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Air Force Institute of Technology

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Articles 481 - 510 of 3057

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Smoothing Of Convolutional Neural Network Classifications, Glen R. Drumm Mar 2022

Smoothing Of Convolutional Neural Network Classifications, Glen R. Drumm

Theses and Dissertations

Smoothing convolutional neural networks is investigated. When intermittent and random false predictions happen, a technique of average smoothing is applied to smooth out the incorrect predictions. While a simple problem environment shows proof of concept, obstacles remain for applying such a technique to a more operationally complex problem.


Approximate Dynamic Programming For An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Routing Problem With Obstacles And Stochastic Target Arrivals, Kassie M. Gurnell Mar 2022

Approximate Dynamic Programming For An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Routing Problem With Obstacles And Stochastic Target Arrivals, Kassie M. Gurnell

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force is investing in artificial intelligence (AI) to speed analysis in efforts to modernize the use of autonomous unmanned combat aerial vehicles (AUCAVs) in strike coordination and reconnaissance (SCAR) missions. This research examines an AUCAVs ability to execute target strikes and provide reconnaissance in a SCAR mission. An orienteering problem is formulated as anMarkov decision process (MDP) model wherein a single AUCAV must optimize its target route to aid in eliminating time-sensitive targets and collect imagery of requested named areas of interest while evading surface-to-air missile (SAM) battery threats imposed as obstacles. The AUCAV adjusts its …


An Investigation Of Data Storage In Entity-Component Systems, Bailey V. Compton Mar 2022

An Investigation Of Data Storage In Entity-Component Systems, Bailey V. Compton

Theses and Dissertations

Entity-Component Systems (ECS) have grown vastly in application since their introduction more than 20 years ago. Providing the ability to efficiently manage data and optimize program execution, ECSs, as well as the wider field of data-oriented design, have attained popularity in the realms of modeling, simulation, and gaming. This manuscript aims to elucidate and document the storage frameworks commonly found in ECSs, as well as suggesting conceptual connections between ECSs and relational databases. This formal documentation of the in-memory storage formats of entity-component systems affords the United States Air Force, the Department of Defense, and the software engineering community a …


Autonomous And Resilient Management Of All-Source Sensors For Navigation Integrity: A Comparison And Analysis, Niles A. Tate Mar 2022

Autonomous And Resilient Management Of All-Source Sensors For Navigation Integrity: A Comparison And Analysis, Niles A. Tate

Theses and Dissertations

When navigating using Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), multiple/redundant, synchronous pseudorange measurements are readily available. However, when navigating in a GNSS degraded and/or denied region, this is not guaranteed. In response to this challenge, the ANT Center developed a framework known as Autonomous and Resilient Management of All-source Sensors (ARMAS). The ARMAS framework is designed to be resilient towards data corruption caused from mismodeled, uncalibrated, and faulty sensors. This thesis further expands on this work by performing a comparison against a Residual-Based Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RBRAIM) scheme using simulated and real flight data to evaluate each systems performance.


Obsolescence: Evaluating An Educational Serious Game On Artificial Intelligence Impacts To Military Strategic Goals, Timothy C. Kokotajlo Mar 2022

Obsolescence: Evaluating An Educational Serious Game On Artificial Intelligence Impacts To Military Strategic Goals, Timothy C. Kokotajlo

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Intelligence (AI) threatens to bring significant disruption to all aspects of military operations. This research develops a Serious Game (SG) and assessment methodology to provide education on the mindsets required for engaging with disruptive AI technologies. The game, Obsolescence, teaches strategic-level concepts recommended to the Department of Defense (DoD) from a compilation of reports on the current and future state of AI and warfighting. The methodology for assessing the educational value of Obsolescence addresses common challenges such as subjective reporting, control groups, population sizes, and measuring abstract or high levels of learning. The games proposed educational value is tested …


Coupled Orbit-Attitude Dynamics And Control Of A Cubesat Equipped With A Robotic Manipulator, Charles M. Carr Mar 2022

Coupled Orbit-Attitude Dynamics And Control Of A Cubesat Equipped With A Robotic Manipulator, Charles M. Carr

