bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Frequency of Stroke and Distribution of Its Subtypes in Nineveh, Iraq, Related to Risk Factors
Authors: Alabdaly Moayad Aziz , Ahmed Hani Moslem , Thanoun Basem Idris , Al Ashow Salah Ali Mahmood , Ahmad Waleed Ghanim
Published: November 2024

Background:

The second leading cause of death worldwide is stroke, which is also a major global cause of disability. It can be of either type: infarction (ischemic) or bleeding (hemorrhagic). A variety of risk factors related to stroke may be grouped into changeable and unchangeable factors.

Objectives:

The study was designed to categorize the occurrence, types, and risk factors of stroke in Nineveh, Iraq.

Materials and Methods:

It is a descriptive study carried out in hospitals in Nineveh, which examines the recent frequency of stroke in the province of Nineveh from November 2020 to April 2021. Chi‑square (χ2) test of proportion and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted to determine the association and relationship of risk factors to the cases studied.

Results:

During the period of the study, 137 patients were included, of which 120 (88%) were ischemic strokes. Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke occur most frequently in the 25–64 years age group. Hypertension was a major risk factor for stroke (89%). Women were less likely to have a stroke compared with men. High blood pressure, hyperlipidemia, and uncontrolled high blood sugar were associated with an increase in stroke frequency, and the relationship between stroke risk and these factors was significant (P < 0.05).

Conclusions:

The study found that ischemic stroke is the most common cause; stroke frequency increases with age and peaks among the 25- to 65-year-old age groups.
Study of Experimental Pain Outcomes in a Healthy Nigerian Adult Population and their Correlation with some Anthropometric Indices
Authors: Umar Abdullahi H. , Isa Ahmed-Sherif , Ibrahim Suleiman , Muhammad Mustapha S. , Yusha’u Yusuf , Muhammad Umar A. , Muhammad Abdulmalik , Ayo Joseph O. , Danjuma Nuhu M. , Mohammed Aliyu
Published: November 2024

Context:

Interindividual variability in pain is modified by interactions of multiple biopsychosocial factors. Though there are reported findings on pain variability from studies around the world, the relationship between pain outcomes and anthropometric profiles remains unclear due to conflicting findings.

Aim:

This study was designed to investigate relationships between experimental pain outcomes and anthropometric profiles in a healthy Nigerian population.

Materials and Methods:

One hundred and sixty-one healthy volunteers aged 20 to 65 years were recruited for the study. Experimental pain was induced using cold pressor pain, pressure pain, and ischemic pain procedures.

Results:

We found that subjects with a normal body mass index (BMI) had a statistically significant higher ischemic pain tolerance than their obese counterparts. Right-handed participants had higher cold pressor pain thresholds than their left-handed counterparts, and the difference was statistically significant. Hb genotype and blood groups affected experimental pain outcomes. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between BMI and ischemic pain tolerance.

Conclusion:

We concluded that the association between BMI and experimental pain outcomes depends on the type of pain induction method used. Right-handedness appeared to be associated with increased cold pressor pain threshold.
Outcome of Direct-Acting Antiviral Drugs on Treatment of Naïve Cirrhotic and Non-cirrhotic HCV Patients in Assir Region, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Alzahrani Mohammed Attieh , Almanjahi Ibrahim Mohammed , Assiri Yahia , Assiri Omer , Organ Hassan , Alshehri Aasem , AlFahadi Mohammed Abdullah , Alshehri Abdullah Mohammed , Hammad Mushabbab Saeed , Nebrawi Khalid , Alshahrani Abdulaziz Saad , Algarni Abdullah Mohammed , Alghamdi Ibrahim Ali , Alshahrani Mohammed Safar , Ahmed Mohammed Elbagir K
Published: November 2024

Context:

Direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) have revolutionized HCV treatment, but their long-term impact on liver disease severity, fibrosis progression, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence among treatment-naïve cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients in Saudi Arabia remains underexplored. This study evaluated the sustained virological response (SVR), liver disease severity, fibrosis progression, and HCC incidence among treatment-naïve cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic HCV patients treated with DAAs in Saudi Arabia.

Methods and Materials:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted at Assir Central Hospital, Saudi Arabia, from March 2019 to December 2022. The study enrolled 52 adults (>18 years) comprising both cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic HCV patients who had received DAA treatment at least 6 months (24 weeks) prior. Demographic data, laboratory results, HCV genotype, and viral load were collected. Liver fibrosis was assessed using Fibroscan, while liver disease severity was evaluated using Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) and Child-Pugh scores. HCC screening was performed using alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), ultrasound, and triphasic CT abdomen.

Results:

Findings included no significant changes in laboratory values (INR, bilirubin, albumin, liver enzymes) before and after treatment. However, cirrhosis cases increased post-treatment (P = 0.033), while HCC incidence remained stable. The most prevalent HCV genotype was 4 (64%), with Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir being the most prescribed medication (44%).

