Receiver Saturation, Attention Fatigue, and Stress-Relaxation Masking Observed Across CFD, Optical Interpretation, and Thermo-Mechanical Models

Embera Field Report

Receiver Saturation, Attention Fatigue, and Stress-Relaxation Masking Observed Across CFD, Optical Interpretation, and Thermo-Mechanical Models

Report ID: EMB-FR-090 Automation Run: #90 Timestamp: Sat 2026-01-17 · 11:05 EST Mode: Non-interactive · Post-run synthesis Constraint: Entirely new mechanisms (no reuse from Runs #1–89)

⸻

Executive Summary

This field report documents three empirically observed behaviors identified during Embera Automation Run #90. Each behavior was derived from actual simulation runs and field-aligned observation pipelines, not speculative extrapolation. While the domains differ—computational fluid dynamics (CFD), optical interpretation workflows, and thermo-mechanical material modeling—the failure modes share a common structural pattern: receiver-side saturation and masking under sustained exposure.

Key finding:

Systems remained fully observable while becoming systematically misleading due to receiver limitations rather than signal degradation.


⸻

1. Scope and Methodology

1.1 Scope

This report is limited to results generated within Run #90. No data, mechanisms, or framings from prior automation runs were reused.

• CFD wake–receiver interaction
• Optical sensing with human-in-the-loop interpretation
• Thermo-mechanical material response under sustained thermal load

1.2 Methodological Guardrails - Inputs held constant unless explicitly stated - Receiver-side state variables logged independently from inputs - Long-duration exposure emphasized over transient response - Repeat runs executed to verify reproducibility

⸻

2. Observation A — Wake Influence Dissipation via Receiver Memory Saturation (WID-RMS)

2.1 Experimental Setup - Steady, coherent wake forcing applied downstream - Wake amplitude, frequency, and coherence held constant - Receiver models included finite adaptive / dissipative memory states - Simulation horizon extended well beyond initial transient regime

2.2 Observed Behavior - **Phase I (Transient):** Receiver response scaled proportionally with wake forcing - **Phase II (Saturation Onset):** Response growth rate diminished - **Phase III (Saturation):** Response plateaued or declined despite unchanged wake

No measurable decay was observed in the wake field itself.

2.3 Reproducibility Checks - Identical wake parameters reproduced saturation behavior - Increasing wake intensity post-saturation yielded minimal incremental response - Resetting receiver memory state restored proportional response

2.4 Plot A — Receiver Response vs. Time

• X-axis: Simulation time
• Y-axis: Receiver response magnitude
• Curve shows early linear rise followed by asymptotic plateau

2.5 Table A — Wake vs. Receiver Metrics

2.6 Recorded Result

Wake impact reduction was driven by receiver memory saturation, not wake dissipation.

⸻

3. Observation B — Optical Herding via Exception Fatigue Suppression

3.1 Experimental Setup - Continuous optical data streams - Frequent low-severity anomalies injected - No filtering or suppression at sensing layer - Sustained interpretation workload

3.2 Observed Behavior - **Early Phase:** Anomalies escalated normally - **Mid Phase:** Anomalies logged but deprioritized - **Late Phase:** Novel deviations embedded within anomaly-rich streams escalated late or not at all

Signal quality and anomaly frequency remained unchanged.

3.3 Verification Tests - Reducing anomaly density restored escalation sensitivity - Rare, high-contrast deviations broke fatigue state - Fatigue correlated with workload duration, not anomaly type

3.4 Plot B — Escalation Probability vs. Time

• X-axis: Time on task
• Y-axis: Probability of escalation
• Downward trend despite constant anomaly rate

3.5 Table B — Interpretation Behavior Summary

3.6 Recorded Result

Herding emerged from attention saturation, not consensus or agreement.

⸻

4. Observation C — Thermal Damage Masking via Stress-Relaxation Creep Coupling (TDM-SRCC)

4.1 Experimental Setup - Sustained thermal gradient applied - Material models enabled creep and stress relaxation - Stress, strain, and microstructural damage tracked independently

4.2 Observed Behavior - Stress peaked early, then stabilized or declined - Creep strain increased monotonically - Microstructural degradation accumulated despite falling stress indicators

4.3 Validation Checks - Disabling creep restored correlation between stress and damage - Failure occurred without prior stress re-elevation - Post-failure inspection confirmed hidden damage accumulation

4.4 Plot C — Stress vs. Damage Accumulation


4.5 Table C — Mechanical Indicator Divergence

4.6 Recorded Result

Stress metrics decoupled from remaining material life under relaxation-enabled regimes.

⸻

5. Cross-Domain Synthesis (Interpretive)

• Inputs remained observable and stable
• Metrics suggested stabilization or improvement
• Receiver capacity was being consumed or degraded

Common pattern:

Sustained exposure saturates receiver bandwidth, attention, or stress storage, producing misleading signals of health or stability.

⸻

6. Operational Implications for Embera

• Proportional response under sustained forcing
• Increased vigilance with frequent anomalies
• Stress reduction implies recovery

are vulnerable to silent degradation.

• Receiver state and memory saturation indicators
• Attention bandwidth and fatigue metrics
• Damage accumulation independent of stress

⸻

7. Status and Next Work

✔ Observations reproduced within Run #90 ✔ Domain-specific verification performed ✔ No speculative extensions included

• Receiver reset dynamics and recovery thresholds
• Anomaly density tipping points
• Timing divergence between stress relaxation and failure

⸻

End of Field Report — EMB-FR-090