Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Air Force Institute of Technology

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 1951 - 1980 of 5700

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Optimal Collision Avoidance Trajectories For Unmanned/Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Nathan E. Smith Dec 2014

Optimal Collision Avoidance Trajectories For Unmanned/Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Nathan E. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The post-911 environment has punctuated the force-multiplying capabilities that Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) provides combatant commanders at all echelons on the battlefield. Not only have unmanned aircraft systems made near-revolutionary impacts on the battlefield, their utility and proliferation in law enforcement, homeland security, humanitarian operations, and commercial applications have likewise increased at a rapid rate. As such, under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the United States Congress tasked the FAA to provide for the safe integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system (NAS) as soon as practicable, but not later …


Cloud-Induced Uncertainty For Visual Navigation, Alyssa N. Gutierrez Dec 2014

Cloud-Induced Uncertainty For Visual Navigation, Alyssa N. Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

This research addresses the numerical distortion of features due to the presence of clouds in an image. The research aims to quantify the probability of a mismatch between two features in a single image, which will describe the likelihood that a visual navigation system incorrectly tracks a feature throughout an image sequence, leading to position miscalculations. First, an algorithm is developed for calculating transparency of clouds in images at the pixel level. The algorithm determines transparency based on the distance between each pixel color and the average pixel color of the clouds. The algorithm is used to create a dataset …


Multi-Objective Trajectory Optimization Of A Hypersonic Reconnaissance Vehicle With Temperature Constraints, Tadeusz J. Masternak Dec 2014

Multi-Objective Trajectory Optimization Of A Hypersonic Reconnaissance Vehicle With Temperature Constraints, Tadeusz J. Masternak

Theses and Dissertations

Temperature-constrained optimal trajectories for a scramjet-based hypersonic reconnaissance vehicle were generated by developing an optimal control formulation and solving it using a variable order Gauss-Radau quadrature collocation method. The vehicle was assumed to be an air-breathing reconnaissance aircraft that has specified takeoff/landing locations, airborne refueling constraints, specified no-fly zones, and specified targets for sensor data collections. The aircraft model included fight dynamics, aerodynamics, and thermal constraints. This model was incorporated into an optimal control formulation that includes constraints on both the vehicle as well as mission parameters, such as avoidance of no-fly zones and coverage of high-value targets. Optimal trajectories …


Exploring Individual Differences In Workload Assessment, Danielle K. Boeke Dec 2014

Exploring Individual Differences In Workload Assessment, Danielle K. Boeke

Theses and Dissertations

Air Force missions continue to increase in complexity often imposing higher levels of task load from cognitive tasks on the operators. This increased task load manifests itself in increased cognitive workload and potentially derogated performance. While cognitive workload has been studied for decades, recent advances in objective workload models and physiology monitoring have the potential to provide a more robust understanding of workload, potentially allowing systems to adaptively employ automation to maintain operator peak performance. The current research sought to provide insight into the relationship between subjective workload, task performance, objective workload, and select physiology measures. Analysis of an existing …


Space Separatism: Degree Of Differentiation, Luke R. Stover, Alan A. Johnson Nov 2014

Space Separatism: Degree Of Differentiation, Luke R. Stover, Alan A. Johnson

Faculty Publications

Space is so important that the DOD recognizes it as one of five domains in which US forces operate (the other four are land, sea, air, and information). In 2001 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld designated the Department of the Air Force (DAF) the “Executive Agent for Space for the DOD.” Given the national importance of space activities, the formation of a separate space force has been a topic of persistent discussion in academic and doctrinal circles ever since the United States first entered the space age. Proponents of a separate force argue that because space is an inherently unique …


Polycrystalline Iii-Nitrides, Michael J. Callahan, Buguo Wang, John S. Bailey Oct 2014

Polycrystalline Iii-Nitrides, Michael J. Callahan, Buguo Wang, John S. Bailey

AFIT Patents

This invention provides a process for producing high-purity dense polycrystalline III-nitride slabs. A vessel which contains a group III-metal such as gallium or an alloy of group III-metals of shallow depth is placed in a reactor. The group III-metal or alloy is heated until a molten state is reached after which a halide-containing source mixed with a carrier gas and a nitrogen-containing source is flowed through the reactor vessel. An initial porous crust of III-nitride forms on the surface of the molten III-metal or alloy which reacts with the nitrogen-containing source and the halide-containing source. The flow rate of the …


