Robert B. Francini
Senior Pipeline Specialist
Kiefner & Associates, Inc.

Education

B.S., Physics, Miami University, 1980
M.S., Engineering Mechanics, The Ohio State University, 1985

Qualifications

Mr. Francini has had over 20 years of experience in the experimental and computational aspects of engineering mechanics. His last 15 years have been spent on research projects related to the pipeline and pressure vessel industry. In addition to his extensive experience analyzing metal loss and mechanical damage using Finite Element Analysis, he has experience in fatigue testing and analysis, experimental mechanics, metal matrix composite testing and fabrication, and failure analysis of composite components. He has worked on projects to monitor pipelines for damage, create and asses metal loss damage, analyze the results of mechanical damage and develop methodologies for life prediction of pipeline repairs.

Relevant Experience

Finite Element Analysis:
Mr. Francini can perform static, modal, heat transfer, dynamic and multiphysics finite element analysis of pipelines and structures. These analyses can be used to evaluate metal loss and mechanical damage. Much of this work has been carried out in support of research on corrosion interaction and the evaluation of mechanical damage for the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) and the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI).

Advanced Acoustic Inspection and Damage Detection:
Mr. Francini was the principal investigator in projects to test and evaluate the real-time acoustic monitoring to detect third-party damage in pipelines. While working in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s acoustic group he was a key participant in developing techniques for using acoustic velocity measurement to measure the stress in damaged pipelines. He has studied using guided wave ultrasonic technology for inspection.

Full-Scale Testing:
Mr. Francini has been the principal investigator in numerous full-scale pipe tests for GTI, PRCI and the NRC. He can provide guidance on the instrumentation of pipelines for short term monitoring and test planning and test procedure development. He is an expert on using strain gages, displacement transducers, accelerometers, temperature sensors and other specialized instrumentation for pipeline testing. Over the course of his career he has developed specialized equipment and fixtures for pipeline testing. This includes specialized hydraulic frames for creating mechanical damage, pipeline burst testing under different end conditions and bend testing. Among other uses, this equipment has been used for the analyses and creation of mechanical damage in pipelines for research.

Composite Repair Technology:
Mr. Francini is an expert on life prediction methodologies. He was the principal investigator in numerous projects to develop test procedures for the analysis of composite repairs. He was instrumental in the initial evaluation of the Clockspring composite repair technology. His work on cured-in-place pipe lining systems has been incorporated into the ASTM F2207 standard. He can assist in the planning of verification programs for these systems.

Failure Analysis:
Mr. Francini has carried out numerous failure analyses of metals, composites and plastics. His particular interest is in the evaluation of the failure of composite materials that are used in relation to pipelines, including composite repairs.

Soil-pipe Interaction:
Mr. Francini can provide assistance on the evaluation and mitigation of mining related subsidence and the effects of soil movement on pipelines. He has used Finite Element Analysis to predict the stress due to mining subsidence and to h