Faculty Credentials

Dr. Yoni Adonyi, Ph.D.
Professor of Materials Joining Engineering

Office: Glaske #O164
Phone: 903-233-3918
Email: YoniAdonyi@letu.edu

See Publications List

Research Group

• PhD. Welding Engineering, The Ohio State University, 1989
• BSc in Timishoara Polytechnical Institute in Romania, 1976.
• Over three decades in manufacturing, industrial research and teaching in the petrochemical, defense and steelmaking industries
• LeTourneau University, since 1996

Past research

• Physical simulation of solid state welding and centrifugal casting
• Hydrogen-induced cracking in high strength plate steels used in bridges,
• Welding process optimization for automotive AHSS steels

Current research

• Shielding gas effects on Ductility Dip Cracking in Ni-base weld deposits
• Welding of electronic materials for thermoelectric power generation
• Hybrid High Frequency + Friction Stir Welding process development

Stephen R. Ayers, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Civil Engineering
LeTourneau University

Office: Glaske 0118
Phone: (903) 233-3929
Email: StephenAyers@letu.edu

See Publications List

Profile

Experienced research engineer with doctorate in structural engineering and materials, specifically focused on the development of innovative structural elements using fiber composite technology. Strong background in applied engineering research, with an emphasis on the development of market-ready end products. Extensive experience in the characterization of composite materials and the development of design guidelines for their application in civil infrastructure. Experienced in managing projects from conception to completion. 15 papers on the topic of fibre composite materials for civil infrastructure.

Education

PhD (Civil Engineering), University of Southern Queensland, 2001

B Eng (Mechanical), University of Southern Queensland, 1994

Experience

• Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, LeTourneau University, 2004 – Present
• Senior Research Engineer, Fibre Composites Design and Development, 2000 – 2004
• Research Assistant, University of Southern Queensland, 1995 – 2000

Previous Projects / Research Experience

• Associate Professor, Civil Engineering, LeTourneau University, 2004 – Present
  • LeTourneau Structural Composites project - investigating the development of lower cost bridge structures using FRP composites. Collaborative project with four industrial partners.
• Senior Research Engineer, Fibre Composites Design and Development, 2000 – 2004
  • Manager of materials R&D programs at FCDD (now Center for Excellence in Engineering Fibre Composites) at University of Southern Queensland (USQ).
  • Major projects included Australia first FRP composite bridge, 800m floating RiverWalk project in Brisbane, composite railway crossties and a bridge pile rehabilitation system.
  • Research into polymer concrete, particulate composites, epoxy resins, plant oil based resins.
  • Developed draft of Australian Guide of Best Practice for the Design of FRP Composite Structures.
  • Manager of nationally recognized composites testing center providing composites and polymer characterization services to the Australian composites industry.

Current Research Interests

• Low-cost strategies for the applying advanced composites in civil infrastructure
• Structural applications of polymer concrete
• Characterization of composite materials for civil engineering design

Dr. Benjamin Caldwell
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Office: Glaske O111
Phone: 903-233-3936
Fax: 903-233-3901
Email: BenjaminCaldwell@letu.edu

See Publications List

Education

• Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, 2011
• M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, 2009
• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, 2007

Current Research Interests:

• Mechanical engineering design methods and tools.
• Modeling functionality and interactions of mechanical systems to support conceptual design.
• Designers’ use of functional representations in conceptual design.

Experience:

• National Science Foundation: Integrative Situated Design Research
• BMW Manufacturing Co.: Lightweight Engineering Design Methods Research
• Electrolux Major Appliances: Bottom Mount Refrigerator Design

Dr. Gustavo Cortes
Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering

Office: GLSK 0153
Phone: (903) 233-3937
Fax: (903) 233-3901
Email: GustavoCortes@letu.edu
Webpage: www.letu.edu/people/GustavoCortes

Education

• Ph.D., Civil Engineering, Purdue University, 2009
• M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, 2006
• B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, 2003

University Faculty Since 2011

Research Interests

• Housing alternatives for developing countries, structural analysis and design, earthquake engineering, cyclic behavior of assemblies, performance-based design, seismic vulnerability of existing structures and large scale testing.

Previous Research

• Research Engineer, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland. Seismic Behavior of Storage Tanks (analytical and experimental work) Research Objectives: - Study the low-cycle fatigue behavior of shell-to-base connections in tanks analytically and experimentally - Verify current Eurocode-8 provisions and propose new specifications for the rotation limit of the shell-to-base connection.
• Graduate Research Assistant, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA Design and Behavior of Steel Slit Panel Frames for Lateral Resistance of Frames in Zones of High Seismicity Research Objectives: - Study the Steel Slit Panel system (analytically and experimentally) to determine its strength, stiffness, and buckling capacity - Study the panel-frame interaction (analytically and experimentally) - Provide design recommendations - Design prototype buildings
• Graduate Research Assistant, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, PR, USA Earthquake Induced Damage Estimation for Steel Buildings in Puerto Rico Research Objectives: - Study typical steel buildings in Puerto Rico - Estimate damage for different earthquake scenarios
• Research Structural Engineer, U.S. Army Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MS, USA Stability analysis of gravity dams via development of an in-house code in the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory Development of a finite element model of the gates of a dam system
• Undergraduate Research Assistant, University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez, PR, USA Development of guideline procedures for the rehabilitation of housing and buildings in Puerto Rico

Dr. Jesse J. French, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Office: GLSK 0113
Phone: (903) 233-3933
Email: JesseFrench@letu.edu

Research Group

Education
BSME Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 1995
MSME The University of Tulsa, 2007
Ph.D. The University of Tulsa, 2010

Current Research Interests

• Natural Fiber Composite Materials
• Non-Rotational Energy Extraction Devices
• Flow Visualization within the Built Environment

Previous Research Projects

• Non-Metallic Repair of Transmission Pipeline (Carbon Fiber Composites)
• Vertical Axis Wind Energy Capture
• Appropriate Technology for Energy Sustainability

Global Service Learning Projects

• Vortical Energy Recovery Turbine - VERT Project
• Locations: Mongolia, Haiti, Israel
• Sustainable Energy for North East Asia (The SENEA Project)
• Locations: China, Korea