American Society of Mechanical Engineers - North West Houston Sub Section Previous Meeting History

North West Houston
Sub Section
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American Society of Mechanical Engineers
North West Houston Sub Section

Welcome to the website of the North West Houston Sub Section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International (ASME), the Internet resource of choice for mechanical engineers in the Houston area.

Meetings for 1996-97
Meetings Prior to September 2001
Meetings 2001 - 2002
Meetings 2002 - 2003
Meetings 2003 - 2004
Meetings 2004 - 2005

Previous Meetings 2005

December 21, 2005 Luncheon	Determination of Fatigue/Accumulated Damage in Critical Parts Using DMI Strain/Fatigue Gage: A New Tool for Damage Mechanics	Bill Ranson, Ph.D., PE President Reggie Vachon, Ph.D., PE Chairman of Board of Directors Direct Measurements, Inc
December 01, 2005 Luncheon	API 5C3 / ISO 10400 Advances in Casing Design	David Lewis Blade Energy Partners
November 17, 2005 Luncheon	Riser Integrity Management for Both Existing and New Risers	Dr Mark Volanthen VP Operations Insensys
September 1, 2005 Luncheon	Shuttle Impact Sensing System	William Prosser, PhD NASA Langley Research Center
August 23, 2005 Luncheon	Waterwheel Technology from Yesterday	Mahmod Samman, P.E., PhD. Stress Engineering Services
June 23, 2005 Luncheon	Paper Airplane Contest	Stuart Harbert Stress Engineering Services
May 26, 2005 Luncheon	Annual News from The Texas State Board	Don Willhouse, P.E. Director of Licensing Texas State Board
April 26, 2005 Luncheon	An Introduction to the Battelle Structural Stress Method and a Case Study Comparison of this Method with Surface Extrapolation Methodologies	Brian Healy Technip Offshore Engineering
March 24, 2005 Luncheon	Applications of Optical Sensing Systems & Solutions	Ky Good IFOS (Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems)
February 24, 2005 Luncheon	NDE in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code – New Developments	Don E. Bray Vice President, Pressure Technology Group ASME International President and Chief Engineer, Don E. Bray, Inc.
January 27, 2005 Luncheon	Full-field, 3-D, Non-contact Strain Measurements	Dr. David H. Coe Technology Director, Trilion Quality Systems

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If you do not hold a Professional Engineering License in Texas and are thinking about applying for it sometime in the future, this news is for you.

The Texas Board of Professional Engineers has modified the Requirements for Licensure by Waiver of Examination (http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/). There are newly adopted rules that modify the requirements for licensure by a waiver of examinations. Waivers of the PE Examination will now be available only to engineering educators with a Ph.D. and to those that are currently licensed in another U.S. state, Canada, or Mexico.

All other applicants for licensure as a Professional Engineer will now be required to take the PE exam.

Therefore, everyone that wishes to apply for their PE license requesting a waiver of the PE Examination must submit their application to the Board office no later than December 31st, 2005.

WEDNESDAY
December 21, 2005 Luncheon

Determination of Fatigue/Accumulated Damage
in Critical Parts Using DMI Strain/Fatigue Gage:
A New Tool for Damage Mechanics

with
Bill Ranson, Ph.D., PE
President

Reggie Vachon, Ph.D., PE
Chairman of Board of Directors

Direct Measurements, Inc

Direct Measurements, Inc.(DMI) has developed a patent-pending strain-measurement and health-monitoring solution that is based on a unique "symbol" strain gage which is read as a visual image similar to a two dimensional bar code that can be laser etched on or bonded to a surface.

The DMI technology consists of: a wire-free "gage" that can be temporarily or permanently affixed to parts and equipment; an "instrument" that reads the gage; and on-board software that analyzes the gage readings. The DMI gage is not only a health indicator, but also contains encoded information that uniquely identifies each gage; a valuable and unique gage feature that enhances parts identification, asset management, and supply-chain logistics.

DMI's instruments not only read strain and fatigue damage information, but also read the unique data encoded in the gage. Instrument readings are stored in a common format that is easily integrated with other applications and systems. Readings can also be wirelessly posted to a gage-specific database on a central server, and retrieved instantly at any remote location.

For more information on this topic please visit these web sites:

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest! Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Shultz at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions. .

