Virginia Space Grant Consortium Student Research Conference - April 18, 2011 Omni Hotel, Newport News, Virginia

Undergraduate Research Scholars Poster Presentations Ballroom C REMOTE SENSING WITH LIDAR Lindsey Andrews, Old Dominion University Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is a type of remote sensing that emits and collects pulses of light for applications such as mapping or tracking. LIDAR can be applied in oceanographic studies to examine the amount of scattering particles, such as phytoplankton biomass, in a water column to generate primary production models. Using an in-situ LIDAR system, the research project initiated at Old Dominion University (ODU) will investigate the vertical structure of the ocean. The system will use a pulsed Nd:YAG laser, photomultiplier tubes for detection of the return signal, and high-speed analog to digital conversion to record the data. The collected data will then be applied to test existing models of biological productivity. In addition, the data will complement archived records from NASA satellites (CALIOP and MODIS), obtained with passive ocean color sensing. Compiling satellite data with LIDAR in situ data, integrated primary production models can be constructed. We report progress on the design and construction of the ODU LIDAR system.

MEASURING SENSITIZATION OF AA 5083 USING RESISTIVITY, NONLINEAR ACOUSTICS, AND ATTENUATION Aaron Bailey, University of Virginia Because of their high strength-to-weight ratio and resistance to corrosion, 5xxx aluminum alloys are in demand for many marine applications. However, catastrophic failure can occur in 5xxx due to sensitization. This research focuses on evaluating potential nondestructive methods to monitor sensitization in a 5083 aluminum alloy, including resistivity, nonlinearity, and attenuation. The resistivity decreased during the sensitization treatments, and it showed the most reliable trends in monitoring the degree of sensitization. Although the nonlinearity and attenuation measurements show trends with sensitization heat treatment, more work is need to reduce the variability in the measurements in order to better relate their behavior to sensitization.

DEVELOPMENT OF A DIRECT SKIN FRICTION MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR FLUID FLOWS VIA RETRACTABLE STRAIN GAGES Gordon Civalier, Virginia Tech A new floating element direct skin friction measurement balance has been developed by the author and past undergraduate and graduate students at Virginia Tech employing three aligned cantilever force sensors contacting a circular floating head. The existing design has been compared to other direct methods under investigation by other researchers, and improved to allow a vertical wall mounting based on the addition of a hot glue adhesive applied and removed using a hot plate. A user friendly LabView GUI has also been developed to allow intuitive operation. The system has been demonstrated to within 10% agreement with boundary layer theory in the low speed subsonic Cascade Tunnel at Virginia Tech, and methods have been developed to test the instrument in the Stability Wind Tunnel, with these tests occurring under the hand of a new graduate researcher. It is hoped that the advances made by the author of this report and his colleagues will allow the project to be completed after forthcoming Stability Tunnel tests are undertaken.

VECTOR MAGNETOMETER USING RB VAPOR Kevin Cox, College of William and Mary This project demonstrates an optical method for measuring the strength and direction of magnetic fields using Electromagnetically Induced Transparency in rubidium vapor. Inside rubidium, the Zeeman effect causes atomic states to shift when an external magnetic field is applied. The magnitude of these shifts, and consequently the strength of the magnetic field, can be measured by recording electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonances with tuned laser fields. Furthermore, since the atoms interactions with the laser field are dependent on the direction of the magnetic field and the laser polarization, we are able to discover the direction as well as the strength of the magnetic field. With a feasible precision down to 10fT and the possibility of complete field mapping, this magnetometer can be useful for medical, materials testing, geo-sensing, and navigation applications.

TIME DEPENDENCE OF POLAR MESOSPHERIC CLOUD BRIGHTNESS John Jones, Hampton University Northern Hemisphere 2007 Polar Mesospheric Cloud (PMC) season data from the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size Experiment (CIPS)instrument on the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite was analyzed to study the time dependence of overlapping regions of consecutive orbits. A correction for local time was developed as a function of latitude and applied to the raw data. This raw and corrected data was then analyzed using a Spearman rank correlation for the months of June, July, and August. The average correlation per month shows a small yet significant value for the first consecutive orbit, whereas the average correlation with later orbits appears to be approaching a nonzero asymptotic value. The effects of the local time correction on the correlation are shown to be negligible.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LARGE SCALE DIAGNOSTIC TDLAT SYSTEM FOR DETERMINATION OF SPECIES CONCENTRATION AND TEMPERATURE IN SCRAMJET EXHAUST Stuart Keech, University of Virginia A Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Tomography (TDLAT) system is being developed for the NASA Langley Direct-Connect hypersonic combustion wind tunnel. This diagnostic method is a non-intrusive technique for measuring two-dimensional spatially resolved distributions of species concentration and temperature. While a similar system has been demonstrated at the University of Virginia hypersonic combustion wind tunnel, the size and installation difficulties of the NASA wind tunnel present many design challenges. This paper addresses these design challenges, presents solutions, and maps out the progress to-date, and future goals of the project. Specifically, the software controls have been optimized in order to speed up the entire system. Coupled with hardware changes, these improvements will account for a 94 percent decrease in the run time required to obtain a complete data set.

MULTISCALE MODELING OF DAMAGE EVOLUTION DUE TO MONOTONIC AND CYCLIC LOADING OF ENERGETIC MATERIALS John Kiefer, Virginia Tech A two dimensional finite element analysis was performed on a uniaxial bar problem simulating both monotonic and cyclic loads imposed on a particle reinforced composite model. The model of the composite consisted of a system of elastic grains adhered together by a variety cohesive zones. Several finite element analyses were performed and general qualitative trends were observed. These trends describe how the stress strain response of the composite depends on the grain system and finite element mesh structure used to model the composite.

