Senior Mechanical Engineer

Summary

Over 30 years experience in the space and aerospace industries (working on launchers, satellites, aircraft, rotorcraft and drones) covering all aspects of mechanical design, analysis, and testing.  I have worked at various technical levels from engineer/analyst up to technical lead and technical management positions. I have been involved at every project stage; from conceptual design and sales support through to ground and flight testing, certification and in-service support.

I am knowledgeable in all aspects of the use of metallic and composites for space and aerospace applications, the definition and development of tools and methods, and the application of classical hand calculations and linear and non-linear Finite Element (FE) analysis to lightweight structures.

I have expert experience of a wide range FE software (Nastran, Patran, FEMAP, Hypermesh, ESATAN), CAD software (CATIA, Autodesk, Inventor, Solidworks), MathCad, Office.

Professional Experience

Enersys/ABSL, Abingdon, England                                                                   Aug 16 – Present

Consultant Senior Engineer. Acted as technical manager for the design, manufacture, test and delivery of battery systems for a range of satellite projects (Sentinel-2/3/6, Aeolus, CartoSat, Talisat).  Responsibility for the overall electrical, thermal and mechanical design and performance of the batteries, ensuring that the batteries are proven to meet customer specifications through a combination of review, analysis and testing. Acted as technical lead for business-wide improvement in the structural design, analysis and test of the batteries; including new FE modelling techniques, improved analysis, and enhanced cell-level and battery level testing. I extended Velocity Response Spectrum (VRS) and Fatigue Damage Spectrum (FDS) techniques to predict vibrational failure in commercial battery cells.

Honeywell (formerly ComDev/MESL Microwave), Edinburgh, Scotland Mar 15 – Jul 16

Lead Mechanical Engineer. Provided consultancy for the mechanical design, analysis, test and qualification of spacecraft waveguide assemblies for a high-powered radar satellite.  Work included the definition, design and structural analysis of the assemblies along with test support and analysis (including model correlation and design improvement). Authored major project documents including the mechanical verification plan and the mechanical analysis reports for the waveguide assemblies.

Spirit Aerosystems (Europe), Preston, England                                 Apr 14 – Jan 15

Senior Stress Engineer checking and supporting the work of sub-contractors performing the check stress of the Airbus A350XWB-900 aircraft. Overseeing the preparation and delivery of certification documents and stress dossiers for metallic and carbon-fibre parts of the fixed leading edge (FLE).  Provided regular guidance on stress methods to sub-contractors.

Folland Aerotech, Fareham, England                                                   Sep 13 – Mar 14

Lead Structures Engineer for composite tools and methods work package for Pilatus Aircraft, Switzerland. Provided consultancy for the development of the composite programme for the PC-24 aircraft. Work covered assisting with the composite certification plan, defining the means of airworthiness compliance, defining the stress tools and methods to be used/developed, reviewing and defining tests to be performed in support of the composite programme, and liaising with the airworthiness authorities and internally with the materials and productions departments to define appropriate manufacturing and inspection procedures.

Stork Fokker, Papendrecht, The Netherlands                                    Sep 11 – Aug 13

Stress Engineer. Provided consultancy and analysis support for the design of the Dassault Falcon SMS empennage, with particular responsibility for the composite primary structure and the composite /metal interfaces.  Work covered advising on the conceptual design, preliminary sizing of composite components and assemblies using hand and finite element methods, the definition of material and part-level tests, the review of stress tools and methods, and the detail stressing of primary composite structure.

Serendipity Engineering, Southampton, England                               Jul 06 – Aug 11

Lead Mechanical Engineer. Provided consultancy and design/analysis services for a range of clients in the aerospace and marine industries.  More specifically provided design advice and analysis support for lightweight composite and metallic components and assemblies. Work included defining structural loads in a wide range of operating environments, defining and building finite element models, hand stressing, defining and supervising structural tests with subsequent finite element model correlation, and authoring a variety of technical documents for clients.

