An Engineers’ Coffee Break

The 4D Solution – Let it “Walk” is primarily about a publication I wrote with a colleague called “Seismic Scaffolding Concerns? Let it ‘Walk,” Nuclear Plant Journal, May-June 1990, ISSN: 0892-2055, in a small part is the result of the “Three Mile Island” accident on March 28 1979 and “Chernobyl” accident on April 26 1986 that changed the Nuclear industry operation’s.

In around 1980, concerns were raised over the practice of using temporary work platforms such as scaffolding erected near “Safe Shutdown Equipment” in a nuclear power plant.  The problem is supporting this temporary scaffolding by securing against a seismic event by attaching that to either the containment building structure or adjacent components will have an undefined impact on these systems’ design basis and/or operations that potentially could result in a “Beyond Design Basis Accident”.  

This 4D solution is about determining the relative response to a freestanding object(s) during an earthquake.

Great Hong Kong Typhoon – September 1937, typhoon formed a 500 mils diameter storm, east of the Luzon Island in the western Pacific with winds up to 125-149 mph and 30 ft. tile wave. This condition is where upper air motion develops, forming a circulation of air (a process called convection). This condition results in strong winds creating larger waves, sea level to tilt and low pressure raising the sea level. The typhoon and earthquake waves only different in the source of energy and transfer medium that is from strong wind versus sudden rise of the earth mantle (convection) and transmission through water versus soil medium, but strong energy develops in water. The magnitude of wave force very significantly, but is relevant to coefficient of static friction where 0 is free and 1 is fixed. Therefore, the surface coefficient will determine the maximum force applied and in regarded to dynamic friction when the FE is sliding will be the amount of kinetic energy loss. In a simpler term, when an FE exceeds the surface coefficient the distance traveled will be approximate equal and opposite minis the kinetic energy lost. There are two examples of this condition is a coffee cup sliding back and forward the motion of ship in rough seas and the other is the Kobe earthquake news security camera, strong and weak axis sliding and chair with very low coefficient of friction result lateral displacement.

Note: Thanks to Wikipedia and American Institute of Steel Construction for the resource information that follows:

This year we lost a friend and colleague that was an influential mentor to all that knew him Omer W. Blodgett.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Dr. William Ames “Bill” Davis Jr. (July 9, 1927 – May 4, 2017) was an engineer and distinguished leader in Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) for the United States Army at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. Davis was an inaugural member of the United States Senior Executive Service (SES) and recipient of numerous accolades and awards from the Army, including the Meritorious Civilian Service Award (1980) and the Department of the Army Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service (1982).

Inventor or Smasher of Cool Stuff

France Rode (November 20, 1934 – June 7, 2017^[1]) was a Slovenian engineer and inventor best known for his work on the HP-35 pocket calculator. He was one of the four lead engineers at Hewlett-Packard assigned to this project. Rode also invented and created the first workable RFID products: workplace entry cards, for which he held several patents.

Richard E. “Dick” Morley (December 1, 1932 – October 17, 2017) was American electrical engineer who was considered the “father” of the programmable logic controller (PLC) since he was involved with the production of the first PLC for General Motors, the Modicon, at Bedford and Associates in 1968. The Modicon brand of PLC is now owned by Schneider Electric. The PLC has been recognized as a significant advancement in the practice of automation, and has an important influence on manufacturing industry.

Vinod Chandrasinh Chohan (May 1, 1949 – June 12, 2017) was a Tanzanian-born accelerator specialist and engineer. He was a Senior Staff Member at CERN for nearly 40 years.

He held a leading position at CERN’s Antiproton Accumulator, a machine that was part of the infrastructure connected to the UA1 and UA2 experiments, where the W and Z bosons were discovered in 1983. Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer received the 1984 Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery. Chohan worked closely with the latter on the Antiproton Accumulator.

Chohan was a substantial contributor to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), leading the team that tested, measured and trained more than a thousand superconducting magnets for the LHC.

During his nearly 40 years as a staff member at CERN he held technical and management positions in beam diagnostics, instrumentation, accelerator studies, controls, the testing of superconducting magnet and safety.

Cool Cars

 Roy Lunn, revered as the godfather of the mid-‘1960s Ford GT40 sports cars that fulfilled Henry Ford II’s vow to beat Enzo Ferrari at his own game, died after suffering a massive stroke at his home in Santa Barbara, Calif. Lunn was 92.

Walter Maynard “Bud” Moore Jr. (May 25, 1925^[1] – November 27, 2017) was a NASCAR car owner who operated the Bud Moore Engineering team. A decorated veteran of World War II, he described himself as “an old country mechanic who loved to make ’em run fast”.

