Alan Palazzolo
Professor
Office: 125 Engineering/Physics Building Office Wing
Phone: 979-845-5280 Fax: 979-845-3081
Email: apalazzolo@tamu.edu
Interests:
Rotordynamics, Magnetic Bearings, Active Vibration and Noise Control, Fluid Film Bearings, Vibrations, Finite and Boundary Elements, Seal and Impeller Leakage Flow, Piping Systems, Machine Design, Flywheels, Machinery Couplings, Expert Systems, Microgravity Vibration Isolation, Electromechanical Systems.
Education
B.S. Engineering Physics University of Toledo, 1976
M.S. Mechanical Engineering University of Virginia, 1977
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering University of Virginia, 1981
Continuing Education:
-Theory of Finite Elements, Union College, N.Y. 2.5 C.E.U.
-University of Virginia Magnetic Bearings short course, July 1993.
- Attendee: “Integrating Design into the Engineering Curriculum”, -March 21-22, 2002, SMU, Dallas, Texas.
Background
Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University (1985-Present).
Teaching Areas: Dynamics, Finite Elements, Boundary Elements, Rotordynamics.Controls, Statics
Research Areas: Rotordynamics, Vibrations, Finite Elements, Piping Systems, Boundary Elements, Electromechanical Systems, Magnetic Bearings Rotating Machinery Seals and Impeller Flow. Aug. 1985-present.
Summer Faculty Fellow, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Summer 1991, 1992, 1993. Proctor: Pat Vallely, Title: “Simulation for Dynamic Coefficients of Liquid Seals”.
Summer Faculty Fellow, NASA Marshall, 1995, Proctor: Pat Vallely, Title: “Forces in SSME Turbopump Impellers”.
Grantee, NASA Lewis Research Center, Summer 1988, 1989, 1990. Proctor: Albert F. Kascak, Title: “Active Control of Rotordynamic Vibration and Cryogenic Damper Development”.
Summer Faculty Fellow NASA Lewis Research Center, Summer 1987. Proctor: Albert F. Kascak, Title: “Active Control of Transient Rotordynamic Vibrations”.
Summer Faculty Fellow NASA Lewis Research Center, Summer 1986. Proctor: Albert F. Kascak, Title: “Transient Rotordynamic Rub Phenomena”.
Senior Research Engineer, Southwest Research Institute.
Vibration analysis and testing of reciprocating compressors, rotating machinery, turbomachinery blading, offshore platforms, piping systems, finite element analysis (ANSYS), structural simulation. Dec. 1981-Aug. 1985.
Research Engineer, Allis Chalmers Corporation.
Finite element analysis, vibration testing. May 1981-Dec. 1981.
Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Virginia.
Teaching area: Mechanisms. Research Areas: Analytical vibrations, space structure vibration control (Langley). Sept. 1980-May 1981.
Field Engineering, Bently Nevada Corporation.
Consulting services group engaged in rotating machinery vibration testing. Typical machinery involved included chemical process compressors, steam and gas turbines, gear boxes, etc. Aug. 1977-July 1978.
Research Assistant (Mechanical Engineering), University of Virginia.
Computer and experimental analysis of rotor and shaft dynamics, space shuttle fuel pump rotordynamic simulation and analysis. June 1976-Aug. 1977.
Research Assistant (Physics), University of Toledo.
Simulation of Atomic Resonance. March-June 1976.
Research
Dr. Alan Palazzolo is a TEES Senior Fellow, former Halliburton Fellow, Full Professor in M.E., Director of the TAMU Vibration Control and Electromechanics Lab (VCEL), and Professional Engineer of the State of Texas. His research specialty areas are rotordynamics, active vibration control, magnetic bearings and electromechanics. Since joining TAMU he has been sole technical PI on over $5.5M of research sponsored by NASA, the Office of Naval Research, UT Austin-Center for Electromechanics, and others. He has published 50 (48 in print + 2 Accepted) archival journal articles and 53 conference publications, chaired 16 Ph.D and 27 Masters committees, received 1 U.S. patent and was co-awarded a prestigious IR100 award for one of the best 100 new products of 2002. The latter award was given for development of a magnetic bearing that operates at 1000F and has potential applications for the gas turbine engine industry. The patent is for a magnetic suspension controller that has application to energy storage flywheels and other types of rotating machinery.
