Engineer Software

Thomas E Wilt PhD

Profile

Accomplished engineer with an extensive background in computational mechanics. Experience in static and dynamic finite element analysis, finite element software design and development, and implementation and characterization of advanced non-linear constitutive models.

Skills

Abaqus/Standard

Accomplishments

Project Management

Coordinated a team of engineers (electrical, mechanical, industrial, civil) to review the nuclear waste handling surface facilities at the proposed Yucca Mountain high-level nuclear waste storage facility.

Software Development

Developed composite micromechanics software which placed second in NASA Software of the Year Award competition

Professional Experience

Senior Research Engineer January 2005 to January 2013 Southwest Research Institute - San Antonio, TX

Led a team of engineers to review the structures, systems and components for the nuclear waste handling surface facilities at the proposed Yucca Mountain facility. The review evaluated risk and probability of failure of all structures, systems, and components due to credible accident scenarios.

Research Associate January 1994 to January 2005 The University of Akron - Akron, OH

Assisted in the development of viscoplastic constitutive models for metal alloys at high temperature. This work

Abaqus/Explicit

Non-linear material behavior

Composite micromechanics

Explosion and blast simulations

Technical lead for preparing the Structures, Systems, and Components Important to Safety section of the Yucca Mountain Safety Evaluation Report for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Participated in evaluating effect of an aircraft crash into a reinforced concrete surface structure using LS-DYNA simulations and the Riera method.

Reviewed structural design documents included in license renewal applications for nuclear power plants and nuclear waste storage facilities. The evaluation included material performance including potential for environmental degradation, structural and thermal loads. Evaluation results where documented in Safety Analysis Reports for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Performed analytical calculations to evaluate potential for radioactive release due to an explosion inside a nuclear waste reprocessing facility. Global structural evaluations were based on the methodology given in Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 3-340-02. Dynamic analysis of the building modeled a typical reinforced concrete wall as an idealized lumped mass, single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) system. Wall deflection and support rotation were used to access potential for damage, i.e. spalling, scabbing, and cracking.

Conducted a study for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the effects of vehicle born improvised explosive devices on subsurface structures. The study involved modeling a range of potential explosive charge sizes located on the ground surface. Utilized ABAQUS/Explicit Eulerian and Lagrangian models to investigate the effects of ground surface and above surface explosive charges on the formation of ground surface crater formation and propagation of stress waves through the soil.

9530 Mulberry Path, San Antonio, T X 78251 Home: 210-***-**** - Cell: 210-***-**** : acaq4g@r.postjobfree.com

Mathematica

Fortran programming

Software development

Strong report preparation skills

Onsite Resident Research Associate at NASA Glenn Research Center January 1992 to January 1994 University of Toledo - Cleveland, OH

Developed a micromechanics based deformation and damage code, MAC/GMC, to analyze metal matrix and polymer matrix composite materials. Code includes laminate theory and the capability to simulate complex thermomechanical load histories.

Education and Training

Doctor of Philosophy : Civil Engineering, 1992 The University of Akron - Akron, Ohio

Master of Science : Civil Engineering, 1988 The University of Akron - Akron, Ohio

Bachelor of Science : Civil Engineering, 1984 The University of Akron - Akron, Ohio

Additional Information

AWARDS: NASA Software of the Year Award, Runner-up, for: The Generalized Method of Cells/Micromechanics Analysis Code, MAC/GMC.

involved numerical implementation of advanced non-linear time-dependent constitutive models (viscoelastic, viscoplastic) into finite element software. Efficient local (material model) level time integration algorithms were written in FORTRAN for use in the commercial finite element code ABAQUS (UMAT) and ANSYS (USERMAT). Developed software to automatically determine the material parameters for viscoplastic models. This software consisted of a small specially developed nonlinear finite element code for test simulation linked to optimization routines to fit the constitutive model parameters to experimental data. A user-friendly graphical user interface using the programming language Tcl/Tk was developed for program control and data management.

Developed an algorithm for finite element-based large-scale computations for long-term life assessment simulations. Utilized Unix scripts to couple ABAQUS analysis, results post-processing, and optimization routines.

Evaluated the long-term rutting resistance of asphalt concrete when subjected to heavy traffic cycles. This work involved using ABAQUS coupled with an elastoviscoplastic model to perform long-term simulations involving thousands of wheel loading cycles.

Studied deformation behavior of heart valve tissue. Required numerical implementation of an anisotropic hyperlastic constitutive model into ABAQUS via UMAT.

Performed investigations on fiber and matrix stress, strain and damage state using both micromechanics and finite element analysis.

Performed thermomechanical life assessments of turbine blades and combustor liners subjected to repeated simulated flight cycles. Utilized continuum and micromechanics constitutive models in a finite element based deformation and fatigue damage algorithm

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