Navy Command Decision Making: Basic Research, Applied Research, and Transition to Enhance Current and Future Capabilities

The emergence of Human Factors as a discipline is often traced to pioneering efforts tackling military issues in World War II. Rapid technological advances raised fundamental questions around human performance. Approaches, solutions, and advances in the science soon spread outside of their original military contexts. Current and emerging technologies, and also new challenges for human-machine systems, means Human Factors remains central to military effectiveness, while producing outcomes with broader potential impact. This panel discussion will examine an array of contributions to the Office of Naval Research program on Command Decision Making. The session will explore methods to understand and enhance decision making through: (1) Addressing gaps that demand further foundational knowledge to produce empirical generalizations, models, and theories as basis for future guidelines, principles, specifications, and doctrine for Navy Command Decision Making; (2) Applications of existing knowledge within specific contexts to address current /future real world Navy decision making challenges.

Progress on consumer and industrial product noise control and technology transfer: summaries of the 2015 and 2016 TQA workshops

Progress on consumer and industrial products noise reduction, was a Technology for a Quieter America (TQA) workshop and International INCE symposium hosted by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) held in October 2015 . The workshop consisted of two major parts, consumer products at home and commercial and industrial products. The former included appliances, waste disposers, leaf blowers, Information Technology Equipment and automotive interior noise. The second half of the workshop included such industrial products as air moving devices, industrial power generation equipment generator sets, compressor noise, transformer noise and valve plus gear noise. It also included national and international noise emission standards for consumer and industrial products. The technology transfer workshop was hosted by NAE in October 2016. The workshop covered four areas; an overview of technology transfer in the United States, government programs, technology transfer from universities, and panel discussions on a variety of topics. Government agencies which participated included NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Small Business Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and the Naval Research Laboratory.

From SMET to STEM at MTS

The Student Poster Competition (SPC) has been an integral component of OCEANS meetings since 1989. This enduring program continues to play a valuable role in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and professional development, providing an international forum for undergraduate and graduate students to showcase their efforts and interact with future colleagues, mentors, and employers. As a sponsor of the SPC since 1999, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) relies on programs like SPC to help inspire, foster, and develop talent across the diverse workforce needed to address the complex marine technology challenges of today and tomorrow.

Analysis of Vertical Velocities Development through High-resolution Simulation and Glider Observations in the Alboran Sea

<p>Vertical velocities associated with meso- and submeso-scale structures generate important vertical fluxes of carbon and other biogeochemical tracers from the surface layer to depths below the mixed layer. Vertical velocities are very weak and characterized by small scales which make them difficult to measure. The project entitled Coherent Lagrangian Pathways from the Surface Ocean to Interior (CALYPSO, Office of Naval Research initiative) addresses the challenge of observing, understanding, and predicting the vertical velocities and three-dimensional pathways on subduction processes in the frontal regions of the Alboran Sea. Within the framework of the CALYPSO project, we analysed the processes that give rise to vertical velocities in the Western Alboran Gyre Front (WAGF) and Eastern Alboran Gyre Front (EAGF). The periods of frontal intensification were analyzed in the perspective of the frontogenesis, instabilities, non-linear Ekman effects, and filamentogenesis using multi-platform in-situ observations and a high-resolution simulation in spring 2018. The spatio-temporal characteristics of the WAGF indicate a wider, deeper, and longer-lasting front than the EAGF. The WAGF intensification and vertical velocities development are explained through i) frontogenesis, ii) conditions for symmetric and ageostrophic baroclinic instabilities generation, and iii) nonlinear Ekman effects. These mechanisms participate to generate and strengthen an ageostrophic secondary circulation responsible for vertical velocities intensification in the front. In the case of the EAGF, the intensification and vertical velocities development are explained by filamentogenesis in both the model and glider observations. The EAGF intensification is characterized by a sharp and outcropping density gradient at the center of the filament, where two asymmetrical ageostrophic cells develop across the front with narrow upwelling region in the middle.</p>

Captive Model Tests for Assessing Maneuverability of a Damaged Surface Combatant with Initial Heel Angle

The present study is about the application of a four-degree-of-freedom (4DOF) maneuvering mathematical model based on Abkowitz’s model for assessing damaged ship maneuverability with initial asymmetry. A scaled model of the Office of Naval Research Tumblehome hull with a damaged compartment was used as the test model. Based on the survivability regulations for naval vessels, the damaged compartment was designed and located near the bow, such that it had an initial heel and trim. Static and dynamic captive model tests were performed on the damaged ship model to determine the maneuvering coefficients for the maneuvering mathematical model. Maneuvering simulations were carried out with the captive model test data and 4DOF maneuvering mathematical model. The advance speed in the maneuver reduced more in the damaged condition than in the intact condition, and maneuverability was severely degraded during starboard turning.

