The Penn State Department of Aerospace Engineering

Edward C. Smith 

 Professor of Aerospace Engineering,

Director, Penn State Rotorcraft Center of Excellence

 231D Hammond Building

(814) 863-0966

ecs5@psu.edu

 

Dr. Ed Smith has been a member of the Aerospace Engineering faculty at Penn State University for fourteen years.  He also completed his Bachelor of  Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State, where he also worked as a George F. Wislicenus Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Applied research laboratory (ARL).  He attended graduate school at the University of Maryland Center for Rotorcraft Education and Research, earning  MS and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering.   Working under the supervision of Prof. Inderjit Chopra, Ed became engaged in research in  helicopter dynamics and composite rotor blades.  While at Maryland, he was awarded 3 Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships from the American Helicopter Society and was an Army Research Office Graduate Rotorcraft Fellow.  After arriving back at Penn State, Dr. Smith built an active research  program in helicopter dynamics with research sponsorship from the Army Research Office (1994 Young Investigator Award), US Navy, NASA,  Boeing Helicopters, Sikorsky, Bell Helicopters and Lord Corp.

In the summer of 1995, Prof. Smith led a team of Penn State faculty members and established the Penn State Rotorcraft Center, funded by the newly formed National Rotorcraft Technology Center (NRTC).  This Center, renewed for a second five year term in January 2001, has sparked a wide array of educational activities, new facilities, and research programs and is helping to train the next generation of rotorcraft engineers.

Dr. Smith has been active in AIAA and the American Helicopter Society (AHS).  He served on the AIAA Structural Dynamics technical committee and has participated in the AIAA SDM Conference for fifteen years.  He is a recipient of the 1994 AHS Director's Award for Outstanding contributions to vertical flight technology by an AHS Member under the age of 30.  He has also received the AHS Membership Sponsor Award three times.  He is presently the Chairman  of the AHS Education Committee and has also served as Chairman of the AHS Dynamics Technical Committee.  In 2002, Dr. Smith was awarded the Lawrence Sperry Award from the AIAA, citing his extraordinary leadership of the Rotorcraft Center, pioneering research in composite tailored rotor blades, and dedication to aerospace engineering education.  He was also awarded the 2002 Penn State Engineering Society Outstanding  Research Award.

Dr. Smith's research and teaching interests are in all aspects of helicopter dynamics, including tailored composite rotor blades, active vibration control, rotor lag damping and aeromechanical stability, shipboard helicopter operations, driveline dynamics, and anti-icing systems.  He has published with his students in the AIAA  Journal , AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Journal  of the American Helicopter Society, Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures,  Journal of Sound and Vibration, and International Journal of Solids and Structures.  Dr. Smith is an avid collector of helicopter models and hardware which can be used for teaching aides.  He has organized and led over thirty field trips and forty on-campus seminars during the past fourteen years.

Ed was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY.

 

 Selected Journal Publications 


Heverly II, D.E., K.W. Wang, and E.C. Smith, "Dual Stack Piezoelectric Device with Bidirectional Actuation and Improved Performance," Accepted for Publication in the Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, February 27, 2004.

Ramrkahyani, D.S., G.A. Lesieutre, and E.C. Smith, "Modeling of Elasticmeric Materials Using Nonlinear Fractional Derivative and Continuously Yielding Fraction Elements," Accepted for Publication in the International Journal of Solids and Structures, February 6, 2004.

Zhang, J., E.C. Smith, and K.W. Wang, "Active-Passive Hybrid Optimization of Rotor Blades with Trailing Edge Flaps," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 49, No. 1, January 2004, pp. 54-65.

DeSmidt, H.A., K.W. Wang, and E.C. Smith, "Stability of Segmented Supercritical Driveline with Non-Constant Velocity Couplings Subjected to Misalignment and Torque," Accepted for Publication in the Journal of Sound and Vibration, September 19, 2003.

