Engineering Manufacturing Composite Structures Expert Witness

Expert Witness No.1550

Utah

Introduction

Over 40 years experience in marketing, management, engineering, and manufacturing technical roles within the composite structures and propulsion industry.  Expertise and skills developed in export control regulations, materials evaluation, and broad range of composite structures manufacturing processes, design and analysis methodology, non-destructive testing (NDI), testing and market research.  Recognized as a key technical expert internationally with services on critical U.S. Government and industry committees, and professional society advisory boards, in areas of commercial and aerospace composites design and manufacturing technology.

Educational Education

Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Engineering (Mechanics and Materials), university in Texas, 1974

M.S. Aeronautics (Materials), technology institute in California, 1965

B.S. Aerospace Engineering, university in Texas, 1964

Adjunct Professor, Mechanical Engineering & Manufacturing Technology Departments, university in Utah, since 1990
Adjunct Professor, Mechanical and Civil Engineering Departments, university in Utah, since 1982

Instructor, Civil Engineering and Aerospace Engineering, university in Texas, 1973-1974

Staff Engineering Research Associate, university in Texas, 1969-1974
Texas Transportation Institute, 1972-1974
Mechanics and Materials Research Center, 1971-1972
Civil Engineering Department, 1969-1971

Research Assistant, technology institute in California, 1964-1965

Numerous Specialized Training and Continuing Education Courses:
Export Control/International Arms Regulations (DOC/SIA)
Effective Business Presentations
Phil Crosby Quality Improvement Program
ISO 9000 Fundamentals Course (Society of Manufacturing Engineers/SME)
Impact Dynamics/Impact Assessment in Composites (UCLA)
Effective Proposal Preparation and Evaluation
Numerous Short Courses on Elastomers, Plastics, and Composites Manufacturing, Testing, Design and Processing

Awards & Appointments

Elected Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) Fellow

Presidential Appointment (President Bush), U.S. Department of Commerce, Materials Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC)

Suppliers of Advanced Composite Materials Association (SACMA) Materials Leadership Award

Presidential Appointment (President Clinton), U.S. Department of Commerce, Materials Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC)

Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Composites Manufacturing Association (CMA) "Jud" Hall Composites Manufacturing Award

Commendations from U.S. Secretary of Commerce on Export Control Regulations Negotiations for Paris COCOM Negotiations on advanced materials technology

Member, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Composites Manufacturing Association (CMA) Advisory Board

National Academy of Science/National Research Council Unit Manufacturing Research Committee

National Research Council Advisor, Committee on Competitiveness of U.S. Composites Manufacturing, Processes and Technology

National Science Foundation (NSF) Manufacturing Proposal Evaluation Committee, Strategic Manufacturing Initiative
Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Committee on Key Technologies for the Year 2000
Advanced Composites Technology
Rocket Propulsion Technology

Workshop Chairman, National Research Council Committee on the Use of Composite Materials in Load-Bearing Marine Structures

State of Utah Advisory Council on Science and Technology, Science and Advisory Committee

Professional Experience

1997-Present, President of a manufacturer and custom fabricator company in Utah

Expert Witness, litigation and insurance support services

Primary consultant on large composite structure for oilfield technology application involving deep sea (1000-3000 meter depths) submergence of 1-2 meter diameter carbon fiber/epoxy compression-loaded structures

Assessment of unique composite coiled tubing process for oilfield technology application

Expert Witness for insurance litigation involving NASA X-33 Cryogenic Tank failure assessment of carbon/epoxy composites manufacturing, design, honeycomb core-to-composite failure assessment, autoclave and vacuum bagged process assessment with fiber placement technology, NDI and testing technology for insurance claims submitted by manufacturing contractor, Lockheed-Martin (Palmdale Skunk Works)

Carbon fiber market, production and capacity survey for CF supplier customer interested in worldwide CF (PAN and Pitch base fibers) assessment

Expert Witness for civil suit involving carbon fiber suppliers (8) as materials and manufacturing technology expert in price-fixing suit on behalf of materials suppliers (US, Japan and European suppliers)

Consultant on composite manufacturing technology program for manufacturing vacuum-assisted resin infusion of 48-foot long-haul composite trailer (carbon/glass fiber with epoxy resin)

Expert Witness for owner of carbon composite Beech/Raytheon Starship with corrosion problems in composite fuselage using lightning strike metal carbon fabric/epoxy prepreg materials

Expert Witness for civil suit as composites manufacturing technology and design in case involving patent infringements on composites resin infusion manufacturing process for commercial aircraft, marine and advanced composites/FRP markets