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the utility and expected performance of a robotic servicing CubeSat. The coupled orbit-attitude dynamics of a 6U CubeSat equipped with a four-link serial manipulator are derived. A proportional-integral-derivative controller is implemented to guide the robot through a series of orbital scenarios, including rendezvous and docking following ejection from a chief spacecraft, repositioning the end effector to a desired location, and tracing a desired path with the end effector. Various techniques involving path planning and inverse differential kinematics are leveraged. Simulation results are presented and performance metrics such as settling time, state errors, control use, and system robustness …


Leveraging Machine Learning For Large Scale Analysis Of Publicly-Available Data For Gnss Interference Events, David K. Stamper Mar 2022

Leveraging Machine Learning For Large Scale Analysis Of Publicly-Available Data For Gnss Interference Events, David K. Stamper

Theses and Dissertations

This research documents architecture and implementation of an enhanced interference detection and classification analysis system, using both a database and storage solution utilizing machine learning algorithms to detect changes in Carrier-to-Noise strength over multiple GNSS sites. The system uses publicly-available government supported receivers to detect interference, and built using FOSS packaged as a programming library through Python. Two algorithms are discussed in terms of enhancing interference detection using both non-machine learning and machine learning approaches. Two algorithms are also discussed which are used for classification of events. In addition, an approach to Large Scale data analytics is demonstrated via a …


Automated Aircraft Visual Inspection With Artificial Data Generation Enabled Deep Learning, Nathan J. Gaul Mar 2022

Automated Aircraft Visual Inspection With Artificial Data Generation Enabled Deep Learning, Nathan J. Gaul

Theses and Dissertations

Aircraft visual inspection, which is essential to daily maintenance of an aircraft, is expensive and time-consuming to perform. Augmenting trained maintenance technicians with automated UAVs to collect and analyze images for aircraft inspection is an active research topic and a potential application of CNNs. Training datasets for niche research topics such as aircraft visual inspection are small and challenging to produce, and the manual process of labeling these datasets often produces subjective annotations. Recently, researchers have produced several successful applications of artificially generated datasets with domain randomization for training CNNs for real-world computer vision problems. The research outlined herein builds …


Generalized Robust Feature Selection, Bradford L. Lott Mar 2022

Generalized Robust Feature Selection, Bradford L. Lott

Theses and Dissertations

Feature selection may be summarized as identifying salient features to a given response. Understanding which features affect the response enables, in the future, only collecting consequential data; hence, the feature selection algorithm may lead to saving effort spent collecting data, storage resources, as well as computational resources for making predictions. We propose a generalized approach to select the salient features of data sets. Our approach may also be applied to unsupervised datasets to understand which data streams provide unique information. We contend our approach identifies salient features robust to the sub-sequent predictive model applied. The proposed algorithm considers all provided …


Predicting Tf33-Pw-100a Engine Failures Due To Oil Issues Using Survival Analyses, Anna M. Davis Mar 2022

Predicting Tf33-Pw-100a Engine Failures Due To Oil Issues Using Survival Analyses, Anna M. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

In 2007, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment pushed for the need to transition to a Condition Based Maintenance Plus (CBM ) initiative for weapon systems in the U.S. Department of Defense. The CBM initiative can help increase aircraft availability (AA) for the United States Air Force. There are many reasons where AA can be affected but one such issue is engine availability primarily due to oil issues. Within the CBM perspective, this study examines the risk of a jet engine failure due to an oil issue and attempts to predict an engines time until next …


Development Of A Methodology For The Quantification Of Reaerosolization Of A Biological Contaminant Surrogate Particle From Military Uniform Fabric, George D. Cooksey Mar 2022

Development Of A Methodology For The Quantification Of Reaerosolization Of A Biological Contaminant Surrogate Particle From Military Uniform Fabric, George D. Cooksey

