Steven B. Kushnick, P.E., Inc.
P.O. Box
670084 Marietta , Georgia
30066; USA
Steven B. Kushnick, P.E., Inc. offers Mechanical Engineering
Consulting, specializing in:
§ Turbomachinery
§ Gas Turbines and Jet Engines
§ Steam Turbines
§ Compressors (including 'recips')
§ Pumps
§ Diesel Engines
§
Cogeneration
§ Heat Recovery Equipment
§
Performance Improvement
§ Inlet Cooling and Refrigeration
§ Overfiring
§ Component Upgrade and Redesign
§
Failure Analysis
§
Metallurgical
Failure Mode
§
Mechanical
Root Cause
We provide:
- Engineering Studies
- Engineering Analysis
- Failure Analysis
- Mechanical Design and Reverse Engineering Design
- Hardware Engineering and Procurement
- Expert Witness / Expert Consultant / Third-Party Consultation / Litigation Support / Warranty Dispute Support
[Click
here for our service list]
QUALIFICATIONS
STEVEN B. KUSHNICK,
P.E.
Turbomachinery Expert
Specialized
Professional Competence
Skilled and experienced in the design, analysis, troubleshooting and failure analysis of turbomachinery and ancillary equipment. Design turbine hardware, compressor hardware, combustors, fuel nozzles, fluid film bearings, rolling element bearings, oil-film dampers, lube systems, plumbing, heat transfer equipment, and test equipment. Analyze internal flow, heat transfer, structures and strength, dynamics and vibration, fatigue and fracture, equipment failures and test results. Use ANSYS finite element analysis code, CAD software, and develop specialized computer utility programs for design, analysis, and problem solving. Procure hardware. Provide economic and engineering analyses of proposed equipment modifications. Provide inspection procedures, repair procedures, and process specifications. Provide independent third-party consultation and litigation support. Access to metallurgical laboratory. Two patents in the field of jet engines. Expert witness.
Representative
Projects
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Steven B. Kushnick, P.E., Inc. |
Failure Analysis. Determined the cause of cracking in a high speed gearbox housing for a turbine user in Hardware Distress Assessment. Timed-out turbine blades: determined serviceability
by sample cut-up and SEM for a gas compressor operator in Engine Durability Assessment. Witnessed overhaul of a combustion turbine engine
for an electric power plant in Plant Uprate Study. Provided engineering and
economic assessment of proposed uprate
options for a process plant in Litigation Support. Provided Expert
Consultant services to attorneys in a case involving the overhaul and
repair of a reciprocating compressor in Reverse Engineering. Reverse engineer hardware for a European combustion turbine, including blades, vanes, disks, shafts, tie rods, seals, and valves. Provided alloy upgrades for extended life and improved durability. Finite Element Analysis. Provided ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA) to assess stress fields in a turbine disk during a severe seal rub for a North African turbine user. Turbine Rotor Salvage Repair. Engineered a repair for a low pressure turbine rotor
to eliminate eccentricity and tie rod hole mismatch
for a user in OEM Design Consultation. Provided design support and analysis review to an
OEM in Test Facility Design Support. Designed coupling adapters for high speed shafts
(14,200+ RPM), evaluated and selected pneumatic starter motors, and specified
permissible air supply pressure ranges for a gas turbine overhauler's
test facility in Corrosion Analysis. Investigated cause of corrosion
in combustion turbine compressor blades and retainer hardware for a user in Compressor Blade Failure Analysis. Identified cause of a second
stage compressor blade failure using Scanning
Electron Microscopy (SEM) for a user in Reverse Engineer Turbine Blade. Provided geometrical measurement and analysis, material verification, and material upgrade options for an industrial gas turbine blade. The German company can now produce their own turbine blades at the vendor of their choosing and in an upgraded material to provide increased creep-rupture life and oxidation resistance. Reduced-BTU Fuel Study. Identified consequences of burning low-BTU landfill gas in a gas turbine engine for an
electric utility in Reverse Engineer High Speed Gear Box (11,700 RPM). Produced a
design layout in CAD for detail drawing by the Compressor Failure Analysis. Analyzed the cause of a compressor and bearing failure in an industrial
combustion turbine. Inspected hardware. Performed detailed thrust balance calculations including drum, airfoil,
and seal leakage analysis. Prepared a
presentation explaining the findings to the user, a gas company located in |
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Fern Engineering, Inc. |
