such a model applied at the field scale for DNAPL migration, they expect capillary and gravity forces within the complex subsurface lithology to play the primary roles with viscous forces forming a perturbation on the inviscid phase structure.

Laser-induced damage mechanisms that can occur during high-intensity fiber transmission have been under study for a number of years. Our particular interest in laser initiation of explosives has led us to examine damage processes associated with the transmission of Q-switched, Nd:YAG pulses at 1.06 {micro}m through step-index, multimode, fused silica fiber. Laser breakdown at the fiber entrance face is often the first process to limit fiber transmission but catastrophic damage can also occur at either fiber end face, within the initial entry segment of the fiber, and at other internal sites along the fiber path. Past studies have examined how these various damage mechanisms depend upon fiber end-face preparation, fiber fixturing and routing, laser characteristics, and laser-to-fiber injection optics. In some applications of interest, however, a fiber transmission system may spend years in storage before it is used. Consequently, an important additional issue for these applications is whether or not there are aging processes that can result in lower damage thresholds over time. Fiber end-face contamination would certainly lower breakdown and damage thresholds at these surfaces, but careful design of hermetic seals in connectors and other end-face fixtures can minimize this possibility. A more subtle possibility would be a process for the slow growth of internal defects that could lead to lower thresholds for internal damage. In the current study, two approaches to stimulating the growth of internal defects were used in an attempt to produce observable changes in internal damage thresholds. In the first approach test fibers were subjected to a very high tensile stress for a time sufficient for some fraction to fail from static fatigue. In the second approach, test fibers were subjected to a combination of high tensile stress and large, cyclic temperature variations. Both of these approaches were rather arbitrary due to the lack of an established growth mechanism for internal defects. Damage characteristics obtained from fibers subjected to each of these aging environments were compared to results from fresh fibers tested under identical conditions. A surprising result was that internal damage was not observed in any of the tested fibers. Only breakdown at the fiber entrance face and catastrophic damage at both end faces were observed. Fiber end faces were not sealed during the accelerated aging environments, and thresholds at these faces were significantly lower in the aged fibers. However, most fibers transmitted relatively high pulse energies before damaging, and a large fraction never damaged before we reached the limits of our test laser. The absence of any observable affect on internal damage thresholds is encouraging, but the current results do not rule out the possibility that some other approach to accelerated aging could reveal a growth mechanism for internal defects.

The time-dependence of the wet oxidation of high-Al-content AlGaAs can be either linear, indicating reaction-rate limitation, or parabolic, indicating diffusion-limited rates. The transition from linear to parabolic time dependence can be explained by the increased rate of the formation of intermediate As{sub 2}O{sub 3} vs. its reduction to elemental As. A steadily increasing thickness of the As{sub 2}O{sub 3}-containing region at the oxidation front will shift the process from the linear to the parabolic regime. This shift from reaction-rate-limited (linear) to diffusion-limited (parabolic) time dependence is favored by increasing temperature or increasing Al mole fraction.

The work functions of polycrystalline metals are often used to systematize Schottky barrier height data for rectifying contacts to semiconductors. Rectifying contacts to silicon devices are predominantly formed using conductive metal silicides with work functions which are not as well characterized as metal work functions. The present work has two objectives. First, it classifies the transition metals using correlations between the metal work function and the atomic chemical potential. Second, the available data for metal silicides is collected and interpreted using an average charge transfer (ACT) model. The ACT model accounts for the electronic hardness of the component elements in addition to their chemical potentials. New trends in the behavior of silicide work functions are identified.

We discuss the role of localized high electric fields in the modification of Au surfaces with a W probe using the Interfacial Force Microscope. Upon bringing a probe close to a Au surface, we measure both the interfacial force and the field emission current as a function of separation with a constant potential of 100 V between tip and sample. The current initially increases exponentially as the separation decreases. However, at a distance of less than {approximately} 500{angstrom} the current rises sharply as the surface begins to distort and rapidly close the gap. Retraction of the tip before contact is made reveals the formation of a mound on the surface. We propose a simple model, in which the localized high electric field under the tip assists the production of mobile Au adatoms by detachment from surface steps, and a radial field gradient causes a net flux of atoms toward the tip by surface diffusion. These processes give rise to an unstable surface deformation which, if left unchecked, results in a destructive mechanical contact. We discuss our findings with respect to earlier work using voltage pulses in the STM as a means of nanofabrication.

