Dr. Welch is a Research Physicist, DB-V (GS-15 equivalent).  He has been the Director of the U.S. DoD Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Center (SAVIAC) since 1996.  He has held engineering, research, and supervisory/managerial positions within the Government including Mechanical Engineer at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and Supervisory Electronics Engineer, Division Chief, and Research Physicist at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.  His research interests are numerical and experimental studies of blast phenomena and weapons effects, sensors, the transient response of structures and materials, homeland security, and molecular-based design of materials.  He is a full member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and the American Physical Society.

Dr. Welch has a B.S. in Physics from Old Dominion University ; an M.S. in Engineering Mechanics from Mississippi State University ; and a Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech. 

He has about eighty publications, has five U.S. Patents, has numerous government awards including a Presidential Letter of Commendation, is Managing Editor of the Journal of Critical Technologies In Shock and Vibration, is an Associate Editor of the Shock and Vibration journal, and is Adjunct Professor in the Aerospace Engineering Department at Mississippi State University .

Dr. Welch can be reached by e-mail at charles.r.welch@erdc.usace.army.mil or by phone at (601) 634-3297.

Mr. Drew Perkins, Program Manager

Drew has a Bachelor of Arts from The University of the South (Sewanee, TN). He began serving as Program Manager of SAVIAC on February 1, 2006. Prior to that, he served as Facilities Coordinator for HI-TEST Laboratories, Inc. (Arvonia, VA). Drew is available to field your questions and direct you to the proper resource to meet your request as needed. If he can’t help you he will contact one of SAVIAC’s consultants to assist. Drew can be reached at the SAVIAC headquarters at (434) 581-3041, or by e-mail at drew.perkins@saviac.org.

Ashley received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Longwood University (Farmville, VA) in 2005.  Previously, Ashley served in marketing and contracts for HI-TEST Laboratories.  She has also been actively involved with symposium registration since the 75th symposium in Virginia Beach, VA. For answers regarding inquiries about symposia or other events, marketing materials such as the Current Awareness Newsletter, and advertising opportunities, member status, product orders, etc., please contact Ashley at (434) 581-3041, or by e-mail at ashley.shumaker@saviac.org.

Henry has a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Randolph-Macon College. He has been involved with the SAVIAC community since 1952, initially presenting papers at the S&V Symposium, then a TAG member and finally as Director of the Shock & Vibration Information Center (SVIC). Henry is currently SAVIAC's Manager of Technical Services.  Henry is available to answer your technical questions relating to shock and vibration. He can be reached at (540) 678-8678, or by e-mail at hcp1@comcast.net.

Mrs. Sallie Pusey, SAVIAC Course Registrar

Sallie graduated from Larsen Junior College in Whitneyville , Connecticut in 1945 with an Associates Degree certifying her as an Executive Secretary .  She has worked with her husband since 1975, together they organized 4 symposia before the SAVIAC contract was awarded. She has assisted in the registration process at numerous S&V symposia. Sallie served for 15 years as Administrative Officer for the Society for Machinery Failure Prevention Technology (MFPT). She has been responsible for registering students for courses both at MFPT and at SAVIAC. For information on available courses and how to register contact Sallie at saviac@comcast.net  Tel: (540)678-8677.

HI-TEST Laboratories

HI-Test Laboratories, Inc. was established in 1975 in Everett, WA with the purchase of the former Western Gear test facility. In 1979, HI-TEST moved its main operations to Virginia with the purchase of the Newport News Industrial shock test facility in Arvonia, VA. At the time of acquisition, the Arvonia Test Facility included two fresh water test basins for heavyweight and UNDEX shock testing and a lightweight shock machine in addition to a fabrication and machine shop and instrumentation facilities.

Since that time, HI-TEST has fabricated and installed a medium weight shock machine and a large capacity MIL-STD-167-1, Type I vibration table capable of testing loads up to approximately 70,000 pounds on a 16' x 16' table (the largest in the nation), as well as other testing capabilities. Additionally, HI-TEST has two smaller vibration tables and a second lightweight shock machine.

Visit www.hitestlabs.com for more information. 

Wyle Labs

Wyle’s facilities provide a diverse range of product and system evaluation services including climatic/dynamic environmental testing, structural testing, performance testing, reliability testing, HALT, fire testing, fluid component testing, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing.  Testing is performed to military, government or industry standards and/or customer specific performance criteria, and can be accomplished at Wyle or customer facilities.