Wednesday December 21, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Presentation begins

1:00 pm     Official Meeting Closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speakers :

Bill Ranson has over 35 years of combined experience in management, business development and R&D. He has led numerous technology development projects for NASA, the Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health, and large corporations such as Gulfstream Aerospace, Michelin Corporation, and Westinghouse. Dr. Ranson established one of the three original manufacturing extension programs in the United States. This program has grown to 52 centers providing ISO certification, product development, technology integration, and supply-chain management services to a base of 325,000 manufacturing companies. Dr. Ranson has founded several startup companies offering products and services in the industrial, medical, and government sectors.

Dr. Ranson has been a chaired professor of mechanical engineering, and is a recognized expert in the area of stress and fatigue analysis of mechanical systems. He has served as consultant and expert witness for many engineering and manufacturing corporations. Dr. Ranson serves as an advisor for a joint U.S. Army, Army National Guard, Goodrich Aerospace, and University team tasked with managing structural vibration in military helicopters in an effort to reduce cost, eliminate unscheduled maintenance, and improve operational readiness and safety.

Dr. Ranson holds a Ph.D. in engineering, a M.S. and Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering. He is a member of ASME International, SEM, and is a Registered Engineer. Dr. Ranson has authored national-research-award winning publications, and holds several patents.

Reggie Vachon holds a Ph.D. in engineering, a M.S. in Nuclear Science, a LL.B. and Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree. He is a member and Past President of ASME International, and a member of NSPE and AIAA. He is a Registered Engineer in six states, is licensed to practice law and is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court. He is a retired Colonel in the USAR. He has been a chaired professor of mechanical engineering. Dr. Vachon has authored a number of technical papers and holds three patents. He has over 38 years experience in project management, administration, engineering, design, construction, manufacturing and education for government, business and industry.

He has extensive experience as a CEO with start-up companies and turn-arounds. As CEO of an engineering firm he served as "Resident Engineer/Constructor" for the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve. He has managed projects in systems design/integration and the management of multidisciplinary teams on domestic and international projects in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran, Venezuela, Cameroon, Nigeria, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Belize, Tajikistan and Ecuador. He is listed in a number of Who's Who including Who's Who in Finance and Industry and Who's Who in the World.

Upcoming Programs
We meet on fourth Thursday of the month for lunch unless noted.

2006 Meetings

Your suggestions and assistance are welcome. Contact Rafik Boubenider

Executive Committee for Northwest Houston Sub Section

The officers for the 2005 operating year for the Northwest Houston Sub Section of ASME are:

Chair: Dr. Rafik Boubenider

Vice-Chair: Dr. Stuart Harbert

Secretary: Ramon San Pedro, P.E.

Treasurer and Webmaster: Richard Boswell, P.E.

Arrangements: Wendy Davis

Programs : Uma Mundle 281-684-4581

Unless noted, all may be reached at 281-955-2900.

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Joint Meeting with
Petroleum Technical Chapter
THURSDAY
December 1, 2005 Luncheon

API 5C3 / ISO 10400
Advances in Casing Design

with
David Lewis

Blade Energy Partners
ISO 10400 Committee Member

API’s Bulletin 5C3 contains the strength models that determine API’s ratings for casing and tubing. These ratings are the basis for well design throughout the world. For five years, an API/ISO workgroup has been refining and upgrading these strength models and moving them to a limit state approach.

David Lewis is an active member of that group. His presentation reviews the progress the group has made to date and how these new limit state equations can be used. He will discuss new models for burst: VME, Hill, Klever-Stewart, and a brittle failure model; collapse: Tamano, Klever Generalized Tamano; and probabilistic design using these new limit state equations.

You can view David's presentation by downloading the file ISO 10400 (pdf).

For more information on this topic please visit these web sites:

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest! Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Shultz at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions. .

Thursday December 1, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Presentation begins

1:00 pm     Official Meeting Closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

David Lewis has over twenty-five years of domestic and international experience in oil & gas exploration and production. He has specific expertise in deepwater drilling, HPHT wells, reliability based design, wellbore tubulars, connections, marine drilling risers, conductors, pipelines, offshore structures, down-hole equipment, project management, training and finite element analysis.