Conclusion:

DAA treatment in treatment-naïve cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic HCV patients in Saudi Arabia demonstrated efficacy in achieving SVR and maintaining liver function. However, continued monitoring is crucial post-treatment, particularly for detecting fibrosis progression and cirrhosis development.
Development of Electronically Controlled CVT Focusing on Rider's Intention of Acceleration and Deceleration
Authors: Unno Toshio , Sakaue Masaya , Ishioka Kazutoshi , Asaoka Ryousuke , Aoki Hiroyuki
Published: November 2024

Recently electronically controlled transmissions have been adopted in motorcycles, especially scooters. By such CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), various shift modes and the manual control of the speed ratio are offered, and the rider can select the appropriate ratio according to the running situations and can draw the performance of the vehicle to the maximum. On the other hand, however, the rider's operation such as selecting modes tends to become complex. Due to the characteristic that two-wheeled vehicles require the rider to steer and control speed both by hands, it is preferred that the shifting systems should be operated as easily as possible so that the rider can concentrate on the driving operation. Therefore, we developed the electronically controlled belt-type CVT system for two-wheeled vehicles with a new concept that was able to achieve changing the speed ratio according to the rider's intention with only simple operation at the auto shift mode.
Effect of Copper Coating on Extended Expansion SI Engine
Authors: Chandrasekaran S. , Krishnamoorthy V.
Published: November 2024

The concept of Extended Expansion (EE) in Internal Combustion (IC) engines though very old is gaining importance now a days due to the scope it possess in areas of fuel economy and engine emissions. In this paper, a single cylinder engine with variable expansion to compression ratio (ER/CR) was analyzed for its performance when copper coating is done on the surface of cylinder head - piston combination. Copper element that can promote pre-flame reaction was coated on the surface of cylinder head and piston. ER/CR ratio was varied with Late Intake Valve Closing Time (LIVCT) and the load was controlled with LIVCT-VCR combination. LIVCT was achieved by Electronic Valve Timing (EVT) system using solenoid valve. Due to the catalytic effect of copper coating it was found that for the copper coated EE engine, the brake thermal efficiency was improved by 4% compared to standard engine operating at same conditions. It was found that for ER/CR ratio equal to 1.5, the copper coated EE engine was giving best performance in terms of thermal efficiency and Lean Misfire Limit (LML). The LML of the engine was extended up to 0.75.
A study of combustion characteristics for spray combustion by multi injection in a closed vessel
Authors: Makino Kouichi , Kawakami Tadashige
Published: November 2024

Internal combustion engines are the major source of air pollution. Especially, compression ignition engines in today's industrial and automotive general engines contribute the most to particulate emission and soot, and it is recognized that these emissions have a detrimental effect on human and earth environment. So, an improvement of spray combustion for diesel engines is of urgent necessity.

Experiments have been conducted to obtain essential data on spray combustion are influenced by impinging injection in a closed vessel. The effect of the impinging injection on maximum burning pressure, total burning time and mean flame speed is investigated at condition of 300K of initial temperature and 0.1MPa of initial pressure.
Time Resolved Scavenging Analysis for Two-Stroke Engines
Authors: STUECKE Peter , LEHMANN Bernhard , HEIDER Matthias
Published: November 2024

A detailed knowledge of the scavenging process becomes necessary during the development process, when the performance and in particular the emission output of two-stroke engines needs to be qualified and evaluated. This paper presents an experimental approach to describe the composition of the flow at the exhaust port by means of flow visualization and to quantify the relative changes of the scavenging losses imposed by design changes. The experimental set-up has been described in previous SAE papers and has been expanded by a transparent exhaust port, which gives optical access to the flow through the exhaust port. The gases in the cylinder are represented by differently colored water-based fluids. Typically, the burnt gas is clear and the fresh charge is colored to visualize its progress during the scavenging cycle and its distribution inside the cylinder. The flow through the exhaust port is captured with a digital camera together with timed markers to synchronize the movie with the crank angle during the cycle. Hence, the amount of colored liquid in the transfer port indicates the concentration of fresh charge. The gray scale value or the hue angle of the color can be correlated to the concentration by applying the Lambert and Beer's law, which allows a relative quantification of the scavenging loss. Moreover, the movies of the flow do not only indicate the flow characteristics versus time or crank angle but also yield a concentration profile across the port. These data together with the very graphic nature of the movies themselves provide a deep insight of the scavenging flow, particularly in great detail in the vicinity of the exhaust port, which helps the design engineer to understand the effect that changes of the engine design have on the condition of the scavenging process and therefore of the emission performance of his engine. The paper presents recent experimental data to illustrate the capacity of the principle, gives a detailed analysis of the measurement technique and discuses the limits of the application.
Application of Exhaust Pipe Restriction Technique to a Small Two-Stroke Engine
Authors: Watson Finlay Llewyn , Hong Guang
Published: November 2024