 Wyle provides all of the test support services needed from test planning through final documentation.  This includes procedure preparation, data reduction/analysis, failure evaluation support, functional monitoring, and the publishing for formal certification test reports.  Wyle has the capability to design and construct special test fixtures and systems, and has developed special test facilities throughout the world.

 Wyle routinely performs large-scale testing and maintains unique facilities to accommodate large articles.  These include climatic chambers measuring over 30 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 18 feet tall with high frequency vibration capabilities.  Drive-in chambers up to 9,000 cubic feet for sand/dust, salt fog, rain, humidity, and snow/ice are also available.  Large reliability test facilities are in-place, along with multiple environmental stress screening (ESS) and Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) machines.

 The cornerstone of Wyle’s testing capabilities is its competent, customer-oriented staff of experienced technicians and engineers.  The technical knowledge and skills of these individuals are continuously being upgraded with both in-house and outside training, and are verified through a documented personnel qualification/certification program.

Wyle holds numerous accreditations, including A2LA and the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) designation by the U.S. government.  Wyle is also certified by various industry organizations and maintains a top-notch Quality Assurance program that is ISO-9001 registered by QMI.  For more information contact Rob Bridges, Staff Engineer, 256 837-4411 ext 286, 256 721-0144 (fax) or rbridges@hnt.wylelabs.com or visit  www.wylelabs.com

National Technical Systems

NTS provides a full range of integrated engineering services and technical solutions, product testing and design for compliance, regulatory standards compliance testing and evaluation, project management, technical resources, engineering solutions and managed services. NTS is globally accredited by leading regulatory agencies, providing cost-effective programs that help our clients meet their clients' requirements. NTS has testing laboratories and engineering services offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia, offering the most skilled technical services possible from the largest independent testing laboratory in the world.

NTS conducts a wide spectrum of evaluation and testing on defense programs including future combat systems, homeland security and missile defense.  These include avionics, electronics, hydraulic and pneumatic controls, engines, ordnance and communication components that make up today’s modern battlefield elements.  Our unique capabilities include live range tests at our 1700-acre National Ordnance & Ballistic Test Center; multiple 200 V/m to 40 GHz EMI/EMC test facilities and one of only two independently operated MIL-STD-901 heavyweight shock facility.  For defense procurements, NTS can simulate environments specified in MIL-STD-331, MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810, and MIL-STD-2105 to name a few.  As an engineering house, NTS provides resources and staffing for the design engineering of embedded systems for various digital battlefield and weapons control systems.  The NTS registration group, NQA, has registered Tinker AFB, various Navy depots and many defense contractors.  As a technical resources provider, NTS also provides people for defense industry engineering positions.  

Please visit www.ntscorp.com for more information.

Vibration Institute

The Vibration Institute is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the exchange of practical vibration information on machines and structures. The scope of the Institute's activities also includes nonintrusive condition monitoring technologies. The Institute, which was established in 1972, has more than 3,000 members, 37 chapters, and a technology division -- the Society for Machinery Failure Prevention Technology (MFPT). The Institute's program consists of an annual National Technical Training Symposium (former Annual Meeting), short courses, and an internationally recognized certification program for assessing individual levels of expertise in machinery vibrations. The Vibration Institute's Certification Program follows the International Standards Organization standard, ISO 18436, Condition Monitoring and Diagnostics of Machines - Requirements for Training and Certification of Personnel - Part 2: Vibration Condition Monitoring and Diagnostics. The Institute publishes Vibrations magazine and Proceedings of its National Technical Training Symposium.  www.vibinst.org

Machinery Failure Prevention Technology (MFPT) Society

The Society for Machinery Failure Prevention Technology is an interdisciplinary technical organization strongly oriented toward practical applications.  The membership includes professional scientists, engineers, failure analysts, maintenance specialists and others that  represent a wide variety of disciplines from government agencies, universities, research institutes and industry.  The MFPT Society policy is to cooperate whenever possible with appropriate technical committees from government, professional organizations, technical societies, industrial associations and consortia -- both nationally and internationally.

