Articles

Publications

Packer Engineers understand the importance of sharing their knowledge. As they gain experience and expertise in various areas, they encapsulate that wisdom into articles on various topics.

David Atkins wrote "Calibration for Nondestructive Testing" with Stuart Kleven & Israel Vasquez. It was published in the Fall issue of "The American Society for Non-Destructive Testing." A brief synopsis: Today, the calibration of testing equipment would appear to be a subject that is unimportant or secondary to their immediate purpose. Many companies merely send out equipment and indicate on purchasing documents that a calibration certification is required. This ignores the question of what a proper calibration is. One complicating factor is the profusion of different types of equipment and equipment manufacturers, which can also add confusion to the situation. For instance, some units are analog and others are digital. What rules apply? Can one type be used to verify the other? In addition, most governing specifications in nondestructive testing only give the frequency that is expected for the calibration of certain items, but rarely give any limits or tolerances. This can cause quite a quandary for the inexperienced and even the experienced quality professional. This paper will attempt to address many of the issues that have caused problems and make possible suggestions for standardizing some calibrations.

John McKinney, of our Chemical, Fire & Explosion group, wrote "Qualifying Your Expert" which was published in the Spring 2001 issue of The Alert newsletter.

David A. Moore, from our Materials Group, wrote an article entitled "Crankshaft Failure and Why It May Happen Again," which was published in ASM publication called Journal of Failure Analysis & Prevention.

Ryder, N., Schemel, C., and Jankiewicz, S., “Near and Far Field Contamination Modeling in a Large Scale Enclosure: Fire Dynamics Simulator Comparisons with Measured Observations,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, 130 (2006) 182-186

Ryder, N., Sutula, J., Schemel, C., Brunt, V.V., and Hamer, A., “Consequence Modeling Using the Fire Dynamics Simulator,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, 115 (2004) 149-154

Ryder, N., Wolin, S., Milke, J., "An Investigation of the Reduction in Fire Resistance of Steel Columns Caused by Loss of Spray Applied Fire Protection," Journal of Fire Protection Engineering, Vol. 12 #1 (2002)

Wolin, S., Ryder, N., Leprince, F., Milke, J., Mowrer, F., Torero, J. "Measurements of Smoke Characteristics in HVAC Ducts," Fire Technology, Vol. 37 No.4. (October 2001).

G. Rein, C. Abecassis Empis, A. Amundarain, H. Biteau, A. Cowlard, A. Chan, W. Jahn,A. Jowsey, P. Reszka, T. Steinhaus, S. Welch, J.L. Torero,J. Stern-Gottfried, B. Hume, A. Coles, M. Lazaro, D. Alvear, J.A. Capote,S. Desanghere, D. Joyeux, N. Ryder, F. Mowrer., “Round-Robin Study of Fire Modeling Blind Predictions Using the Dalmarnock Fire Experiments.” Forthcoming Fire Technology Journal

Schemel, C. , "Transport Effects on Calorimetry of Porous Wildland Fuels" discusses his research involving transport processes in porous wildland fuel beds.

Peter Schubert wrote "Removal of Agricultrual Residues -- Assessing soil effects when removing biomass for energy, fuels, and chemicals" describing with today's technology, about 30% of ag residues can be removed for power, fuels and chemicals to displace fossil fuels, without hurting soil.

Sara Tompson and George Goehring, published an article on the Packer Library Services Website: Tompson, Sara R. and George Goehring. 2001. Feature Article: "Engineering Our Own Library Catalog". in "Computers in Libraries" 21:2 (February 2001), 34-40. It is available online at: http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/feb01/tompson&goehring.htm

Sanford Weiss, from our Business Development Group, wrote several articles on various subjects. In Spring/Summer 2000, the EPIC Journal ran his article "Close-Range Photogrammetric Assignment in a Submarine." Photogrammetry is a procedure that allows photographs to be used to obtain precise measurements. This article describes a situation in which it was absolutely necessary to use this process to acquire the vital data needed to assist the United States Navy. For those interested in this process, recommendations are given regarding equipment use.

In the Spring 2001 issue, The Alert newsletter printed two of Sandford's articles entitled "Competitive Intelligence in Litigation" and "A History of Photography." Competitive Intelligence is used to draw conclusions based on the factual elements of a situation in its entirety. Emphasis is placed on retaining the aid of an intelligence expert in order to avoid costly legal action and or other potentially damaging disputes. Furthermore, advice is given on locating an appropriate CI professional. The article "A History of Photography" describes the history of the camera as well as the development and use of still images for purposes of both deception and as representations of reality. The photograph is a powerful tool for proving one's point, especially in a courtroom. However, a photograph is only as useful as the testimony used to validate the image. The article also describes current and future uses of the digital image.

In the Fall 2003 issue of the EPIC Journal Mr. Weiss' article entitled "Axial Lighting for Macro-Photography" was published. It is often difficult to photograph small reflective items because their surfaces can produce extreme highlights and shadows. This article provides insight on how to properly document minute reflective surfaces through the use of axial lighting. Instructions are also provided for constructing an axial lighting apparatus.

Mr. Weiss' article "Fair and Accurate: Qualification of the Standard" was published in the January 2006 Florida Association of Licensed Investigators newsletter. This article discusses how testimony when combined with photographic images can be a powerful tool to prove ones point. However, there are no current standards in use to determine if a photograph is truly representative of the image it has captured. It is important that in some instances exact measurements be recorded in order to ensure that photographic evidence can be regarded as being true and accurate. Future installments of this article elaborate on how to ensure photographic accuracy.

In their July-August 2006 publication, the Evidence Technology magazine published Sanford´s followup article "Fair and Accurate: Qualification of the standard for admissibility of photographs". This article explores different techniques for producing photographs that meet the standard for "fair and accurate" representation.

"Defining the Acceptability Standard for Evidence Photos" is the second installment in a series of articles written by Mr. Weiss and published in the 2006 "Florida Association of Licensed Investigators" newsletter. This article describes what should be considered when defining a standard for photographic evidence. It focuses on vision and how people perceive photographic images. It is important to take pictures that accurately portray the evidence in question. Future installments will elaborate on the standard for evidence photography.

In the article "Photography 110: Back to Basics," Sanford Weiss deals with the airport security check-point controversy regarding the damage (real or perceived) to exposed and unexposed camera film by X-ray machines.

"Introduction to Photogrammetry" by Sanford Weiss published in FLAIF, January 2007, discusses two distinct types of photogrammetry: Metric and Interpretive. It also delves into the practice, tools and techniques of photogrammetry.

Sanford's most recent article published in the July 2008 issue of "Evidence Technology Magazine" entitled "Forensic Photography for SANE and SART Practitioners" discusses how a Forensic Nurses job includes a wide range of responsibilities such as providing care to victims of crime, collecting evidence, and providing healthcare services within the prison system. A unique specialty area within forensic nursing is the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE). A SANE is a registered nurse who is trained to conduct forensic examinations and provide comprehensive, confidential, and competent care to sexual-assault patients in a hospital or medical setting.

Sanford has also written many unpublished articles: "Airport X-Rays, Scanners, and Images", "Auto vs Manual Metering: Bridge Case Study", "Maintaining Your Camera", "Vision and Contrast", "Image Optimization for Contrast", "The Powers of Observation", "Take Better Evidence Photographs" and "Vision and Evidence Photography"