The self-diffusion of Ca and the tracer diffusion of Mg in calcite have been experimentally measured using isotopic tracers of {sup 25}Mg and {sup 44}Ca. Natural single crystals of calcite were coated with a thermally-sputtered oxide thin film and then annealed in a CO{sub 2} gas at one atmosphere total pressure and temperatures from 550 to 800 C. Diffusion coefficient values were derived from the depth profiles obtained by ion microprobe analysis. The resultant activation energies for Mg tracer diffusion and Ca self-diffusion are respectively: E{sub a}(Mg) = 284 {+-} 74 kJ/mol and E{sub a}(Ca) = 271 {+-} 80 kJ/mol. For the temperature ranges in these experiments, the diffusion of Mg is faster than Ca. The results are generally consistent in magnitude with divalent cation diffusion rates obtained in previous studies and provide a means of interpreting the thermal histories of carbonate minerals, the mechanism of dolomitization, and other diffusion-controlled processes. The results indicate that cation diffusion in calcite is relatively slow and cations are the rate-limiting diffusing species for the deformation of calcite and carbonate rocks. Application of the calcite-dolomite geothermometer to metamorphic assemblages will be constrained by cation diffusion and cooling rates. The direct measurement of Mg tracer diffusion in calcite indicates that dolomitization is unlikely to be accomplished by Mg diffusion in the solid state but by a recrystallization process.

Calorimetric studies by Chai and Navrotsky (1996) on dolomite-ankerite energetic have been extended by including two additional types of samples: a very disordered stoichiometric MgCa(CO{sub 3}){sub 2} prepared from low temperature aqueous solution and three largely ordered natural samples of intermediate iron content. Combining these data with previous work, three distinct trends of energetic can be seen: those for samples with nearly complete order, nearly complete disorder, and intermediate order. From these trends, the enthalpy of complete disordering is estimated to be 33 {+-} 6 kJ/mol for MgCa(CO{sub 3}){sub 2} and 18 {+-} 5 kJ/mol for FeCa(CO{sub 3}){sub 2}.

Evolutionary pattern search algorithms (EPSAs) are a class of evolutionary algorithms (EAs) that have convergence guarantees on a broad class of nonconvex continuous problems. In previous work we have analyzed the empirical performance of EPSAs. This paper revisits that analysis and extends it to a more general model of mutation. We experimentally evaluate how the choice of the set of mutation offsets affects optimization performance for EPSAs. Additionally, we compare EPSAs to self-adaptive EAs with respect to robustness and rate of optimization. All experiments employ a suite of test functions representing a range of modality and number of multiple minima.

Evolutionary programs (EPs) and evolutionary pattern search algorithms (EPSAS) are two general classes of evolutionary methods for optimizing on continuous domains. The relative performance of these methods has been evaluated on standard global optimization test functions, and these results suggest that EPSAs more robustly converge to near-optimal solutions than EPs. In this paper we evaluate the relative performance of EPSAs and EPs on a real-world application: flexible ligand binding in the Autodock docking software. We compare the performance of these methods on a suite of docking test problems. Our results confirm that EPSAs and EPs have comparable performance, and they suggest that EPSAs may be more robust on larger, more complex problems.

As part of a pollution prevention program, a study was conducted at Sandia National Laboratories and at the Amarillo, ''Pantex Plant'' to identify a suitable replacement solvent(s) for cleaning hardware during routine maintenance operations. Current cleaning is performed using solvents (e.g. acetone, toluene, MEK, alcohols) that are classified as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCW) materials. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has assigned four characteristics as the criteria for determining whether a material is identified as hazardous under RCRA: Ignitability, Corrosivity, Reactivity and Toxicity. Within the DOE and DoD sector, these solvents are used with hand wipes to clean surfaces prior to O-ring replacement, to remove decals for new labeling, to clean painted surfaces prior to reconditioning, and for other general maintenance purposes. In some cases, low level radioactive contamination during cleaning necessitates that the RCIL4 solvent-containing wipes be classified as mixed waste. To avoid using RCRA materials, cleaning candidates were sought that had a flashpoint greater than 140 F, a pH between 2.5 and 12.5, and did not fail the reactivity and toxicity criteria. Three brominated cleaners, two hydrofluoroether azeotropes and two aliphatic hydrocarbon cleaner formulations were studied as potential replacements. Cleaning efficacy, materials compatibility, corrosion and accelerated aging studies were conducted and used to screen potential candidates. Hypersolve NPB (an n-propyl bromide based formulation) consistently ranked high in removing typical contaminants for weapons applications.

Deep and shallow electron traps form in irradiated thermal SiO{sub 2} as a natural response to hole transport and trapping. The density and stability of these defects are discussed, as are their implications for total-dose modeling.

Techniques for modeling oil well sand production have been developed using the formulations for superquadric discrete elements and Darcy fluid flow. Discrete element models are generated using the new technique of particle cloning. Discrete element sources and sinks allow simulation of sand production from the initial state through the transition to an equilibrium state where particles are created and removed at the same rate.