Stork Fokker, Hoogeveen, The Netherlands                                        Jan 06 – Jun 06

Stress Engineer. Provided consultancy and analysis support for the certification of the A380-800 thermoplastic fixed leading edge (J-Nose).  Work covered detailed stressing of primary load path components.

MT Aerospace (formerly MAN Technology), Augsburg, Germany   Sep 05 – Dec 05

Lead Stress Engineer. Provided consultancy (high level design definition) for the Pre-X Hypersonic Re-entry Vehicle.  Work included definition and design of the major structural interfaces of the vehicle (to launcher, and internally between major structural assemblies).  Analysed the loading from transport to the launch pad, through launch, sub-orbital manoeuvring, re-entry, descent to splashdown in the sea.  Authored major project documents included technical specifications for the structure and procurement specifications for structural sub-assemblies. Responsible for FE analyst supporting the project.

Stork Fokker, Hoogeveen, The Netherlands                                       Feb 05 – Sep 05

Stress Engineer. Provided consultancy and analysis support for the certification of the A380-800 thermoplastic fixed leading edge (J-Nose).  Work covered analysis of the loading from wing bending, aerodynamic pressures, and the leading edge slats and the included the development of rationales for the definition of correlated load sets.

Contraves Space, Zürich, Switzerland                                                 Dec 03 – Feb 05

Mechanical Engineer. Provided modelling, dynamic, and stress analysis support for satellites (Aeolus, SMOS, and Planck) and launcher fairings (Ariane 5).  Conducted analysis and design support for the secondary structure of Aeolus.  Performed laminate, sandwich panel, and insert analysis for the SMOS structure.  This included the verification of panel properties through testing, and the analysis of face-to-face and cold-bonded sandwich panel inserts (including the design and development of standard analysis methodologies for the company).  Performed test correlation and support for the Planck QM vibration test.  For Ariane 5, conducted a sine response analysis of the ACY structure.  As part of the Ariane Fairing Cost Reduction programme performed an optimisation of the long payload fairing.  This included FEM development, loads extraction, and a comprehensive stress analysis of the optimised areas.

EADS Space Transportation, Bremen, Germany                                 Jul 03 – Dec 03

Lead Dynamics and FE Engineer. Provided modelling and dynamic analysis support for various components of the upper stage (ESC-A) of the Ariane 5 launcher.  Modelling covered brackets, avionic containers, and the liquid oxygen (LOX) tank.  LOX tank analysed for [static and dynamic] hydrostatic pressure (liquid sloshing), inertial and thermal loads.  Conducted system level flight dynamic analyses of the ESC-A recovering critical design parameters for EADS and program sub-contractors.

Airbus Deutschland GmbH, Bremen, Germany                                   Feb 03 – Jul 03

Stress and FE Engineer. Structural analysis of composite ribs and associated metallic and composite parts for the flaps of the Airbus A380-800 aircraft.  Developed new methodologies for the analysis of the strength and stiffness of the ribs.

Embraer, São José dos Campos, Brasil                                              Mar 02 – Dec 02

Lead Mechanical Engineer. Conceptual dynamic design of operator workstations, and the structural analysis of wing-mounted composite antenna pods, for the EMB-145H AEW&C aircraft.  Design and analysis covered conventional metallic and lightweight composite (CFRP and GFRP) structures.  Responsible for team of stress engineers; managing work and providing guidance and training on stress, dynamics and FE methods.

Alenia Spazio, Torino, Italy                                                                    Oct 98 – Jan 02

Lead Dynamics Engineer. Provided a wide range of high-level support for the dynamic design and testing of modules for the International Space Station.  Conducted two complete Shuttle-Node 3 Coupled Loads Analyses (CLAs) that included the development and preparation of structural subsystem models, assembly of the system models, the dynamic and quasi-static CLAs, and interpretation and dissemination of the results.  Preparation and delivery of Craig-Bampton on-orbit and flight models of the Mini Pressurised Logistics Module (MPLM) for Space Station assembly flights 5A and 6A.  Definition, support and correlation of a dynamic flexibility test of the MPLM forward bulkhead and berthing mechanism for verification of the on-orbit interface.  Support for the dynamic analysis of the Columbus and Cupola space station modules.  Assistance with the definition, execution and correlation of dynamic tests on the internal substructures of the Node 2 module.

