Drew V. Nelson Drew V. Nelson

Professor
Faculty of Design Division, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Phone: 650-723-2123 | Fax: 650-723-3521 | Email: dnelson@stanford.edu

Degrees

B.S. Stanford University - Mechanical Engineering (1968)
M.S. Stanford University - Mechanical Engineering (1970)
Ph.D. Stanford University - Mechanical Engineering (1978)

Research Interests

Fatigue design and analysis, experimental mechanics

Dr. Nelson's current interests focus on the development of improved computational methods for predicting fatigue life, including approaches to account for effects of manufacturing processes on fatigue performance. He also develops new methods for experimentally determining stresses and strains, such as a laser holographic technique for rapid residual stress determination and use of fiber optic strain sensors embedded within materials.

Awards/Honors

Awards/Honors
1994 Hetenyi award for research excellence from the Society for Experimental Mechanics
1984 Spergel Memorial award for best paper on fiber optics at IWC Symposium

Recent Publications

Hampton, R.W. & Nelson, D.V. (2003) "Stable Crack Growth and Instability Prediction in Thin Plates and Cylinders," Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 70 (3-4),469-491.

Donnelly, E. & Nelson, D.V. (2002) "A Study of Small Crack Growth in Aluminum Alloy 7075-T651, International J. of Fatigue, 24 (11), 1175-1189.

Park, J. & Nelson, D. (2000) "Evaluation of an Energy-Based Approach and a Critical Plane Approach for Predicting Multiaxial Fatigue Life," International J. of Fatigue, 22(1), 23-29.

Lawrence, C.M., Nelson, D.V., Bennett, T.E. & Spingarn, J.R. (1999) "An Embedded

Fiber Optic Sensor Method for Determining Residual Stresses in Fiber Reinforced Composite Materials," J. of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, 9 (10), 788-799.

 

Current Projects

Holographic Hole-within-a-Hole and Stereo Image Correlation-Hole Drilling Methods for Residual Stress Determination.
Multiparameter Fiber Optic Strain Sensor Analysis.
Development of a Model to Predict Fatigue Crack Growth and Fracture in Residual Stress Fields.
Computational Development of Stress Intensity Factor and Weight Function Relations for a Longitudinal Attachment Geometry.

Updated 11/05/2004