Market survey study for carbon and graphite fiber supplier interested in thermoplastic composites market applications for commercial and military aircraft structures, as well as definition of carbon/graphite supplier base worldwide

1969-Present, President of technology group in Utah
Development of large diameter pressurized FRP pipe products (pipe and joint fittings) that are outside existing API Standards for Kazakhstan customer through design, testing and process development

Key technical advisor to U.S. Departments of Commerce and State on the Materials Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) for composites/FRP materials, manufacturing, testing and design technology (US and International) from 1989 to 2002 (four Presidential appointments)

Established composite FRP production factory in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates with design, test verification and plant set-up for low-to-high pressure filament wound pipe, gravity sewer pipe and other pipe and fittings products made from epoxy, vinyl ester and polyester resin systems

Designed and developed carbon/epoxy composite drill pipe sections with heat pipe system for controlling temperature and contained pressure of solidified methane hydrate core samples obtained at greater than 1000-feet drill levels (Japanese client)

Consultant to marine company on drilling/production riser technology, oilfield environmental effects, and design technology for composites usage in oilfield industry

Consultant to two universities in Texas, OTRC for composites technology and market development to oilfield composites applications

Developed series of `hands-on’ composite manufacturing courses in aerospace and commercial/FRP fields for management, engineering, and technician levels involving filament winding, fiber placement, vacuum bagging, autoclaving, pultrusion and other manufacturing technologies

Designed, developed, and certified (UL-1316) underground petroleum storage tank (UST) system and waste water treatment storage tanks (2.5 to 3.5 m diameter structures) after establishing production line operation in Sungai Petani, Malaysia

Established failure mode(s) and corrective action for major industry composite CNG tanks (Comdyne, GMC, EDO Canada), composite air engine start tank (Amalga/ Ingersoll-Rand), Delta II Launch Vehicle and AMROC carbon-fiber pressure vessel field failures

Conducted market surveys for Pacific Rim customers in composite and FRP processes with CNG and LPG (NGV certification) applications and developed business strategy

Designed and developed prototype filament wound composite LPG tank with thin metal liner for home cooking industry

Solid propellant and casebond structural integrity, subscale design and instrumented motor consulting for number of industry and government agencies (Lockheed, Thiokol, US Navy, US Air Force, Aerojet, US Department of Commerce, National Research Council, NASA, etc.)

Designed and manufactured `second generation’ composite/FRP amusement ride with simultaneous combined rotational (360 deg), horizontal, vertical, and pitch motions for 16-person structure

Member of advisory board for SAMPE/CALTRANS Seismic Retrofit & Rehabilitation (SRR) Program using composites technology for infrastructure applications

Recognized industry expert in damage assessment in composite pressure vessels

1991-Present, Society For Advancement Of Material & Process Engineering (Sampe), California

International Technical Director for 5000 member professional society with key responsibilities over two technical journals, technical conferences, and overall society technical guidance

Technical Editor, SAMPE Journal, SAMPE’s bi-monthly technical and membership journal publication
Editorial Reviewer for Journal of Advanced Materials, SAMPE’s peer-reviewed academic and technical journal publication

Editorial Reviewer for SAMPE Quarterly journal (1991-1993)

Technical Program Manager for SAMPE on Seismic Retrofit & Repair (SRR) Program for evaluating and developing composite standards for bridge column repair technology for wide range of carbon and glass fiber composite materials

International Vice President of SAMPE until accepting International Technical Director position

International Secretary of SAMPE

Conducts advanced composites materials, structures, processing, testing, inspection/NDI and manufacturing tutorials for SAMPE conferences and exhibitions

1997-Present, composite manufacturers association, Virginia

Contributing Editor for CFA’s technical journal with responsibility for producing several (4-6) technical articles each year

Conducts tutorials and workshops for CFA on FRP (fiber reinforced plastics) materials, processing, manufacturing and design technologies

1974-1992, Hercules Incorporated/Hercules Aerospace Corporation, Utah

Manager, Composite Structures Technology (1989-1992)
Responsible for actively marketing composite structures technology and assessing manufacturing processes for potential commercial market segments (infrastructure, energy, transportation, marine, chemical/corrosion, oilfield, battlefield and sporting goods/recreation)

Established 70% lower cost manufacturing process for RTM composite aircraft wings using molded-in fittings and demonstrated first known RTM aerospace components

Developed unique composite armor design resulting in 30% weight savings and complete success in initial field tests under actual fire conditions

Manager of Air Force funded program (Damage Assessment of Composite Cases) to assess impact, surface cut, abrasion, and delamination damage to carbon-, glass-, and Kevlar-fiber composite pressure vessels – major U.S. effort to assess critical damage problem in carbon-fiber tanks and pressure vessels
Provided design and manufacturing support for Carbon Fibers Marketing in various market segments pertaining to sports and recreation, commercial and industrial, transportation and aerospace markets. Pressure vessel support for compressed natural gas (CNG) and natural gas vehicles (NGV) industries.