Matra Marconi Space (formerly BAe Space), Bristol, England           Feb 98 - Oct 98

Structural Dynamics Engineer. Provided test support for the modal, acoustic and sine vibration testing of the ENVISAT satellite structure and key payloads.  Test work covered pre-test planning, test prediction, on site test support at ESTEC and post-test correlation and analysis.  Preparation, assembly and delivery of Craig-Bampton models of the ENVISAT satellite (to Arianespace) for Coupled Analysis.  Responsible for the development of the FEM of the METOP Service Module (SM) and then the definition, calculation and dissemination of all quasi-static loads on the SM to the stress team.  Preliminary design and modelling of the solar arrays for the LEOSTAR satellite.

Aerostructures Hamble, Southampton, England                                 Jul 97 – Feb 98

Stress and FE Engineer. Preliminary design and check stress, impact analysis, and fatigue analysis of avionics, fuel tanks and refuelling probes for the BAe/Saab Gripen, EFA (Typhoon) and the GKN Westland Lynx helicopter.  Analysis covered conventional metallic and lightweight composite structures.

Westland Aerospace, Isle of Wight, England                                        Apr 97 – Jul 97

Stress and FE Engineer. Detailed stressing of primary and secondary structure for the Sikorsky Blackhawk helicopter using FE models.

Matra Marconi Space (formerly BAe Space), Bristol, England          Apr 95 – Apr 97

See above (Feb 98 – Oct 98) and below (Mar 92 – Apr 94).

Matra Marconi Space, Portsmouth, England                                      May 94 – Apr 95

Stress and FE Engineer. Design, analysis and stressing of carbon-fibre composite and metallic structures for SKYNET-4 and ENVISAT satellites.  Static and dynamic analysis using FE models included support for the structural testing of thin-walled carbon fibre structures.

BAe Space Systems, Bristol, England                                                  Mar 92 - Apr 94

Lead Dynamics Engineer. Provided FE and dynamics support for the Polar Platform, POEM and ENVISAT satellite structures and key payloads.  Responsible for the preparation of system-level FE models from structure and instrument sub-models.  Preparation, assembly and delivery of Craig-Bampton models of the satellites (to Arianespace) for Coupled Analysis.  Dissemination of results to suppliers and sub-contractors. Shock and micro-vibration analyses of spacecraft in-orbit.

Hawker de Havilland, Sydney, Australia                                              Sep 91 – Feb 92

Stress and FE Engineer. Design and check stress of metallic and composite parts for the roof section of the McDonnell-Douglas MDX NOTAR helicopter.

Omitec Aerospace (formerly GED), Hurn, England                            Jun 90 – Aug 91

Stress Engineer. Design stress of A321-100 wing ribs and spars, check stress of A340-300 wings ribs, MSG-3 analysis of Canadair RJ flaps.

ML Aviation, Maidenhead, England                                                      Nov 89 – Jun 90

Aeronautical Engineer. Stress, fatigue and performance work on SPRITE remotely piloted helicopter.

Westland System Assessment, Yeovil, England                                Aug 88 – Oct 89

Analyst/Programmer. Design, coding and testing of software for event-based helicopter combat simulation, programmed in FORTRAN on a mainframe. Responsible for Junior Analyst.

Other Experience

Flight Refuelling, Wimborne, England                                                  Jul 87 – Sep 87

Aeronautical Engineer. Performance analyses of systems for surveillance and target drones as well as in-flight refuelling systems.

Plessey Aerospace, Titchfield, England                                               Jul 86 – Sep 86

Aeronautical Engineer. Stress and aerodynamic analysis of XP8 chaff/IR rocket for SHIELD-II ship countermeasures systems.