Firing Temperature Optimization. Calculated component life versus firing temperature for gas
turbine hot section hardware. Balanced increased hardware and labor costs
against increased revenue from overfiring. Determined the economically optimum gas turbine firing temperature for a process
plant in Power-Increasing Technology Evaluation. Analyzed internal and external gas turbine modifications to increase the power output of existing gas turbines, under a contract with EPRI. Evaluated both OEM upgrade packages and non-OEM component upgrades. Third-Party Consultation: Turbine Disk Retirement. Analyzed French OEM claims that certain costly turbine disks should be replaced after accumulating an OEM specified number of hours. Litigation Support. Expert Witness
for a Litigation Support. Expert Consultant for a Florida Defendant in a lawsuit concerning combustion chambers for flight engines. Assisted the defense counsel in understanding the hardware and engineering involved. Component Life Analysis (LCF, HCF, Thermal Fatigue, Creep). Determined blade and vane life versus firing temperature. Identify component upgrades. Determined cause of cracking in a nut for a diesel engine valve tappet and recommended modifications which eliminated the problem. Turbocharger Wheel Finite Element Analysis. Performed stress and vibration analysis of a disk and blade for a Pennsylvania OEM turbocharger redesign. Combustor Repair. Evaluated reparability and provided procedures, process specifications, and costing for repairing gas turbine combustion chambers. Emergency Turbine Brake Design And Analysis. Provided preliminary design and analysis to an OEM for a centrifugal turbine brake, which would prevent turbine overspeed in the event of sudden load loss. Turbine Test Facility Design. Designed hardware and specified
equipment for a quick-turnaround testing facility
now operated by a major gas turbine gen-set packager in Gas Turbine Modification. Provided preliminary design and analysis
of a header and ducting system for an externally
fired gas turbine engine. Ducting routed the compressor discharge air
to a high temperature heat exchanger and returned the heated air to the
existing turbine section. Concept was tested in Gas Turbine Design. Gas generator design
of a one megawatt turbine for a Dutch manufacturer. Includes configuration selection, mechanical design, rotor dynamics,
stress analysis, and component vibration analysis. Aided in hardware
procurement in the |
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Pratt & Whitney |
Mechanical Design And Analysis Supervision. Supervised and trained a technical team of engineers, technicians, and draftsmen in the design, analysis, procurement, and test of all fans and low pressure compressors for the Advanced Technology Engine Programs. Mechanical Design and Analysis. Designed and analyzed low pressure turbine hardware for the F119 Advanced Tactical Fighter aircraft engine. Designed and analyzed low pressure turbine and oil-damped bearing hardware for the F100-PW-229 fighter aircraft engine. Identified stall-margin improvements and designed hardware for the high pressure compressor. Designed and analyzed afterburner and nozzle hardware for the F100 engine. |
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Howmet Turbine Components Corp. |
Manufacturing and Process Support. Designed tooling, performed dimensional inspection and process experimentation for investment casting. |
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Mechanical Associates |
Machining. Machined aluminum and steel components using milling machines, surface grinders, cutoff saws, drill presses, taps and dies. |
Professional
Honors And Achievements
B.S. Mechanical Engineering,
Teaching Assistant:
Mechanics I, Mechanics II
Tutor: Mechanics I,
Mechanics II, Electric Circuits
Registered Professional Engineer
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#34214 |
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#11369 |
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#M028670 |
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Florida |
#35560 |
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#23625 |
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#062061018 |
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#35135 |
Washington |
#37219 |
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Two U.S. Patents in the field of gas turbine engines
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Member: |
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) |
Steven B. Kushnick, P.E., Inc.
[Expert Witness] [Mechanical Engineering] [General Description] [Failure Analysis] [Turbine Blades] [Service List]
Other links:
[Machining &
Overhaul] [Renewable Energy]
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