Composite Consultant: FRP Pipes, Wind Energy, Bicycle Components, Propulsion and Expert Witness

Expertise

• Development of large diameter pressurized FRP pipe products, pipe and joint fittings.
• Development of large dimeter (2.5-3.5m) FRP composite underground storage tanks built to UL1316 and BS standards.
• Design, manufacture and testing of composite wind energy turbine blades.
• Failure analysis and repair of wind energy turbine blades and wind tunnel (subsonic and trans-sonic) blades and airfoils.
• Failure analysis and repair of damaged composite structural parts.
• Composite materials evaluation including most fiber reinforcements and polymer matrix resins.
• Composite structures manufacturing processes, design and analysis methodology, non - destructive testing (NDI), testing and market research.
• 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.
• Marketing, management, engineering, and manufacturing technical roles within the composite structures and propulsion industry.
• Expert witness and litigation support: Consulting expert, testifying expert, design and analysis support, manufacturing/processing assessment, testing, inspection and forensic services, insurance claims, third party inspections.
• Over 75 Expert Witness, litigation support and patent infringement cases.
• Sports and recreation (high performance composite road bikes, composite arrows) litigation for product liability with design and manufacturing defects.
• Composite market evaluations.

Experience

Independent Consultant, 1997 - Present

• Expert Witness, litigation and insurance support services.
• Expert Witness in trade secret and process/design technology cases involving: Solid rocket motor fiber optic instrumentation technology; carbon fiber composite bicycle fork failure; carbon fiber composite arrow defects in product liability cases; treadmill platform failure (sports and recreation industry); vacuum bagged composite; slot cell armor (power industry); pultruded oilfield FRP sucker rod; composite oilfield patents; FRP composite pipe and tank failures due to manufacturing and/or assembly or field failures; and filament winding equipment.
• Evaluation of high temperature (160F) hot HCl failure in FRP pipe joints due to inadequate training for pipe-joint field assembly (over 200-300 joints) in steel "pickling" line.
• Evaluation of FRP pipe joints in gas station tank line due to misalignment and poor pipe joint bonding.
• Failure and fatigue analysis of damaged composite wind turbines used in wind farms.
• 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.
• 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.
• Carbon fiber market (CF), 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 as materials and manufacturing technology expert in price fixing suit on behalf of materials suppliers.
• 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.

Undisclosed Company, President, 1969 - Present

• Previously organized as a Technology Group and converted to S-Corporation.
• Over 45 years' experience in carbon and graphite fibers and composites since earliest days of original carbon fiber development.
• Training seminars, workshops and tutorials conducted on both Advanced Composites and FRP Composites technologies (roughly 4-6 per year) on materials, manufacturing processes, testing, inspection, quality control, failure analysis, repair, process improvements).
• 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.
• 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.
• Consultant to Westinghouse Marine on drilling/production riser technology, oilfield environmental effects, and design technology for composites usage in oilfield industry.
• Designed, developed, and certified underground petroleum storage tank system and waste water treatment storage tanks.
• Conducted market surveys for Pacific Rim customers in composite and FRP processes with compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) applications and developed a business strategy.
• 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, The Aerospace Corporation, US Department of Commerce, National Research Council, NASA).
• 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.

Society for Advancement of Material & Process Engineering (SAMPE), 1996 - Present

Technical Director

• Oversee a 4500-member professional society with key responsibilities over two technical journals (SAMPE Journal and Journal of Advanced Materials), technical conferences, and overall society technical guidance.
• Editor, SAMPE Journal, SAMPE's bi monthly technical and membership journal publication.
• Editor for Journal of Advanced Materials.
• Editorial Reviewer for Journal of Advanced Materials, SAMPE's peer - reviewed academic and technical journal publication.
• Technical Program Manager for SAMPE on Seismic Retrofit and Repair (SRR) Program for evaluating and developing composite standards for bridge column repair technology for wide range of carbon and glass fiber composite materials.

Responsible for SAMPE technology programs (2 major North America, Japan, China, Europe and Brazil) and educational seminars and tutorials.

American Composite Manufacturers Association(ACMA), 1997 - Present

• Contributing Editor for ACMA's technical journal.
• Conducts tutorials and workshops for ACMA on FRP (fiber reinforced plastics) materials, processing, manufacturing and design technologies.

Hercules Incorporated/ Hercules Aerospace, 1974 - 1992

• Manager, Composite Structures Technology
• 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 resin transferring molding (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.
• 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.

Manager, Materials Engineering Department

• 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.
• Improved multi facility efficiency by standardizing solid propulsion design and analysis methods and incorporated the approach into composite structures areas.
• Wrote critical propellant, case bond, composite case, nozzle, and inert structures technical and management sections for all successful Hercules propulsion proposals.

Superintendent, Materials Characterization Group

• Principal Investigator on Air Force Interim NEPE Propellant/Case bond aging program to evaluate high elongation advanced propellant materials and systems.
• 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.

Honors & Publications

Academic and Professional Affiliations

• Elected Fellow, Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE).
• 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 two terms), U.S. Department of Commerce, Materials Technical Advisory Committee.
• Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) Composites Manufacturing Association (CMA) "Jud" Hall Composites Manufacturing Award.
• Presidential Appointment (President Bush), U.S. Department of Commerce, Materials Technical Advisory Committee.
• Commendations from U.S. Secretary of Commerce on Export Control Regulations Negotiations for Paris COCOM Negotiations on advanced materials technology

Publications.

• SAMPE Distinguished Service Award (inaugural awardee)
• Board Member, Texas A&M University Materials Science and Engineering Industrial Advisory Board
• Utah Engineering Council "2016 Engineer of the Year" SAMPE Utah Chapter nomination for State of Utah Award

Publications

• Authored over 550 technical publications and presentations that established industry standards for composite materials, composite/FRP structures, and solid propulsion design, analysis, testing, inspection, and manufacturing methodology.
• Author of critical reports on composite pressure vessel design, manufacturing and processing, test and inspection methods, damage assessment, and accept/reject criteria - current primary industry standards for assessing impact, surface cut, abrasion, and delamination damage to composite pressure vessels and tanks.
• Developed advanced and practical hands on, technology courses for key composites manufacturing processes (filament winding, fiber placement and tape laying, resin transfer molding and infusion molding, hand layup, vacuum bagging, pultrusion, and hybrid manufacturing combinations).

Education

• Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Engineering - Mechanics and Materials, Texas A & M University
• M.S. Aeronautics - Materials, California Institute of Technology
• B.S. Aerospace Engineering, Texas A & M University