David is a partner of Blade Energy. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Texas, member of ASCE, SPE, and API. He has authored or co-authored over 20 industry papers. His education includes a BS degree; MS degree in Civil Engineering from University of Missouri-Rolla; and postgraduate doctoral work in finite element methods, continuum mechanics, vibrations, and structural dynamics

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Joint Meeting with
South Texas Section
THURSDAY
November 17, 2005 Luncheon

Riser Integrity Management
for Both Existing and New Risers

with
Dr Mark Volanthen

VP Operations
Insensys

This talk will describe a high accuracy, reliable monitoring system that directly measures stresses in risers. The system has been deployed on drilling, completion and export risers in water depths up to 6000ft to measure fatigue induced by VIV and vessel motion.

The system is reusable and straps onto the outside of the riser with field proven ruggedness. Systems have been deployed both in the lay tower and retrofitted subsea. The measurement technology will be described and data from field installations will be presented.

For more information on this topic please visit these web sites:

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest! Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Shultz at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions. .

Thursday November 17, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Presentation begins

1:00 pm     Official Meeting Closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

Mark Volanthen began his career with Kymata, Scotland in 1998 managing the development of cutting edge optoelectronic components. In 2001, Mark moved to Silecs, Finland commercializing ultra high speed semiconductor devices.

In 2002, Mark joined Insensys, UK as VP Operations. He oversaw the development and transfer into manufacture of the Insensys measurement instrument, now widely deployed in the industry. He has numerous international patents in the field of instrumentation. Mark holds a BA in Engineering from Cambridge University, a PhD in instrumentation from Southampton University and an MBA from Edinburgh University.

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THURSDAY
September 1, 2005 Luncheon

Shuttle Impact Sensing System

with
William Prosser, PhD

Nondestructive Evaluation Sciences Branch
Structures and Materials Competency
NASA Langley Research Center

Dr. Prosser will describe how Acoustic Emission technology has been used in the recent Space Shuttle Return To Flight program.

The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia as a result of impact damage from foam debris during ascent has led NASA to investigate the feasibility of on-board impact detection technologies. Acoustic emission (AE) using both lower frequency accelerometers as well as higher frequency ultrasonic AE sensors has been successfully demonstrated for impact detection on Space Shuttle wing structures.

Acoustic sensor responses have been recorded for a variety of impact conditions ranging from foam, ice and ablator materials at ascent velocities to simulated hypervelocity micrometeoroid and orbital debris impacts. Impact testing has been performed on both reinforced carbon composite leading edge materials as well as Shuttle tile materials on representative aluminum wing structures. Results of these impact tests will be presented with a focus on the AE sensor responses.

The current implementation of an accelerometer based acoustic impact sensing system for the Shuttle wing leading edge will also be discussed as well as plans to upgrade this system for future flights.

Additional web resources:

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest! Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Shultz at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions. .

Thursday September 1, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Presentation begins

1:00 pm     Official Meeting Closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

Dr. Prosser has served as technical lead and program manager for the research and application of SHM sensors and systems for aerospace vehicles, in coordination with other NASA Centers, universities, and industry. He has led SHM efforts for the X-33, Space Launch Initiative, Aerospace Vehicle Systems Technology and other Programs. His personal research interests lie in the development of ultrasonic and acoustic emission techniques for application to SHM, with current research focused on the implementation of AE for impact damage detection on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.

He has published widely in the field of acoustic emission monitoring to detect cracking and impact damage in metallic and composite aerospace structures and has received a number of patents. He has developed wave propagation based analysis methodologies that provide improved acoustic emission source identification, noise discrimination, and source location accuracy.

Dr. Prosser was the 1997 recipient of the NASA Floyd Thompson Fellowship, a 2003 recipient of a NASA Superior Accomplishment Award for efforts during the Columbia Accident Investigation, and a 2005 recipient of NASA’s Exceptional Achievement Medal.

He is past Chair and a Fellow of the Acoustic Emission Working Group, and a member of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing. He is also the Scientific Editor of Structural Health Monitoring: An International Journal and Associate Editor of the Journal of Acoustic Emission.

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TUESDAY
August 23, 2005 Luncheon

Waterwheel Technology from Yesterday

with
Mahmod Samman, P.E., PhD.
Sr. Associate
Stress Engineering Services

Dr. Samman is the nominator of an ASME Historic Landmark which was approved about 5 years ago by the ASME History and Heritage Committee. It has recently been reactivated and The South Texas Section is beginning to make plans to conduct the traditional designation ceremony at the site. This is a special Historic Landmark because of it's International nature and because of the number of years it has been operating as an essential part of everyday life.