Interchange of information within the technical community is provided through conferences or symposia, seminars and short courses.  These meetings include technical presentations, panel discussions, workshops and other features that promote an atmosphere conducive to a free exchange of ideas, problems and solutions.  When appropriate, joint conferences are held with professional organizations having similar technical interests.  The technical papers from these meetings are published as  proceedings, distributed to each participant at the meeting and made available for subsequent purchase.  www.mfpt.org

CONSULTANTS

Dr. Vesta Bateman is a mechanical shock specialist and retired from Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque , New Mexico after twenty-seven years of service.  She was the Facility Leader for the Mechanical Shock Laboratory at Sandia National Laboratories where she was responsible for a wide spectrum of mechanical shock testing including drop table, Hopkinson bar, horizontal pneumatic actuator, rocket rail, live pyroshock, and pyroshock simulation shock tests.  Dr. Bateman and Dr. Howard Gaberson introduced a new SAVIAC course in 2008 - Mechanical Shock Test Techniques & Data Analysis.

Mr. Robert Bort has been involved in applications of shock and vibration for the US Navy since 1943, retired from government service in 1988 and has been serving as a consultant in shock and vibration until the present time. He joined the staff of Epoch Engineering, Incorporated, and worked on Navy contracts for the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Bath Iron Works, Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation, the Marine Corps, and the Maritime Agency and has more than 100 published reports on shock and vibration.

Dr. Ronald Eshlemann has over forty years of experience in engineering analysis, testing, design, and teaching in the areas of flexible rotor and shaft dynamics (lateral, longitudinal, and torsional), machine and structural dynamics, machine monitoring, diagnostics and condition evaluation, articulated vehicle handling, and shock and vibration isolation and damping. He has served as a private consultant in the shock and vibration field since 1975.

Dr. Howard Gaberson has 27 years of technical shock and vibration experience, 10 years of management experience, and 7 years in teaching. His most significant accomplishments include shock motion severity evaluation, shock protection of equipment in hardened facilities, dynamic signal processing for machinery diagnostics, and the invention of vibratory locomotion.Dr. Gaberson and Dr. Vesta Bateman introduced a new SAVIAC course in 2008 - Mechanical Shock Test Techniques & Data Analysis.

Dr. Thomas Geers has thirty-five years' experience and has written over fifty papers in the shock and vibration field. He is the originator of doubly asymptotic approximations, which constitute the backbone of the Navy's underwater-shock-simulation technology.

Mr. Jerry Hill has over 22 years experience in ship survivability and weapons effects, concentrating in UNDEX analysis, design, qualification, and testing. He has extensive experience in application of analytical techniques for simulation of weapons effects and UNDEX events, test and measurement methods and techniques, and development and optimization of design for multiple requirements.

Dr. Sam Kiger’s career has involved participation in projects addressing structural strength and response to explosions or blasts including work for the US Secret Service and the White House Special Projects Office on terrorist and explosion protection of personnel at the highest levels of our government. He was the first recipient of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, "Researcher of the Year" award in 1985.

Dr. Ted Krauthammer is currently Professor of Civil Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University. His main research and technical activities are directed at structural behavior under severe dynamic loads, including considerations of both survivability and fragility aspects of facilities subjected to blast, shock and impact. He has specialized in the nonlinear behavior of structures (including medium-structure interaction) under seismic or impulsive loads, and the development of numerical simulations and testing techniques for structural assessment.

Dr. Andrew Misovec has assisted the US Navy and the Defense Nuclear Agency to restructure, then coordinate corrective programs to replace existing test and evaluation programs. These programs investigated the response of various structures to various weapons attacks.

Dr. Fred Nelson’s teaching and research interests are in structural dynamics, the control of machinery noise and vibration, vibration isolation and damping, and rotor dynamics. He has reported his research in more than fifty papers and has been a consultant to more than a dozen companies.

Mr. Allan Piersol has been working in the general field of mechanical shock, vibration and acoustic engineering for fifty years. He is the author, co-author, or contributor to over 100 publications related to shock and vibration, including three books, seven handbooks, and thirteen SAVIAC papers.

Dr. Rudolph Scavuzzo is experienced in the areas of mechanical vibrations, stress analysis, underwater shock analysis and seismic analysis. He has consulted in underwater shock from acoustic waves, seismic engineering and stress analysis; machinery noise, and has conducted research in the mechanical properties of solid polymers.