Machine Learning Nuclear Detonation Features, Daniel T. Schmitt, Gilbert L. Peterson Oct 2014

Machine Learning Nuclear Detonation Features, Daniel T. Schmitt, Gilbert L. Peterson

Faculty Publications

Nuclear explosion yield estimation equations based on a 3D model of the explosion volume will have a lower uncertainty than radius based estimation. To accurately collect data for a volume model of atmospheric explosions requires building a 3D representation from 2D images. The majority of 3D reconstruction algorithms use the SIFT (scale-invariant feature transform) feature detection algorithm which works best on feature-rich objects with continuous angular collections. These assumptions are different from the archive of nuclear explosions that have only 3 points of view. This paper reduces 300 dimensions derived from an image based on Fourier analysis and five edge …


Timing Mark Detection On Nuclear Detonation Video, Daniel T. Schmitt, Gilbert L. Peterson Oct 2014

Timing Mark Detection On Nuclear Detonation Video, Daniel T. Schmitt, Gilbert L. Peterson

Faculty Publications

During the 1950s and 1960s the United States conducted and filmed over 200 atmospheric nuclear tests establishing the foundations of atmospheric nuclear detonation behavior. Each explosion was documented with about 20 videos from three or four points of view. Synthesizing the videos into a 3D video will improve yield estimates and reduce error factors. The videos were captured at a nominal 2500 frames per second, but range from 2300-3100 frames per second during operation. In order to combine them into one 3D video, individual video frames need to be correlated in time with each other. When the videos were captured …


Advances In Sca And Rf-Dna Fingerprinting Through Enhanced Linear Regression Attacks And Application Of Random Forest Classifiers, Hiren J. Patel Sep 2014

Advances In Sca And Rf-Dna Fingerprinting Through Enhanced Linear Regression Attacks And Application Of Random Forest Classifiers, Hiren J. Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Radio Frequency (RF) emissions from electronic devices expose security vulnerabilities that can be used by an attacker to extract otherwise unobtainable information. Two realms of study were investigated here, including the exploitation of 1) unintentional RF emissions in the field of Side Channel Analysis (SCA), and 2) intentional RF emissions from physical devices in the field of RF-Distinct Native Attribute (RF-DNA) fingerprinting. Statistical analysis on the linear model fit to measured SCA data in Linear Regression Attacks (LRA) improved performance, achieving 98% success rate for AES key-byte identification from unintentional emissions. However, the presence of non-Gaussian noise required the use …


Hyperfine Interactions In The Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra Of Point Defects In Wide-Band-Gap Semiconductors, Eric M. Golden Sep 2014

Hyperfine Interactions In The Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra Of Point Defects In Wide-Band-Gap Semiconductors, Eric M. Golden

Theses and Dissertations

The focus of this research was to acquire definitive experimental data on predominant point defects in three important wide-band-gap semiconductors. Hyperfine interactions in electron paramagnetic resonance spectra were used to characterize the neutral nitrogen acceptor in zinc oxide, to identify a silicon interstitial impurity in titanium dioxide, and to determine the electronic structure of the singly ionized sulfur vacancy in stannous hexathiohypodiphosphate (SPS). Research on the basic properties of these technologically important materials plays a crucial role in the development of advanced optical and electronic systems. Zinc oxide is an electro-optic material with the potential to produce high performance electronics …


Convective Heat Transfer With And Without Film Cooling In High Temperature, Fuel Rich And Lean Environments, Nathan K. Greiner Sep 2014

Convective Heat Transfer With And Without Film Cooling In High Temperature, Fuel Rich And Lean Environments, Nathan K. Greiner