This paper provides a summary introduction to the emerging area of Architectural Surety{trademark} applications for buildings and infrastructures that are subjected to dynamic loads from blast and naturally occurring events. This technology area has been under investigation to assist with the definition of risks associated with dynamic loads and to provide guidance for determining the required upgrading and retrofitting techniques suggested for reducing building and infrastructure vulnerabilities to such dynamic forces. This unique approach involves the application of risk management techniques for solving problems of the as-built environment through the application of security, safety, and reliability principles developed in the nuclear weapons programs of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and through the protective structures programs of the German Ministry of Defense (MOD). The changing responsibilities of engineering design professionals are addressed in light of the increased public awareness of structural and facility systems' vulnerabilities to malevolent, normal, and abnormal environment conditions. Brief discussions are also presented on (1) the need to understand how dynamic pressures are affected by the structural failures they cause, (2) the need to determine cladding effects on columns, walls, and slabs, and (3) the need to establish effective standoff distance for perimeter barriers. A summary description is presented of selected technologies to upgrade and retrofit buildings by using high-strength concrete and energy-absorbing materials and by specifying appropriately designed window glazing and special masonry wall configurations and composites. The technologies, material performance, and design evaluation procedures presented include super-computational modeling and structural simulations, window glass fragmentation modeling, risk assessment procedures, instrumentation and health monitoring systems, three-dimensional CAD virtual reality visualization techniques, and material testing data.

{sup 6}Li and {sup 7}Li solid state magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been used to investigate the local coordination environment of lithium in a series of xLi{sub 2}O {center_dot} (1-x)P{sub 2}O{sub 5} glasses, where 0.05 {le} x {le} 0.55. Both the {sup 6}Li and {sup 7}Li show chemical shift variations with changes in the Li{sub 2}O concentration, but the observed {sup 6}Li NMR chemical shifts closely approximate the true isotropic chemical shift and can provide a measure of the lithium bonding environment. The {sup 6}Li NMR results indicate that in this series of lithium phosphate glasses the Li atoms have an average coordination between four and five. The results for the metaphosphate glass agree with the coordination number and range of chemical shifts observed for crystalline LiPO{sub 3}. An increase in the {sup 6}Li NMR chemical shift with increasing Li{sub 2}O content was observed for the entire concentration range investigated, correlating with increased cross-linking of the phosphate tetrahedral network by O-Li-O bridges. The {sup 6}Li chemical shifts were also observed to vary monotonically through the anomalous glass transition temperature (T{sub g}) minimum. This continuous chemical shift variation shows that abrupt changes in the Li coordination environment do not occur as the Li{sub 2}O concentration is increased, and such abrupt changes can not be used to explain the T{sub g} minimum.

Evolutionary algorithms have been successfully applied to a variety of molecular structure prediction problems. In this paper we reconsider the design of genetic algorithms that have been applied to a simple protein structure prediction problem. Our analysis considers the impact of several algorithmic factors for this problem: the confirmational representation, the energy formulation and the way in which infeasible conformations are penalized, Further we empirically evaluated the impact of these factors on a small set of polymer sequences. Our analysis leads to specific recommendations for both GAs as well as other heuristic methods for solving PSP on the HP model.

Abstract not provided.

A partially-depleted SOI transistor structure has been designed that does not require the use of specially-processed hardened buried oxides for total-dose hardness and maintains the intrinsic SEU and dose rate hardness advantages of SOI technology.

We conducted depth of penetration experiments with 7.11-mm-diameter, 74.7-mm-long, spherical-nose, 4340 steel projectiles launched into 250-mm-diameter, 6061-T6511 aluminum targets. To show the effect of projectile strength, we used projectiles that had average Rockwell harnesses of R{sub c} = 36.6, 39.5, and 46.2. A powder gun and two-stage, light-gas guns launched the 0.023 kg projectiles at striking velocities between 0.5 and 3.0 km/s. Post-test radiographs of the targets showed three response regions as striking velocities increased: (1) the projectiles remained visibly undeformed, (2) the projectiles permanently deformed without erosion, and (3) the projectiles eroded and lost mass. To show the effect of projectile strength, we compared depth-of-penetration data as a function of striking velocity for spherical-nose rods with three Rockwell harnesses at striking velocities ranging from 0.5 to 3.0 km/s. To show the effect of nose shape, we compared penetration data for the spherical-nose projectiles with previously published data for ogive-nose projectiles.

The depolymerization of organosolv-derived lignins by bases in methanol or ethanol solvent was studied in rapidly heated batch microreactors. The conversion of lignin to ether solubles by KOH in methanol or ethanol was rapid at 290 "C, reaching the maximum value within 10-15 minutes. An excess of base relative to Lignin monomer units was required for maximum conversion. Strong bases (KOH, NaOH, CSOH) convert more of the lignin to ether soluble material than do weaker bases LiOH, Ca(OH)2, and NacCO2). Ethanol and methanol are converted to acetic and formic acid respectively under the reaction conditions with an activation energy of approximately 50 kcal/mol. This results in a loss of solvent, but more importantly neutralizes the base catalyst, halting forward progress of the reaction.