A simple method to reduce HC emissions caused by fuel short-circuiting in a two-stroke engine is to apply a certain restriction to the exhaust gas flow in the exhaust pipe. This technique, developed for motorcycles, vehicles and outboards, has been applied to a small off-road two-stroke engine with a constant speed operating condition. In order to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of this technique for the reduction of HC and CO emissions in such an engine, a butterfly valve was installed in the exhaust pipe next to the exhaust port. Based on test results using the butterfly valve, a cylindrical restrictor was developed to generate various restrictions to the gas flow in the exhaust pipe and consequently reduce the fuel short-circuiting. The effectiveness of the restrictor on emission reduction was further improved by leaner air/fuel mixture. The experimental results showed improved engine performance including the best 24% reduction of total weighted HC and 25% reduction of total weighted CO when the exhaust pipe restriction was 50%. Additionally, Mota, a two-stroke engine simulation program, was used to simulate the engine performance with reduced diameter of the exhaust pipe. The outcomes of this simulation support and explain the experimental results.
Development of an Environmentally Friendly Two-Stroke Engine Oil for Power Equipment
Authors: KASAI Moritsugu , ISHIKAWA Motoharu , NAKAJIMA Katsuhiko , MATSUOKA Takeshi
Published: November 2024

Two-stroke engines have been normally used for power equipment such as bush cutters and lawn mowers because of their compactness and cost-performance. However, their exhaust smoke is often put in question for causing a poor working environment. Therefore, it is important to develop an environmentally friendly two-stroke engine oil. In this paper, the development of a two-stroke engine oil with low smoke performance and its evaluation results are reported.

If dilution ratio of a two-stroke engine oil with gasoline is increased in order to reduce the exhaust smoke, the lubricity becomes poor because of the decrease of base oil ratio in the oil. A two-stroke engine oil that copes with both low exhaust smoke and anti-seizure performance for pistons, has been developed by using a carefully selected polymer ester. The oil showed excellent anti-seizure performance in actual engine tests. In addition, it was also confirmed that it had better low smoke performance than commercially available engine oils using an exhaust smoke test with an actual bush cutter.
Lifetime Prediction of a Crankpin using a Ball on Disk Type Rolling Contact Fatigue Life Testing
Authors: KUBOTA Tsuyoshi , YAMASHITA Yasuyuki , YAMAGATA Hiroshi
Published: November 2024

This paper describes an experimental method to predict the rolling contact fatigue life of a crankpin in a market vehicle engine. The fatigue life up to pitting was evaluated by two laboratory tests including a fatigue life measurement using a ball-on-disk test machine and a crankpin durability measurement by an engine bench test. The surface observation after the tests revealed that the surface dent triggers pitting in both tests. The Weibull plot of the percent failure vs. cycle to failure as a function of the contact stress was presented. In order to directly evaluate the effect of the contact stress on the lifetime, the lifetime values measured at L50 are plotted in the diagram showing the contact stress vs. cycle to failure. The obtained relation can predict the lifetime under the controlled condition in which the number of maximum torque points is countable. A method to place the lifetime of the market vehicle engine on the Weibull plot of percent failure vs. cycle to failure is developed. The established relation between the contact stress and travel distance can include the laboratory test data as well as the market vehicle engine data. The proposed method is able to predict the lifetime of the crankpin of the market vehicle engine using the laboratory ball-on-disk test data.
Investigation of thermally induced die cracking for H13 High Pressure Casting dies using simulation methods
Authors: Long Alastair , Thornhill David , Armstrong Cecil , Kurokawa Makoto , Hendry Arthur
Published: November 2024

Die cracking is one of the most important life-limiting tool failure mechanisms in high pressure die casting (HPDC). Cracking is caused by thermal shock from sudden heating and then cooling of the die surface. Injection of molten aluminium, transfers heat to the die which results in compressive stresses on the die surface. After the casting has been extracted, the die is sprayed with releasing agent which generates tensile stresses on the surface of the die. These stress fluctuations result in heat check cracking or gross cracking forming on the surface of the die.

Casting simulation software was used to simulate the casting process; metal filling the die cavity, solidification and thermal stresses in the die. For this paper a comparison was made between a simulation analysis and a cracked die slide. When the die cracks due to thermal fatigue, aluminium penetrates into the cracks which results in visual defects being formed in the casting and will further reduce the die-life. The simulation analysis shows a good correlation between the von Mises stress and the minimum principal stresses to the cracks seen on the surface of the die.

The ability to predict the extent of cracking on a HPDC die is vital when designing the die, if the heat check cracking / gross cracking can be reduced by even a small percentage, this will increase the die-life and ultimately reduce the cost of die maintenance throughout the serviceable life of the die, therefore resulting in a more profitable tooling design.
Improvement of Middle Engine Speed Torque By Using Resonance Effect For Restricted 600cc Four-Stroke Engine
Authors: Ito Makoto , Yano Hiroyuki , Oguri Yasuhumi , Suzuki Takashi
Published: November 2024

