Robert J. Podlasek

Assistant Dean College of Engineering
Associate Professor - Mechanical Engineering
At Bradley since 1982

BSME	1966	U of Illinois, Urbana.
A.B. Econ.	1966	U of Illinois, Urbana.
MSME	1967	U of Illinois, Urbana.
PhD	1973	U of Illinois, Urbana.

Current Research Interests:
Robotic System Design and Analysis, Material Science, Fracture Mechanics.

Past Full-Time Employment:

• Full time Consultant to various Energy Firms (Fracture Control, Energy Policy) - 5 yrs.
• Administrative Asst. for Energy for Chairman of the Ill Commerce Commission, Springfield - 3 yrs.
• Research Engineer, Battelle-Columbus, Ohio Fracture Control - 3 yrs.
• Staff Consultant, Packer Engineering, Naperville, Illinois Product Liability Analysis - 1 yr.

Consulatant Activities:

• Caterpillar - Applied Material Technology - Technical Assessment.
• NASA/Kennedy Space Center - Principal Investigator for a study "Analysis of Compliance Strategies for Robotic Applications at the Kennedy Space Center." (1987-1988)
• NASA/Kennedy Space Center - Principal Investigator for a study "Evaluation of Priority Robotic Applications and Necessary Compliance Technologies for the Kennedy Space Center."(1986)
• Allegretti, Newitt, Witcoff & McAndrews - Expert Testimony Patent Infringement and Doctrine of Equivalence.
• Aetna Insurance, Springfield, Illinois - Product Liability Analysis
• Welsh, Kehart, Shafter & Huges, P.C. Decatur, Illinois - Product Liability Analysis. (1985-1986)
• Deere - Technical Evaluations.

Selected Publications:

• "Compliance Strategies for Intelligent Robotic Trajectory Planning" published in Progress in Robotics and Intelligent Systems, edited by C.Y. Ho and George Zobrist, Ablex Publishing Co., Norwood, N.J. 07648, 1991.
• "Compliance Strategies for Robotic Ground Servicing of the Shuttle," Proceedings of the 25th Space Congress, Cocoa Beach FL. April, 1988.
• "The Design of Robotic End-Effectors for the Launch Pad Servicing of the Space Shuttle," Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Proceedings Robotic End-Effectors; Design and Applications Converence. June 17-18, Detroit, Michigan.
• "Predicting the Fracture Initaition Transition Temperature in High Toughness, Low Transition Temerature Line Pipe with the COD Test" (with R.J. Eiber), ASME Paper 74--MAT14 Presented at ASME 1974 Pressure Vessels and Piping materials Nuclear Conference, Miami Beach, Florida, June 24-28, 1974
• "Observations on Shear Fracture Propagation Behavior" (with W.A. Maxey, R.J. Eiber, A.R. Duffy), presented at the International Symposium on Crack Propagation in Pipelines, New Castle Upon Tyne, England, March 24-25, 1974.
• "A Technical Overview of the Alaskan Highway Gas Pipeline Project" (with W.E. Hensala), ASCE Special Publication entitled "An overview of the Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline Project, The World's Largest Project," American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, 1978.
• "Progress Review ofthe Fracture Control Research Program for the Alaska Highway Gas Pipeline" (with E.B. Clark), Prepared for the Federal Executing Policy Board Technical Committee by Northwest Alaskan Pipeline Company, June, 1979.
• "Cogeneration Systems Reliability Data Base Feasibiltiy Study." The Gas Research Institute, August, 1983.