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Mechanical and Materials Engineering

Energy, aerospace and defense remain core areas of research at Southwest Research Institute, particularly in petroleum production and transport, military and commercial aircraft, and military ground vehicle armament. We are applying our sensors, fluids, materials, structural and mechanical expertise to help our clients improve the safety, reliability, efficiency and life of their systems.

In the energy arena, nuclear power components inspected from the inside using immersion scanning often have unique geometries that can divert the inspection beam. SwRI developed a geometry compensating software package that models the complex geometry and corrects data distortions. This technology can be used with the SwRI EDAS® system for reactor pressure vessel inspection and analysis (ndetech.swri.org).

SwRI developed an anatomically based, parametric, probabilistic finite element model of the human spine for the U.S. Navy to characterize injury risks associated with exposure to high acceleration force events. The model, which accounts for gender and size differences, is intended to aid in the design of aircrew life support equipment such as crash, ejection, helmet and restraint systems.

Our reputation with the energy industries has led to SwRI helping address the high costs of wind energy associated with building and maintaining large windmills. We conducted a third-party design review of a new wind turbine drive train as well as prototype testing of a novel wind turbine array concept aimed at lowering the costs of construction.

We are also reducing pipeline maintenance costs associated with reciprocating compressor valve replacement. In 2008, we demonstrated the dramatically longer life offered by our award-winning semi-active compressor valve compared to conventional valves. Our valves have accumulated in excess of 3,000 operating hours at full load and full speed during which time conventional valves have been replaced multiple times (gasturbine.swri.org).

In the aerospace arena, we continued full-scale structural fatigue testing of the very light jet, a new class of commercial aircraft, and we are gearing up to test the static strength of the wing of another small commercial jet (verylightjet.swri.org). This year, we completed the T-38 fatigue testing, evaluating the structural reliability of the most prevalent military supersonic trainer, which has been flying since the 1950s (structural-engr.swri.org). In 2008, SwRI also modified a low-frequency-based magnetostrictive sensor instrument used to inspect pipelines, to inspect and monitor aircraft components. We developed a high-frequency unit to monitor defects in thin aircraft skins (ndetech.swri.org).

In 2008, SwRI’s hull design for the next-generation deep ocean research submersible was accepted and fabrication began with the joining of the hull’s two titanium hemispheres. In related activities, the Navy rescue submersible underwent sea trials including successful demonstrations of the SwRI-designed and -fabricated skirt hull and the transfer skirt hatch assemblies.

SwRI is fabricating a reciprocating compressor for the International Space Station’s air revitalization system to remove carbon dioxide from the air scrubbers. The carbon dioxide is then combined with hydrogen in the carbon dioxide reduction assembly to produce potable water for use on the space station.

In the defense arena, we apply probabilistic modeling and simulation techniques to evaluate various vehicle safety enhancements associated with collision, blast and fragment impact, and rollover scenarios. Using these numerical techniques, we help clients assess the relative importance and correlation of vehicle design factors to significantly increase the overall safety and survivability of occupants in a range of scenarios.

Oil and gas prices are driving offshore exploration and production into deeper water and formations. We expanded our deep ocean simulation facilities, instrumentation and expertise, particularly for sour gas and corrosive applications, providing timely evaluations of subsea equipment and materials for the petroleum industry (pressuresimulation.swri.org).

We also applied a full range of numerical simulations and ballistics testing to help the Army protect its personnel from the potentially devastating effects of improvised explosive devices, evaluating client-developed armor concepts, as well as developing and evaluating novel protection technology (compmech.swri.org).

Visit mechmat.swri.org for more information or contact Vice President Danny Deffenbaugh at (210) 522-2384 or ddeffenbaugh@swri.org.

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