Donald E. Welch
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6006
Phone No.: (865) 576-0563
Email: welchde@ornl.gov
Engineering Development Specialist
in mechanical and nuclear systems
Qualification Summary
Certified Professional Mechanical Engineer in Tennessee, currently on inactive status. Secretary of East TN Chapter of Society for Materials and Process Engineering. Member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Engineering analyst with 30 years experience in composite materials, probability and statistics, quality control, rotating equipment, packaging and facility safety, structural analysis, systems analysis, and project management. Significant experience in structural analysis of rotating equipment, probability and statistics, and materials. Strength areas are systems and safety analysis, technical communications, quality implementation, structural analysis, and experimental development.
Experience & Accomplishments
Measurement Science and Systems Engineering Division/Engineering Science & Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory - Oak Ridge, Tennessee Staff Engineer, (1999-Present)
Project Experience & Expertise
- American Centrifuge Engineering and Manufacturing Project
- Electrical Signature Analysis of Aircraft Electric Fuel Booster Pumps
- Rotating Structure Stress Analysis, Cylindrical Bending
- Stress Rupture Statistical Evaluation by means of Weibull statistics
- Data Acquisition Design and Implementation
- Opto-Electronic Radial Strain Measurement System Development
- Facility Safety Analysis of ORNL Hazardous Liquid Waste Solidification Facility
- Development work in area of Compressive Strength of Composite Structures
- Participated in Energy Systems Independent Review Group for Packaging SAR's in areas of containment and structural.
- Assisted DOE HQ in radioactive material packaging and transportation safety program
- Developed the RAMPACKG computer program for radioactive material packaging classification
- Assisted DOE-HQ in planning and performing HQ evaluations of DOE site office oversight of contractor radioactive packaging functions at various other DOE sites
- Co-Instructor, Advanced Hazardous Materials Packaging Course, 1995
- Assisted the US Army in locating and developing engineering solutions to insensitive munitions concerns by means of packaging alterations. Three-year data collection, evaluation, design, and experimentation program.
- Assisted the US DOT Office of Pipeline Safety in preparing a database of examinations of a section of US pipeline for subsequent examination prior to reopening the pipeline.
Previous Positions Summary
- Fortafil Fibers Division, Great Lakes Research Corp. - Elizabethton, Tennessee
Quality Control, Supervisor (1979-1981)
Developed quality control program for prototype graphite fiber production facility.
- The University of Tennessee Space Institute - Tullahoma, Tennessee
Research Engineer (1977-1979)
Managed mechanical testing laboratory for the performance of contract research in the area of aerospace metals and composite materials. Developed proposals and managed laboratory work in support of contract research.
Developed laboratory data acquisition system for servo-hydraulic test machine and data reduction packages to calculate J-integral fracture criterion from load displacement data for various fracture specimen geometries.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Kennedy Space Center, Florida
Engineering Trainee (1969-1970)
Co-operative engineering assignment in the Failure Analysis Section, Materials Analysis Branch. Performed routine quality acceptance tests including ball bearing lubrication tests, flame speed tests, abrasion tests, high voltage insulation tests, liquid oxygen compatibility tests, and mechanical strength tests.
Participated in pre-flight calibration testing of Apollo 13 LM altitude sensor.
Education
- Freed-Hardeman College, summer, 1967-1968, GPA 3.38
- B.S., Tennessee Technological University, May 1975, GPA 3.00
Major: Engineering Science with emphasis on Nuclear Engineering - M.S., The University of Tennessee, June 1977, GPA 3.65
Major: Engineering Science and Mechanics with emphasis on Fracture Mechanics and Composite Materials
Publications
D. E. Welch, The Deformation and Fracture of Unidirectional Boron-Aluminum, M. S. thesis, The University of Tennessee, 1977.
M. A. Wright and D. E. Welch, Compare the Fracture Toughness of Metal-Matrix Composites as Determined by Four Different Techniques, Part II, Annual Report prepared for NASA, Langley Research Center, 1977, Contract No. NSG-1163.
M. A. Wright and D. E. Welch, "Failure of Centre Notched Specimens of 6061 Aluminum Reinforced with Unidirectional Boron Fibers," Fibre Science and Technology, Vol. II, 447-461 (1978).
M. A. Wright and D. E. Welch, The Effect of Geometry, Size, and Control Mode on the Fracture Characteristics of Aluminum Alloy 2219-T87, Contract Report, submitted to NASA, Langley Research Center, February 1978.
M. A. Wright and D. E. Welch, "The Fracture of Boron Fiber-Reinforced 6061 Aluminum Alloy," Journal of Materials Science, Vol. 14, 1218-28 (1979).
D. E. Welch, Analysis of Rotor Tube Spin Test Data (U), K\TS-10,777, Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, July 1982. S-RD.
D. E. Welch, Elastic Material Properties by Least Squares Estimation (U), K\TS-11,285, Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division, Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, January 1984. S-RD.
D. E. Welch, M. L. Simpson, et al., "Optoelectronic-Strain-Measurement System for Rotating Disks," Experimental Mechanics, Vol. 27, No. 1, 37-43 (1987).
D. E. Welch, Safety Study for the Emergency Avoidance Solidification Campaign of Liquid Low-Level Waste (U), ORNL/ENG/SS-2, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., June 1988.
D. E. Welch et al., Proceedings of the Second Annual Thick Composites in Compression Workshop, July 12-13, 1988, Jointly sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Office of Naval Technology, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
D. E. Welch et al., Final Report on Seed Money Project 3210-036: Feasibility Study for Californium Cold Neutron Source (U), ORNL/TM-11027, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., October 1988.
