Kaushik A. Iyer, Ph.D., P.E.

Dr. Iyer's expertise encompasses the areas of low- and high-rate solid mechanics, with emphasis on failure of aerospace and automotive structural joints including those with self-piercing rivets, static and dynamic fracture of ceramics and glasses, fretting wear, fatigue, and application of state-of-art hydrocodes and rate- and pressure-dependent failure models to analyze structural disintegration under impact loading.

Dr. Iyer has performed applied research relating to high-cycle and low-cycle fatigue and fretting wear of structural connections, including those in turbine engines, aging aircraft, and automotive bodies. He has also led sponsored research projects relating to the mechanics of automotive manufacturing processes, terminal ballistics of ceramic, transparent and metallic armor, and design of soldier and vehicle protection systems. By combining his knowledge of analytical, computational, and experimental mechanics, Dr. Iyer has investigated a wide range of failure mechanisms and formulated solutions for practical problems related to metallic, ceramic, and glass products, and their use in the aerospace, automotive, and defense sectors. In 2005, Dr. Iyer completed a book relating to fatigue in structural joints, published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

After joining Exponent, Dr. Iyer obtained his professional licensure as a Mechanical Engineer in the State of Maryland, and has applied his collective experience in metallurgy, materials science, mechanical engineering, manufacturing science, and impact physics to investigate key operational mechanisms in a variety of commercial engineering systems and technological products. Notable examples include burst/overpressure failures in pipelines, structural connections and wheels; effect of soil support on pipeline buckling; thermodynamic explosions in steam-operated equipment; marine collisions; penetration-mechanics-based selection of guarding materials; diffusion through packaging materials; and component fatigue analyses. During this period, he has also led significant initiatives to apply Exponent’s engineering expertise to ongoing efforts for disaster mitigation in developing nations.

Dr. Iyer has held appointments as Research Scientist in the Institute of Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas (Austin), Assistant Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), and Research Associate at Wright-Patterson AFB. Prior to joining Exponent, he was a researcher at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (Aberdeen Proving Ground).

Iyer KA. Relationships between multiaxial stress states and internal fracture patterns generated in silicon carbide owing to sphere impact. International Journal of Fracture 2007; 146:1–18.

Swillo SJ, Iyer K, Hu SJ. Angled line method for measuring continuously distributed strain in sheet bending. Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering 2006; 128(3):651–658.

Iyer K, Dandekar D. Computational design study for recovery of shock damaged silicon carbide. Proceedings, Conference of the American Physical Society Topical Group on Shock Compression of Condensed Matter, Baltimore, MD, 2005.

Iyer K, Hu SJ, Brittman FL, Wang PC, Hayden DB, Marin SP. Fatigue of single- and double-rivet self-piercing riveted lap joints. Fatigue and Fracture of Engineering Materials and Structures 2005; 28(11):997–1007.

Lin G, Iyer K, Hu SJ, Cai W, Marin SP. A computational design-of-experiments study of hemming processes for automotive aluminium alloys. Journal of Engineering Manufacture 2005; 219(10):711–722.

Iyer K. Analysis of the size effect in partial-slip contact fatigue. Journal of Tribology 2005; 127(2):443–446.

Swillo S, Lin G, Hu SJ, Iyer K, Yao J, Koc M, Cai W. Detection and characterization of surface cracking in sheet metal hemming using optical method. Transactions of NAMRI/SME 2005; 33.

Iyer K, Schoenfeld S, Casem D, Wright T. Validation of a perturbed-continuum model for shear localization. Proceedings, DoD HPCMP Users Group Conference, IEEE Computer Society, Williamsburg, VA, 2004.

Iyer K, Hahn GT, Rubin CA. Clamping and failure-mode transitions in structural shear joints. Proceedings, ASME PVP Conference, Analysis of Bolted Joints, San Diego, CA, 2004.

Chin M, Iyer KA, Hu SJ. Prediction of electrical contact resistance for anisotropic conductive adhesive assemblies. IEEE Transactions on Components and Packaging Technologies 2004; 27(2):317–326.

Lu S, Iyer K, Hu SJ. Functional characterization of surface roughness generated by plateau honing process using wavelet analysis. In: Reliability and Robust Design in Automotive Engineering. SAE World Congress and Exhibition, Detroit, MI, 2004.

Camelio J, Webbink RF, Hu SJ, Iyer K. Recent advances in compliant assembly variation analysis. 8th CIRP International Seminar on Computer Aided Tolerancing, Charlotte, NC, 2003.

Iyer K, Brittman FL, Hu SJ, Wang PC. Fatigue and fretting of self-piercing riveted joints. Proceedings, ASME IMECE, Automotive Body Joining and Assembly, New Orleans, LA, 2002.