Theses and Dissertations

During a mass casualty medical evacuation after a bioaerosol attack, a decontamination method is needed that is effective at both decontamination and preventing the secondary hazard of biological particles reaerosolizing from contaminated clothing. However, neither the efficacy of current decontamination methods nor the risk of biological particle reaerosolization is significantly explored in existing literature. The goals of this thesis were to develop a repeatable methodology to quantify the reaerosolization of a biological contaminate off Airman Battle Uniform (ABU) fabric swatches, and to test the efficacy of one decontamination method (high-volume, low-pressure water) using 1 mpolystyrene latex (PSL) spheres as a …


A Critical Review Of Climate Change On Coastal Infrastructure Systems, Gregory J. Howland Jr. Mar 2022

A Critical Review Of Climate Change On Coastal Infrastructure Systems, Gregory J. Howland Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a response to climate threats identified by DoD report on Climate Change in 2019. A critical review of climate change literature related to coastal infrastructure was conducted to synthesize past research and to inform future research. This review intends to inform how climate change may impact infrastructure systems, how those impacts are evaluated, can the investigation be improved, and what can stakeholders learn from the outcomes. The end goal is to find climate change mitigation strategies and adaptation measures, or identify the easiest path to get to that end. The compiled information will inform civilian and military …


A Framework For Assessing Facility-Level Vulnerability And Risk To Extreme Weather Events, Blake A. Gawlik Mar 2022

A Framework For Assessing Facility-Level Vulnerability And Risk To Extreme Weather Events, Blake A. Gawlik

Theses and Dissertations

Intensifying extreme weather events, tied to the rise in the global average temperature, put global built infrastructure at risk. This presents a daunting challenge for organizational leaders who are tasked to determine how best to adapt current infrastructure to uncertain future events. To develop adaptation plans and policies, vulnerability and risk must be downscaled to an actionable scale, such that planners, designers, and engineers can make adaptation recommendations. However, previous research has largely assessed risk at coarser scales, e.g., regional, national, or global. These assessments are informative, but do not help those tasked to lead adaptation to make detailed, actionable …


Climate Change Risk To Coastal Airfield Stormwater Systems, Jedidiah R. Langlois Mar 2022

Climate Change Risk To Coastal Airfield Stormwater Systems, Jedidiah R. Langlois

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is resulting in rising sea levels and increased rainfall, posing new challenges to stormwater management, particularly along coastlines. The airfield stormwater systems of Tyndall Air Force Base discharge directly into an interior bay of the Gulf of Mexico through tidal canals and ditches, creating a risk of system inundation from high tidewater conditions from sea-level rise (SLR). This study explores the performance and consequences of an inundated stormwater system from SLR during rainfall events using the EPA’s Stormwater Management Model (SWMM). One hundred and fifty-three combinations of SLR and return year storms were applied to a model of …


A Post-Disaster Construction Portfolio Optimization Framework For Tyndall Afb Rebuild Post Hurricane Michael, Andre J. May Mar 2022

A Post-Disaster Construction Portfolio Optimization Framework For Tyndall Afb Rebuild Post Hurricane Michael, Andre J. May

Theses and Dissertations

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and extreme flooding cause severe social and economic disruptions. Restoration of social and revenue-generating services often requires extensive reconstruction, from the facility to the campus scale. For multi-facility portfolios, decision-makers must prioritize post-disaster reconstruction activities appropriately to ensure facilities and infrastructure are restored. In addition, any expansion or new construction initiatives are ideally completed in order of decision-maker and community preference. Most post-disaster optimization and decision framework research consider a single stakeholder as guiding decisions related to a project portfolio. However, these portfolio prioritization frameworks ignore the effect of multiple stakeholders and competing …


Efficiency Mapping And Determination Of Reliability, Resiliency And Vulnerability Of Atmospheric Water Generators In The United States, Erica F. Sadowski Mar 2022

Efficiency Mapping And Determination Of Reliability, Resiliency And Vulnerability Of Atmospheric Water Generators In The United States, Erica F. Sadowski

Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric Water Generators (AWG) extract water from the air using one of three available technologies: refrigeration, sorption, and fog harvesting. A refrigeration device works like a dehumidifier and works best in conditions above 60% relative humidity. A sorption device utilizes a desiccant to extract the water vapor from the air and works in very low humidity levels. A fog harvesting device utilizes a mesh to capture the water vapor from the air and requires 100% relative humidity. In this research, I analyze two refrigeration-based devices and one sorption-based device and their efficacy in providing supplemental water supply. Due to climatological …