The presentation will inform us about the status of this project that honors the Noria al-Muhammadiyya of Hama, Syria. This marvelous and huge piece of history was built in 1361 A.D. and still serves the population to hydraulically move water from the river to the arid farm lands of the region.

An Adobe PDF version of the presentation is available for your download and viewing by clicking Rediscovering the Waterwheel.

In the city of Hama, however, a set of seventeen large water wheels continues to operate on the River Orontes as they have for many centuries. These water wheels irrigate farmland as well as supplying drinking water to communities lying next to rivers. Their purpose distinguishes them from other versions of the water wheel that supplied power for wheat-mills, sawmills, fulling-mills, ore-crushing plants, hammer mills for metal working, mills to operate the bellows of furnaces, and other applications.

The norias of Hama are stand-alone water pumps. The river that provides the water they raise also serves as their sole source of energy. The operation of the Noria al-Muhammadiyya is simple: The current of the River Orontes pushes against the paddles on the rim of the water wheel, causing it to rotate. Compartments or buckets attached to the wheel fill with water as they pass through their bottom position in the river and are emptied into an elevated aqueduct as the wheel lifts them to their top position. The typical structural detail of a typical wheel includes two paddles and a bucket.

Most of the surviving water wheels in Hama are currently in good condition. Their operation is primarily for tourism purposes. However, due to increased water demands from the River Orontes caused by population growth, water flow is rapidly decreasing. This reduction in flow has made the water wheels of Hama inoperable for extended periods each year. When not immersed in water for lengthy periods of time, these wooden water wheels tend to shrink and crack, making it much more difficult to preserve or operate them. The historical value of these surviving engineering treasures cannot be overstated. The preservation and maintenance of the water wheels is conducted and financed primarily by the local community in Hama. This recognition by ASME serves to underscore the international significance of these monuments. Perhaps this designation will also encourage international funding to aid the preservation of this unique technological heritage for future generations.

Please contact us if you can help sponsor this program. All proceeds from this meeting will go towards the task of printing the Landmark Brochure, so your attendance will be appreciated!

Additional information about this topic can be found at these sites:

ASME Historical Landmark Program

Waterwheel Technology in recent history

Norias of Hama

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest! Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Shultz at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions. .

Tuesday August 23, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Presentation begins

1:00 pm     Official Meeting Closes

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THURSDAY
June 23, 2005 Luncheon

Annual Fun Meeting
Paper Airplane Contest

with

Stuart Harbert
Associate
Stress Engineering Services

This years annual fun meeting will feature and ask why airplanes fly, and will conclude with a flying contest open to all, with student and adult categories.

Stuart's very interesting summary (pdf) of the Wright Brothers developments can be downloaded by clicking Wright History Stuff.

Additional information about this topic can be found at these sites:

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest! Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Shultz at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions. .

Thursday June 23, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Presentation begins

1:00 pm     Official Meeting Closes

click an image to enlarge......

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THURSDAY
May 26, 2005 Luncheon

Annual News from The Texas State Board

with

Don Willhouse, P.E.
Director of Licensing
Texas State Board

Issues and important topics this year continue with encouragement of Licensure, the latest from the legislature, the basics of the continuing education program, and the responsibilities of the engineer being a reference.

The following notes were taken and submitted by webmaster Richard Boswell, P.E.

This year's presentation was special in that Don would be retiring from his present position with the Texas State Board at the end of May. Don explained a lot about how the Board is Funded, or rather, how the Board funds the State of Texas.

We discussed Exempt Industry service as in Federal Government, Aerospace, Petrochemical plants, and Public Utilities. If you receive a License and practice in these areas, you are expected to use it correctly. There are approximately 5100 Licences and many of these are not in the State, and the number of Exempt Industry engineers is increasing.

Exams are prepared, given, and graded by a contractor working for a national organization, not by Texas. Results may take a while to process.

Texas is the only State with Commity regaring Canada and Mexico. Like engineers there can do in Texas, you can apply for a License without taking their Exam.