Moore served in World War II as a member of the United States Army. A machine gunner, he participated in the Normandy landings as part of the 4th Infantry Division, landing on Utah Beach. After Normandy, he went on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge and ended his military service as a sergeant.

When he returned from the war, he began a career in stock car racing as a crew chief. In the 1960s, he opened Bud Moore Engineering, a team that went on to win three NASCAR Grand National Series championships and 63 races for 37 years until its shutdown in 1999. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011.

Kenichi Yamamoto (1922-2017) was a Japanese mechanical engineer and business executive. He supervised the development of the Mazda Wankel rotary combustion engine, and served as Mazda‘s President (1984-1987) and Chairman (1987-1992).

A Welding Engineer Super Star

Omer W. Blodgett(1917-2017) was a design consultant and mechanical engineer for over 60 years at Lincoln Electric Co. Throughout his long career, his expertise and passion influenced countless welders and engineers around the world.

“If we didn’t have welding today, I think the world would come to a grinding halt,” he once said.

Attended the University of Minnesota, where he earned degrees in metallurgical and mechanical engineering. After graduating from college, he went to work for the Globe Shipbuilding Company, where he refined his skills, learning firsthand how to resolve welding issues like distortion and cracking. There, during World War II, he supervised 400 welders who fabricated 29 all-welded oceangoing ships for the Federal Maritime Commission. In 1945, he met James F. Lincoln, a man who would not only become a lifelong friend but who also encouraged him to come to work for Lincoln Electric.

Omer started with the company that year in a sales position, which he later described as highly educational. While he knew welding from his own experience, this role gave him insight on how others used it. In 1954, he became a design consultant for the company and also worked as a mechanical engineer. By the time he stopped working for Lincoln full-time in 2009, he’d spent more than six decades with the company.

“Is a steel industry hero, and his influence on steel design and construction is incalculable,” commented Carter. “I personally appreciate and regularly remember things he said as he helped me: ‘Always remember that when a change is needed, the codes are the last to hear about it… Design with your head, not your heart…. When you’re trying to solve a problem, walk to the other drinking fountain further down the hall and take the time to think about it more.’ He also told me that the person you are is more important than what you’ve done. Certainly, Omer lived that high ideal in his own life.”

He was a longtime member and contributor to a several professional organizations, including the AWS D1 Structural Welding Committee, the AISC Committee on Specifications and the Welding Research Council (WRC) Task Group on Beam-to-Column Connections. AWS recognized his contributions in 1962, 1973, 1980 and 1983. LeTourneau University presented him with an honorary doctor of science degree. He was recognized as one of the top 125 engineers of the past 125 years by Engineering News-Record in 1999. And he even earned the triple crown of AISC awards: the T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award in 1983, the first Engineering Luminary Award in 1997 (for advancing the art and science of steel construction) and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.

 

Continue reading “The 4D Solution(s) – Aha Moment”

In this discussion of what is “The 4D Solutions(s)” let’s begin by considering some historical perspectives. The concept of “An Engineers’ Coffee Break” is based on an open dialogue about an observation that results in a solution. This can be traced back to 17th Century England’s early coffee house traditions. An example of this environment is a notable meeting between three Royal Society members, Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke and Edmond Halley discussion regarding an observation of celestial motion(s) as a function of the “inverse square law,” but needed a proof (The 4D Solution). The Royal Society’s motto is Nullius in Verba (Latin for “Take nobody’s word for it”). Of course the solution was Isaac Newton’s “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematic,” published July 5, 1686 provided this proof.

The importance of this event is that these discussions about an observation which resulted in the “Principal of Mathematic”, calculus, prediction of Halley’s comet, the “General Theory of Relativity” and so much more. The perspective of this discussion group dynamics is they had an archetype (Edmond Halley), an individual who could connect with others to solve a problem. An archetype can also be a solution method that connects with multiple sources for the best solution. I will call this “The 4D Solution” an analysis technique of an object(s) in motion (space and time). This kind of analysis can be applied to any problem such as failure, fatigue, impact, project planning and etc. This approach has an effect of enhancing the visualization and subsequently a better communication of the problem and possible solution(s).

Here is an example, using “The 4D Solution” in assessing the design feature of commercial building exterior panel design to fail during an internal pressure event. This design condition is intended to prevent excessive building structural damage during an internal over pressure event. Therefore, the structural loading path is simply, the panel acting as a wind sail, transferring the load to the channels that distributed to the adjoining columns. Subsequently, the weak link in the structure is the unequal leg clip-angle. How does this work?