Persistence And Mitigation Of Pfas Within Concrete Stormwater Drainage Infrastructure, Jason R. Mcdonald Mar 2022

Persistence And Mitigation Of Pfas Within Concrete Stormwater Drainage Infrastructure, Jason R. Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The persistence, fate, and transport of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, which have been shown to have adverse effects on human health, have been previously studied in environmental media such as soils and groundwater. This study investigates concrete, a medium that is rarely studied but frequently present in instances where PFAS originating from AFFF releases and spills have occurred. Used heavily throughout aviation firefighting, AFFF poses environmental hazards due to the length of PFAS degradation and toxicological implications, thus its classification as a forever chemical. From the very limited reports to date, studies have suggested very slow release from concrete, potentially …


Application Of Machine Learning Models With Numerical Simulations Of An Experimental Microwave Induced Plasma Gasification Reactor, Owen D. Sedej Mar 2022

Application Of Machine Learning Models With Numerical Simulations Of An Experimental Microwave Induced Plasma Gasification Reactor, Owen D. Sedej

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to contribute to the future development of this technology by providing an in-depth literature review of how this technology physically operates and can be numerically modeled. Additionally, this thesis reviews literature of machine learning models that have been applied to gasification to make accurate predictions regarding the system. Finally, this thesis provides a framework of how to numerically model an experimental plasma gasification reactor in order to inform a variety of machine learning models.


Natural Infrastructure Alternatives Mitigate Hurricane-Driven Flood Vulnerability: Application To Tyndall Air Force Base, Kiara L. Vance Mar 2022

Natural Infrastructure Alternatives Mitigate Hurricane-Driven Flood Vulnerability: Application To Tyndall Air Force Base, Kiara L. Vance

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane frequency and magnitude intensification are expected over the remainder of the twenty-first century. Uncertainty in future projections requires that coastal communities approach adaptation decisions with caution. Traditional approaches are costly and inflexible. Soft policy adaptations are largely unenforceable. Hard, natural adaptations have emerged as an opportunity to partially mitigate the growing risk of extreme flooding, without the large investments required for traditional approaches, where natural infrastructure already exists. Existing literature for natural adaptations has not leveraged intensification expectations for hurricane events. This research uses multihazard damage evaluation software and spatial analysis to investigate placement of dredged sediment as a …


Double Cone Flow Field Reconstruction Between Mach 4 And 12 Using Machine Learning Techniques, Trevor A. Toros Mar 2022

Double Cone Flow Field Reconstruction Between Mach 4 And 12 Using Machine Learning Techniques, Trevor A. Toros

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.


Formulation And Characterization Of Fast-Curing Plastic Scintillators With High-Z Loading, Theodore W. Stephens Mar 2022

Formulation And Characterization Of Fast-Curing Plastic Scintillators With High-Z Loading, Theodore W. Stephens

Theses and Dissertations

Development of novel fast-curing plastic scintillators is highly advantageous due to their potential to be manufactured via 3D printing. Several formulations were developed that exhibit enhanced photon sensitivity, producing modest but discernible photopeaks at an incident gamma energy of 122 keV. The photon sensitivity is achieved via bismuth high-Z loading; however, this practice typically results in diminished light yields. Subsequent formulations, which varied the photoinitiator concentration and curing time, demonstrated successful curing with sufficient plastic hardness, reduced purple discoloration, reduced heat buildup during curing, and resulted in less cracking during the curing process, all of which were correlated with lower …


Examining Failures Of Kc-135s Using Survival Analysis, Vanessa I. R. Unseth Mar 2022

Examining Failures Of Kc-135s Using Survival Analysis, Vanessa I. R. Unseth

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force manages an inventory of 396 KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft. With mission capability rates falling and total non-mission capability supply rates increasing, it is necessary to take a deeper look at recurrent failures. The study applies non-parametric and semi-parametric survival models to a dataset retrieved from LIMS-EV to look at the duration(s) until failure for the KC-135. Results of non-parametric models show cumulative failure rates increase as sorties or flight hours increase. In addition, semi-parametric models or Cox proportional hazards models with frailty confirm that locations or air bases are not associated with recurrent failures.