GIS STUDY TO CHARACTERIZE POTENTIAL INTERACTION BETWEEN VIRGINIAS COASTAL AEROSPACE ACTIVITIES AND OFFSHORE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT ON VIRGINIAS OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Bryan Murray, Virginia Tech The ocean off the coast of Virginia is a valuable economic resource, supporting numerous public and private activities. Private parties have made moves toward investing in Offshore Wind Energy in Virginias Outer Continental Shelf, but these initiatives have been met with both encouragement and apprehension from public institutions in the area. NASAs Wallops Flight Facility is the origination point for various aerospace missions that would operate in the vicinity of planned wind energy investments. NASA officials and wind farm developers have a mutual interest in determining precisely how aerospace activities could threaten energy investments. NASAs activities in the area, especially sub-orbital sounding rocket launches, have well established operating patterns; the area currently being considered for wind energy develop is well defined by the U.S. Department of the Interior. These two known parameters facilitate a quantitative analysis of possible interactions between NASA activities and wind energy infrastructure off Virginias coast. 3

DEVELOPMENT OF AN ELECTROACTIVE POLYMER SENSOR FOR USE IN A NOVEL ARTIFICIAL CELL Lynna Nguyen, University of Virginia The ultimate goal of this project is to connect many artificial excitable cells together to produce a medium exhibiting contraction similar to the heart. A proposed polymer-based excitable cell design under development at UVA mimics the excitability and refractoriness of biological cardiac myocytes. This contracting medium will be used to develop a tube pump capable of propelling fluids along its length. Re-evaluating current pumping systems has the potential to free up precious space, energy, and weight aboard spacecraft. As a part of these artificial cells, an ion-sensitive probe is needed to detect the presence, location, and concentration of potassium ions within the cell. It is a crucial element needed to incorporate excitability within the artificial cell. For this research project, a potassium-selective ion sensor was reproduced following research by Pandey, Singh, and Shrivastava (2002) and tested for functionality within hydrogels based on research by Barthus, Lira, and Crdoba de Toressi (2008). A linear relationship between ion concentration and voltage drop of the sensor within the hydrogel was observed, and therefore it is predicted that the sensor will function properly and be easily incorporated into an artificial excitable cell with a hydrogel foundation.

COMPUTER SIMULATIONS OF CARBON NANOTUBES AND NANOCOMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR THERMAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS David Nicholson, University of Virginia Carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced nanocomposite materials show promise for use in thermal protection systems on spacecraft. Computational modeling has shown to be an effective technique for understanding the mechanical and thermal properties of these materials. A coarsegrained model is being developed in order to perform efficient, dynamic calculations for pure CNT and CNT reinforced nanocomposite materials. One of the shortcomings with the current coarse-grained model is that it fails to reproduce the dissipation of mechanical vibrations, such as bending and stretching, into thermal motion which would is observed in real CNTs. In order to overcome this problem, a heat bath approach is described in which an artificial temperature is assigned to each individual CNT to account for atomic-scale vibrations not present in the coarsegrained model. Through damping forces, energy is transferred from the mechanical vibrations into the artificial heat bath. The rate at which the energy is transferred will reflect the rates of energy transfer observed in atomistic simulations. As a proof of concept, arbitrary decay rates are chosen and the performance of the heat bath model is evaluated.

QUALITATIVE STUDY OF PARTICLE IMPACT PATTERNS WITHIN TURBINE BLADE COOLING PASSAGES Adam Shoemaker, Virginia Tech Gas turbine engines feature a large combination of precisely machined interacting components. Likewise, the stability and efficiency of gas turbines is directly dependent on the condition of these components within the engine. As particles such as dust, sand, ash, etc. enter into the engine, a series of erosive and depositional processes occur. Often unavoidable, these occurrences directly influence many of the engines components, causing mechanical breakdown. In the event of breakdown, the ability of the engine to operate can be drastically influenced. In mild cases, the efficiency will be lowered causing excessive fuel usage, whereas in the most extreme cases total engine failure may result in a compromise to safety. Previous work at Virginia Tech has yielded Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) models predicting the behavior of particles flowing within a two pass blade cooling channel. This paper presents work done in qualitative experiments aimed at reproducing the results of the CFD models. It will start with a background that details relative events as well as particular research in this area. From this background, the team developed an appropriate experiment to validate the CFD models which will be used for comparison at a later date.

EQUILIBRIUM SURFACES OF TENSEGRITY STRUCTURES Zachary Sternberger, Virginia Tech Tensegrity structures rely on the interaction between tension and compression elements to maintain equilibrium. A specific form of symmetric tensegrity structure is defined and generalized. Two methods are presented to determine the conditions under which the structure is in equilibrium. One method is based on nodal equilibrium and the second on the minimization of strain energy. The tensegrity structure will also possess an infinitesimal mechanism allowing for efficient deflection along a path specific to each equilibrium condition. The calculation of the direction of the infinitesimal mechanism is generalized. These methods are applied to two specific tensegrity structures. The resulting equilibrium path and infinitesimal mechanism functions describe the range of motion possessed by the structure.

RUNWAY CONFIGURATION MANAGAGEMENT Jennifer Thorne, College of William and Mary Runway Configuration Management assigns combinations of runways to be used at an airport or a collection of airports (a metroplex). Configurations of runways are changed as a result of weather patterns and alterations in arrival and departure demand. Each configuration has a Runway Configuration Capacity Envelope, which dictates the number of arrivals and departures that can be accommodated based on the runways in use. We developed a condition-based heuristic to select the appropriate runway configuration based on a ranking scheme and the current airport conditions. Data from John F. Kennedy International Airport was used to develop test cases.