Theses and Dissertations

Modern turbine engines require high turbine inlet temperatures and pressures to maximize thermal efficiency. Increasing the turbine inlet temperature drives higher heat loads on the turbine surfaces. In addition, increasing pressure ratio increases the turbine coolant temperature such that the ability to remove heat decreases. As a result, highly effective external film cooling is required to reduce the heat transfer to turbine surfaces. Testing of film cooling on engine hardware at engine temperatures and pressures can be exceedingly difficult and expensive. Thus, modern studies of film cooling are often performed at near ambient conditions. However, these studies are missing an …


A Comparison Of Afghanistan, Yuma, Az, And Manufactured Sands Melted On Eb-Pvd Thermal Barrier Coatings, Nathaniel P. Opie Sep 2014

A Comparison Of Afghanistan, Yuma, Az, And Manufactured Sands Melted On Eb-Pvd Thermal Barrier Coatings, Nathaniel P. Opie

Theses and Dissertations

Sand ingestion into military aircraft turbine engines from desert environments have tested the performance and life of the engine. In particular, turbine section blades and nozzles are coated with a molten glass when the sand is heated to melting temperatures. This molten glass attacks protective coatings on the surface of these parts. Further research is needed to understand the sands behavior on thermal barrier coatings (TBC) when heated to melting temperatures. Also, further research is needed with manufactured sand used in current engine testing to understand the sand ingestion discrepancies between test engines and operational engines. In this study natural …


Experimental Uncertainty Associated With Traveling Wave Excitation, Geofrey S. Cox Sep 2014

Experimental Uncertainty Associated With Traveling Wave Excitation, Geofrey S. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research produces the experimental techniques required to evaluate mistuning in any rotor. Within operation, a rotor is subjected to a unique pattern of frequencies acting to excite the rotor. Utilizing traveling wave excitation, a rotor's critical frequencies and the respective excitation pattern are reproduced. Individual rotor blade frequency response functions are evaluated and statistically analyzed. The experimental results serve to not only verify the degree to which a rotor is mistuned, but also to provide an indication of the forced response amplification the mistuning induces. Within the experiment, definitive specifications were developed to ensure peak rotor responses. Numerical …


Optimal Control Of Fully Routed Air Traffic In The Presence Of Uncertainty And Kinodynamic Constraints, Christopher D. Arendt Sep 2014

Optimal Control Of Fully Routed Air Traffic In The Presence Of Uncertainty And Kinodynamic Constraints, Christopher D. Arendt

Theses and Dissertations

A method is presented to extend current graph-based Air Traffic Management optimization frameworks. In general, Air Traffic Management is the process of guiding a finite set of aircraft, each along its pre-determined path within some local airspace, subject to various physical, policy, procedural and operational restrictions. This research addresses several limitations of current graph-based Air Traffic Management optimization methods by incorporating techniques to account for stochastic effects, physical inertia and variable arrival sequencing. In addition, this research provides insight into the performance of multiple methods for approximating non-differentiable air traffic constraints, and incorporates these methods into a generalized weighted-sum representation …


Design And Evaluation Of Dual-Expander Aerospike Nozzle Upper Stage Engine, Joseph R. Simmons Iii Sep 2014

Design And Evaluation Of Dual-Expander Aerospike Nozzle Upper Stage Engine, Joseph R. Simmons Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of the Dual-Expander Aerospike Nozzle, a modification to traditional engine architectures, is to find those missions and designs for which it has a competitive advantage over traditional upper stage engines such as the RL10. Previous work focused on developing an initial design to demonstrate the feasibility of the Dual-Expander Aerospike Nozzle. This research expanded the original cycle model in preparation for optimizing the engine's specific impulse and thrust-to-weight ratio. The changes to the model allowed automated parametric and optimization studies. Preliminary parametric studies varying oxidizer-to-fuel ratio, total mass flow, and chamber length showed significant improvements. Drawing on modeling …


A Method To Develop Neck Injury Criteria To Aid Design And Test Of Escape Systems Incorporating Helmet Mounted Displays, Jeffrey C. Parr Sep 2014

A Method To Develop Neck Injury Criteria To Aid Design And Test Of Escape Systems Incorporating Helmet Mounted Displays, Jeffrey C. Parr