D. E. Welch et al., Proceedings of the Third Annual Thick Composites in Compression Workshop, July 11-12, 1989, Jointly sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
D. E. Welch, Analysis of Composite Ring Compression Test Data (U), ORNL/ATD-24, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Inc., Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., November 1989.
D. E. Welch et al., An Interim Report on the Materials and Selection Criteria Analysis for the Compact Ignition Tokamak Toroidal Field Coil Turn-to-Turn Insulation System (U), ORNL/ATD-28/V1&2, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., January 1990.
D. E. Welch et al., An Interim Report on the Materials and Selection Criteria Analysis for the Compact Ignition Tokamak Toroidal Field Coil Turn-to-Turn Insulation System, Volume 2 - Photographic Summary of Laboratory Testing - Interim Results (U), ORNL/ATD-28/V1&2, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., February 1990.
D. E. Welch et al., "Compression Tests of Thick-Composite Rings," Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Thick Composites in Compression Workshop, June 27-28, 1990, Jointly sponsored by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
H. W. Blake, D. E. Welch et al., Development of Performance Models For Thick Composites in Compression, ORNL/ATD-62, Martin Marietta Energy Systems, Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., November 1991.
D. E. Welch et al., "PATS - Packaging and Transportation Safety Lessons Learned "Maintaining Records for Packagings," ORNL/M-3952, November 1994
D. E. Welch, "Enriched Uranium Allowable Inventory Calculations Based on Potential Airborne Transport and Uptake for 9212 Basis for Interim Operation (BIO) Documentation," ORNL/TM-13324, September 1996
D. E. Welch, "Technology for Logistical Effectiveness," v. 1, National Laboratories Proc. Combat Service Support Technologies Review Workshop, Y-12, Oak Ridge, TN, Nov.2-4, 1993 (1993).
D. E. Welch, "Radioactive Type B and Fissile Material Packaging Evaluation," Proceedings of the Department of Energy Special Interest Group Meeting, Santa Fe, NM, April 5, 1995.
A. K. Kapoor, D. E. Barrett, and D. E. Welch, "Quality Assurance Inspection of a Type B Package: Can It Survive an In-Depth Review?," 1995 ASME/JSME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, July 23-27, 1995, Honolulu, Hawaii, American Society for Mechanical Engineers, USA.
D. E. Welch, "Evaluation of Proposed Fast Cookoff Solutions for PA116 120mm Tank Munition Packaging," Proceedings of the JANNAF (Joint Army, Navy, NASA, Air Force) and CPIA (Chemical Propulsion Information Agency) Joint Propulsion Systems Hazards Subcommittee Meeting, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL, October 24, 1995.
D. E. Welch et al., "Advanced Magnetic Control Moment Gyroscope Advanced Development Program, Phase 1A Materials and Rotor Analysis Report (U)," Competition Sensitive, Oak Ridge Natl. Lab., December 1995.
D. E. Welch et al., "Enriched Uranium Allowable Inventory Calculations Based on Potential Airborne Transport and Uptake for 9212 Basis for Interim Operation (BIO) Documentation," ORNL/TM-13324, September 1996.
D. E. Welch et al., "Transportation and Packaging Issues Involving the Disposition of Surplus Plutonium as MoX Fuel in Commercial LWRs," ORNL/TM-13427, August 1997
D. E. Welch et al., "Analysis of Crack Prediction Accuracy from British Gas Pig Results," ORNL/M-6110, July 1997
D. E. Welch et al., "Nonlinear Prediction of Tensile Fatigue Failure," ORNL/TM-13599, January 1998
D. E. Welch et al., "Nonlinear Crack Growth Monitoring," ORNL/TM-1999/117, June 1999
D. E. Welch et al., "Nonlinear Fatigue Monitoring," 3rd Joint FAA/DoD/NASA Conference on Aging Aircraft, Albuquerque, NM, Sept. 20-23, 1999.
D. E. Welch et al., "Nonlinear Crack Growth Monitoring," ORNL/TM-1999/117, June 1999
D. E. Welch et al., "Nonlinear Crack Growth Monitoring," USAF Aircraft Structural Integrity Program, San Antonio, TX, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, 1999.
D. E. Welch et al., "U.S. Department of Energy Depleted Uranium Hexafluoride Conversion Project Requirements Document," ORNL/TM-1999/162, August 1999.
D. E. Welch et al., "Nonlinear Crack Growth Monitoring," ASTM 33rd National Symposium on Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics, Moran, WY USA, American Society for Testing and Materials, USA, 06/26/2001-06/29/2001.
D. E. Welch et al., "Nonlinear Crack Growth Monitoring," International Journal of Fatigue, Volume 23, September 2001
D. E. Welch et al., "Condition Assessment of C-141 Fuel Booster Pumps Using Electrical Signature Analysis," 4th Annual Systems Engineering Conference Strategies for Supportability and Interoperability, National Defense Industries Association, Dallas, TX, October 22-25 2001
D. E. Welch et al., “Electrical Signature Analysis (ESA) As A Diagnostic Maintenance Technique For Detecting The High Consequence Fuel Pump Failure Modes," Proceedings of The 6th Joint FAA/DoD/NASA Conference On Aging Aircraft, San Francisco, CA, September 19, 2002
Patents
Welch et al, “Nonlinear Structural Crack Growth Monitoring”, U.S. Patent No. 6,460,012 B1, Oct. 2002
Welch et al, “Electric Fuel Pump Condition Monitor System Using Electrical Signature Analysis”, Patent Pending, May 2003