5)  Corrosion Failures:

Our aging infrastructure is a national crisis resulting in high risks and huge costs. Aging structures and equipment are paramount to the U.S. for power plants, electrical transmission, bridges, pipelines, and disposal of nuclear and other environmental waste. The annual costs of corrosion to U.S were $276 billion-approximately 3.1% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP. These huge losses affect the economy directly through the waste of energy, materials and strategic resources. In this presentation, the 8-Forms of corrosion are illustrated by case studies. The 8-Forms (e.g. pitting, stress corrosion cracking, crevice corrosion) are based on the appearance/morphology of the corrosion damage. For each form, controlling factors and methods to control are cited. 

Dr. Joe H. Payer is Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and past Director of the Yeager Center for Electrochemical Sciences at Case Western Reserve University.  Dr. Payer has expertise in materials performance and reliability. He has successfully applied science and technology to important industrial applications. He is a leader in technology transfer and education. He is a Fellow of ASM International, a Fellow and past president of NACE International and received the ASTM Sam Tour Award.

Currently, Dr. Payer is a leader in the analysis and advancement of materials performance and corrosion for the long-term disposal of spent nuclear fuel in the proposed high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain. He provides technical input on corrosion and materials performance to the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, U.S. Department of Energy. He is Director of a DOE-sponsored, multi-university research team to enhance the understanding and prediction of materials performance and corrosion for time periods of 10,000 years and beyond.

Dr. Payer's expertise includes materials selection, failure analysis, development and verification of corrosion control methods, advances to test methods and monitoring systems and determination of degradation mechanisms.  His work has focused on localized corrosion of highly corrosion resistant materials; gas and oil pipeline integrity; the effects of manufacturing processes on performance and reliability of materials in service; coatings and surface treatments; hydrogen/materials interactions; coating systems for autos, appliance and construction; electronics and communication; and fuel cells.

6)  Determination of the Degree of Thermal Exposure to the Lower Head of the Three-Mile Island Unit 2 Nuclear Reactor Using Metallography:

The accident at Unit No. 2 of the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor (TMI-2) on March 28, 1979 was the worst nuclear accident in US history and crippled the nuclear industry. An international Vessel Investigation Project was formed to assess the integrity of the vessel. But, it was not possible to remove specimens from the lower head until January - March 1990. Fourteen of the fifteen specimens removed by electrical discharge machining were from under the debris pile that accumulated on the lower head due to melting of ~19,000 kg (~45%) of the core. Specimens were previously cut from the lower head of a cancelled reactor of very similar size and design destined for Midland, Michigan. These specimens were subjected to controlled heating cycles with peak temperatures from 800 to 1100 °C for periods of 1 to 100 minutes. The initial study qualitatively compared the structures in the 15 specimens from TMI-2 to the control specimens from the Midland lower head. The writer used the same specimens and employed microindentation hardness traverses, electron microprobe analysis and selective etching followed by quantitative metallography (by image analysis) to obtain a far more detailed description of the thermal exposure experienced.

George F. Vander Voort received his BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Drexel in 1967 - the last class as Drexel Institute of Technology and received their Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2005.  He received an MS degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science from Lehigh University in 1974.  He has worked at Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Carpenter Technology Corporation, and is currently the Director of Research and Technology at Buehler Ltd.  George has more than 250 publications, including the book Metallography: Principles and Practice (McGraw-Hill, 1984, ASM Intl., 1999, 752 pgs.) and Buehler's Guide to Materials Preparation.  George has been active with the International Metallographic Society, IMS since 1973 serving on the board of directors, as membership chairman, secretary, vice president and president (1981-1983).  He is a member of the editorial boards of Materials Characterization, Praktische Metallographie, and the Intl. Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties.  George has been active with the American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM, since 1979 as a member of committees E-4 on Metallography and E-28 on Mechanical Testing.  He has been chairman of E.04.14 on Quantitative Metallography (1982-1998) where he has developed and written standards for both manual and automated quantitative metallographic measurements.  George has been active with the American Society for Metals (ASM International) since 1966.  He was a member of the executive committee of the Lehigh Valley Chapter (secretary, 1971-1974).  George is also a member of TMS of AIME, the International Society for Stereology, The Polish Society for Stereology, the Microscopy Society of America, State Microscopy Society of Illinois, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde, and the Royal Microscopical Society (UK).  George has received numerous international awards and recognition and continues to be a leading force in metallography and microscopy.

7)  Freedom Star Injury Mishap Investigation:

In December 2006, a NASA contractor was seriously injured during the recovery of the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) off the coast of Kennedy Space Center.  NASA formed a Mishap Investigation Board to determine the root cause of the incident and recommend corrective action to prevent similar incidents from reoccurring.  This presentation will provide some background into the situation surrounding the injury and go into the different methods that were used to conduct the mishap investigation.  These include developing timelines, producing an Event and Causal Factor Tree, determining proximate/root/contributory causes and evaluating human factors.  An overview of the mishap findings and recommendations will also be discussed.

