Graduate Research Associate
Cornell University
439 Rhodes Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
607-255-3697
Fax: 607-254-8815
Education
M.S., Mechanical Engineering,
Brigham Young University , 1985
B.S., Mechanical Engineering,
Brigham Young University , 1984
Background:
Rick is returning to the academia after 12 years in the aerospace industry with the former McDonnell Douglas Company (now Boeing). He has performed research on fiber/metal laminates, superplastic forming, buckling/crippling of complex sandwich panel structures, and low cost structural and manufacturing concepts, including two years on assignment to NASA Langley Research Center to evaluate how integral structures could be made more damage tolerant and fail-safe.
Current Research:
Rick is continuing work on damage tolerance of integral fuselage structures as part of the NASA Integral Airframe Structure Program. His work at Cornell is focused on crack turning theory and engineering practice to enhance the fail safety of integral fuselage structure by turning cracks away from the stiffeners. In particular, he is extending 2nd order crack turning theory to include the effects of fracture orthotropy (crack growth resistance which is a function of direction, and for which the maximum and minumum fracture resistance orientations are orthogonal). A further extension to include elastic orthotropy as well may prove useful in the analysis of composite structures.
Selected Papers:
Pettit, R.G; Newman, J.C.; Domack,M.S.; Crack Turning Damage Tolerance Approach for Integrally Stiffened Structure, 19th ICAF Symposium, International Committee on Aeronatical Fatigue, Edinburgh, June, 1997.