Continuing education is a critical issue in the workplace. Rapid change, the emergence of new technology, and the lack of trained individuals make continuing education an imperative for employers. The desire for individual growth and marketability make it an imperative for the employee also. While there are many options for continuing education, an increasingly popular vehicle is the short course. Time, cost efficiency and instruction by those experienced in real industrial practice are key factors in the success of this educational format. Over the past couple of decades, short course offerings and the number and type of sponsoring organizations have grown significantly. Within the scientific community, courses in basic disciplines (e.g., materials characterization), emergent technologies (e.g., Micro-Electro- Mechanical Systems), equipment operation (e.g., electron microscopes) and even business practices (e.g., ES&H, proposal writing) have emerged and are taught by universities, technical societies and equipment manufacturers. Short course offerings and formats are evolving. Presently, it is possible to find series of courses which define specific curricula. These curricula set the stage for new developments in the future, including increased certification and licensing (e.g., technologists). Along with such certifications will come the need for accreditation. Who will offer such programs, and especially, who will accredit them are significant questions. Perhaps the most dramatic changes will occur with the integration of advanced information technology. While satellite-based remote offerings are available, the use of the web for educating a dispersed group is just beginning to emerge. In its simplest forms, this offers little advantage over a video or a real-time satellite course, but the eventual emergence of tele-operation of experimental equipment will revolutionize remote teaching.

The asymptotically singular stress state found at the tip of a rigid, square inclusion embedded within a thin, linear elastic disk has been determined for both uniform cooling and an externally applied pressure. Since these loadings we symmetric, the singular stress field is characterized by a single stress intensity factor, and the applicable calibration relationship has been determined for both fully bonded and unbended inclusions. A lack of interfacial bonding has a profound effect on inclusion-tip stress fields. A large radial compressive stress is generated in front of the inclusion tip when the inclusion is well bonded, whereas a large tensile hoop stress is generated when the inclusion is unbended, and frictionless sliding is allowed. Consequently, an epoxy disk containing an unbended inclusion appears more likely to crack when cooled than a disk containing a fully bonded inclusion. Elastic-plastic calculations show that when the inclusion is unbended, encapsulant yielding has a significant effect on the inclusion-tip stress state. Yielding relieves stress parallel to the interface and greatly reduces the radial compressive stress in front of the inclusion. As a result, the encapsulant is subjected to a nearly uniaxial tensile stress at the inclusion tip. For a typical high-strength epoxy, the calculated yield zone is embedded within the region dominated by the elastic hoop stress singularity. A limited number of tests have been carried out to determine if encapsulant cracking can be induced by cooling a specimen fabricated by molding a square, steel insert within a thin, epoxy disk. Test results are in qualitative agreement with analysis. Cracks developed only in disks with mold-released inserts, and the tendency for cracking increased with inclusion size.

High wire number, 25-mm diameter tungsten wire arrays have been imploded on the 8-MA Saturn generator, operating in a long-pulse mode. By varying the mass load from 710 to 6140 ps/cm, implosion times of 130 to 250 ns have been obtained with implosion velocities of 50 to 25 cn-dys, respectively. These z-pinch implosions produced plasmas with millimeter diameters that radiated 600 to 800 kJ of x-rays, with powers of 20 to 49 TW; the corresponding pulse widths were 19 to 7.5 ns, with risetimes ranging from 6.5 to 4.0 ns. These powers and pulse widths are similar to those achieved with 50 ns implosion times on Saturn. Two-dimensional, radiation- magnetohydrodynamic calculations indicate that the imploding shells in these long implosion time experiments are comparable in width to those in the short pulse cases. This can only be due to lower initial perturbations. A heuristic wire array model suggests that the reduced perturbations, in the long pulse cases, may be due to the individual wire merger occurring well before the acceleration of the shell. The experiments and modeling suggest that 150 to 200 ns implosion time z-pinches could be employed for high-power, x-ray source applications.

Computational models have the potential of being used to make credible predictions in place of physical testing in many contexts, but success and acceptance require a convincing model validation. In general, model validation is understood to be a comparison of model predictions to experimental results but there appears to be no standard framework for conducting this comparison. This paper gives a statistical framework for the problem of model validation that is quite analogous to calibration, with the basic goal being to design and analyze a set of experiments to obtain information pertaining to the `limits of error' that can be associated with model predictions. Implementation, though, in the context of complex, high-dimensioned models, poses a considerable challenge for the development of appropriate statistical methods and for the interaction of statisticians with model developers and experimentalists. The proposed framework provides a vehicle for communication between modelers, experimentalists, and the analysts and decision-makers who must rely on model predictions.