Thomas W. Hartline is the Director of Safety and Mission Assurance at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland, Ohio. He assumed this position in May 2007, before which he served as the manager for NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Shuttle Assurance Department and as systems safety engineer and team lead for Marshall's Space Shuttle Main Engine Assurance Office. He has been an active leader in safety and mission assurance for nearly every major space flight program from the Space Shuttle Program to the Constellation Program for returning to the Moon and on to Mars.

Hartline began his career as a helicopter combat search and rescue pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1983. Since then, he has held positions including helicopter instructor pilot at the Naval Air Station (NAS) Whiting Field in Pensacola, Florida, and aviation and shipboard safety officer/helicopter pilot in San Diego, California. Hartline has over 3,300 flight hours as a U.S. Navy helicopter pilot including missions in Beirut, Lebanon, and in Operation Desert Storm. In addition, he was the Naval Academy Information Officer Area Coordinator for the State of Alabama.

Hartline graduated in 1995 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a Master of Science degree in Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering. He earned his Aviation Safety Officer certification at Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.

Hartline received a NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 2003 and the Silver Snoopy Award in 1994. Other awards include the Navy Commendation and Achievement medals and the National Aeronautical Association (NAA) Certificate of Accomplishment for Superior Airmanship as the top U.S. Navy helicopter pilot in the 1989 U.S. National Helicopter Championships. In 1998, he was selected as a finalist in the NASA astronaut selection.

8)  Methods for Conducting Mishap Investigations:

The NASA Safety Center was established in October 2006 to provide services for the Safety and Mission Assurance Community (SMA), the NASA Management Team and NASA employees that foster Mission Success through Technical Excellence for the SMA Community, Knowledge Capture and Dissemination, Coordinated Audits and Assessments, and Mishap Investigation Support.
NASA is actively involved in investigating mishaps and determining causes so as to prevent their recurrence and reduce the number and severity of mishaps.  This presentation will provide an overview of the NASA Safety Center organization, the mishap investigation process, and discuss methods and tools of the NASA mishap investigation team, which ensure a more resilient agency.

Ken O'Connor is the Manager of the Mishap Investigation Support Office at the NASA Safety Center, Brook Park, OH.  He is responsible for the operation and conduct of a team of mishap investigation specialists, and technical support personnel who provide consultation and analysis to NASA mishap investigation boards.  Ken assumed this position in September of 2007.  Prior to his selection, Ken was the Chief, Safety Branch at the Glenn Research Center.

Ken joined NASA Glenn (formerly Lewis) Research Center in 1989 and has held various engineering and supervisory roles in safety, quality and materials research.  He served on the Cassini Launch Team in 1997, and has provided leadership in several quality systems and organizational improvement initiatives for the agency.

Prior to his career with NASA, Ken was the Division Manager, Metallurgical Testing for Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory (PTL), Pittsburgh, PA.  He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where he received the Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering (1983).  He received the Master of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 1996.  He completed the USDA Executive Potential Program (1998).

9)  Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) Valve Fracture/Injury Event - Forensic Failure Analysis:

A severe injury suffered by an Ohio firefighter in early 2003 occurred after a fire call and return to the fire station, during the post-fire call equipment reorganization and refill process. During the transfer of partially spent SCBA air cylinders to the refill and inspection station, one cylinder was inadvertently dropped from a low elevation to the fire station floor. After floor contact, the compressed air cylinder suffered high velocity
leakage of its remaining air charge, propelling the cylinder missile-like around the fire station, eventually striking the injured fire fighter in one leg, causing a severe and permanently-disabling injury. A metallurgical forensic failure analysis of the air cylinder's control valve component was conducted as part of litigation that ensued as a result of the fire fighter's inability to function in his job due to the injury. The results of this failure analysis led to a hypothesis of the most likely cause of the violent escape of air pressure and the subsequent injuries to the disabled fire fighter. This presentation will chronicle the forensic failure analysis and the various innovative test methods applied to this case, as well as the eventual outcome of litigation and corrective measures enacted as a result of the case.

Ed Basta is a metallurgical engineer, quality assurance specialist and failure analyst with a career that spans over 35 years. He holds a B.S. in Engineering Science (Metallurgical Sequence) from the Fenn College of Engineering at Cleveland State University, and has since completed or presented at least two dozen continuing education and technical conference courses and seminars on various metallurgy, quality science and failure analysis topics. Prior to founding Quality Technology Services in 1993, Ed worked in several metallurgical engineering and metallurgical quality assurance positions for some of the best known companies in their respective industries in the Cleveland area, and other locations in the Midwest. This multi-faceted metalworking exposure and educational background established Ed's expertise in steels, welded tubing, fasteners, forgings, aerospace superalloys, titanium, beryllium coppers, investment casting and most aspects of metallurgical testing and evaluation methodologies. Ed gained extensive failure analysis experience in those positions, and since founding QTS, he regularly applies a variety of failure analysis tools and techniques for QTS' industrial and commercial clients, as well as for a variety of litigation issues as a metallurgical and failure analysis expert.