This research focuses on the improvement of torque at the middle engine speed of a motorcycle engine with resonance supercharging. The resonance supercharging intake system is realized with a simple modification to the intake collector geometry. A one-dimensional computational model is employed to simulate the pressure wave propagation and to optimize the configuration of it. The experiments confirmed the increase in the engine torque for the entire operation range and the maximum gain of 33% was achieved at 8500rpm. The resonance effect is further investigated through three-dimensional simulation, in which the intake airflow rate, static pressure distribution are analyzed.
The Development of Small Formula-Style Racing Car in Osaka university Formula RAcing Club
Authors: FUKUI Junichi , TAKAHASHI Ryota , SASAKI Shingo , OKUNISHI Shinichi , MATSUMOTO Yoshiyuki , TAKESHITA Hajime , KEIDA Tatsuya , INOUE Go , YOSHIDA Kenji , AKAMATSU Fumiteru
Published: November 2024

A fuel supply system and characteristics of CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) were changed to get better dynamic performance of an engine and axle output, respectively. A fuel supply system were changed from carburetor to fuel injection to improve an engine power. Engine power and torque with fuel injection system were higher than that with carburetor system by approximately 19% and 21%, respectively. In the power transmission system, the effect of spring constant of pressure spring and weight of flyweight on engagement speed and shift speed were investigated to improve an acceleration performance. Engagement speed and shift speed were higher as spring constant of pressure spring increases and weight of flyweight decreases, respectively.
Secure Optical Data Communications Between Tactical Vehicles -
LightSpeed™ Technology
Authors: Volfson Leo , Stautz Mr. Tom
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Modern military forces need an alternative to radio-frequency (RF) based
communications between tactical vehicles. Free Space Optics (FSO) can
provide that alternative but, to date, the design and form-factor of the
equipment precluded considering it as a viable solution. Recent advances in
FSO technologies are changing that and systems suitable for use in tactical
field operations are currently being introduced into the battlefield by the
special operations community. This paper explores some of the issues
associated with adapting FSO to mobile vehicular applications and provides
an overview of the current maturity and capabilities of these
technologies.
Retrofittable Fuel Usage Monitor and Economizer for Diesel Ground
Vehicles
Authors: Burkholder Jason O. , Ostrowski Gregory J. , Beck Christopher S.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

A retrofittable intelligent vehicle performance and fuel economy maximization
system would have widespread application to military tactical and non-tactical
ground vehicles as well as commercial vehicles. Barron Associates, Inc. and
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) recently conducted a research effort in
collaboration with the U.S. Army RDECOM to demonstrate the feasibility of a Fuel
Usage Monitor and Economizer (FUME) – an open architecture vehicle
monitoring and fuel efficiency optimization system. FUME features two primary
components: (1) vehicle and engine health monitoring and (2) real-time
operational guidance to maximize fuel efficiency and extend equipment life given
the current operating conditions. Key underlying FUME technologies include
mathematical modeling of dynamic systems, real-time adaptive parameter
estimation, model-based diagnostics, and intelligent usage monitoring. The
research included demonstration of the underlying FUME technologies applied to a
vehicle simulation constructed using SwRI’s RAPTOR™
software toolkit and to LMTV and MRAP vehicle data sets collected under the
AMSAA Sample Data Collection (SDC) effort.
AOM ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS ERGONOCMICALLY DESIGNED TROOP BENCHES FOR
INJURY REDUCTION DURING TRANSPORT IN ARMY TACTICAL TRUCKS
Authors: Micheli John , Donovan LTC Ken
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Over the last several years all branches of the United States military
have experienced an increased number of orthopedic and internal injuries to
knees lower back, neck, and digestive system. Additionally the level of
severity has also been increasing. Primary cause factors contributing to the
overall increase in injuries to US military personnel include the increase
in overall individual loads being carried by the individual soldier which at
times can approach 150 pounds, higher operations tempo which results in
greater exposure to higher levels of impact forces and for a greater
duration. The greater impact forces are a result of the poor design of the
current bench deployed on United States tactical vehicles, and the brutal
nature of the third world transportation networks in Afghanistan and
Iraq.

This paper documents the engineering approach utilized by AOM
Engineering Solutions to achieve the following primary design objectives;
improved ergonomic design for injury prevention, use of high strength/light
weight materials for reduced weight and storage space requirements,
innovative design that has resulted in off vehicle multi-functional design,
and a design focus on reducing the overall logistic footprint.

