Patrick L. Walter, Professor of Professional Practice in Engineering

Patrick WalterTexas Christian University
Department of Engineering
TCU Box 298640
Fort Worth, TX  76129
PH:  (817) 257-6318
FAX: (817) 257-7704
P.Walter@tcu.edu

 

Patrick L. Walter has been a member of the TCU Engineering faculty since 1965.  Upon receiving his undergraduate degree from The Pennsylvania State University in 1965, Mr. Walter began 30 years of employment at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM.  While on roll, Sandia sponsored his M. S. at the University of New Mexico (1967) and his Ph. D. at Arizona State University (1978).  While at Sandia, Dr. Walter spent his professional career in test and evaluation (T & E), primarily managing laboratory, field, and flight test activities.  Included in these activities were metrology and structural test laboratories, instrumentation development for ground and flight testing, instrumentation and test system development for strategic missile systems, operation of a rocket launch facility in Kauai, HI, and development and fielding of rocket flight systems and payloads.  His last assignment involved the establishment of a program at Sandia, under contract to the Federal Aviation Administration, to enhance the structural inspection of aging transport and commuter aircraft.

 

Since arriving at TCU, Dr. Walter’s principal focus has been the 2-semester Capstone Senior Design Program.  This electro-mechanical design sequence has received annual support from Aberdeen Proving Grounds (U. S. Army), Alcon Laboratories, Bell Helicopter Textron, Endevco Corporation, Lockheed-Martin Aeronautics, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Oncor, PCB Piezotronics, Rockbit International, Stone Innovations, and U.S. Army Engineer and Development Center Waterways Experiment Station (WES).  Dr. Walter also currently teaches in the solid mechanics and advanced vibrations areas and has developed TCU’s solid mechanics and structural dynamics labs.   In addition, through TCU’s Extended Education and Engineering Departments, he teaches a continuing education program in Measurement Systems Engineering, which has been presented throughout the U.S., Canada, and overseas.

 

Dr. Walter has numerous publications, has served and chaired DoD and DOE committees, and consults extensively in the aerospace and defense industries.  He is a member of ISA (25+ years: Aerospace Systems and Test Measurements Divisions), Society of Experimental Mechanics (also 25+ years: Sensors and Instrumentation, Structural Test, and Strain Gage Divisions), and American Society of Engineering Educators (12 years: Instrumentation and Design Divisions). He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of New Mexico.

 

In 2008 Dr. Walter received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Center (SAVIAC).  The Center, first formed in 1946, is a central information resource for Government activities, contractors, and academics concerned with structural dynamics design, analysis, and testing; and shock physics and weapons effects.  It is a jointly-funded activity sponsored by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, and the Department of Energy laboratories.

 

Research Interests

  • Instrumentation and Measurements
  • Structural Dynamics and Structural Testing
  • Transducers and Sensing Technologies
  • Mechatronics

Teaching Interests

  • Electromechanical System Design
  • Structural Dynamics and its associated laboratory
  • Solid Mechanics and its associated laboratory
  • anything that benefits the students

Publications (January 2002 through August 2008 (past 6+ years))