Prediction of Resistance and Self-Propulsion Characteristics of a Full-Scale Naval Ship by CFD-Based GEOSIM Method

Resistance and self-propulsion characteristics of a naval ship at full scale have been investigated by using Telfer’s GEOmetrically SIMilar (GEOSIM) method based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach. For this purpose, first, the resistance forces of the Office of Naval Research Tumblehome (ONRT) hull have been computed at different three model scales by using the overset mesh technique. The full-scale resistance and nominal wake fraction of the ONRT hull have been estimated by using Telfer’s GEOSIM method. Resistance and nominal wake fraction have then been compared with those of CFD at full scale. Later, the self-propulsion characteristics of the ONRT hull have been examined using Telfer’s GEOSIM method based on the CFD approach. Self-propulsion factors at the full-scale hull have been predicted by using the SST k-ω turbulence model to involve 2-degrees of freedom ship motions (heave and pitch). Rotational motion of the propeller has also been simulated by using the rigid body motion technique. The results calculated by Telfer’s GEOSIM method and the 1978 International Towing Tank Conference (ITTC) extrapolation technique have been compared with each other and discussed with those of the CFD approach at full scale. It was found that the full-scale results (both resistance and self-propulsion factors) predicted by Telfer’s GEOSIM method are closer to those of the CFD approach than those of the 1978 ITTC technique. It can be noted that Telfer’s GEOSIM method is fast, robust, and reliable and can be used as an alternative to the 1978 ITTC method for predicting the self-propulsion performance of a full-scale ship.

ALTERNATIVE DESIGNS OF MOLTEN SALT STORAGE SHELLS FOR USE IN SOLAR ENERGY STORAGE

Molten salt (MS) storage systems in the 565°C range can store green solar energy from thermal solar power station, such as the Crescent Dunes solar plant in Nevada. Large containers can be used to store energy and generate electricity for eight hours or more to be used at night or during peak demand hours, depending on the container size. Energy storage can reduce the fluctuation due to weather conditions experienced at thermal solar power stations because stable diurnal energy supply is made available by MS energy storage. Supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the research presented discusses the considerations for designing molten salt storage tanks. An alternate molten salt storage cylindrical tank design layout is presented, including an improved roof design concept. A preliminary heat transfer analysis is presented and discussed for the alternate cylindrical tank design. This preliminary analysis was used to determine the thickness of insulating material in and around the cylindrical tank to reduce heat flux. These insulating materials include the use of firebrick and ceramic insulation to complement the structural carbon steel and the stainless steel that is used for corrosion resistance. This paper also introduces the alternate designs of a semi-buried spherical tank and drop shell tank that can be used storing molten salts.

0096 Future-Relevant Information is Enhanced After Sleep Despite Emotional Salience of Stimuli

Introduction A substantial literature supports that sleep biases memory consolidation and retrieval for emotionally-salient stimuli. A smaller, yet growing, literature supports that information deemed relevant to future events may also be favored by sleep consolidation processes. However, it is unclear whether both emotion and predictability would act together to bias sleep-dependent memory formation. Here, we utilized a directed forgetting paradigm with negative and neutral word pairs to examine this open question. Methods Sixty young and healthy adults were exposed to word pair stimuli before a polysomnographically-recorded nap. Before the nap, participants were instructed to remember half of the word pairs presented for a later test, and for the other half of word pairs, participants were told to forget them as there would not be a test on them later. Additionally, during encoding, half of the subjects in the sample were exposed to negative valenced, high arousal word pairs while the other half were exposed to neutral, low arousal word pairs. After the nap, subjects were tested on all word pairs presented, regardless of previous instruction. This also included a set of novel word pairs to which participants had not been previously exposed. Results A series of 2x2 mixed measures ANOVAs revealed that individuals had better accuracy (p<.001) and fewer misses (p<.001) for the words they were told to remember compared to those they were instructed to forget. Additionally, participants had relatively few false alarms to novel stimuli, 7.14 times, on average (SD=6.10), out of a possible 50 word pairs. Importantly, contrary to predictions, post-nap performance was not dependent on the word pair valence (interaction p’s>.70). No correlations between sleep stages and memory emerged. Conclusion These findings suggest that predictability of future events may be a relevant catalyst for sleep-related memory processing. Support This work was supported by an Office of Naval Research Young Investigators Award to Sara Mednick and a National Institutes of Mental Health Training grant to Lauren Whitehurst T32MH019391.

0254 The Effects of Chronic Sleep Restriction on Multiple Object Tracking

Introduction The ability to simultaneously track numerous moving objects in the presence of irrelevant stimuli is essential for successfully carrying out a variety of tasks. Sleep loss impairs neurocognitive functioning and, as a result, attentional processing capacity is reduced. The objective of the current study was to determine if performance on the multiple object tracking (MOT) task was adversely impacted by a week of chronic sleep restriction (CSR). Methods Twelve healthy participants (6 males, 6 females) kept a fixed sleep-wake schedule, with a constant waketime, at home for four weeks (actigraphy confirmed compliance). During weeks one and three, participants maintained 9 hours in bed. During weeks two and four, participants were randomly assigned to 5 and 9 hours of sleep. Following weeks two and four, participants completed a 13-hour laboratory visit under dim light (< 15 lux), where they maintained a constant posture and were provided with hourly isocaloric snacks. MOT was presented at approximately 6 and 8 hours after waking. Participants were required to track four, five, or six moving targets in the presence of identical distractors (always 12 total objects). Results Participants slept significantly less when assigned to 5 (M = 4.43 hours, SD = 0.33 hours), compared to 9 hours of sleep (M = 7.42 hours, SD = 0.42 hours; F (1, 22) = 206.89, p = 0.00). The proportion of correct MOT responses was significantly lower following 5 (M = 0.70, SD = 0.15) compared to 9 hours of sleep (M = 0.77, SD = 0.12; F (1, 22) = 10.29, p < .05). Conclusion A week of CSR adversely impacted MOT performance compared to a week of sleep satiation. These findings have implications for individuals, such as air traffic controllers and truck drivers, who must visually track multiple moving objects, often while chronically sleep deprived. Support Supported by the Force Health Protection Program of the Office of Naval Research (SAA2402925-1, Contract Award no. N0001418IP00050).