The response of this channel is like a plank spanning over an opening, and as you walk across towards the other side, the plank bows and rocks. As you reach mid-span you achieve the maximum deflection and instability for the load applied. In order to prevent this condition, a stiffness criterion is applied that is based on the tension member length (L) divided by the least radius of gyration ( r = (I/A)1/2 ). Therefore, the actual design’s L/r ratio is about 400 as compared to the industry standard of 240 to 300, member is potential unstable. However, the end condition rotation is restrained by the unequal leg clip-angles. The challenge is this condition exceeds the Euler–Bernoulli beam equation since the clip-angles exceed their material yield strength and results in excess material strain. In this consideration we can apply plastic analysis to define the limiting condition that achieves “Equilibrium”, where the mid-span bending moment is relative to the end span bending moments that achieves full plastic bending condition. This is one of the primary criterion per the, “Plastic Design in Steel – A Guide and Commentary”. This concept was applied to the design of structures as early as 1954 in France and adopted by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), 5th edition 23rd printing, by 1958. This reference is supported by a significant amount of research and testing at Lehigh University Fritz Engineering Laboratory. In addition, this reference is based on an accumulation of reports prepared by the Welding Research Council and American Society of Civil. The basic principles of this approach are to determine the structure’s inherent nature to redistribute the applied loading throughout the structural system based on geometry, component capacity and the following conditions (Section 2.2 Plastic Theory):

1. Mechanism – “Is that sufficient plastic hinges form to allow the structure (or part of) to deform as a mechanism which is compatible with the rest of the restraints.”

2. Equilibrium – “[The] initial yield, the limits of usefulness is the attainment of plastic moments at each of sections evolved in the mechanism motion.”

3. Plastic – “[Is] that moments in excess of plastic limit strength cannot be resisted.”

At this point we have only determined the unequal leg clip-angle plastic condition loading, but not the actual deflection and/or the ultimate strength loading capacity. Therefore, we need to determine the channel axial shorting impact on the plastic strain condition of the unequal leg clip-angles.

The channel’s homogenous condition during the period where the angles are in full plastic deformation can be considered symbolic of a plank on a roller support (pure bending) to determine axial shorting. This is based on the end supports (unequal leg clip-angles) developing a plastic hinge, where stresses have a slight increase due to strain hardening. This stage results in an increase in bend moment due to strain hardening and membrane force in the unequal leg clip-angles and channel. This approach demonstrates the importance of considering axial shortening as a tension action versus just applying lateral/rotational strain beyond the material strength proportional limit (yield strength) response in the inelastic range. The effect of axial shorting action is like a plank on rollers, which is an accurate depiction of the tension force that is applied after plastic hinge(s) formation. This condition is representative of forces beyond the capacity of end restraints and shows the structure’s instability condition due to a moderately large deflection that is not sustainable and amplifies this connection’s failure. The final step was to approximate potential fracture planes locations and affect by using “Voronoi-based Interpolants for Fracture Modelling,” prepared by N. Sukumar and J. E. Bolander, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of California.

This presentation of the sequence of actions to this structural system and unequal leg clip-angle failure can provide a visualization of the transition between flexure and fracture (space and time) in relationship to a stress block going through linear elastic, plastic and fracture behaviors, is “The 4D Solution” that is intended to provide a dialogue for of this solution.

In the New Year tradition we celebrate notable individuals who died the previous year. However, the news media tends to recognize generally famous actors and music performers (Inspirers the Soul). So, for the Engineers’ Coffee House Break Blog, we recognize famous Engineers (Creators of Real Things).

I personnel like David Needle, developer of Amiga 1000, who is one of the first to recognize the significance of the gaming industry through graphics and the need to multi-task. Ray Clough’s work on the development of finite element modeling technique is the corner stone for structural analysis today. In contrast to the development of Shell of Revolution that is technically more complicate but efficient and more accurate in determining thicker element’s deformation. For example Seal Shell, developed at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory by C. M. Friedrich, September 1961 was used for the design of most U.S nuclear power plants. Finally, Wacław Zalewski a structural engineer who had the opportunity to build big and cool structures.

Note: Thanks to Wikipedia for the resource information that follows:

Some Famous Engineers’ Lost in 2016

Computers:

David Lewis Needle (1947 – February 20, 2016) was a key engineer and co-chief architect in the creation of the Amiga 1000 computer with Jay Miner, Dave Morse, and RJ Mical. He was one of the main designers and developers of the custom chips of the Amiga computer. Later he co-invented the Atari Lynx^[1] and the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer with Dave Morse and RJ Mica.