  • Walter, Patrick, “Instrumentation System Rise Time for Shock and Blast Measurements”, Sound and Vibration, January 2002.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “A History of the Origin and Evolution of Modal Transducers”, International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC) XX, Session 18, Los Angeles, CA, Feb. 2002.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Measurement System Design and Evolution”, IEEE Sensors 2002, Orlando, FL, June 2002.
  • Walter, Patrick, “Modal Testing as an Aid in Assessing Penetration Mechanics”, Proceedings 20th Transducer Workshop, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, June 2002.
  • Walter, Patrick, “A University-Based Program Developing Design Engineers for Instrumentation and Control Systems”, 20th Transducer Workshop, Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, June 2002.
  • Chiarito, Vincent; Woodson, Stanley; Walter, Patrick; Weis, Stephen; “A Mechanical, Pneumatic System to Perform In Situ Calibration of Blast Transducers”, Proceedings 73rd Shock and Vibration Symposium, Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Committee, Newport, RI, Nov. 2002.
  • Chiarito, Vincent; Kolesar, Edward; Walter, Patrick; “Electronic Signal Transmission System Analysis and In Situ Calibration for Blast Measurements”, Proceedings 73rd Shock and Vibration Symposium, Shock and Vibration Information Analysis Committee, Newport, RI, Nov. 2002.
  • Walter, Patrick, “Wireless Sensors Applied to Modal Analysis”, Sound and Vibration, pages 10-16, November 2003.
  • Walter, Patrick, “Wireless Sensors Applied to Modal Analysis”, International Modal Analysis Conference, Orlando, FL, paper 253, February 3-6, 2003. (note: accepted in Sound and Vibration above).
  • Walter, Patrick L., “The Interdisciplinary Design Program in Texas Christian University’s Engineering Department”, ASEE National Conference, Nashville, TN, June 23-25, 2003.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Lessons Learned in Applying Accelerometers to Nuclear Effects Testing”, 74th Shock and Vibration Conference (SAVIAC),
    San Diego, CA, October 27-31, 2003.
  • Walter, Patrick, “Blast Measurement: Selecting the Appropriate Pressure Transducer and Managing Its Interfaces” Paper U-056, 75th Shock and Vibration Symposium, Virginia Beach, VA, October 17-22, 2004.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Air-Blast and the Science of Dynamic Pressure Measurements”, Sound and Vibration, January 2005.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Data Validation: A Prerequisite to Performing Data Uncertainty Analysis”, published and presented at the International Telemetry Conference, Las Vegas, NV, October 25-27, 2005.
  • Walter, P. L., “Validating the Data Before the Structural Model”, Journal of the Society of Experimental Mechanics: Experimental Techniques, (pp 55-59), November/December 2006.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Validating the Data Before the Structural Model”, published and presented Proceedings of the International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC XXIV), January 30 – February 2, 2006, Saint Louis, MO. (subsequently published in archived journal above).
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Dealing with Measurement Uncertainty”, Sensors (Journal of Sensing), Volume 23, No 7, pp 28-30, July 2006.
  • Walter, P. L., “A University/Industry Partnership for Teaching Instrumentation and Control System Design”, International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC XXV), February 19-22, 2007, Orlando, FL.
  • Walter, P. L. “Validating Data to Justify Measurement Uncertainty Analysis”, Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ESTECH Conference), Bloomingdale, IL, NV, April 30, 2007.
  • Walter, Patrick L. “The History of the Accelerometer, Sound and Vibration, 40th anniversary edition, January 2007
  • Walter, Patrick, “Measurement uncertainty analysis: boon or bane?”, Test Engineering and Management, Volume 69, Number 5, pp 10-13, October/November 2007.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Lessons Learned in Applying Accelerometers to Nuclear Effects Testing” Manuscript SAV-04-027 Journal of Shock and Vibration, 2007.
  • Walter, Patrick L..,  “Selecting Accelerometers for Mechanical Shock Measurements”, Sound and Vibration, Vol41/12, PP. 14-18, December 2007.
  • Walter, Patrick and Bittle, Robert, “Evolution and Assessment of an Industry-Based Single Large Project Capstone Design Course”, 115th American Society of Engineering Educators Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, June 22-25, 2008

 

Books and Book Chapters (January 2002 through August 2008 (past 6+ years))

  • Walter, Patrick L., The Handbook of Dynamic Force, Pressure, and Acceleration Measurement, ISBN 0-9713370-0-4, 216 pp, Endevco, 2002
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Bridge Transducers”, Mechanical Engineer’s Handbook, Book 2: Instrumentation, Systems, Controls, and MEMS, Myer Kutz, editor, 3rd edition, chapter 3, 56 pages, John Wiley and Sons, 2005.
  • Walter, Patrick L., “Strain-Gage Instrumentation”, Shock and Vibration Handbook, Allan Piersol, editor, 6th ed., chap. 12, (accepted 2008).

 

Patents (January 2002 through August 2008 (past 6+ years))

  • One of four applicants: Portable System for Measuring Dynamic Pressure in situ and Method of Employment Therefore to the U.S. Government on 3/28/07.

Miscellaneous Professional Activities (January 2002 through August 2008 (past 6+ years))

  • Approximately 50 national and international conference and corporate presentations and session organizations
  • Ph. D. committee, Technical University of Denmark (Institut for Produktion og Ledelse Danmarks Tekniske Universitet)
  • M.S. Committee, University of Texas Arlington
  • Presented TCU’s Measurement System’s Engineering program more than two (2) dozen times to  500+ engineers nationally and internationally
  • Major consulting: private labs, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Endevco Corporation, PCB Piezotronics (ongoing)

 

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