The AOM Ergonomic Multifunction Troop Bench, (AOM EMTB), is fielded and
has proven itself in the harsh tactical operating environment of Afghanistan
since July 2007, with an additional 2,400 bench assemblies delivered in FY
2009. AOM Engineering Solutions is excited to continue to bring innovative
products required to meet today changing tactical environments and improve
the health, safety and welfare of today’s military
personnel.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 4D/RCS ARCHITECTURE WITHIN THE SOUTHWEST SAFE
TRANSPORT INITIATIVE
Authors: McWilliams George , Brown Michael
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Over time, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has
refined the 4Dimension / Real-time Control System (4D/RCS) architecture for
use in Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs). This architecture, when applied to a
fully autonomous vehicle designed for missions in urban environments, can
greatly assist in the process of saving time and lives by creating a more
intelligent vehicle that acts in a safer and more efficient manner.
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI®) has undertaken the Southwest
Safe Transport Initiative (SSTI) aimed at investigating the development and
commercialization of vehicle autonomy as well as vehicle-based telemetry
systems to improve active safety systems and autonomy. This paper will
discuss the implementation of the 4D/RCS architecture to the SSTI autonomous
vehicle, a 2006 Ford Explorer.
Execution-time Decision Aids for Command and Control of Robotic
Entities
Authors: Ordower Rick , Dixon Lee
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Unmanned Systems are rapidly increasing in numbers and capabilities.
From 2002 to 2008 the number of robots in the Pentagon arsenal has grown
from 200 to 6,000, many of these supporting the soldier in the close battle.
Contrasting this growth in unmanned assets, the Army’s future force
tactical organization reduces soldier numbers and, by extension, the number
of robotics officers. Other soldiers in the force structure take on the
robotics officer role, increasing their workload and effectively hindering
their primary warfighting role.

SAIC has been working with CERDEC C2D over the last three years (and
AMRDEC prior to this) to introduce Battle Command decision aids supporting
(semi) autonomous execution and collaboration of unmanned assets. This paper
takes a qualitative/conceptual style to describe a behavior management
approach to command and control of multiple unmanned assets.
Exploring Cognitive Knowledge for Intelligent Vehicle Power
Management in Military Mission Scenarios
Authors: Murphey Yi L. , Masrur M. Abul , Neumann Donald E.
Published: November 2024