The U. S. Department of Energy plans to dispose of transuranic wastes at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), a geologic repository located at a depth of about 655 meters. The WIPP underground facility is located in the bedded salt of the Salado Formation. Access to the facility is provided through vertical shafts, which will be sealed after decommissioning to limit the release of hazardous waste from the repository and to limit flow into the facility. Because limited data are available to characterize the properties of dynamically compacted crushed salt, Sandia National Laboratories authorized RE/SPEC to perform additional tests on specimens of dynamically compacted crushed salt. These included shear consolidation creep, permeability, and constant strain-rate triaxial compression tests. A limited number of samples obtained from the large compacted mass were available for use in the testing program. Thus, additional tests were performed on samples that were prepared on a smaller scale device in the RE/SPEC laboratory using a dynamic-compaction procedure based on the full-scale construction technique. The laboratory results were expected to (1) illuminate the phenomenology of crushed-salt deformation behavior and (2) add test results to a small preexisting database for purposes of estimating parameters in a crushed-salt constitutive model. The candidate constitutive model for dynamically compacted crushed salt was refined in parallel with this laboratory testing.

This paper describes three experiments whose purpose is to determine the amount of retained oil on massive salt surfaces and in crushed salt in the presence of water and brine. These experiments have application to the decommissioning process for the Weeks Island mine. In the first experiment, oil-coated salt cores were immersed in either fresh water or in 85% brine. In the case of both fluids, the oil was completely removed from the cores within several hours. In the second experiment, oil-coated salt pieces were suspended in air and the oil was allowed to drain. The weight of retained oil clinging to the salt was determined. This experiment was used to estimate the total amount of oil clinging to the roofs of the mine. The total amount of oil clinging to the roofs of the mine is estimated to be between 240 and 400 m3 (1500 and 2500 BBL). In the third experiment, a pan of oil-soaked crushed salt was immersed in 85% brine, and oil removal from the salt was monitored as a function of time. At the start of the experiment, prior to immersion, 16% of the bulk volume of the crushed salt was determined to be interstitial oil. After the pan of crushed salt was immersed in 85% brine, 80% of the oil, which had been in the interstitial spaces of the crushed salt, immediately floated to the surface of the brine. This oil was not bound and was immediately released. During the next 380 hours, oil continued to separate from the salt and the rate of transfer was governed by a mass-transfer rate limitation.

Charge-state calculations based on density-functional theory are used to study the formation energy of hydrogen in wurtzite and zinc-blende GaN as a function of Fermi level Comparison of these results reveals notable differences including a 0.56 eV lower formation energy for H2 in wurtzite, and different configurations for H2 and H- in the two crystal structures. Furthermore, H+ is found to be equally stable at bond-centered and anti-bonding sites in wurtzite, whereas it is unstable at a bond-centered site in zinc blende. These differences are due to distinct features of the two crystal structures including: the lower symmetry of wurtzite which provides a wider selection of bonding sites for H+, and the existence of extended three-fold symmetric channels oriented along the c-axis in wurtzite which provide more favorable bonding configurations for H2 and H-.N-H+ stretch-mode vibration frequencies, clustering of ?3+ in p-type material, and diffusion barriers for H" are also investigated in wurtzite GaN. A diffusion barrier of 1.6 eV is found for H- in wurtzite GaN, significantly lower than a previous estimate, and a tendency for H+ clustering in p-type material is found.

This document describes the application design philosophy for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Research & Development Web Site. This design incorporates object-oriented techniques to produce a flexible and maintainable system of applications that support the web site. These techniques will be discussed at length along with the issues they address. The overall structure of the applications and their relationships with one another will also be described. The current problems and future design changes will be discussed as well.

Long wavelength (2-6 {micro}m) diode emitters are desirable for many applications including monitoring of chemical species in the environment and manufacturing, long wavelength fiber-optic communications, lidar, and JR detector counter-measures. No practical diode lasers are available for any of these applications because the band structure of bulk III-V, II-VI, and IV-VI semiconductor alloys results in large Auger recombination rates at these wavelengths. Experimental and theoretical work at Sandia has resulted in new understanding of the electronic properties of narrow bandgap III-V heterostructures, and we have found methods of reducing the Auger rates in certain InAsSb superlattices and quantum wells. These devices enable us to begin chemical sensing demonstrations of important species such as CO-CO{sub 2} and numerous other compounds. This project will involve developing chemical sensing systems and determining the sensitivity and limitations of these systems. Concurrently, we will improve upon infrared emitters used in these systems.

