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Stephen J. Hudak
Institute Scientist
Email: shudak@swri.org
Phone: (210) 522-2330
Fax: (210) 522-5122
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Dr. Hudak has over thirty years of research experience in fatigue, fracture mechanics, and structural integrity assurance. His research has focused on understanding the role of aggressive environments on the initiation and propagation of cracks in structural materials subjected to both static and cyclic loading. He has also conducted studies to understand the processes contributing to high-cycle fatigue (HCF) in a variety of materials, as well as the application of this understanding to the development of engineering methods to design against HCF for the aerospace, automotive, microelectronics, and oil industries. He has also developed methods for on-chip measurement of thin-film mechanical properties for durability assessments in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). His current work is focused on the development and integration of advanced life prediction methods, probabilistic methods, and on-line sensors for integrated systems health management. He is also leading a program that is developing novel wireless, thin-film sensor systems for use in materials damage monitoring at elevated temperature in fracture-critical rotating components. Dr. Hudak has studied the behavior of materials at elevated temperature, including crack growth due to creep, as well as the initiation and growth of small fatigue cracks in superalloys. He also developed methods to ensure the durability and damage tolerance of metallic and composite pressure vessels, including the development of procedures for characterizing dynamic fracture initiation, growth, and arrest in pressure vessel steels using sub-sized specimens.
Dr. Hudak is a recognized expert in the development and application of structural integrity and life prediction technology, and has organized and edited the proceedings of several ASTM and ASME symposia in this area. He has also served as Chairman of ASTM's Task Group on Fatigue Crack Growth and as Co‑chairman of ASME's Subcommittee on Fatigue of Pressure Vessels and Piping. He presently serves as a technical consultant to the Materials Super Problem Resolution Team under the auspices of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC) and has assisted NASA in the resolution of various space shuttle return-to-flight issues.
Prior to joining SwRI, he was affiliated with the Corporate R&D Center of Westinghouse Electric Corp. where he was engaged in the development and application of fracture mechanics to material selection, design, and structural reliability assurance in the power generation industry. More recently, he has also been involved in the transfer of fracture mechanics technology to the offshore, petrochemical, aircraft, aerospace and ground vehicle industries. He has also taught several short courses on the application of fracture mechanics within the damage tolerance approach to structural integrity assurance and is an adjunct professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
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Professional Chronology
Westinghouse Electric Corp., R&D Center: research engineer, 1972-6; senior research engineer, 1976-9; Lehigh University, Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering: distinguished fellow, 1979-80; Westinghouse Electric Corp.: consultant, 1979-80; Southwest Research Institute: 1980-[senior research scientist, 1980-6; staff scientist, 1986-8; manager, 1988-94; director, 1994-6; institute scientist and program director, 1996-present].
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Memberships
ASM International, The Metallurgical Society of AIME, American Society for Testing and Materials
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Publications/Presentations
2008
Buitrago, J. and S.J. Hudak Jr. Welds in Sour Service.
Presented at the Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering (OMAE)'08 Conference, Estoril, Portugal, June 2008.
Chell, G.G. and S.J. Hudak Jr. Predicting Growth at Flaws Subjected to High Strain Conditions.
Presented at the Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering (OMAE) 2008 Conference, Estoril, Portugal, June 2008.
Enright, M.P., S.J. Hudak Jr., and R.C. McClung. Probabilistic Treatment of Aircraft Engine Usage.
Presented at the 53rd American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International Gas Turbine and Aeroengine Technical Congress, Paper GT2008-15393, Berlin, Germany, June 2008.
Gioielli, P., J. Buitrago, W. Kan, M. Weir, S.J. Hudak Jr., and G.G. Chell. Evaluation of Welding Flaws Under Ratcheting Fatigue.
Presented at the Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering (OMAE) '08 Conference, Estoril, Portugal, June 2008.
Hudak Jr., S.J., M.P. Enright, H.R. Millwater, and R.C. McClung. Enabling Life Prediction, Sensor, and Probabilistic Analysis Technologies for Enhanced Turbine Engine Health Management.
Presented at the Propulsion Safety and Affordable Reliability Conference, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, March 2008.
View All Publications
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Recent Projects
Probabilistic Fracture Mechanics Analysis of Space Shuttle Flowliner
Develop deterministic and probabilistic fracture mechanics models to quantify the reliability of the space shuttle main engine flowliner.
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Contact Information |
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Carl F. Popelar, Ph.D.
Mechanics and Materials
(210) 522-4213
cpopelar@swri.org |
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Related Terminology |
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probabilistic analysis
reliability analysis
uncertainty quantification
life prediction
materials integrity
risk of failure
risk assessment
biomechanics
biomaterials
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