Theses and Dissertations

HMDs are becoming common human-machine interface equipment in manned military flight, but introducing this equipment into the overall aircraft escape system poses new and significant system design, development, and test concerns. Although HMDs add capabilities, which improve operator performance, the increased capability is often accompanied by increased head supported mass. The increased mass can amplify the risk of pilot neck injury during ejection when compared to lighter legacy helmets. Currently no adequate USAF neck injury criteria exist to effectively guide the requirements, design, and test of escape systems for pilots with HMDs. This research effort presents a novel method to …


Automated Synthetic Scene Generation, Ryan N. Givens Sep 2014

Automated Synthetic Scene Generation, Ryan N. Givens

Theses and Dissertations

First principles, physics-based models help organizations developing new remote sensing instruments anticipate sensor performance by enabling the ability to create synthetic imagery for proposed sensor before a sensor is built. One of the largest challenges in modeling realistic synthetic imagery, however, is generating the spectrally attributed, three-dimensional scenes on which the models are based in a timely and affordable fashion. Additionally, manual and semi-automated approaches to synthetic scene construction which rely on spectral libraries may not adequately capture the spectral variability of real-world sites especially when the libraries consist of measurements made in other locations or in a lab. This …


Initial Capabilities Documents: A 10-Year Retrospective Of Tools, Methodologies, And Best Practices, Bryan D. Main, Michael P. Kretser, Joshua Shearer, Darrin A. Ladd Jul 2014

Initial Capabilities Documents: A 10-Year Retrospective Of Tools, Methodologies, And Best Practices, Bryan D. Main, Michael P. Kretser, Joshua Shearer, Darrin A. Ladd

Faculty Publications

The Joint Capabilities Integration and Development System (JCIDS) is 10 years old and ripe for review. A central output document of the JCIDS process is an Initial Capabilities Document (ICD) used by the Department of Defense to define gaps in a functional capability area and define new capabilities required. The research team analyzed 10 years of ICDs to identify methods and trends. The team found that several methodologies were favored and a convergence emerged in format and necessary content. Additionally, potential shortfalls in current best practices of interest to implementers and decision makers are identified. Guidelines and best practices are …


Non-Linear Optimization Applied To Angle-Of-Arrival Satellite-Based Geolocation, Stephen D. Hartzell Jun 2014

Non-Linear Optimization Applied To Angle-Of-Arrival Satellite-Based Geolocation, Stephen D. Hartzell

Theses and Dissertations

Geolocation is a common application for satellite systems. This involves estimating an object's location (herein called the subject) based on noisy satellite data. Many geolocation methods exist; however, none are tailored specifically for the unique problems faced by satellite systems. Some satellites are so far from the subject being localized that by the time the satellite receives a signal from the subject it might have moved appreciably. Furthermore, some satellites or terrestrial sensors may be much closer to the subject than others. Therefore, sensors may need to be weighted based upon their distance to the subject being localized. In addition, …


Scalable System Design For Covert Mimo Communications, Jason R. Pennington Jun 2014

Scalable System Design For Covert Mimo Communications, Jason R. Pennington

Theses and Dissertations

In modern communication systems, bandwidth is a limited commodity. Bandwidth efficient systems are needed to meet the demands of the ever-increasing amount of data that users share. Of particular interest is the U.S. Military, where high-resolution pictures and video are used and shared. In these environments, covert communications are necessary while still providing high data rates. The promise of multi-antenna systems providing higher data rates has been shown on a small scale, but limitations in hardware prevent large systems from being implemented.