Developed 5-year market forecasts for strategic plan for composite structures and carbon fibers in missile technology and commercial, industrial, and sporting goods markets

Key technical advisor to National Research Council for U.S. Congress on Competitiveness of U.S. Composite Manufacturing, Processes, and Technology

Manager, Materials Engineering Department (1984-1989)
Managed over 40 engineers and support staff with $5 million annual programs budget

Provided design and manufacturing support for composite solid rocket motor cases ranging from 2.75-inch diameter up through 146-inch diameter segmented launch vehicles for space transportation systems and conventional rocket motor programs (Space Shuttle, Delta, Titan IV SRMU, Pegasus, Pershing II, Trident I and II, SICBM, Missile X or MX, AMRAAM, SRAM II, Polaris, Poseidon)

Conducted failure investigations and provided technical support for all major fiber-reinforced composite cases (S-glass, Kevlar, Carbon, and hybrid fiber) manufactured and tested at Hercules Aerospace Corporation in static burst and/or flight tests

Program Manager of Air Force, Navy, and NASA funded programs to assess composite pressure vessel structural integrity, damage tolerance, test and inspection methods, and accept-reject criteria – these 3 programs represented over 95% of funded work on damage from field handling and processing in composite pressure vessels and solid rocket motor cases in the U.S.

Program Manager of Air Force Damage Assessment for Composite Cases (DACC) Program to evaluate damage tolerance, damage scenarios, materials, processing methods and testing/inspection for composites used in filament wound composite motor cases (1986-1990)

Improved multi-facility efficiency by standardizing solid propulsion design and analysis methods, and, incorporated approach into composite structures areas

Wrote critical propellant, casebond, composite case, nozzle, and inert structures technical and management sections for all successful Hercules propulsion proposals

Superintendent, Materials Characterization Group (1974-1983)
Investigator on Air Force Interim NEPE Propellant/Casebond Aging Program to evaluate high elongation advanced propellant materials and systems (1979-1980)

Managed group of 12 engineers and technicians with responsibility for experimental testing and materials evaluation in variety of manufacturing processes using traditional and instrumented subscale technologies with sensor, NDI/NDE and analog test configurations

Provided key support in design and manufacturing of large (74-inch through 146-inch) diameter solid rocket motor composite cases made from S-glass, Kevlar, carbon and hybrid fiber systems

Developed innovative test methods and analysis techniques for evaluating elastomeric, plastic, adhesive, and composite material – realized over 50% cost reductions through standardized test methods and characterization

1969-1974, university in Texas

Contracted research efforts on various advanced composites technology programs:
Thermal properties of solid propellant materials (ONR)

Non-linear, time-dependent properties of fiber-reinforced composites (ONR, AF)

Mechanical property characterization of solid propellant materials subjected to multiaxial loading conditions (ONR, AF)

Characterization of thin-film high altitude research balloon material failure (NOAA)

Characterization of fiber-reinforced composite materials used in filament wound composite motor cases (AF)

Evaluation of NASA Space Shuttle silicone foam insulation materials for thermal tile adhesives (NASA)

Assessment of domestic/international fiber-reinforced composites technology (IR&D, AF)

Assessment of Soviet fiber-reinforced composites technology (IR&D, AF)

Instructor in Civil and Aerospace Engineering Departments on materials and structures

Engineering Research Associate responsible for conducting research on concrete, asphaltic concrete, and polymeric composite materials for structural applications

1965-1969, U S. Air Force

Captain, Project Engineer/Scientist
Responsible for managing and technically directing in-house and contractual programs on advanced solid propellant technology and filament wound case pressure vessel efforts

Project Manager for instrumented Structural Test Vehicle (STV) programs with in-situ and surface-mounted sensors for determining critical propellant/casebond performance and response properties

Project Manager for Cumulative Damage Assessment programs and Non-Linear Viscoelasticity programs related to solid rocket propulsion grain systems

Conducted failure investigations on several major solid rocket motor propulsion systems (Minuteman, SRAM, 2.75 FFAR, and various foreign rocket motor systems)