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ROBERT MACNEILL
Principal Engineer
Specializations
Mr. MacNeill has over
5 years engineering experience including
specialized experience involving heat
transfer in composite materials, vehicle
crashworthiness, and solid rocket motor
and infrared countermeasure design,
analysis, and testing. As a research
engineer at ARA, Mr. MacNeill has been
involved in a wide assortment of
programs including passing train
aerodynamics, passenger car and train
crashworthiness, and laser heating
effects on pressurized rocket motor
cases. Before joining ARA, Mr. MacNeill
worked as a research engineer and IPT
lead for solid rocket motor subsystems
at Pratt & Whitney. Prior to P&W, he was
a project engineer analyzing, designing,
and testing next generation pyrotechnic
infrared countermeasures for Tracor
Aerospace. In addition to his practical
design and testing experience, Mr.
MacNeill has an extensive and varied
analytical background including work in
fluid mechanics, heat transfer, solid
mechanics, analysis of dynamic systems,
and threat engagement analysis.
Professional Experience
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Applied
Research Associates, Research
Engineer - Recent projects
include aerodynamic pressure
measurement of passing high
speed trains, crashworthiness of
train passenger cars, including
occupant modeling, and
evaluation of laser effects on
graphite-epoxy solid rocket
motor cases. Typical duties
involve project management as
well as general analysis support
for current programs such as
setting up, running, and
postprocessing FEA and CFD
analyses, as well as developing
codes for solving unique fluid
flow and heat transfer problems. |
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Pratt &
Whitney, Chemical Systems
Division, Research Design
Engineer - Was responsible
for designing and testing of
numerous production and
development solid rocket motor
ignition systems. Tasks included
hardware design, transient
internal ballistic analysis,
test planning and support,
production support, failure
analysis, and project
management. Performed general
design and engineering support
for rocket motor subsystems.
Lead and managed stage
separation CFD and dynamic
analysis to correlate in-flight
and ground test hardware
behavior. |
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Tracor
Aerospace, Project Engineer
- Was responsible for ensuring
the technical excellence of U.S.
Navy technology development
program. Program involved the
design, development, and
production of advanced
countermeasures to protect Navy
aircraft from modern infrared
missiles. Involved in program
from conceptual design phase
through effectiveness flight
test. Was responsible for
performance requirement
definition, conceptual and
detailed design of rocket
powered pyrotechnic flare and
companion flare. Involved
extensively in development and
optimization of both decoys-all
aspects of analysis, design,
fabrication, and testing. Some
activities included pyrotechnic
material optimization, grain
design and performance
prediction using 3-D solid
Pro-Engineer model, aerodynamic
performance optimization
utilizing transonic blowdown
facility, and rocket motor
housing/nozzle design. Also
responsible for directing and
executing missile engagement
modeling effort to determine
decoy performance requirements
and to evaluate overall decoy
effectiveness. Determine
component and system level
solutions to optimize decoys.
Use understanding of interaction
between advanced expendables,
threats, aircraft, and
environment to maximize
countermeasure success. |
Education
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Graduate Studies, Aero/Astro
Engineering, Stanford
University, 1995-1996 |
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MS, Mechanical Engineering,
Rochester Institute of
Technology, 1995 |
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BS, (with highest honors)
Mechanical Engineering,
Rochester Institute of
Technology, 1995 |
Professional Associations and Honors
Tau
Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society
Pi
Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor
Society
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