American Society of Mechanical Engineers Recognizes Engineering Professor

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William T. Springer, associate professor of mechanical engineering, has received the S.Y. Zamrik PVP Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers “for significant contributions in the nondestructive evaluation arena and for his support and leadership within ASME’s Pressure Vessels and Piping Division.” The award was presented during the ASME Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference, which was held in Baltimore, July 18-22.

A pressure vessel is a closed container or structure that holds either liquid or gas at an elevated pressure. Scuba tanks and soda cans are two common examples of pressure vessels. Boilers and storage vessels in power plants and cracking towers at refineries and petrochemical plants are also pressure vessels, and if one of these types of vessels fails unexpectedly, the consequences are severe.

For this reason, pressure vessels must be inspected regularly, but these inspections must be carried out without compromising the structural integrity of the vessels. Springer uses a non-destructive evaluation technique called vibrational analysis to inspect pressure vessels and other structures. This technique is based on the fact that objects have natural vibrational characteristics. A building, for example, will vibrate in very specific ways if forced to move during an earthquake. By knowing what a structure’s fundamental vibrational characteristics are supposed to be, one can determine if the structure has been damaged by looking for changes in these characteristics.

Springer worked with engineering teams at both Johnson and Marshall Space Flight Centers to determine that using vibrational analysis to inspect major components of the orbiter vehicle portion of the space shuttle system would work and then helped verify how this method could be applied to inspect the body flap of the orbiter vehicle after each mission. In the area of pressure vessels and piping, he has worked on ways to bring the knowledge and concerns of those doing the inspections together with those making the decisions about what should be inspected, when and how those inspections should be done, and what amount of information the inspections should provide.

“Many times these two groups can end up at logger heads because of difficulty in understanding the needs and limitations in each other’s position,” Springer explained. “Organizing sessions on topics of interest or concern at professional meetings is one way to help facilitate these discussions and find ways to move forward in a positive manner.”

“Dr. Bill Springer has been a valuable member of the department of mechanical engineering for 30 years,” said James Leylek, head of the department of mechanical engineering. “He has made contributions through his teaching, research, committee activities at all levels, and as a faculty adviser for the student teams involved in Solar Boat Competitions for over a decade. We are especially excited to see his work in the non-destructive evaluation arena recognized by the ASME.  Receiving the S.Y. Zamrik PVP Medal from the ASME is a great honor for Dr. Springer and for the department.”

Springer holds the Twenty-first Century Professorship in Mechanical Engineering.