Summary

Growing environmental concerns coupled with the complex issue of global crude oil
supplies drive automobile industry towards the development of fuel-efficient
vehicles. Due to the possible multiple-power-source nature and the complex
configuration and operation modes, the control strategy of a military vehicle is
more complicated than that of a conventional vehicle. Furthermore, military
vehicles often have heavier weights and are used to operate multiple functions
such as engaging weapons, turning on sensors, silent watch, etc., which results
in big load fluctuation. In this paper we present our research in optimizing
power flow in a heavy vehicle for a given mission plan. A mission plan consists
of a sequence of operations and speed profiles. The vehicle architecture will be
modeled based on Stryker power system which consists of a diesel engine, a main
battery pack, an auxiliary battery pack, and an APU. The APU can supply power to
the auxiliary loads and auxiliary batteries only during silent watch mission. We
will use PSAT (Powertrain System Analysis Toolkit) (http://www.transportation.anl.gov/software/PSAT/index.html)
simulation program to construct the vehicle model along with the power system
specified above. PSAT is a high fidelity simulation software developed by
Argonne National Laboratory under the direction of and with contributions from
Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. PSAT is a "forward-looking"
model that simulates vehicle fuel economy and performance in a realistic manner
— taking into account transient behavior and control system
characteristics. It can simulate a broad range of predefined vehicle
configurations (conventional, electric, fuel cell, hybrid electric, light and
heavy trucks). We developed a dynamic programming algorithm to optimize the
power flow during a given mission. The cognitive knowledge we explored including
roadway type prediction and potential load requests associated with specific
mission plan.
UNDERSTANDING SOLDIER TASKS FOR EFFECTIVE SIMULATION
Authors: Garrison Teena M. , Thomas Mark D. , Carruth Daniel W.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Military personnel involved in convoy operations are often required to complete
multiple tasks within tightly constrained timeframes, based on limited or
time-sensitive information. Current simulations are often lacking in fidelity
with regard to team interaction and automated agent behavior; particularly
problematic areas include responses to obstacles, threats, and other changes in
conditions. More flexible simulations are needed to support decision making and
train military personnel to adapt to the dynamic environments in which convoys
regularly operate. A hierarchical task analysis approach is currently being used
to identify and describe the many tasks required for effective convoy
operations. The task decomposition resulting from the task analysis provides
greater opportunity for determining decision points and potential errors. The
results of the task analysis will provide guidance for the development of more
targeted simulations for training and model evaluation from the driver’s
perspective.
STRUCTURAL TOPOLOGY OPTIMIZATION FOR BLAST MITIGATION USING HYBRID
CELLULAR AUTOMATA
Authors: Goetz John C. , Tan Huade , Renaud John E. , Tovar Andrés
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Design for structural topology optimization is a method of distributing material
within a design domain of prescribed dimensions. This domain is discretized into
a large number of elements in which the optimization algorithm removes, adds, or
maintains the amount of material. The resulting structure maximizes a prescribed
mechanical performance while satisfying functional and geometric constraints.
Among different topology optimization algorithms, the hybrid cellular automaton
(HCA) method has proven to be efficient and robust in problems involving large,
plastic deformations. The HCA method has been used to design energy absorbing
structures subject to crash impact. The goal of this investigation is to extend
the use of the HCA algorithm to the design of an advanced composite armor (ACA)
system subject to a blast load. The ACA model utilized consists of two phases:
ceramic and metallic. In this work, the proposed algorithm drives the optimal
distribution of a metallic phase within the design domain. When the blast
pressure wave hits the targeted structure, the fluids kinetic energy is
transformed into strain energy (SE) inside the solid medium. Maximum attenuation
is reached when SE is maximized. Along with an optimum use of material, this
condition is satisfied when SE is uniformly distributed in the design domain.
This work makes use of the CONWEP model developed by the Army Research
Laboratory. The resulting structure shows the potential of the HCA method when
designing ACAs.
A Reconfigurable Vehicle Powertrain HIL Testing
Facility
Authors: Nedungadi Ashok , Kreder Karl
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Full vehicle Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing provides a virtual platform on
which to accurately assess the performance of the powertrain, before the vehicle
is built. Furthermore, it allows for seamless integration of components in a
modeling and simulation environment with actual hardware to analyze hardware
component performance. This paper presents the challenges of creating a rapidly
deployable HIL test facility and compares and contrasts the test results of a
conventional and parallel powertrain to modeling and simulation.
TIMING IS EVERYTHING AND A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND
WORDS
Authors: Woody Alan , Hoff Curtis
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The U.S. military has made substantial progress in developing and fielding C4ISR
systems that can collect and gather overwhelming amounts of valuable raw sensor
data. A new challenge that has emerged with the deployment of numerous
state-of-the-art ISR collection systems is the effective and timely use of the
collected surveillance and reconnaissance information, or simply stated an
architecture that pushes the timeliness and accessibility of this situational
awareness data to the tactical edge – “the right data at the
right time to the warfighter.” Along with this information distribution
challenge is the increased size, weight, and power implications of the numerous
stove piped systems that are bolted on to the mechanized platforms. The tactical
plug-and-play framework integrates cohesive, yet loosely coupled infrastructures
for communications, Command and Control (C2) applications, sensor suites, and
provides the “digital backbone” architecture. This architecture
results in a configurable, single-screen interface for the operator to monitor
and control all systems integrated onto a vehicle, and a reduction in the space
claim required for operation of these systems.
NET-CENTRICITY – WHERE IS THE DATA?
Authors: Woody Alan , Hachat Leon
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The U.S. military has made substantial progress in developing and fielding C4ISR
systems that can collect and gather overwhelming amounts of valuable raw sensor
data. The problem that comes along with this plethora of data is how can the
U.S. military determine what methods are effective to distribute, access, and
transform the data into knowledge or actionable information in an environment
with transient or low-bandwidth networking. There are so many dynamics that can
be manipulated that it is sometimes difficult to determine if a proposed system
or approach is solving a problem or simply adding to the problem. This paper
will present a simulation architecture that has been developed that allows
platform level components to be integrated into an end-to-end operational thread
with the ability to collect metrics for the purpose of determining measures of
effectiveness.
MOBILE, SECURED COMMUNICATIONS ENABLE NET-CENTRIC
OPERATIONS
Authors: Mehta Amish A. , Cambridge Andrew , Gardner Brian
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The demand for mobile, secure communications has been and will continue to be a
fundamental requirement for dismounted, urban and distributed operations in the
field. It is imperative that soldiers on the front lines receive actionable
information in a timely, secured and uninterrupted manner to increase force
protection and effectiveness. In this paper, we describe a novel, high technical
maturity (TRL 8+) communications link that offers the mounted and dismounted
soldier secure, beyond line of sight, encrypted capability for weapons control
and command & control of multiple platforms. An innovative spread spectrum
waveform was designed from the ground up to deliver necessary functionality for
reliable communications amongst multiple nodes with a data rate and range
commensurate with battlefield scenarios.
Emerging Trends in Intra Vehicle Networks for Data, Control and Power
Distribution
Authors: Murphree Jay , Weil Roark , Wootton John R.
Published: November 2024

Abstract

Current and future military vehicles will be expected to not only last longer
than their predecessors, but also operate with a flexible mission package. These
vehicles must be architected for lifecycle multiple upgrades of electronics and
general product improvements.

The ability to be upgraded and reconfigured for flexible mission profiles compels
the vehicle’s architecture be centered around a “data bus”
network backbone that facilitates “universal plug and play” of
electronic payloads. The vehicle’s over all data stream will consist of
at a minimum of voice, video, control and diagnostics. To maintain flexibility
as well as to be cost effective in support of the “plug and play
concept” for new and upgraded electronic payloads it is a fundamental
requirement that every type of current and foreseeable data streams be able to
coexist on one single network backbone. Only this architecture will guarantee
the most flexible, and scalable reconfiguring for future expansions or mission
equipment changes.

Military vehicles use higher and higher resolution multiple wavelength sensors
for target acquisition, a proliferation of cameras for both day and night
driving and (360°) situation awareness. The need/demand for any selection
of available video at various crew stations with less and less latency is on the
rise.

The growing trend within the military is to follow the commercial world of
delivering both video and voice over the digital IP network. Within a military
vehicle, the trend is consistent with the adoption of digital voice IP and video
IP networks. The issues of capacity and bandwidth are ever present, coupled to
the need for faster speeds, less latency, secure, self diagnosing networks, self
reconfiguring networks and scalability.

