Consultant, Kevin Kennedy Associates Inc.
Providing civil engineering, structural engineering, consulting, failure analysis,
forensic engineering and related expertise to a wide variety of clients.
Structural Engineer, Civil Engineer, Engineering Consultant
Medical Implant Devices - Provided stress calculations for over 15 manufacturers of Stents. Analyses required very large deformation analyses and highly nonlinear material response. Materials included a variety of Steels as well as Nitinol Super Elastic Shape Memory Alloy. Geometry changes can be as much as 10 fold. Concrete Containment Building – Developed parametric model to simulate the structural response of cutting a hole in the side of a post-tensioned concrete containment building. The construction sequence of de-tensioning, removing the hole, patching the hole and re-tensioning was simulated in ANSYS 6.1. Race Car Piston – Developed parametric model for the thermal-stress analysis of a race car piston. Model included temperature dependent transient analysis simulation including large deflections, and contact. Camera & Hearing Aid Batteries - ANSYS FEA used to simulate the crimping processes of the assembly line. Critical manufacturing variables were evaluated and optimized to reduce the design cycle of new products. Insights gained from the analyses helped resolve material selection, component sizing and tooling issues. ANSYS capabilities utilized include large deflection; surface-to-surface and rigid surface contact and material plasticity. Animation files simulating the assembly process were used to debug the analysis as well as demonstrate the analysis results to the immediate contact and upper management. Concrete Dams - 3-D Stability evaluation of large concrete dams. ANSYS is used in conjunction with macros developed by the associate to automate the evaluation of cracking along the dam-rock interface. Large Roller Bearings - Performed 3-D contact analysis to evaluate the effects of friction and interference fit on the interaction between sleeves and the roller shaft. Airplane Seat - Performed detailed analyses of composite airplane seat backs to evaluate the efficiency of current designs. ANSYS composite shell elements were used in conjunction with in-house programs to evaluate the integrity of the seat back on a layer-by-layer basis.
Senior Engineer, ANATECH Research Corp., San Diego, CA
Led the development of a nonlinear finite element program for Sandia National Labs used to evaluate the probabilistic failure assessment of nuclear spent fuel subject to transport loading conditions in Transport Casks. Non-linear dynamic response of spent fuel assemblies are computed, failure modes and frequencies are predicted for both ductile and material fracture failure modes using probabilistic techniques. Related work including co-authoring an EPRI reports on “Fuel-Assembly Behavior under Dynamic Impact Loads Due to Dry-Storage Cast Mishandling”. Provided structural analysis review of the B&W BR-100 Final Design Report. Led the development of a special purpose nonlinear finite element code CG-DAMS for analyzing the strength and stability of concrete dams. This program was sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute and is currently used by several utilities. The special purpose program includes static, pseudo dynamic and time history seismic analysis capabilities. The program incorporates the UMAT concrete model developed by Anatech Research Corp. Served on the EPRI Dam Safety Committee and was involved in the review process of the Army Corps of Engineers guidelines on fracture mechanics. Has performed analyses or consulted on FERC submittals for Georgia Power, Duke Power, Southern Company Services and Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Has also interfaced with US Bureau of Reclamation, BC Hydro, FERC, New York Power Authority, etc. Served as the technical representative for the ANSYS general-purpose finite element program.
Senior Engineer, Earl & Wright Consulting Engineers, San Francisco, CA
Led the finite element analysis group in the design of the first North American Tension Leg Platform. Also led the analysis group of 5 engineers in the design of a mobile arctic oil exploration rig. Served as the technical representative for the ANSYS general-purpose finite element program.
Staff Engineer, Robert L. Cloud & Associates, Berkeley, CA
Research Engineer, Pacifica Technology, San Diego, CA