Thermo-Fluidic Transport Process In A Novel M-Shaped Cavity Packed With Non-Darcian Porous Medium And Hybrid Nanofluid: Application Of Artificial Neural Network (Ann), Dipak Kumar Mandal, Nirmalendu Biswas, Nirmal K. Manna, Dilip Kumar Gayen, Rama S. R. Gorla, Ali J. Chamkha Mar 2022

Thermo-Fluidic Transport Process In A Novel M-Shaped Cavity Packed With Non-Darcian Porous Medium And Hybrid Nanofluid: Application Of Artificial Neural Network (Ann), Dipak Kumar Mandal, Nirmalendu Biswas, Nirmal K. Manna, Dilip Kumar Gayen, Rama S. R. Gorla, Ali J. Chamkha

Faculty Publications

In this work, an attempt has been made to explore numerically the thermo-fluidic transport process in a novel M-shaped enclosure filled with permeable material along with Al2O3-Cu hybrid nanoparticles suspended in water under the influence of a horizontal magnetizing field. To exercise the influence of geometric parameters, a classical trapezoidal cavity is modified with an inverted triangle at the top to construct an M-shaped cavity. The cavity is heated isothermally from the bottom and cooled from the top, whereas the inclined sidewalls are insulated. The role of geometric parameters on the thermal performance is scrutinized thoroughly …


Formal Spark Verification Of Various Resampling Methods In Particle Filters, Osiris J. Terry Mar 2022

Formal Spark Verification Of Various Resampling Methods In Particle Filters, Osiris J. Terry

Theses and Dissertations

The software verification in this thesis concentrates on verifying a particle filter for use in tracking and estimation, a key application area for the Air Force. The development and verification process described in this thesis is a demonstration of the power, limitation, and compromises involved in applying automated software verification tools to critical embedded software applications.


Directionally Sensitive Gamma Imaging Using Rotating Scatter Masks And Inexpensive, Scintillation Detectors, Christopher S. Charles Mar 2022

Directionally Sensitive Gamma Imaging Using Rotating Scatter Masks And Inexpensive, Scintillation Detectors, Christopher S. Charles

Theses and Dissertations

This work demonstrates the first instantiation of the FitzGerald Rotating Scatter Mask (RSM) as a proof-of-concept for two-dimensional source direction determination using a single, inexpensive, non-cooled scintillator, as well as an alternate mask design for comparison. A large RSM was additively manufactured from low-Z, acrylic like material, and rotated around the ubiquitous standard 3" x 3" NaI(Tl) or NaI(Tl)/CsI(Tl) phoswich detector, set internally to the mask. Smaller versions of the FitzGerald and alternate RSM designs were 3D printed for testing and used in conjunction with a LaBr detector to characterize the RSM system with a size and weight reduction applied. …


Delaunay Walk For Fast Nearest Neighbor: Accelerating Correspondence Matching For Icp, James D. Anderson, Ryan M. Raettig, Joshua Larson, Clark N. Taylor, Thomas Wischgoll Feb 2022

Delaunay Walk For Fast Nearest Neighbor: Accelerating Correspondence Matching For Icp, James D. Anderson, Ryan M. Raettig, Joshua Larson, Clark N. Taylor, Thomas Wischgoll

Faculty Publications

Point set registration algorithms such as Iterative Closest Point (ICP) are commonly utilized in time-constrained environments like robotics. Finding the nearest neighbor of a point in a reference 3D point set is a common operation in ICP and frequently consumes at least 90% of the computation time. We introduce a novel approach to performing the distance-based nearest neighbor step based on Delaunay triangulation. This greedy algorithm finds the nearest neighbor of a query point by traversing the edges of the Delaunay triangulation created from a reference 3D point set. Our work integrates the Delaunay traversal into the correspondences search of …