This report documents a data collection where we recorded redundant range image data from multiple views of a simple scene, and recorded accurate survey measurements of the same scene. Collecting these data was a focus of the research project Automated Geometric Model Builder Using Range Image Sensor Data (96-0384), supported by Sandia's Laboratory-Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program during fiscal years 1996, 1997, and 1998. The data described here are available from the authors on CDROM, or electronically over the Internet. Included in this data distribution are Computer-Aided Design (CAD) models we constructed from the survey measurements. The CAD models are compatible with the SolidWorks 98 Plus system, the modern Computer-Aided Design software system that is central to Sandia's DeskTop Engineering Project (DTEP). Integration of our measurements (as built) with the constructive geometry process of the CAD system (as designed) delivers on a vision of the research project. This report on our final data collection will also serve as a final report on the project.

This report documents the results of a laboratory-directed research and development (LDRD) project on control and agile manufacturing in the critical metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) materials growth processes essential to high-speed microelectronics and optoelectronic components. This effort is founded on a modular and configurable process automation system that serves as a backbone allowing integration of process-specific models and sensors. We have developed and integrated MOCVD- and MBE-specific models in this system, and demonstrated the effectiveness of sensor-based feedback control in improving the accuracy and reproducibility of semiconductor heterostructures. In addition, within this framework we have constructed ''virtual reactor'' models for growth processes, with the goal of greatly shortening the epitaxial growth process development cycle.

This report summarizes our work on high-voltage switches during the past few years. With joint funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Defense (DOD), we tested a wide variety of switches to a common standard. This approach permitted meaningful comparisons between disparate switches. Most switches were purchased from commercial sources, though some were experimental devices. For the purposes of this report, we divided the switches into three generic types (gas, vacuum, and semiconductor) and selected data that best illustrates important strengths and weaknesses of each switch type. Test techniques that indicate the state of health of the switches are emphasized. For example, a good indicator of residual gas in a vacuum switch is the systematic variation of the switching delay in response to changes in temperature and/or operating conditions. We believe that the presentation of this kind of information will help engineers to select and to test switches for their particular applications. Our work was limited to switches capable of driving slappers. Also known as exploding-foil initiators, slappers are detonators that initiate a secondary explosive by direct impact with a small piece of matter moving at the detonation velocity (several thousands of meters per second). A slapper is desirable for enhanced safety (no primary explosive), but it also places extra demands on the capacitor-discharge circuit to deliver a fast-rising current pulse (greater than 10 A/ns) of several thousand amperes. The required energy is substantially less than one joule; but this energy is delivered in less than one microsecond, taking the peak power into the megawatt regime. In our study, the switches operated in the 1 kV to 3 kV range and were physically small, roughly 1 cm{sup 3} or less. Although a fuze functions only once in actual use, multiple-shot capability is important for production testing and for research work. For this reason, we restricted this report to multiple-shot switches. Furthermore, our work included only switches with submicrosecond timing precision, thereby excluding mechanical switches.

Scenarios in which the explosive burster charge in a chemical munition accidentally detonates inside demilitarization containment chambers are analyzed. The vulnerability of an inner Auxiliary Pressure Vessel and the primary Explosive Containment Chamber to impact by fragments from the largest explosive charge expected to be placed in these chambers (M426, 8 inch, chemical, 7 lbs Comp B) is evaluated. Numerical (CTH) and empirical (ConWep) codes are used to characterize the munition fragments, and assess the consequences of their impact and penetration on the walls of these vessels. Both pristine and corroded configurations of the munition have been considered, with and without liquid agent fill. When the munition burster charge detonates, munition case fragments impact and perforate the Auxiliary Pressure Vessel wall, resulting in extensive breakup of this inner chamber and the formation of additional fragments. These residual munition case and Auxiliary Pressure Vessel fragments have sufficient mass and velocity to crater the Explosive Containment Chamber inner wall layer, with accompanying localized permanent deformation (bulging) of both the inner and outer chamber walls. The integrity of the Explosive Containment Chamber was retained under all of the APV / munition configurations considered in this study, with no evidence that primary (munition) or secondary (munition and Auxiliary Pressure Vessel) fragments will perforate the inner chamber wall. Limited analyses of munition detonation without the Auxiliary Pressure Vessel present indicate that some munition span fragments could form under those conditions that have sufficient mass and velocity to perforate the inner wall of the Explosive Containment Chamber.

Abstract not provided.

Three reactive materials were evaluated to identify the optimum treatment reagent for use in a Permeable Reactive Barrier Treatment System at Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS). The three reactive media evaluated included high carbon steel iron filings, an iron-silica alloy in the form of a foam aggregate, and a pellicular humic acid based sorbent (Humasorb from Arctech) mixed with sand. Each material was tested in the laboratory at column scale using simulated site water. All three materials showed promise for the 903 Mound Site; however, the iron filings were determined to be the most cost effective media. In order to validate the laboratory results, the iron filings were further tested at a pilot scale (field columns) using actual site water. Pilot test results were similar to laboratory results; consequently, the iron filings were chosen for the full scale demonstration of this reactive barrier technology. Design parameters including saturated hydraulic conductivity, treatment residence time, and head loss across the media were provided to the design team in support of the final design.