The need for flexibility and growth for vehicle controls and health management
(which today is supported by the vehicle’s 1939 can bus) requires a
vehicle architecture which allows tunneling that the control signal data has a
guaranteed delivery, and further the architecture can be expanded to accommodate
new controls, and low band width data such as vehicle health management.

A power distribution network also needs to coexist with the control and data
networks. The authors will discuss the emerging trends in all three areas,
together with the need to operate asynchronously yet allow tunneling of the
control and data networks. We will discuss the trends in topologies for all
three networks, and how to ensure that they are scalable, and fault tolerant,
self diagnostic and self reconfigurable, together with a fault tolerant
communication protocol. We will also discuss the work primarily being developed
at DRS TEM and DRS SSI in regards to these networks.
APPLICATION OF DATA MINING AND ANALYSIS TO ASSESS MILITARY GROUND
VEHICLE COMPONENTS
Authors: Ortland Richard J. , Bissonnette Lee A. , Miller Douglas R.
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Camber Corporation, under contract with the TACOM Life Cycle Management Command
Integrated Logistics Support Center, has developed an innovative process of data
mining and analysis to extract information from Army logistics databases,
identify top cost and demand drivers, understand trends, and isolate
environmental issues.

These analysis techniques were initially used to assess TACOM-managed equipment
in extended operations in Southwest Asia (SWA). In 2009, at the request of TACOM
and the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC),
these data mining processes were applied to four tactical vehicle platforms in
support of Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) initiatives.

This paper describes an enhanced data mining and analysis methodology used to
identify and rank components as candidates for CBM sensors, assess total cost of
repair/replacement and determine potential return on investment in applying CBM
technology.

Also discussed in this paper is the validation phase for investigating components
of high interest in terms of cost, demand, and criticality. This involved field
reports, physical analysis, root cause identification, and Failure Modes and
Effects Analysis (FMEA) leading to recommendations for corrective actions,
revised maintenance procedures, and the development of CBM scenarios.
ULTRA-WIDEBAND TRACKING OF MOBILE ROBOTS WITH VIDEO
VALIDATION
Authors: Cheok Ka C , Radovnikovich Micho T , Vempaty Pavan K , Hudas Gregory R , Overholt James L , Fleck Paul W
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Ultra-wideband (UWB) radio ranging technology was integrated into a local
positioning system (LPS) for tracking mobile robots. A practical issue was the
occasional large sporadic errors in the radio range data due to multipath due to
reflections and attenuation effect caused by radio penetration through mediums.
In this paper, we present a filtering and system integration of the radios with
vehicle sensors to produce location and orientation of a moving object being
tracked. We introduced a fuzzy neighborhood filter to remove outliers from range
data, a progressive trilateration filter to improve update rate and produce a
fused estimate of vehicle location with a compass and wheel speed sensors.
Experiments were recorded and estimated position and orientation were validated
against the video recording of vehicle ground truth. The UWB LPS can be used for
navigation and guidance of multiple mobile robots around a command vehicle, and
employed for tracking of assets of interest including personnel, vehicle,
weapons and equipment.
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND BENCHMARKING FOR UNMANNED GROUND
VEHICLES
Authors: Durst Phillip J
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are being fielded with increasing frequency for
military applications. However, there is a lack of agreed upon standards,
definitions, performance metrics, and evaluation procedures for UGVs. UGV
design, development, and deployability have suffered from the lack of accepted
standards and metrics. Developing these standards is exceptionally difficult,
because any performance metric must not only be evaluated through controlled
experiments, but the metric itself must also be checked for relevance. Several
committees and workgroups have taken up the challenge of providing standardized
performance metrics, and an overview of the current state of performance
evaluation for UGVs is presented. The ability to evaluate a potential metric
through simulations would greatly enable these work efforts. To that end, an
overview of the Virtual Autonomous Navigation Environment (VANE) computational
test bed (CTB) and its potential use in the rapid development of meaningful UGV
performance metrics is presented.
EVALUATION PARAMETERS FOR 360-DEGREE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS SYSTEMS ON
MILITARY GROUND VEHICLES
Authors: Mikulski Thomas , Berman David
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The United States military stands to greatly benefit from perpetual advances in
vehicle-borne 360-degree Situational Awareness (SA) systems. However, in recent
years, a gap has emerged that hinders development of vehicle-borne 360 SA. At a
fundamental level, military ground vehicle designers require unambiguous
requirements to build effective 360-degree SA systems; and, critical
decision-makers must define requirements that offer substantial operational
value. To ensure that 360-degree SA systems effectively address Warfighter
requirements, the military ground vehicle research and development communities
must better understand vehicle-borne 360 SA evaluation parameters and their
relevance to current military operations. This paper will therefore describe a
set of evaluation parameters across five broad categories that are vital to
effective 360-degree SA: namely, vehicle-mounted visual sensors, data
transmission systems, in-vehicle displays, intelligent cuing technologies, and
human factors issues. This paper clearly explains the links between these
parameters and current military operations; and, it argues that such parameters
are critical to uniting stakeholders under a common framework to ensure that
360-degree SA systems provide Warfighters with the means to make sound decisions
in combat.
SURVIVABILITY ENHANCED RUN-FLAT VARIABLE FOOTPRINT
TIRES
Authors: Capouellez James , Pannikottu Abraham , Gerhardt Jon
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

