Publications

This report provides an assessment of the value of the LDRD program to Sandia National Laboratories during fiscal year 2021.

There are urgent calls to action by the NAE, the Nobel Prize Summit, the UN, and global scientists to address and solve, in this decade (2020 – 2030), crucial and widely recognized global challenges to peace and security before they become more complex and more environmentally, financially, and socially costly; before we reach the point of no return.

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The force on and the heat flux to the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) during drag passes are analyzed. Aerobraking takes place in the higher/rarefied levels of the Martian atmosphere, where traditional continuum flui d dynamics methods cannot be applied. Therefore, molecular gas dynamics simulations such as the Direct Simulation Monte Carlo Method are used to calculate these flow fields and provide heating and aerodynamic predictions for the vehicles. The heating and aerodynamic predictions calculated for the MRO include the heat transfer coefficient (C{sub h}), calculated for a number of angles of attack and the drag coefficient (C{sub D}) calculated for a number of altitudes and velocities. Bridging relations are sought that are applicable over the range of conditions of interest. A sensitivity analysis of the results to the chemical reaction rates, surface accommodation and temperature is also performed.

With the exponential growth in the power of computing hardware and software, modeling and simulation is becoming a key enabler for the rapid design of reliable Microsystems. One vision of the future microsystem design process would include the following primary software capabilities: (1) The development of 3D part design, through standard CAD packages, with automatic design rule checks that guarantee the manufacturability and performance of the microsystem. (2) Automatic mesh generation, for 3D parts as manufactured, that permits computational simulation of the process steps, and the performance and reliability analysis for the final microsystem. (3) Computer generated 2D layouts for process steps that utilize detailed process models to generate the layout and process parameter recipe required to achieve the desired 3D part. (4) Science-based computational tools that can simulate the process physics, and the coupled thermal, fluid, structural, solid mechanics, electromagnetic and material response governing the performance and reliability of the microsystem. (5) Visualization software that permits the rapid visualization of 3D parts including cross-sectional maps, performance and reliability analysis results, and process simulation results. In addition to these desired software capabilities, a desired computing infrastructure would include massively parallel computers that enable rapid high-fidelity analysis, coupled with networked compute servers that permit computing at a distance. We now discuss the individual computational components that are required to achieve this vision. There are three primary areas of focus: design capabilities, science-based capabilities and computing infrastructure. Within each of these areas, there are several key capability requirements.