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  1. Additive manufacturing has revolutionized structural optimization by enhancing component strength and reducing material requirements. One approach used to achieve these improvements is the application of multi-lattice structures. The performance of these structures heavily relies on the detailed design of mesostructural elements. Many current approaches use data-driven design to generate multi-lattice transition regions, making use of models that jointly address the geometry and properties of the mesostructures. However, it remains unclear whether the integration of mechanical properties into the data set for generating multi-lattice interpolations is beneficial beyond geometry alone. To address this issue, this work implements and evaluates a hybrid geometry/property machine learning model for generating multi-lattice transition regions. We compare the results of this hybrid model to results obtained using a geometry-only model. Our research determined that incorporating physical properties decreased the number of variables to address in the latent space, and therefore improves the ability of generative models for developing transition regions of multi-lattice structures. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available October 1, 2024
  2. The data generated during additive manufacturing (AM) practice can be used to train machine learning (ML) tools to reduce defects, optimize mechanical properties, or increase efficiency. In addition to the size of the repository, emerging research shows that other characteristics of the data also impact suitability of the data for AM-ML application. What should be done in cases for which the data in too small, too homogeneous, or otherwise insufficient? Data augmentation techniques present a solution, offering automated methods for increasing the quality of data. However, many of these techniques were developed for machine vision tasks, and hence their suitability for AM data has not been verified. In this study, several data augmentation techniques are applied to synthetic design repositories to characterize if and to what degree they enhance their performance as ML training sets. We discuss the comparative advantage of these data augmentation techniques across several canonical AM-ML tasks. 
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    Free, publicly-accessible full text available October 1, 2024
  3. null (Ed.)
    https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/agents-arctic-case-increased-use-agent-based-modeling-study-permafrost/ 
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  4. null (Ed.)
    In review. 
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  5. The widespread growth of additive manufacturing, a field with a complex informatic “digital thread”, has helped fuel the creation of design repositories, where multiple users can upload distribute, and download a variety of candidate designs for a variety of situations. Additionally, advancements in additive manufacturing process development, design frameworks, and simulation are increasing what is possible to fabricate with AM, further growing the richness of such repositories. Machine learning offers new opportunities to combine these design repository components’ rich geometric data with their associated process and performance data to train predictive models capable of automatically assessing build metrics related to AM part manufacturability. Although design repositories that can be used to train these machine learning constructs are expanding, our understanding of what makes a particular design repository useful as a machine learning training dataset is minimal. In this study we use a metamodel to predict the extent to which individual design repositories can train accurate convolutional neural networks. To facilitate the creation and refinement of this metamodel, we constructed a large artificial design repository, and subsequently split it into sub-repositories. We then analyzed metadata regarding the size, complexity, and diversity of the sub-repositories for use as independent variables predicting accuracy and the required training computational effort for training convolutional neural networks. The networks each predict one of three additive manufacturing build metrics: (1) part mass, (2) support material mass, and (3) build time. Our results suggest that metamodels predicting the convolutional neural network coefficient of determination, as opposed to computational effort, were most accurate. Moreover, the size of a design repository, the average complexity of its constituent designs, and the average and spread of design spatial diversity were the best predictors of convolutional neural network accuracy. 
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  6. null (Ed.)
    https://www.thearcticinstitute.org/infrastructure-community-resilience-changing-arctic-status-challenges-research-needs/ 
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  7. null (Ed.)
  8. Intricate mesostructures in additive manufacturing (AM) designs can offer enhanced strength-to-weight performance. However, complex mesostructures can also hinder designers, often resulting in unpalatably large digital files that are difficult to modify. Similarly, existing methods for defining and representing complex mesostructures are highly variable, which further increases the challenge in realizing such structures for AM. To address these gaps, we propose a standardized framework for designing and representing mesostructured components tailored to AM. Our method uses a parametric language to describe complex patterns, defined by a combination of macrostructural, mesostructural, and vector field information. We show how various mesostructures, ranging from simple rectilinear patterns to complex, vector field-driven cellular cutouts can be represented using few parameters (unit cell dimensions, orientation, and spacing). Our proposed framework has the potential to significantly reduce file size, while its extensible nature enables it to be expanded in the future. 
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