Wesley Allison Clark (April 10, 1927 – February 22, 2016) was an American physicist who is credited for designing the first modern personal computer. He was also a computer designer and the main participant, along with Charles Molnar, in the creation of the LINC computer, which was the first minicomputer and shares with a number of other computers (such as the PDP-1) the claim to be the inspiration for the personal computer.

Rudolf (Rudi) Emil Kálmán (Hungarian: Kálmán Rudolf Emil; May 19, 1930 – July 2, 2016) was a Hungarian-born American electrical engineer, mathematician, and inventor. He was most noted for his co-invention and development of the Kalman filter, a mathematical algorithm that is widely used in signal processing, control systems, and guidance, navigation and control. For this work, U.S. President Barack Obama awarded Kálmán the National Medal of Science on October 7, 2009.

Ray William Clough, (July 23, 1920 – October 8, 2016), was Byron L. and Elvira E. Nishkian Professor of structural engineering in the department of civil engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and one of the founders of the finite element method (FEM). His article in 1956 was one of the first applications of this computational method. He coined the term “finite elements” in an article in 1960. He was born in Seattle.

Jay Wright Forrester (July 14, 1918 – November 16, 2016) was a pioneering American computer engineer and systems scientist. He was a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Forrester is known as the founder of system dynamics, which deals with the simulation of interactions between objects in dynamic systems

Environment:

Leonard “Lynn” L. Northrup Jr. (March 18, 1918 – March 24, 2016) was an American engineer who was a pioneer of the commercialization of solar thermal energy. Influenced by the work of Professor John Yellott, Dr. Maria Telkes, and Harry Tabor, Northrup’s company designed, patented, developed and manufactured some of the first commercial solar water heaters, solar concentrators, solar-powered air conditioning systems, solar power towers and photovoltaic thermal hybrid systems in the United States. The company he founded became part of ARCO Solar, which in turn became BP Solar, which became the largest solar energy company in the world. Northrup was a prolific inventor with 14 US patents.

Weapons of Mass Destruction:

Simon “Si” Ramo (May 7, 1913 – June 27, 2016) was an American engineer, businessman, and author. He led development of microwave and missile technology and is sometimes known as the father of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). He also developed General Electric’s electron microscope. He has been partly responsible for the creation of two Fortune 500 companies, Ramo-Wooldridge (TRW after 1958) and Bunker-Ramo (now part of Honeywell).

Rolf Heinrich Sabersky (October 20, 1920 – October 24, 2016) was professor emeritus in mechanical engineering at Caltech. He worked with luminaries throughout his career including Apollo M. O. Smith and Theodore von Kármán at Aerojet. James Van Allan sought his expertise for the development of the Ajax and Bumblebee rocket programs.

Aeronautical or Just a Big Ass Airplane:

Joseph Frederick “Joe” Sutter (March 21, 1921 – August 30, 2016) was an American engineer for the Boeing Airplane Company and manager of the design team for the Boeing 747 under Malcolm T. Stamper, the head of the 747 project.^[3] Smithsonian Air and Space Magazine has described Sutter as the “father of the 747”.

Hero:

Haakon Sørbye (16 March 1920 – 15 September 2016) was a Norwegian engineer and resistance member during World War II. He was a member of the radio group Skylark B during the war. After the war he was a professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology.

Space Explorer:

Joseph Vincent Charyk (September 9, 1920 – September 28, 2016) was widely credited as the founder of the geosynchronous communications satellite industry. He was born in Canmore, Alberta in a Ukrainian family. Early in his career, Charyk consolidated the Central Intelligence Agency, United States Air Force, and United States Navy space programs into the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). He brought the first United States imagery satellite, CORONA, into operation and demonstrated signals intelligence technology from space. During his tenure, the NRO operated the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft and managed development of the A-12.

Raymond L. Heacock (January 9, 1928 – December

20, 2016) was an American engineer who spent his career at NASA‘s Jet Propulsion Laboratory where he worked on the Ranger program^[1] in the 1960s and on the Voyager program in the 1970s and 1980s.^[2][3][4] A Caltech engineering graduate, he was the winner of the James Watt International Medal for 1979.