Resistive bolometry is an accurate, robust, spectrally broadband technique for measuring absolute x-ray fluence and flux. Bolometry is an independent technique for x-ray measurements that is based on a different set of physical properties than other diagnostics such as x-ray diodes, photoconducting detectors, and P-I-N diodes. Bolometers use the temperature-driven change in element resistivity to determine the total deposited energy. The calibration of such a device is based on fundamental material properties and its physical dimensions. We describe the use of nickel and gold bolometers to measure x rays generated by high-power z pinches on Sandia's Saturn and Z accelerators. The Sandia bolometer design described herein has a pulse response of {approximately}1 ns. We describe in detail the fabrication, fielding, and data analysis issues leading to highly accurate x-ray measurements. The fundamental accuracy of resistive bolometry will be discussed.

Abstract not provided.

This paper documents development of a capability for performing shape-changing editing operations on solid model representations in an immersive environment. The capability includes part- and assembly-level operations, with part modeling supporting topology-invariant and topology-changing modifications. A discussion of various design considerations in developing an immersive capability is included, along with discussion of a prototype implementation we have developed and explored. The project investigated approaches to providing both topology-invariant and topology-changing editing. A prototype environment was developed to test the approaches and determine the usefulness of immersive editing. The prototype showed exciting potential in redefining the CAD interface. It is fun to use. Editing is much faster and friendlier than traditional feature-based CAD software. The prototype algorithms did not reliably provide a sufficient frame rate for complex geometries, but has provided the necessary roadmap for development of a production capability.

This pilot study project explored the problem of providing access to the nomadic worker who desires to connect a computer through network access points at a number of different locations within the SNL/NM campus as well as outside the campus. The design and prototype development gathered knowledge that may allow a design to be developed that could be extended to a larger number of SNL/NM network drop boxes. The focus was to provide a capability for a worker to access the SNL IRN from a network drop box (e.g. in a conference room) as easily as when accessing the computer network from the office normally used by the worker. Additional study was done on new methods to authenticate the off campus worker, and protect and control access to data.

Abstract not provided.

Abstract not provided.

Interest in the critical dynamics of superfluid He in microgravity conditions has motivated the development of new high resolution thermometry technology for use in space experiments near 2K. The current material commonly used as the temperature sensing element for high resolution thermometers (HRTs) is copper ammonium bromide (Cu(NH{sub 4}){sub 2}Br{sub 4}2H{sub 2}O) or CAB, which undergoes a ferromagnetic phase transition at 1.8K. HRTs made from CAB have demonstrated low drift (<10fK/s) and a temperature resolution of 0.1nK. Unfortunately, paramagnetic salts such as CAB are difficult to prepare and handle, corrosive to most metals, and become dehydrated if kept under vacuum conditions at room temperature. We have developed a magnetic thermometer using dilute magnetic alloys of Mn or Fe dissolved in a pure Pd matrix. These metallic thermometers are easy to fabricate, chemically inert, and mechanically robust. Unlike salts, they may be directly soldered to the stage to be measured. Also, the Curie temperature can be varied by changing the concentration of Fe or Mn, making them available for use in a wide temperature range. Susceptibility measurements, as well as preliminary noise and drift measurements, show them to have sub-nK resolution with a drift of less than 10{sup {minus}13} K/s.

Abstract not provided.

The constitutive model used to describe the deformation of crushed salt is presented in this report. Two mechanisms -- dislocation creep and grain boundary diffusional pressure solution -- 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. Upon complete consolidation, the crushed-salt model reproduces the Multimechanism Deformation (M-D) model typically used for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) host geological formation salt. New shear consolidation tests are combined with an existing database that includes hydrostatic consolidation and shear consolidation tests conducted on WIPP and southeastern New Mexico salt. Nonlinear least-squares model fitting to the database produced two sets of material parameter values for the model -- one for the shear consolidation tests and one for a combination of the shear and hydrostatic consolidation tests. Using the parameter values determined from the fitted database, the constitutive model is validated against constant strain-rate tests. Shaft seal problems are analyzed to demonstrate model-predicted consolidation of the shaft seal crushed-salt component. Based on the fitting statistics, the ability of the model to predict the test data, and the ability of the model to predict load paths and test data outside of the fitted database, the model appears to capture the creep consolidation behavior of crushed salt reasonably well.

Abstract not provided.

Abstract not provided.