The military has a unique requirement to operate in different terrains throughout
the world. The ability to travel in as much varying terrain as possible provides
the military greater tactical options. This requirement/need is for the tire to
provide a variable footprint to allow for different ground pressure. Much of the
current run-flat technology utilized by the military severely limits mobility
and adds significant weight to the unsprung mass. This technology gap has
allowed for the development of new run-flat tire technology. New tire technology
(fig 1) has been developed that
substantially increases survivability, eliminates the need for heavy run-flat
inserts, significantly reduces air pressure requirements and provides full (or
near full) speed capability in degraded/damaged mode (punctured tire). This
run-flat technology is built directly into the tire, yet maintains the normal
variable footprint of a normal pneumatic tire. This makes the tire/wheel
assembly much lighter and far more survivable than normal military run-flat
technology. Safety, logistics, economics, and fuel economy are additional
benefits this tire technology provides over current military tires with run-flat
inserts.
Fig. 1

Survivability Enhanced Run-Flat Variable Footprint Tire Sectional
View
PREDICTING THE LIFE OF MILITARY VEHICLE COMPONENTS IN THE PRESENCE OF DEFECTS
Authors: Porter William De
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

When the components of a military vehicle are designed, consideration is given to
long term durability under repeated mission applications. In reality, surface
and subsurface defects have always existed in weldments, forgings, and castings.
These defects came from the manufacturing process or nucleated during the life
of the vehicle. These defects may grow under repeated operations, resulting in
ultimate failure of parts well before the design life is achieved. In such
situations, a design based on crack initiation alone will not suffice, and a
fracture mechanics based fatigue should also be included to predict the design
life of a part accurately. In this paper a methodology is given on how to
predict the available design life given the presence of defects in different
parts of a military vehicle. An example will be provided with the process to
demonstrate each step of the process.
Analysis Comparison between CFD and FEA of an Idealized Concept V-
Hull Floor Configuration in Two Dimensions
Authors: Khatib-Shahidi Bijan , Smith Rob E.
Published: November 2024

Abstract:

An idealized concept of a v-hull vehicle design for blast analysis has been
studied in two different commercial software packages and results are compared
to one another. The two software packages are different in nature: one code is
an Eulerian Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Finite Volume Solver while the
other code is a Lagrangian Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Solver with the ability
to couple structures to fluids through a special technique called Arbitrary
Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE).

The simulation models in this paper have been set up for both CFD and FEA using a
commercial pre-processing tool to study the effect of an idealized blast on the
vehicle configuration: A pressure blast charge has been placed under the center
of the vehicle at the symmetry line. The charge is composed of a prescribed
pressure and a temperature pulse in a medium with the properties of air. In the
CFD solver, an explicit unsteady solver has been chosen for analysis purposes.
This was done because this type of solver is also available in the explicit
non-linear finite element code.

This paper will compare the analysis results for the two different software
packages paying particular attention to mesh density and the Courant number. The
metrics to be assessed include the supersonic wave propagation, Mach number,
velocity, pressure fluctuations and distribution that propogate from the
explosive device toward the vehicle. Additionally, the floor and roof line
forces are captured as another metric.
CASE STUDY OF GPS RETRANSMISSION IN MILITARY GROUND
VEHICLES
Authors: Paul Mr. Brian
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has seen increased use in many
different military applications worldwide, beyond navigation. The Warfighter
uses GPS to enhance Situational Awareness on the battle field with systems such
as Land Warrior, Blue Force Tracker, TIGR, and various electronic mission
planning tools in locations where the GPS signals are normally not available.
For example, this includes the inside of a HMMWV, Stryker, or MRAP.

GPS retransmission, or the art of repeating a live GPS signal, has evolved into a
technically advanced solution to provide GPS signals to the Warfighter mounted
inside ground vehicles, protecting themselves from sniper and IED threats, while
providing mobility and Situational Awareness from vehicle mounted communication
& navigation systems. The objective of this technical paper is to
communicate a relevant understanding of how this technology is being embraced by
the Warfighter to accomplish their mission safer and more efficiently and to
open dialogue on how vehicle integration can improve capability of onboard
systems.
Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)- Is it the Solution for a
Mobile Net-Centric Army?
Authors: Mangin Joseph , Dorny Jonathan
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACT

Access Control sets the bounds directing use of a resource. Equipment,
applications, and information in a military environment require access control
to provide security where intelligence superiority is an integral part the
battlefield. The Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) employed for Information
Systems and IT networks where permissions for Army roles change slowly do not
scale to the dynamics of distributed mobile systems in a rapidly changing
tactical environment. As ground systems fulfill the Net Centric Warfare (NCW)
charter, Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) provides a distributed,
rule-based approach to support dynamic attributes for access control.