Another topic discussed was about how to serve as a reference for another Engineer's Application. He told us to keep it simple and it will remain confidential. A bad reference does not automatically disqualify an applicant but will signal a closer look into the circumstances. Focus on the character of the applicant: is he trustworthy? Is this person ready to be Licensed? Would you trust him? Don suggested we look into "The Order on Engineer" certifications for examples of trustworthiness.

Be sure to sign on the SER that the applicant did indeed do the work and is not taking too much credit on joint effort projects. If a person claims to have done work they did not actually do, this would be a bad example of character.

Experience should reflect a variety and completeness of the experience, not a single focus. This diversity should reflect increasing responsibility. Is the work really engineering? Management alone does not necessarily imply engineering experience.

CEP was a hot topic more than usual as it now is required. Beginning this year your extra credits can be rolled into next years required total, up to 14 of the required 15 PD Hours. Each year you have to earn 1 PDH in Ethics. Membership in organizations does not count, but serving as an officer does. Attendance at technical meetings also counts as well as non-paid time preparing to give a presentation at a technical meeting. THe technical meetings do not have to be a mix of different organizations. Self Directed Study applies to extra time and effort spent off the job, on your own, in the pursuit of education. Renewal is your responsibility even if an administraive staffer sends it in for you. Check that it was done it time!

Approximately 250 Licensed Engineers each year will be audited, and you will be requested to send in a documentation form. If this looks ok, no other replies are necessary. However, if the form is incomplete or questionable, you will be asked for more complete details. There is a $500 penalty if not properly submitted or fulfilled.

Competency is how you are recognized for what you are good at. There are three basic means to achieve this:

Principle and Practice Exam
B.S. and M.S. Degrees
Supervised SER (Supplemental Experience Record)

Lastly, Don encourages you to visit their web site for all of the latest information.

Don's presentation from last year and a documentation form are available for download here:

Additional information about this topic can be found at these sites:

Texas Board of Professional Engineers

Texas Legislature Online

Texas Senate Online

Texas House Online

Murdough Center for Ethics

TAMU Engineering Ethics

ASME
Board on Professional Practice and Ethics

Principles....

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest! Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Shultz at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions. .

Thursday May 26, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Presentation begins

1:00 pm     Official Meeting Closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

Don Willhouse received his BS in Civil Engineering at the University of Houston, his Master of Civil Engineering at Mississippi State University, and MS in Management (Public Administration) from the University of Central Texas. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas. Mr. Willhouse is very active in the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Boy Scouts, the Military Order of the World Wars, and many other organizations.

A retired LTC, Corps of Engineers, US Army, Colonel Willhouse flew helicopters in the Viet Nam war, commanded engineer units and was a staff officer in engineer units and major headquarters in Korea, Germany, and the United States, to include a tour in the Pentagon. He has worked for the State of Texas for the last 10 years, first in the Department of Health as administrator of the asbestos enforcement program, and then 5 years as the Manager, Plant Maintenance and Operations for the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. Joining the engineer board on February 1, 2003, he is currently the Director of Licensing.

Among his awards are the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, 13 Air Medals, and numerous other military awards. He is an Eagle Scout and holder of the Silver Beaver Award from the Boy Scouts. In addition, he has received the Outstanding Public Service Award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Service to People Award from the Texas Section, American Society of Civil Engineers.

Photos from our Meeting...please click to enlarge!

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3rd Annual ASME Plant Engineering, Inspection and Maintenance Tradeshow Expo and Conference
at the Pasadena Convention Center
the Premiere Locally Sponsored Plant Maintenance & Technical Expo is
Thursday April 28

TUESDAY
April 26, 2005 Luncheon

An Introduction to the Battelle Structural Stress Method
and a
Case Study Comparison of this Method
with Surface Extrapolation Methodologies

with

Brian Healy

Technip Offshore Engineering
In recent years, the hot spot stress approach as applied to plate structures has attracted more and more attention and research effort. The hot spot stress is defined here as the structural stress at the weld toe. The structural stress is defined as the combination of bending and membrane stresses through the thickness of the plate or over the depth of the crack at failure, if the latter is not the plate thickness. The research emphasis of late has been placed on developing and improving surface extrapolation methods to compute the hot spot stress. As an alternative to surface extrapolation, Battelle has developed a new methodology for computing the structural stress at the weld toe or root.