The conference consisted of two sessions with the following subtopics: (1) Heterogeneous Session: Novel Catalytic Materials; Photocatalysis; Novel Processing Conditions; Metals and Sulfides; Nuclear Magnetic Resonance; Metal Oxides and Partial Oxidation; Electrocatalysis; and Automotive Catalysis. (2) Homogeneous Catalysis: H-Transfer and Alkane Functionalization; Biocatalysis; Oxidation and Photocatalysis; and Novel Medical, Methods, and Catalyzed Reactions.

Three-dimensional finite element analyses were performed for the two gas-filled storage caverns at the Egan field, Jennings dome, Louisiana. The effects of cavern enlargement on surface subsidence, storage loss, and cavern stability were investigated. The finite element model simulated the leaching of caverns to 6 and 8 billion cubic feet (BCF) and examined their performance at various operating conditions. Operating pressures varied from 0.15 psi/ft to 0.9 psi/ft at the bottom of the lowest cemented casing. The analysis also examined the stability of the web or pillar of salt between the caverns under differential pressure loadings. The 50-year simulations were performed using JAC3D, a three dimensional finite element analysis code for nonlinear quasistatic solids. A damage criterion based on onset of dilatancy was used to evaluate cavern instability. Dilation results from the development of microfractures in salt and, hence, potential increases in permeability onset occurs well before large scale failure. The analyses predicted stable caverns throughout the 50-year period for the range of pressures investigated. Some localized salt damage was predicted near the bottom walls of the caverns if the caverns are operated at minimum pressure for long periods of time. Volumetric cavern closures over time due to creep were moderate to excessive depending on the salt creep properties and operating pressures. However, subsidence above the cavern field was small and should pose no problem, to surface facilities.

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. Most of the concerns surrounding composite doubler technology pertain to long-term survivability, especially in the presence of non-optimum installations, and the validation of appropriate inspection procedures. This report focuses on a series of full-scale structural and nondestructive inspection (NDI) tests that were conducted to investigate the performance of Boron-Epoxy composite doublers. Full-scale tests were conducted on fuselage panels cut from retired aircraft. These full-scale tests studied stress reductions, crack mitigation, and load transfer capabilities of composite doublers using simulated flight conditions of cabin pressure and axial stress. Also, structures which modeled key aspects of aircraft structure repairs were subjected to extreme tension, shear and bending loads to examine the composite laminate's resistance to disbond and delamination flaws. Several of the structures were loaded to failure in order to determine doubler design margins. Nondestructive inspections were conducted throughout the test series in order to validate appropriate techniques on actual aircraft structure. The test results showed that a properly designed and installed composite doubler is able to enhance fatigue life, transfer load away from damaged structure, and avoid the introduction of new stress risers (i.e. eliminate global reduction in the fatigue life of the structure). Comparisons with test data obtained prior to the doubler installation revealed that stresses in the parent material can be reduced 30%--60% through the use of the composite doubler. Tests to failure demonstrated that the bondline is able to transfer plastic strains into the doubler and that the parent aluminum skin must experience significant yield strains before any damage to the doubler will occur.

The committee regards Sandia's Microelectronics and Photonics Program as a vital and strategic resource for the nation. The Microsystems (MEMS) and Chem Lab programs were assessed as unique and best-in-class for the development of significant application areas. They contribute directly to the Sandia mission and impact the development of new commercial areas. The continued development and integration of Radiation hard silicon integrated circuits, micromechanical systems, sensors, and optical communications is essential to the national security mission. The quality of the programs is excellent to outstanding overall. MEMS and Chem Lab activities are examples of outstanding programs. The committee was pleased to see the relationship of the microelectronics development programs to applications in the mission. In a future review the committee would like to see Sandia's research programs and a vision for connectivity to potential national security needs. (This review may be based on analysis and assumptions about the strategic needs of the nation.) In summary, the Microelectronics and Photonics capability affords Sandia the opportunity to deliver exceptional service in the national interest across broad technology areas. The presentations were excellent and well integrated. We received ample pre-reading materials, expectations were well set and the documents were high quality. The committee was provided an agenda with sufficient time among us and some selected one-on-one time with the researchers. The composition of the committee held representation from industry, universities and government. Committee contributions were well balanced and worked as a team. However, the committee was disappointed that no member of Sandia executive management was able to be present for the readout and final debriefing. (A late, higher priority conflict developed.) The members of the EST Program and the committee put substantial effort into the review but a written report like this one is not a substitute for direct feedback in helping SNL leadership assess the value of these programs.

An automated system is described for the sensor-based precision docking and manipulation of large objects. Past work in the remote handling of large nuclear waste containers is extendable to the problems associated with the handling of large objects such as steel coils. Computer vision and ultrasonic proximity sensing are used to control the precision docking of large objects, and swing-damped motion control of overhead cranes is used to control the position of the pickup device and suspended payload during movement. Real-time sensor processing and model-based control are used to accurately position payloads.