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Robert DILLWORTH
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About Robert Dillworth
Mr. Dillworth is a Senior Principal Engineer at SOCOTEC. He has over 30 years’ experience as a structural analyst. Over his career he has practiced in a variety of engineering sectors, including mechanical, aerospace, naval, and civil engineering. His experience has been focused primarily on the application of both finite element analysis (FEA) and classical techniques to the solution of problems in elasticity, plasticity, contact, buckling, modal analysis, harmonic analysis, transient dynamics, random vibration, shock, and thermostructural analysis.
Mr. Dillworth has more than 25 years’ experience in the use of the ANSYS finite element program—the main finite element tool used at SOCOTEC—and serves as SOCOTEC’s ANSYS Support Coordinator (ASC). In his role as ASC, Mr. Dillworth liaisons between ANSYS and SOCOTEC, acting as the conduit for dissemination of program updates, error reports, and all official ANSYS-related information. In a less formal role, he is a recognized company resource in use of the program, providing advice, guidance, troubleshooting, and general internal consulting to the entire user base throughout all of SOCOTEC’s engineering offices.
Structural Analysis Specialist
- Structural Analysis & Finite Element Modeling
- Failure Investigation & Root Cause Analysis
- Fatigue, Fracture Mechanics, and Stress Analysis
- Dynamic, Modal & Vibration Analysis
- Shock, Impact, and Transient Load Analysis
- Thermostructural Analysis
- Structural Integrity Assessment
- Code Compliance & Design Review Consulting
- Forensic Engineering & Damage Assessment
- Fatigue Life Evaluation & Repair Validation
- Peer Review & Technical Oversight
- Engineering Software Consulting (ANSYS Support & Optimization)
- Structural Design Optimization & Risk Mitigation
Qualifications
Education
- Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering – Columbia University, New York, NY – 1990
- Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering – Columbia University, New York, NY – 1989
Professional Registrations
- Professional Engineer, New York
Representative Projects
Major Commuter Rail Client / Locomotive-Axle Redesign
- Conducted trade studies to investigate effects of candidate stress relief grooves. Determined best one via nonlinear finite element analysis, simulated press fit and applied load, contact with friction.
- Verified that tensile bending stress under applied load reduced by nearly 50%, indicating favorable implications for fatigue life.
- Recommended the features ultimately incorporated into axle design.
- Met with client, prepared final report.
- Conducted these stress analyses to support fracture-mechanics analyses.
Major Urban Transit Client / Bus-Fleet Repair
- Supported repair program with FEA to address cracking welds.
- Conducted analyses of unrepaired and repaired bus frames.
- Tracked change in strains local to welds to feed downstream fatigue and crack- growth analyses.
- Repairs verified in field testing (lowered strains as expected), follow-on life calculations indicated sufficient fatigue life.
Major Power Company / Failed Transformer Vault Grating
- Performed finite element analysis of retrofit repair to failed transformer vault grating. Verified suitability of the design, but, more importantly, unsuitability of existing structure to which mounted.
- Derived a set of AASHTO-based loads, subjected model to them to determine response to all likely applications of the load.
- Nonlinear analysis including nonlinear-geometric effects and plasticity effects.
- Performed in advance of test at Lehigh university; test showed failure in same locations and in same manner as predicted by analysis.
Major Commuter Rail Client / Failed Train Wheelset Assessment
- Performed transient dynamic finite element analysis to support failure investigation of ruptured wheelset (axle) for major local commuter railroad.
- Modeled principal structural elements of train bogie, subjected to transient shock loads representative of wheel/track interaction loads, determined dynamic response of structure.
- Investigated stress in axle to compare to fatigue allowables.
- Met with clients to coordinate activity, prepared final report section.
Major Vehicle Manufacturer Client / ASCE 21 Code Compliance Support For APM
- Reviewed all analysis performed by client and its various vendors for correctness and code compliance.
- Identified shortcomings where found, recommended corrections to be made.
- Performed many analyses for the client to meet various requirements. These were analyses that the client could not easily do itself or have done by its other vendors. Analysis of weldment fatigue, plastic buckling of vehicle frame, and weld/fastener static strength analyses were performed.
- Provided overall, ongoing support and consulting to the client throughout first vehicle design’s development. Client was very pleased and, as a result, recruited SOCOTEC (formerly LPI) for several subsequent vehicle-design development efforts over a number of years.