Cool Cars:

Paul Rosche (1 April 1934 – 15 November 2016) was a German engineer known for his work at BMW. He is notable for designing the engines of a number of BMW’s high-performance models, including the M31 found in the BMW 2002 Turbo, the S14 for the E30 M3, the M12 for the 320i Turbo and the Brabham BT52, the M88 in the M1 and the S70/2 found in the V12 LMR and the McLaren F1. 

Builder of Big Cool Things:

Wacław Piotr Zalewski (25 August 1917 – 29 December 2016) was a Polish construction engineer and designer, creator of innovative buildings such as Spodek in Katowice, “Supersam” in Warsaw from the roof of the structure funikularnej,^{[clarification needed]} or train station in Katowice. He is Professor Emeritus of Structural Design at MIT.

I had an opportunity recently to attend a conference/expo with my son that markedly demonstrated a change in the dynamics of exchanging information. However, this was not a traditional engineering and/or technology conference, but in retrospect it could have been. This conference was the Rooster Teeth Expo (RTX) in Austin, TX July 2016 with 60,000 in

attendance. Roster Teeth is on-line content developer for game discussions (podcasts), live action shorts, game play (Lets Play Live), animation (RWBY) and recently a full-length film (Laser Tag, full funded by Kickstarter). This event was well managed and had a slue of guardians (reference to the Holo 5 game as volunteers that provide assistance to the RTX participants). The enthusiasm and energy was off the chart. In addition, RTX provided an App as a personal guide to the conference proceedings and event activities.

The participants ranged from the Baby Boomer to Millennial and subsequent discussion provided striking differences and commonality to today’s current engineering conference. The “Bracket Studio: YouTube Gaming & Editing for Beginners” panel had a conversation with a young man from southern Texas who described himself as having a learning disability, but was clearly computer literate and quite versed with computer, animation, modeling, lighting, camera, etc. and engaged not just with games, but with the technology. At the “RT Animation: 3D Modeling” panel, I met a programmer for a brokerage firm in Chicago who had been attending the RTX for the last three years with his son and was intrigued by the Internet content development process. Finally, at the “RT Animation, RWBY Animation” I also sat by a middle school librarian from Missouri who used YouTube and Internet content to engage students in reading and developing their self-learning skills.

This RTX event demonstrates a change in regards to the exchange of ideas and information for the Generation X and Millennials versus a typical engineering (Baby Boomers) conference. For example, J. Lyell. Wilson presented an article called “The S.S. “Leviathan,” Damage, Repairs and Strength Analysis” at the general meeting of The Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, held in New York, November 1930. I selected this article since it represents the earliest design basis principles for the Nuclear and Commercial Pressure Vessel and Components code criteria. In addition, the published article includes an open dialogue (Traditionalists) from the participants of the general meeting, much like a current blog(s). My own experience of these current conference, articles, journals, etc. is the lack of an open dialogue (Baby Boomers), only reviewed by a few society members, do not present the subsequent discussion(s) on the content and general considered as an expert technical findings.

An example of this change from a open to exclusive dialogue is how the nuclear plants’ original operating license was adopted by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), established in 1947 (Traditionalists) that is based on an open dialogue versus the current Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reorganized in 1974 is based on an exclusive dialogue or rule based. The establishment of AEC resulted in the first commercial nuclear reactor within 10 years and by 1980 the number new reactors peaked at 109. The current NRC’s exclusive dialogue or rule based as a method for information exchange on design criteria is the direct result of the USA’s inability to construct the new generation nuclear plant as being unaffordable. Bloomberg Business wrote, “Even as sympathetic an observer as John Rowe [former chair of the U.S.’s largest nuclear utility] warns that the new units at Vogtle will be uneconomical when — or if — they’re completed.” (Article: “The Nuclear Industry Prices Itself Out Of the Market For New Power Plants”)

Let’s consider these differences. An open dialogue is an inclusive method that engages everyone in the audience without concerns of being rejected. This also provides an exchange of concepts/ideals that would be rejected since it conflicts with a normal/standard premise. In this environment, all things are considered, probably based on the perspective view of each individual and subsequently resolved into what is practical. The example of this is J. Lyell Wilson’s paper that is still the current (eighty-six years, with some enhancements) method for determining the allowable number of cycles and/or component life cycles, prior to failure. The example of change from the AEC to NRC as method of communicating technical issues has failed from a process of the exclusive dialogue to a forced directive (NRC Orders) that has resulted in no real solutions and marks the failure of the process.

For me, attending the RTX was enlightening to see the enthusiasm, creativity and resurfacing of an open dialog. I consider that both Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenhenimer both understood that concepts and/or technology are simply a ring of ideas that are formulated into a practical solution at the time and achieves the next evolution of development.