Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. He teaches courses in the area of mechanics and materials including Statics, Dynamics, Strength of Materials, Machine Design, Robotics, and Senior Design. He has conducted research in the general area of structural integrity assessment and assurance with an emphasis on fracture and fatigue. He has worked with the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Carderock and the Naval Sea System Command on characterizing the fracture behavior of materials used in ship structure and machine components, and on developing fitness for service approaches for naval combatant ship structures. Experienced with mechanical testing, evaluation of impact loading on materials and structures including composites and metals, failure analysis of metal and composite structures, and design of joints in composite structures. He also has experience in experimental and numerical analysis of stresses in structures and components, and with design and evaluation of mechanical components used in machinery, transportation and power generation such as gears, bearings, shafts, belt and chain drives, fasteners, and with welded structure and pressure vessels. Outside of work, he has done some residential renovation and construction, so he is familiar with construction practices, electrical wiring, plumbing, insulation, and mechanical systems (HVAC).
Has also served as Senior Engineer with Ateon Corporation where he was a contractor to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Metals Engineering Branch. Provide technical guidance to the Navy in areas of fatigue, fracture and structural integrity assessment. Work has focused on the role of materials in the safe and reliable performance of engineering structures, with emphasis on the role of flaws, defects and adverse environmental conditions on structural integrity. Conduct research on the development of analytical methods to predict fracture performance of structures and on the development of test methods for measurement of dynamic fracture properties. He also served as Senior Engineer at Materials Engineering Associates in Lanham, MD as principal investigator and project manager for projects involving characterization of fracture and fatigue behavior of materials in aqueous and gaseous environments at temperatures ranging from cryogenic to 1600°F. Application of fracture mechanics to structural integrity assessment. Development of standards for brittle and ductile fracture toughness testing of materials. Design and Visual BASIC programming of computer systems for machine control, automated data acquisition and data analysis.
Academic Background
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering August 1988
- Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, M.S. Mechanical Engineering December 1983
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, B.S. Mechanical Engineering May 1979
Teaching Experience
- United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland. Associate Professor 2002 – present – Taught courses in the area of mechanics and materials including Statics, Dynamics, Strength of Materials, Machine Design, Robotics, and Senior Design. Conducted research in the general area of structural integrity assessment and assurance with an emphasis on fracture and fatigue. Worked with the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Carderock on characterizing the fracture behavior of materials used in ship structure and machine components, and on developing fitness for service approaches for naval combatant ship structures.
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Visiting Lecturer 1996 to 2001 – Taught senior level undergraduate/graduate course in fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics.
- Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC. Instructor January 2000 – Taught 3-day short course on Fundamentals of Fracture Mechanics as Applied to Damage Tolerant Design.
- Naval Sea Systems Command, Arlington, Virginia. Instructor 1997 to 1998 – Taught 2-day seminar on new procedure for material selection in critical applications entitled “Fracture Toughness Review Process for Metals in Critical Non-nuclear Shipboard Applications”. This seminar was presented 4 times to a total of approximately 200 engineers from NAVSEA, Newport News Shipbuilding, Electric Boat Corporation, NUWC and SUPSHIPS.
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Teaching Assistant 1984 to 1985 – Teaching Assistant for courses in Statics, Dynamics and Engineering Materials.
- Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas. Teaching Assistant 1982 to 1983 – Teaching Assistant for courses in Engineering Graphics and Materials Science.
Professional Experience
- RTI Group, LLC, Annapolis, MD, Senior Materials Science Consultant, 2013 to present.
- Anteon Corporation, Rockville, Maryland. Senior Engineer, October 1995 to 2001 – Serving as contractor to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, Metals Engineering Branch. Provide technical guidance to the Navy in areas of fatigue, fracture and structural integrity assessment. Work has focused on the role of materials in the safe and reliable performance of engineering structures, with emphasis on the role of flaws, defects and adverse environmental conditions on structural integrity. Conduct research on the development of analytical methods to predict fracture performance of structures and on the development of test methods for measurement of dynamic fracture properties
- Materials Engineering Associates, Lanham, Maryland. Senior Engineer, January 1990 to October 1995 – Principal investigator and project manager for projects involving characterization of fracture and fatigue behavior of materials in aqueous and gaseous environments at temperatures ranging from cryogenic to 1600°F. Application of fracture mechanics to structural integrity assessment. Development of standards for brittle and ductile fracture toughness testing of materials. Design and Visual BASIC programming of computer systems for machine control, automated data acquisition and data analysis.
- E.G. & G. Idaho National Engineering Lab, Idaho Falls, Idaho. Engineering Specialist, August 1988 to January 1990 – Materials Technology Group, Principal investigator for DOE sponsored research to evaluate the applicability of standard test data to structural integrity assessment. Also conducted research on effect of interfaces and residual stresses on fracture toughness of weldments. Research involved experimental evaluation of fracture parameters using moiré interferometry and comparison with theoretical calculations. Designed a video data collection system and wrote C programs for automated data reduction of moiré interferograms.
- Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland. Visiting Scientist, January 1988 to August 1988 – Department of Physiology. Developed capability for measurement of solid body shape using projection moiré topography as part of investigation on pulmonary dynamics.
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland. Research Assistant, January 1984 to August 1988 – Department of Mechanical Engineering. Conducted research on the cold expansion process for fatigue life enhancement of aircraft fastener holes. Quantified the effect of process variables on life enhancement through fatigue testing, experimental stress analysis and finite element analysis.
- Vought Corporation, Dallas, Texas. Research Associate, May 1983 to December 1983 – Structures and Materials Research Group. Conducted failure analysis for developmental study on fatigue crack growth in metal laminates. Established capability for high temperature, variable strain rate tensile testing of super-plastic laminates.
- Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, Texas. Mechanical Design Engineer, May 1981 to January 1983 – Geophysical Services Group/Marine Engineering. Responsible for design and testing of seismic sources for marine oil exploration. Experience included conceptual design, numerical simulation, prototype development and testing of new generation seismic source. Directed reliability improvement program that entailed compilation of field service life data, failure analysis of field parts, finite element analysis and experimental stress analysis. Used reliability data to improve the source through revisions to component design, fabrication method and material selection.
- Texas Instruments Incorporated, Dallas, Texas. Structural Analyst, July 1979 to May 1981 – Equipment Group/Applied Mechanics Branch. Conducted finite element analysis of structures for military products including electro-optics and missile guidance systems, test apparatus and micro-electronic components. Analysis involved prediction of stress, displacement and frequency response under static, dynamic (spectrum fatigue, vibration and shock) and thermal loading. Worked with project design personnel on structural evaluation and optimization.
Professional Affiliations
- EIT, Commonwealth of Virginia, April 1979
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- American Society for Testing and Materials