Utilization And Efficient Computation Of Polarization Factor Q For Fast, Accurate Brdf Modeling, Samuel D. Butler, Michael A. Marciniak Feb 2022

Utilization And Efficient Computation Of Polarization Factor Q For Fast, Accurate Brdf Modeling, Samuel D. Butler, Michael A. Marciniak

Faculty Publications

The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) is of substantial use in remote sensing, scene generation, and computer graphics, to describe optical scatter off realistic surfaces. This paper begins by summarizing our prior work in relating wave optics and geometric optics models, culminating with the Modified Cook-Torrance (MCT) model. The MCT model is evaluated here against aluminum, Infragold, and silver paint at various wavelengths in the IR. In each case, the MCT model is shown to outperform a standard microfacet model. Then, this paper shows a non-trivial method of computing the primary new term, the polarization factor Q. This optimization …


Cu2+ And Cu3+ Acceptors In Β-Ga2O3 Crystals: A Magnetic Resonance And Optical Absorption Study, Timothy D. Gustafson, Nancy C. Giles, Brian C. Holloway, Christopher A. Lenyk, J. Jesenovec, J. S. Mccloy, M. D. Mccluskey, Larry E. Halliburton Feb 2022

Cu2+ And Cu3+ Acceptors In Β-Ga2O3 Crystals: A Magnetic Resonance And Optical Absorption Study, Timothy D. Gustafson, Nancy C. Giles, Brian C. Holloway, Christopher A. Lenyk, J. Jesenovec, J. S. Mccloy, M. D. Mccluskey, Larry E. Halliburton

Faculty Publications

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optical absorption are used to characterize Cu2+ (3d9) and Cu3+ (3d8) ions in Cu-doped β-Ga2O3. These Cu ions are singly ionized acceptors and neutral acceptors, respectively (in semiconductor notation, they are Cu− and Cu0 acceptors). Two distinct Cu2+ EPR spectra are observed in the as-grown crystals. We refer to them as Cu2+(A) and Cu2+(B). Spin-Hamiltonian parameters (a g matrix and a 63,65Cu hyperfine matrix) are obtained from the angular dependence of each spectrum. Additional electron-nuclear double resonance …


A Comparison Of Sporadic-E Occurrence Rates Using Gps Radio Occultation And Ionosonde Measurements, Rodney Carmona, Omar A. Nava, Eugene V. Dao, Daniel J. Emmons Jan 2022

A Comparison Of Sporadic-E Occurrence Rates Using Gps Radio Occultation And Ionosonde Measurements, Rodney Carmona, Omar A. Nava, Eugene V. Dao, Daniel J. Emmons

Faculty Publications

Sporadic-E (Es) occurrence rates from Global Position Satellite radio occultation (GPS-RO) measurements have shown to vary by a factor of five between studies, motivating the need for a comparison with ground-based measurements. In an attempt to find accurate GPS-RO techniques for detecting Es formation, occurrence rates derived using five previously developed GPS-RO techniques are compared to ionosonde measurements over an eight-year period from 2010–2017. GPS-RO measurements within 170 km of a ionosonde site are used to calculate Es occurrence rates and compared to the ground-truth ionosonde measurements. The techniques are compared individually for each ionosonde site …


Robust Error Estimation Based On Factor-Graph Models For Non-Line-Of-Sight Localization, O. Arda Vanli, Clark N. Taylor Jan 2022

Robust Error Estimation Based On Factor-Graph Models For Non-Line-Of-Sight Localization, O. Arda Vanli, Clark N. Taylor

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a method to estimate the covariances of the inputs in a factor-graph formulation for localization under non-line-of-sight conditions. A general solution based on covariance estimation and M-estimators in linear regression problems, is presented that is shown to give unbiased estimators of multiple variances and are robust against outliers. An iteratively re-weighted least squares algorithm is proposed to jointly compute the proposed variance estimators and the state estimates for the nonlinear factor graph optimization. The efficacy of the method is illustrated in a simulation study using a robot localization problem under various process and measurement models and measurement …