Keller, J.A. and E.C. Smith, "Active Control of Gimballed Rotors Using Swashplate Actuation During Shipboard Engagement Operations," AIAA Journal of Aircraft,Ó Vol. 40, No. 4, July-August 2003, pp. 726-733.

Szefi, J.T., E.C. Smith, and G.A. Lesieutre, "Formulation and Validation of A Ritz-Based Analytical Model Of High Frequency Periodically-Layered Isolators in Compression," Journal of Sound and Vibration, Vol. 268, No.1, July 2003, pp. 85-1001.

Howard, A., and E.C. Smith, "Prediction of Air and Ground Resonance Stability Of Soft-Inplane Tiltrotors Using A Semi-Span Analytical Model," Accepted For Publication in the American Helicopter Society, January 2003.

Brackbill, C.R., E.C. Smith, and G.A. Lesieutre, "Application Of A Refined Time Domain Elastomeric Damper Model to Helicopter Rotor Aeroelastic Response and Stability," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 47, No.3, July 2002, pp. 186-197.

DeSmidt, H.A., K.W. Wang, and E.C. Smith, "Coupled Torsion-Lateral Stability of a Shaft-Disk System Drive Through a Universal Joint," Journal of Applied Mechanics, Vol. 69, No. 3, May 2002, pp. 261-273.

Centolanza, L.R., E.C. Smith, and A. Morris, "Induced-Shear Piezoelectric Actuators For Rotor Blade Trailing Edge Flaps and Active Tips," Journal of Smart Materials and Structures, Vol. 11, No. 1, February 2002, pp. 24-35.

Heverly, D., E.C. Smith, and K.W. Wang, "An optimal Actuator Placement Methodology for Active Control of Helicopter Airframe Vibrations," Journal of American Helicopter Society, Vol. 46, No. 4, October 2001, pp. 251-261.

Brackbill, C.R., G.A. Lesieutre, E.C. Smith, and L.E. Ruhl, "Characterization and Modeling of the Low Strain Amplitude and Frequency Dependent Behavior of Elastomeric Damper Materials," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 45, No. 1, January 2000, pp. 34-42.

Keller, J.A., and E.C. Smith, "Experimental and Theoretical Correlation of Helicopter Rotor Blade-Droop Stop Impact," Journal of Aircraft, Vol. 36, No. 2, March Ð April 1999, pp. 443-450.

Floros, M.W. and E.C. Smith, "Finite Element Modeling of Open-Section Composite Beams with Warping Restraint Effects," AIAA Journal, Vol. 35, No. 8, August 1997, pp. 1341-1347.

Brackbill, C.R., G.A. Lesieutre, E.C. Smith, and K. Govindswamy, "Thermomechanical Modeling for Elastomeric Materials," Journal of Smart Materials and Structures, Vol. 5, No. 5, October 1996, pp. 529-539.

Smith, E.C., K. Govindswamy, M.R. Beale, and G.A. Lesieutre, "Formulation Validation, and Application of a Finite Element Model for Elastomeric Lag Dampers," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 41, No. 3, July 1996, pp. 247-256.

Smith, E.C., K. Govindswamy, M.R. Beale, M.J. Vascsinec, and G.A. Lesieutre, "Aeroelastic Response and Stability of a Helicopter with Elastomeric Lag Dampers," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 41, No. 3, July 1996, pp. 257-266.

Smith, E.C., "Vibration and Flutter of Stiff-Inplane Elastically Tailored Composite Rotor Blades", Mathematical and Computer Modeling: Special Edition on Rotorcraft Modeling, Vol. 20, No. 1&2, February 1994.

Smith, E.C. and I. Chopra, "Air and Ground Resonance of Helicopters with Elastically Tailored Composite Blades," Journal of the American Helicopter Society, Vol. 38, No. 4, October 1993, pp. 50-61.

Smith, E.C. and I. Chopra, "Aeroelastic Response, Loads, and Stability of a Composite Rotor in Forward Flight", AIAA Journal, Vol. 31, No. 7, July 1993, pp. 1265-1273.

Resume

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