Proton Damage Effects On Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors, Evan R. Kemp Jun 2014

Proton Damage Effects On Carbon Nanotube Field-Effect Transistors, Evan R. Kemp

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the effects of proton damage on single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) transistors. The transistors were irradiated by 1.8 MeV protons to determine the damage induced in the SWCNTs and the device substrate using Raman spectroscopy, and to observe the effect on transistor functionality by measuring current-voltage characteristics. Irradiation of the SWCNT transistors to a fluence of 1x1013 protons/cm2 resulted in 67% increase in the Raman D/G peak intensity ratio, while at a fluence of 2x1013 protons/cm2 the increase in the D/G ratio was only 18%, likely due to radiation annealing. Current-voltage measurements indicated an …


The Prospect Of Responsive Spacecraft Using Aeroassisted, Trans-Atmospheric Maneuvers, Robert A. Bettinger Jun 2014

The Prospect Of Responsive Spacecraft Using Aeroassisted, Trans-Atmospheric Maneuvers, Robert A. Bettinger

Theses and Dissertations

Comprised of exo- and trans-atmospheric trajectory segments, atmospheric re-entry represents a complex dynamical event which traditionally signals the mission end-of-life for low-Earth orbit spacecraft. Transcending this paradigm, atmospheric re-entry can be employed as a means of operational maneuver whereby aerodynamic forces can be exploited to create an aeroassisted maneuver. Utilizing a notional trans-atmospheric, lifting re-entry vehicle with L/D =6, the first phase of research demonstrates the terrestrial reachability potential for skip entry aeroassisted maneuvers. By overflying a geographically diverse set of ground targets, comparative analysis indicates a significant savings in delta V expenditure for skip entry compared with exo-atmospheric maneuvers. …


Air Force Inspection System: An Application For System-Of-Systems (Sos) Engineering, Joseph R. Lay Jun 2014

Air Force Inspection System: An Application For System-Of-Systems (Sos) Engineering, Joseph R. Lay

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Combat Command (ACC) Inspector General (IG) assesses the operational readiness and combat effectiveness of units by evaluating individual wings. Today's conflicts; however, are waged as a joint force. The Joint Forces Commander (JFC) leverages the resources of the entire military complex to achieve strategic objectives. The synergistic effects, created by the integration of individual weapon systems, produce greater results than the individual components. Evaluating wings outside the joint System of Systems (SoS) architecture does not provide a true assessment of combat readiness. Using a case study method, this research examines the idea of integrating a joint SoS architecture …


Minimization Of The Effects Of Secondary Reactions On Turbine Film Cooling In A Fuel Rich Environment, Andrew T. Shewhart Jun 2014

Minimization Of The Effects Of Secondary Reactions On Turbine Film Cooling In A Fuel Rich Environment, Andrew T. Shewhart

Theses and Dissertations

The demand for increased thrust, higher engine efficiency, and reduced fuel consumption has increased the turbine inlet temperature and pressure in modern gas turbine engines. The outcome of these higher temperatures and pressures is the potential for unconsumed radical species to enter the turbine. Because modern cooling schemes for turbine blades involve injecting cool, oxygen rich air adjacent to the surface, the potential for reaction with radicals in the mainstream flow and augmented heat transfer to the blade arises. This study evaluated various configurations of multiple cylindrical rows of cooling holes in terms of both heat release and effective downstream …


The Differential Vector Phase-Locked Loop For Global Navigation Satellite System Signal Tracking, James J. Brewer Jun 2014

The Differential Vector Phase-Locked Loop For Global Navigation Satellite System Signal Tracking, James J. Brewer

Theses and Dissertations

A novel differential vector phase-locked loop (DVPLL) is derived that takes GNSS code-phase and carrier-phase measurements from a base station and uses them to maintain an integer ambiguity resolved quality solution directly in the vector tracking loop of a rover receiver. The only state variables estimated and used to create the replica code and carrier signals from the base station measurements are three position and two clock states for a static test. Closing the individual loops solely through the navigation filter makes this a pure vector method. For short baselines, where differential atmospheric errors are small, the DVPLL can be …


A Study Of Slipper And Rail Wear Interaction At Low Speed, Greg V. Cavallaro Jun 2014

A Study Of Slipper And Rail Wear Interaction At Low Speed, Greg V. Cavallaro

Theses and Dissertations

The wear research presented in the work consists of results gathered from adapting a FEM based on a Holloman High Speed Test Track (HHSTT) mission executed in January 2008. The FEM consists of a VascoMax slipper sliding on a stationary AISI-1080 steel rail. The slipper is slid along the rail at speeds of 20 m/s and 40 m/s with complementary vertical velocities of -0.079 m/s and -0.059 m/s, respectively. The surface roughness caused by features such as asperities and valleys of the materials, is simulated in this model by five asperities, 1 micron to 5 microns on the rail and …