Iyer K. Solutions for contact in pinned connections. International Journal of Solids and Structures 2001; 38(50–51):9133–9148.

Iyer K. Peak contact pressure, cyclic stress amplitudes, contact semi-width and slip amplitude: Relative effects on fretting fatigue life. International Journal of Fatigue 2001; 23(3):193–206.

Iyer K, Mall S. Analyses of contact pressure and stress amplitude effects on fretting fatigue life. Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology 2001; 123(1):85–93.

Iyer K, Rubin CA, Hahn GT. Influence of interference and clamping on fretting fatigue in single rivet-row lap joints. Journal of Tribology 2001; 123(4):686–698.

Iyer K, Rubin CA, Hahn GT. Three-dimensional analyses of double rivet-row lap joints (Parts I: Non-Countersunk Rivets And II: Countersunk Rivets). Proceedings, ASME IMECE, Reliability, Stress Analysis and Failure Prevention, New York, NY, 2001.

Iyer K, Mall S. Effects of cyclic frequency and contact pressure on fretting fatigue under two-level block loading. Fatigue and Fracture of Engineering Materials and Structures 2000; 23(4):335–346.

Iyer K, Rubin CA, Hahn GT. Three-dimensional analyses of single rivet-row lap joints (Parts I: Elastic Response and II: Elastic-Plastic Response). Proceedings, ASME IMECE, Recent Advances in Solids and Structures, Nashville, TN, 1999.

Iyer K, Bastias PC, Rubin CA, Hahn GT. Analysis of fatigue and fretting of three-dimensional, single and double rivet-row lap joints. Fatigue in New and Ageing Aircraft, International Committee on Aeronautical Fatigue (ICAF) Series Publication No. 19, Edinburgh, UK, 1997.

Iyer K, Xue M, Bastias PC, Rubin CA, Hahn GT. Analysis of fretting and fretting corrosion in airframe riveted connections. (AGARD) NATO 82nd Meeting of the Structures and Materials Panel, Specialists’ Meeting on Tribology for Aerospace Systems, AGARD-CP-589, Sesimbra, Portugal, 1996.

Iyer K, Xue M, Kasinadhuni R, Bastias PC, Rubin CA, Wert JJ, Hahn GT. Contribution of fretting to the fatigue and corrosive deterioration of a riveted lap joint. Proceedings, ASME IMECE, Structural Integrity in Aging Aircraft, San Francisco, CA, 1995.

Iyer K, Hahn GT, Bastias PC, Rubin CA. Analysis of fretting in pinned connections. Wear 1995; 181(22):524–530.

Books

Hahn GT, Iyer KA, Rubin CA. Structural Shear Joints: Analyses, Properties and Design for Repeated Loading. ASME Press, 2005.

Selected Presentations

Kytomaa H, Iyer K. Mechanical engineering and intellectual property claims in cutting-edge technologies. CLE (credited by Virginia and California State Bars) presentation, Washington, D.C., June 2008.

Iyer KA, Wereszczak AA. Measurement of fracture properties for ballistic performance. U.S. Army Research Laboratory-Johns Hopkins University-Rutgers University Materials Center of Excellence Meeting, 2007.

Iyer KA. Fracture mechanistic computational capability for ceramic armor design. Invited presentation to the U. S. Army Research Office, 2006.

Iyer KA, Swab JJ, LaSalvia JC. Characterization of pre-penetration damage in silicon carbide due to sphere impact: Computational and fractographic analyses. In: Topics in Ceramic Armor, 30th International Cocoa Beach Conference. Expo., Advanced Ceramics and Composites, Cocoa Beach, FL, 2006.

Iyer KA, Dandekar D. Computational analysis of damage in plate-impacted AD995 Aumina. Proceedings, International Conference on Computational and Experimental Engineering and Sciences (ICCES’05), Chennai, India, 2005.

Iyer K. Partial-slip contact fatigue: Relative effects of mechanistic parameters. Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX, 2003.

Iyer K, Hu SJ. Self-piercing riveting: Processing, design considerations and joint performance. 4th Annual Fastening and Assembly Systems Seminar, Emhart Fastening Teknologies, Troy, MI, 2002.

Iyer K, Hu SJ. Variation modeling and design for compliant assemblies. 15th ADCATS (Assoc. Dev. Computer-Aided Tolerancing Software) Conference, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 2000.

Iyer K, Mall S. Fretting fatigue of Ti-6Al-4V under variable amplitude loading. 4th National Turbine Engine High Cycle Fatigue Conference, Monterey, CA, 1999.

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (member)
• American Ceramic Society (member)
• American Geophysical Union (member)