John DeSantis

Research Engineer

Education

B.E., Mechanical Engineering, Villanova University, 2003
M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Villanova University, 2006

Experience

Mr. DeSantis joined the staff of Materials Research & Design in October 2003. Since that time, he has been involved in a wide range of projects usually involving the development of advanced composite materials for use in high temperature environments. Typical projects involve using in-house micromechanical codes to calculate composite properties based on constituent properties, fiber volume fraction and fiber architecture, development of detailed thermal-structural finite element models that accurately simulates the operating environment, and assessing the components feasibility based on the proper failure criterion and design margins.

Specific projects that Mr. DeSantis has been involved in include the design of a carbon/blackglas rocket nozzle for testing at NASA Glenn, design and analysis of an insulated ceramic matrix composite exhaust pipe, development of needled C/SiC and monolithic CVD SiC components for use in the throttleable divert and attitude control system for the Navy’s Standard Missile-3, and analysis of insulation materials for use in the Third Stage Rocket Motor in the Standard Missile-3. Mr. DeSantis has also been involved in the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRT) team whose goal is to develop materials for advanced rocket technology. Specifically, he has been involved in the development of thin refractory metal and metal alloy non-eroding throat inserts for rocket nozzle applications.