EDUCATION
Georgia Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Science, Aerospace Engineering, June 1988
Georgia Institute of Technology, Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering, May 1999
(Emphasis in Thermal Science)
Georgia Institute of Technology, Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering, July 2004 (Advisor: Suresh Menon). (Emphasis in Computational Combustion), Dissertation: “The Development of an Erosive Burning Model for Solid Rocket Motor Design Using Direct Numerical Simulation”
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Registered Professional Engineer in the state of Alabama.
SECURITY LEVEL: SECRET
ACQUISITION CERTIFICATION: Level 3 (Fulfills Permanent Position Requirement)
PUBLICATIONS
McDonald, Brian, Rice, Jeremy, R., Kirkham, Mark, W., “Humidity Induced Burning Rate Degradation of an Iron Oxide Catalyzed Ammonium Perchlorate/HTPB Composite Propellant”, Combustion and Flame, 161 (1), pp. 363-369, 2014.
McDonald, Brian, Turner, Tom, "A Test Series to Investigate Oxidizer Manifold Explosions Induced by Condensing Hydrazine/Monomethylhydrazine", Journal of Propulsion and Power, 29 (6), pp. 1257-1265, 2013.
McDonald, Brian, Li, Jing, "Investigation of the Use of Carbon Nanotube NOx Sensors for the Health Monitoring of Nitrate Ester Propellants ", International Journal of Energetic Materials and Chemical Propulsion, 10 (4), pp. 321-336, 2011.
McDonald, Brian, "Study of the Effects of Aging Under Humidity Control on the Thermal Decomposition of NC/NG/BTTN/RDX Propellants", Propellants, Explosives and Pyrotechnics, 36 (6), pp.576-583, Dec. 2011.
McDonald, Brian, "Composite Propellant Density Maximization Using A Particle Packing Algorithm with Random, Volume Weighted Displacements", JANNAF Journal of Propulsion and Energetics, May, 2012
McDonald, Brian, "Global Scaling of the Wall Momentum Function for an Erosive Burning Prediction Correlation", JANNAF Journal of Propulsion and Energetics, April 2009
McDonald, Brian, "Numerical Analysis of the Correlation of Erosive Burning and the Threshold Condition in Solid Propellants Using the Wall Momentum Ratio", JANNAF Journal of Propulsion and Energetics, May 2008
McDonald, Brian, Menon, S., "Direct Numerical Simulation of Solid Propellant Combustion in Cross Flow", Journal of Propulsion and Power, May 2005
CONFERENCE PAPERS
Mathis, N.P., Pledger, K.L., McDonald, B.A., Howard, W.S., “Propulsion Development for KEAPS”, 2012 AIAA Missile Science Conference, 24-26 January 2012, Monterey, CA.
McDonald, B.A., “Effect of Humidity and Temperature Induced Aging on the Rheology of a Nitrate Ester Plasticized/Poly(glycol adipate)/Solids Loaded Propellant”, Proceedings of the 39th International Annual Conference of ICT on ‘Energetic Materials – Modeling, Simulation and Characterization of Pyrotechnics, Propellants and Explosives’, Karlsruhe, Germany, June 28-July 01, 2011., Proceedings by Fraunhofer-Institut für Chemische Technologie (ICT), D-76318 Pfinztal-Berghausen, Germany, 44-1 to 44-12, 2011.
McDonald, B.A., “Wall Momentum Scaling Law for Interior Ballistics Analysis of Homogeneous Propellants”, DEA 1060, Aberdeen Proving Ground, May 2011.
McDonald, B.A., “Interior Ballistics Analysis of a High Burn Rate, Free Standing Propellant Grain Thruster Motor”, DEA 1060, Aberdeen Proving Ground, May 2011.
McDonald, Brian, “The Application of Carbon Nano-Tube Gas Sensors for the Health Monitoring of Nitrate Ester Propellants” SYMPOSIUM AVT-176 RSY-026, Antalya, Turkey, April 2010
McDonald, Brian, “Chemical Aging Studies of Nitrate Ester Propellants” JANNAF, April 2009
McDonald, Brian, “Modeling, Simulation, and Heath Monitoring of Minimum Smoke Propellants”, PMTech 2009, Huntsville, AL, February 2009
McDonald, Brian, Little, R., “Aged Magnesium-Teflon Igniter Data Analysis, Numerical Model, and Proposed Test Apparatus”, JANNAF, May 2008
McDonald, Brian, “Numerical and Application Enhancements to an Interior Ballistic Modeling and Design Analysis Computer Program” Huntsville Simulation Conference, October 2006
McDonald, Brian, "The Analysis of Flow Oscillations in a Solid Rocket Motor Using a New Finite Differencing Computer Code", JANNAF Dec. 1995
McDonald, Brian, "A New Finite Element Geometry Based, One Dimensional, Unsteady, Internal Ballistics Code", JANNAF Dec. 1995
"The Design of a Soft Launched Shoulder Fired Weapon", JANNAF Sept. 1993
"The Preliminary Design Study of a Solid Fueled Ducted Rocket", JANNAF Sept. 1993
"Dual-Pulsed Solid Propellant Rocket Technology Application to an Autonomous Strategic Defense Interceptor", JANNAF Feb. 1992
WORK EXPERIENCE
Current Employment
August 2007-Present - Senior Research Engineer for the United States Army’s Propulsion and Structures Laboratory. Affiliated Member of the Graduate Faculty and Part-Time Lecturer in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
Projects:
• Served on MDA failure review board and designed and directed bi-propellant engine tests to investigate oxidizer manifold explosion failures induced by fuel condensation in the oxidizer manifold.
• Modeling, Simulation and Health Monitoring of Nitrate Ester Propellants – Principle Investigator for the development of non-destructive health monitoring of nitrate ester propellant aging. Developing application for carbon nano-tube gas sensors for detection of NOx generated in nitrate ester decomposition. Conducted extensive accelerated aging tests to investigate the aging affects of humidity and temperature on the propellant decomposition and stabilizer depletion. Conducted Differential Scanning Calorimetry and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis of the aged material. Developing a finite rate reaction model that includes the humidity aging affects.
• Thruster Interior Ballistics Modeling and Code Development – Principle Investigator for the development of a finite element based, 3-D propellant grain regression code for use on free floating solid propellant thruster grain designs. Development of a fully transient finite differencing interior ballistics code suitable for the performance analysis of highly transient rocket motor tests.
• JAVELIN Service Life Program – Lead Engineer for the service life and reliability program for the JAVELIN rocket motor. Duties include propellant mechanical properties testing, stabilizer depletion studies, and heat combustion studies of boron potassium nitrate igniter pellets. Test results contribute to stochastic based remaining service life predictions for missile fleet.
• Missile Defense Agency (MDA) – Work through MDA’s Interceptor Knowledge Center and serve as sole propulsion investigator on an independent review team for an MDA missile program. Duties include design evaluation, failure investigation, and performance analysis. Served on failure review boards for GBI liquid DACS and DSWS flight failure.
• General Duties - Developing a numerical model for the performance and ig...
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