Dr. Dara Childs has recently completed the book, "Turbomachinery Rotordynamics with Case Studies."
Childs is director of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Turbomachinery Laboratory and Leland T. Jordan Chair Professor in the Department of of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Childs’ research has changed the way engineers look at machinery, particularly in regard to the previously underappreciated impact of seals, impellers and other fluid-structure interaction forces. His research has made major contributions to the improvement of the analysis and design of vibration of rotating machinery. Today, the use of seals to favorably influence turbomachinery is common, but prior to Dr. Childs’ research in the mid-1970s, it was simply not done. Under his leadership, the Turbomachinery Laboratory has gained an international reputation, and the laboratory’s two major symposia are the meetings of choice for users and manufacturers of commercial turbomachinery.
Childs is an innovative and dedicated teacher. The junior-level course he developed on dynamics and vibration is a major departure from past practices and has been remarkably effective in preparing students for careers in engineering. Childs has been a longtime contributor to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and has served on multiple advisory committees for NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy.
The book is currently in print and will be available on Amazon.com in November. Inspection copies will be available at the Turbo Lab booth (1407) at the Pump and Turbomachinery Symposia Oct. 1-3.