His NASA Glenn program has received non-interrupted NASA funding for the past 18 years, with total sole Research P.I. (Palazzolo) funding of $3.90M. This support has provided the impetus for a R&D 100 award, 28 archival journal publications, 7 TAMU-TLO invention disclosures and 1 U.S. patent, 18 completed MSME and 11 completed Ph.D. students, and 8 Certificates of Recognition (with Monetary Awards) from NASA. Recent technical innovations that have attracted this support include:
- a magnetic suspension controller utilized to break previous flywheel energy storage records.
- first magnetic bearing design (for aircraft engines) to operate at 1000F and 20,000 rpm
- an efficient post filter for PWM servo amplifiers that suppresses EMI
- novel control algorithm for satellite integrated power and attitude control with a flywheel array
Dr. Palazzolo's $368K grant from the U.S. Navy is for developing quiet magnetic suspensions for onboard machinery, and his past research for NASA Marshall is in the areas of microgravity vibration isolation and vibration control for the Space Shuttle Main Engine, liquid oxygen pump. The latter effort yielded innovative approaches for CFD modeling of turbomachinery leakage flow paths. Dr. Palazzolo's was PI on a subcontract grants through the University of Texas-Center for Electromechanics, for the DOD and FRA (Federal Rail Association). His tasks included simulations and development of controller hardware/software for flywheel magnetic suspensions in a pulsed laser weapon/military vehicle and in a commercial locomotive.
Dr. Palazzolo’s research team developed methodologies for thermo/elasto/hydronamic bearing design, shaft current alleviation and gear coupling vibration control for the TAMU--Turbomachinery Research Consortium. The ten year continuous, net $398K, Sole P.I. funding received from this effort yielded 7 archival journal publications, 4 M.S. and 3 Ph.D. students completed, and 2 invited lectures at the TAMU Turbomachinery Symposium.
Distinctions
Dr. Alan Palazzolo is a TEES Senior Fellow, former Halliburton Fellow, Full Professor in M.E., Director of the TAMU Vibration Control and Electromechanics Lab (VCEL), Professional Engineer of the State of Texas, and R&D100 Award Recipient
Patents
“System and Method for Controlling Suspension Using a Magnetic Field”, US Patent: (US 6,323,614B1); Date of Patent: Nov. 27, 2001; Inventors: Palazzolo, A., Mu Li, Uhn Joo Na, Erwin Thomas.
Recent Publications
Kenny, A. and Palazzolo, A., “Comparison of the Dynamic Response of Radial and Tangential Magnetic Flux Thrust Bearings”, IEEE/ASME Trans. on Mechatronics, Vol. 7, No. 1, March 2002.
Na, U.J., Provenza, A., Palazzolo, A.B., Montague, G. and Kascak, A., “Test and Theory Correlation Study for a Flexible Rotor on Fault-Tolerant Magnetic Bearings,” ASME Journal of Vibration and Acoustic, 124(3):359-366, Jul. 2002.
Kenny, A. and Palazzolo, A., “Single Plane Radial, Magnetic Bearings Biased with Poles Containing Permanent Magnets,” ASME J. of Mechanical Design, March 2003, Vol. 125, pp. 178-185.
Minihan, T., Lei, S., Sun, G. and Palazzolo, A., “Large Motion Tracking Control for Thrust Magnetic Bearings With Fuzzy Logic, Sliding Mode, and Direct Linearization,” Journal of Sound and Vibration, 263 (2003), 549-567.
Sun, G., Palazzolo, A., Provenza, A. and Montague, G., “Detailed Ball Bearing Model for Magnetic Suspension Auxiliary Service”, J. of Sound and Vibration, Vol. 269, Issues 3-5, 22 January 2004, pp. 933-963.
Kenny, A., Palazzolo, A., Montague, G. and Kascak, A., “Theory and Test Correlation for Laminate Stacking Factor Effect on Homopolar Magnetic Bearing Stiffness”, ASME J. of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power, Vol. 126, January 2004, pp. 142-146.
Li, Ming Hsiu, Palazzolo,A., Kenny, A., Provenza, A., Beach,R., Kascak,A., “Fault Tolerant Homopolar Magnetic Bearings”, IEEE Trans. On Magnetics, Vol. 40, No. 5, Sept. 2004, pp. 3308 – 3318.