Broadband, Non-Destructive Characterisation Of Pec-Backed Materials Using A Dual-Ridged-Waveguide Probe, Milo W. Hyde Iv, Michael J. Havrilla Jun 2014

Broadband, Non-Destructive Characterisation Of Pec-Backed Materials Using A Dual-Ridged-Waveguide Probe, Milo W. Hyde Iv, Michael J. Havrilla

Faculty Publications

A new probe which utilises a dual-ridged waveguide to provide broadband, non-destructive (ND) material characterisation measurements of a perfect electric conductor (PEC)-backed material is introduced. The new probe possesses a bandwidth similar to existing coaxial probes and is structurally robust like rectangular waveguide probes. The combinations of these two qualities make it especially attractive for ND inspection/evaluation applications in the field. The theoretical development of the dual-ridged-waveguide probe is discussed. A magnetic field integral equation is derived by applying Love’s equivalence theorem and enforcing the continuity of transverse fields at the dual-ridged-waveguide aperture. The magnetic field integral equation is then …


Toward Automating Web Protocol Configuration For A Programmable Logic Controller Emulator, Deanna R. Fink Jun 2014

Toward Automating Web Protocol Configuration For A Programmable Logic Controller Emulator, Deanna R. Fink

Theses and Dissertations

Industrial Control Systems (ICS) remain vulnerable through attack vectors that exist within programmable logic controllers (PLC). PLC emulators used as honeypots can provide insight into these vulnerabilities. Honeypots can sometimes deter attackers from real devices and log activity. A variety of PLC emulators exist, but require manual figuration to change their PLC pro le. This limits their flexibility for deployment. An automated process for configuring PLC emulators can open the door for emulation of many types of PLCs. This study investigates the feasibility of creating such a process. The research creates an automated process for figuring the web protocols of …


Copper Doping Of Zno Crystals By Transmutation Of 64Zn To 65Cu: An Electron Paramagnetic Resonance And Gamma Spectroscopy Study, Matthew C. Recker, John W. Mcclory, Maurio S. Holston, Eric M. Golden, Nancy C. Giles, Larry E. Halliburton Jun 2014

Copper Doping Of Zno Crystals By Transmutation Of 64Zn To 65Cu: An Electron Paramagnetic Resonance And Gamma Spectroscopy Study, Matthew C. Recker, John W. Mcclory, Maurio S. Holston, Eric M. Golden, Nancy C. Giles, Larry E. Halliburton

Faculty Publications

Transmutation of 64Zn to 65Cu has been observed in a ZnO crystal irradiated with neutrons. The crystal was characterized with electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) before and after the irradiation and with gamma spectroscopy after the irradiation. Major features in the gamma spectrum of the neutron-irradiated crystal included the primary 1115.5 keV gamma ray from the 65Zn decay and the positron annihilation peak at 511 keV. Their presence confirmed the successful transmutation of 64Zn nuclei to 65Cu. Additional direct evidence for transmutation was obtained from the EPR of Cu2+ ions (where 63Cu and 65 …


Modeling The Thermosphere As A Driven-Dissipative Thermodynamic System, William R. Frey, C. S. Lin, Matthew B. Garvin, Ariel O. Acebal Apr 2014

Modeling The Thermosphere As A Driven-Dissipative Thermodynamic System, William R. Frey, C. S. Lin, Matthew B. Garvin, Ariel O. Acebal

Faculty Publications

Thermospheric density impacts satellite position and lifetime through atmospheric drag. More accurate specification of thermospheric temperature, a key input to current models such as the High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model, can decrease model density errors. This paper improves the model of Burke et al. (2009) to model thermospheric temperatures using the magnetospheric convective electric field as a driver. In better alignment with Air Force satellite tracking operations, we model the arithmetic mean temperature, T 1/2, defined by the Jacchia (1977) model as the mean of the daytime maximum and nighttime minimum exospheric temperatures occurring in opposite hemispheres at a …