RESUME’
Roy J. Cunningham, Senior Metallurgical Engineer
Drive Systems Technology, Inc.
Mechanical Power Transmission Consultants
24 Marlborough Lane
Glen Mills, PA 19342-1519
Phone: 610-358-0785 Fax: 610-358-2776
Web: www.gear-doc.com; E-Mail: royjcunningham@comcast.net
Mr. Cunningham holds a Master of Engineering Science Degree in Metallurgical/Materials Engineering from Drexel University (1970), a Bachelor of Science Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Drexel Institute of Technology (1967) and has had additional studies in Fracture Mechanics of Metallic Materials from Lehigh University (1978) and Advanced Processing Methods of Steel Manufacture from the American Society for Metals, Metals Park, Ohio (1980).
He served as Senior Manager for the Materials Engineering Dept. of the Boeing Company Helicopters Division until his retirement after 34 years of service. Mr. Cunningham’s primary interests at Boeing were in the areas of Aerospace Materials Processing, Heat Treatment of Aerospace Gearing, Aircraft Materials Testing, Failure Analysis, Corrosion Testing/Evaluations and Prevention, Quality Control Inspections, and Basic Steel Mill Processing. He was also responsible for research and development in the areas of the Development and Heat Treatment of Advanced Gear Materials, Testing and Evaluation of Cast and HIP’ed titanium/precipitation hardening stainless steel cast components and Fracture Toughness/Threshold Fatigue Testing of Improved/Advanced Gear Steels.
At Boeing he was responsible for the direction and overall activities of approximately 50 Engineers and Engineering Technicians in the Metals and Composites and Standards Groups to insure the appropriate compliance and proper use and processing of various materials on all company programs. These included the Chinook, Sea Knight, V22 Osprey aircraft, the Comanche Helicopter and JSF aircraft. In addition, he provided mentoring in the areas of materials, processes, failure analysis, corrosion and its prevention, manufacturing plan reviews, engineering drawing review and vendor related problems/activities for all critical aircraft component manufacture. He was responsible for IR&D in the Materials Engineering Group which was primarily related to advanced material processing techniques. He served as Company Representative to and actively participated in the AGMA Metallurgy and AGMA Aerospace Gearing Committees. He was Subcommittee Chairman of the Penn State (State College) ARL Advanced Gear materials program for the development and testing of advanced gear materials including a new corrosion resistant gear steel for aerospace applications.
Additional accomplishments include: Granted patent # 3885995 for the unique process (preoxidation) for carburizing high hot hardness tool steel, (The preoxidation process is used for all advanced gear steel components in Chinook transmissions); developed the processing requirements for producing powder metallurgy components from an advanced high hot hardness tool steel and completed a program for the development of a high temperature vacuum carburizing technique for gear steels.
As Senior Manager, he was responsible for five (5) Materials and Process Technical Laboratories. During this time he updated all Materials Laboratories with the latest technological equipment to insure state of the art analyses were performed. This included instruments such as an SEM/EDAX, TEM, X-ray Diffraction, Polarized Light Microscope, Digital Photographic Processing, Automated Microhardness Testing units. Represented Boeing in a number of litigation efforts, have been deposed numerous times and been designated as an expert witness in regards to failure investigations of various critical components related to the Chinook and Sea Knight helicopters. He has given various presentations to customers, subcontractors, other aerospace companies and related vendors on subjects such as ‘crevice corrosion of gear steels’, grinding burn evaluations of carburized and non-carburized materials, development of vacuum carburizing techniques and the advancement and processing requirements for high hot hardness gear materials.
During 1973 – 1974 M. Cunningham was employed by Shieldalloy Co., in Newfield, NJas Assistant Superintendent of Melting and Smelting where he was responsible for supervising the aluminum master alloy production department. Responsibilities included developing quality control procedures and standards for melting and production of aluminum-titanium-boron hardener alloys, improving manufacturing methods to decrease equipment down time while increasing production output. This work allowed him to develop an understanding of the metallurgical mechanics of Aluminum master and Ferro alloy melt processing along with a basic understanding of electric furnace, induction furnace and aluminothermic furnace reactions and operations.
Mr. Cunningham has been engaged as senior Metallurgical Engineer with Drive Systems Technology, Inc. from 1972 to present on a part-time/full time basis. Emphasis has been on Materials Engineering evaluating and solving materials and processing problems, determining the cause and nature of failed materials, components and systems, making recommendations on how to prevent similar problems in the future along with performing numerous quality control inspections of gearing type components.
1) Investigations involved but are not limited to:
a) Failures of Carburized and Hardened, Through Hardened, Flame Hardened, and Induction Hardened Gears Modes of failure included spalling, pitting, case crushing, tooth tip cracking, tooth bending fatigue, entrapped exogenous inclusions, grinding burns/cracks, etc..
b) Heat treat processing discrepancies related to carburizing, induction hardening, flame hardening, nitriding and through hardening processes and includes design, installation and environmental issues.
c) Internal bursts of large forgings for carburized gearing related to hydrogen absorption during melt processing and forging temperature and times related problems.
d) Material processing issues Non-uniformity in heat treat configuration, improper/poor weld technique, inadequate support during heat treatment resulting in excessive distortion, excessive lead pot tempering of spiroid gearing and water coolant contamination in heat treating cooling chamber tubing.
e) Have been involved in the failure analysis of gear materials, testing and qualification for several vehicular systems for the handicapped.
f) Various types of corrosion problems atmospheric, galvanic, stress corrosion cracking, crevice corrosion, etc. For example, the galvanic corrosion failure of a kerosene heater, crevice corrosion of a large water cooled rolling mill mandrel, atmospheric corrosion of stainless steel cages used for medical test applications, and a galvanic corrosion problems caused by improper plating techniques on electrical relay switches. With regard to several of the above items, Expert Witness and/or Depositions were given.
2) Written and/or approved various types of Materials and Process Specifications:
a) Gear Steel Material Specifications
b) Heat treating/Carburizing Specifications including carburize and hardening procedures for gear steels.
c) Heat treat process for induction hardened gears.
d) Nitride Process for hardening of industrial gearing.
e) Nital Etch Inspection Grinding Burn process
f) Ultrasonic Inspection of raw materials
g) Magnetic Particle Inspection of Gearing Components
3) Reviewed and approved various manufacturing processes, engineering drawings and heat treat procedures/techniques.