This presentation will introduce the Battelle method from the perspective of a structural analyst and will provide an overview of the details necessary to apply the method in practice. In addition, an example of its application to a side shell connection detail typical of a representative FPU or tanker vessel is discussed. The example detail is solved using both the Battelle method and surface extrapolation methods so that they can be compared directly. The manner in which the hot spot stresses converge at each location and for each element type is examined, and results are compared in terms of mesh- and element-insensitivity. Based on a Weibull distribution of the side shell pressure, fatigue lives consistent with both methods are computed and compared.

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest!

Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Davis at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions.

Tuesday April 26, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Speaker Presentation

1:00 pm     Meeting closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

Brian Healy is a Principal Associate in the Riser Technology & Well Systems Department of Technip Offshore, Inc. Brian has a PhD in Structural Engineering from the University of Illinois and has worked in the offshore industry since 1992. His primary interest has been in linear and non-linear strength and fatigue analysis of offshore platforms and riser systems. He has been involved in the Joint Industry Project to develop the Battelle Method since its inception in 2000.

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March 24, 2005 Luncheon

Applications of Optical Sensing Systems & Solutions

with

Ky Good

IFOS (Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems)

IFOS designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative optical sensing systems, photonic modules, fiber optic sensors, wavelength monitoring subsystems. Optical fiber is used not merely as a light pipe, but rather as an active intelligent medium.

IFOS uses a proprietary state-of-the-art, solid state and super fast optical spectral processor with sub-picometer resolution. The sensor is designed to monitor a flexible number of sensors ranging from a few to as many as one thousand.

Mr Good will discuss several applications of the fiber optic sensor including pipelines, structures, and weigh in motion.

For more information please visit their web site : IFOS

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest!

Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Davis at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions.

Thursday March 24, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Speaker Presentation

1:00 pm     Meeting closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

Lee “Ky” Good joined the IFOS team in October 2002. Ky brings to IFOS 30+ years of experience in the communications and networking industry spanning a wide range of network service providers, optical and wireless equipment manufacturers, and optical component developers. Ky has served in various executive and corporate officer roles for Research & Development Laboratories, Alidian Networks, Advanced Fibre Communications, and DSC Communications.

During this time, Ky lived and worked overseas yielding a depth of business and personal contacts throughout the United States and international marketplaces, with a strong focus in Asia Pacific. During his tenure, Ky established regional consortiums for large import/export, financing, and telecom network projects. Ky also hired and managed regional sales, marketing, product management, and service organizations for U.S. and International business development, customer support, and successful sales of optical products throughout the Asia Pacific region.

In addition, Ky spent five years in marketing and product management with Nortel Networks and 15 years with Verizon holding a wide range of engineering and management positions.

At IFOS, Ky brings significant expertise in optical and wireless technologies, US and International business development, and telecommunications to identify emerging markets, develop investment opportunities and business alternatives, and provide business advice to optimize a corporations’ resources.

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February 24, 2005 Luncheon

NDE in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code – New Developments

with

Don E. Bray

Vice President, Pressure Technology Group ASME International
President and Chief Engineer
Don E. Bray, Inc.

ASME is responding to the global industry demands in the area of NDE Codes and Standards. As the demands are changing, ASME is able to incorporate new technology while maintaining the expected confidence in the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. Specifically, the presentation will provide a brief review of current committee activities and recent outcomes related to NDE in the various physical areas. In addition, positions on personnel qualifications and other procedural aspects will be described.

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest!

Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Davis at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions.

Thursday February 24, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Speaker Presentation

1:00 pm     Meeting closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

Dr. Don E. Bray has over thirty years of experience in nondestructive evaluation, working with industry and the U. S. Federal Government before joining academia. He is certified Level III by examination in ultrasonics by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) and holds Fellow Membership rank with ASNT, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Acoustical Socety of America (ASA) and the Permanent Way Institute (PWI) in the UK. He is a Past Chairman of the ASME NDE Engineering Division, is a registered professional engineer in Texas and Oklahoma, and a frequent consultant to industry on NDE matters. He is the author of three books on Nondestructive Evaluation, and numerous journal papers. In 1997, he served as a consultant to the University of Technology in Papua New Guinea in the development of their center on nondestructive evaluation. His recent research activities have been in the area of ultrasonic stress measurement in steel, aluminum and titanium plates, and in the development of novel ID surface wave techniques for boiler tubing inspection.

Dr. Don E. Bray was installed as the Vice President of the Materials and Structures Group of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers at the recent Summer Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. The M&S group includes Pressure Vessels and Piping, Pipeline, Materials and Nondestructive Evaluation Engineering Divisions.

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January 27, 2005 Luncheon

Full-field, 3-D, Non-contact Strain Measurements

with

Dr. David H. Coe

Technology Director
Trilion Quality Systems

The traditional strain measurement techniques have been recently augmented with the development of full-field, non-contact strain measurement systems. These new strain (deformation) measurement tools synthesize computer vision techniques with experimental mechanics to obtain full-field, 3-D, non-contact strain measurements; one such system that is currently being used by NASA in Shuttle return-to-flight experiments is ARAMIS.

The ARAMIS system captures calibrated stereo images of a test object in undeformed and deformed states. The system utilizes digital image correlation techniques to analyze, calculate, and document the test object’s surface deformations. ARAMIS recognizes the surface structure of the object to be measured in digital camera images and allocates 3-D coordinates to the image pixels. The first 3-D coordinates are gathered when recording the reference condition; in the measuring project, this image represents the undeformed state of the object. After or during the deformation of the object to be measured, further images are recorded. Then, ARAMIS compares the digital images and calculates the displacement and the deformation of the object characteristics.

ARAMIS is particularly suitable for three-dimensional deformation measurements under static and dynamic load in order to analyze deformations and strain of real components. A wide ranging survey of ARAMIS applications (and an ARAMIS system demonstration) will be presented. The non-contact deformation applications that will be reviewed are:

Examination of non-linear behavior, e.g. high-speed imaging of impact tests on the Shuttle’s wing
Material testing, e.g. high temperature tensile tests
Verification of FE models, e.g. rotating tires, engine exhaust manifold, OCTG connections
Determination of Forming Limit Curves (FLC)
Analysis of the behavior of homogeneous and inhomogeneous materials during deformation
Strain calculations, e.g. bolted and riveted joints
Biomedical applications

Visit these web-sites for more information.

When & Where :

Stress Engineering Services Conference Center
13800 Westfair East Drive, Houston

Cost: Free Admission, and Brown Bag lunch is $10 with reservation. Membership Not Required. Bring a Guest!

Reservations Requested. Please contact Wendy Davis at 281-890-8441.

Click here for directions.

Thursday January 27, 2005

11:30 am     Lunch served

11:45 am     Announcements

12 noon     Speaker Presentation

1:00 pm     Meeting closes

A few notes about our Distinguished Speaker :

Dr. David H. Coe recently joined Trilion Quality Systems to advocate full-field deformation measurements as an complementary experimental technique to iterate and validate FEA field solutions. Prior to joining Trilion, Dr. Coe conducted proprietary research and development at ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company. Dr. Coe received his graduate degrees, Ph.D. and M.S.M.E., from Virginia Tech and his undergraduate degrees, B.S.M.E and B.A. German, from the University of Texas. Dr. Coe also spent six years in the Department of Defense managing the development and engineering of imaging and communications systems.

Upcoming Programs
We meet on fourth Thursday of the month for lunch unless noted.

2005 Meetings
Engineers Week 2005 Expands Its Global Outreach
With a focus on the international and the future, Engineers Week 2005 will bring initiatives that celebrate the engineering community and share its positive message around the world.

Co-chaired by ASME and BP p.l.c., Engineers Week, February 20-26, 2005, has launched a partnership with Engineers Without Borders™-USA (EWB), a non-profit humanitarian organization that delivers environmentally and economically sustainable engineering projects to communities worldwide to improve their quality of life.

February : TBA

Your suggestions and assistance are welcome. Contact Rafik Boubenider or Uma Mundle.

Executive Committee for Northwest Houston Sub Section

The officers for the 2005 operating year for the Northwest Houston Sub Section of ASME are:

Chair: Dr. Rafik Boubenider

Vice-Chair: Dr. Stuart Harbert

Secretary: Ramon San Pedro, P.E.

Treasurer and Webmaster: Richard Boswell, P.E.

Arrangements: Wendy Davis

Programs: Uma Mundle

Student Relations: Dr. Mahmod Samman, P.E.

All may be reached at 281-955-2900.

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Notes about this Website

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