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Hill Engineering recently collaborated with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Integrative Materials Design Center to publish an article in International Journal of Fatigue, titled Fatigue crack growth mechanisms in similar and dissimilar aluminum friction stir welds: Residual stress, microstructure, and microhardness effects. The results of this work can be used to inform design decisions to improve…
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Recently, some members of Hill Engineering visited the National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. With more than 360 aircraft and missiles in house, the museum is the largest military aviation museum in the world. Because of our aerospace and mechanical engineering backgrounds, aircraft represent a special place in our hearts. Of…
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Hill Engineering recently performed various residual stress measurements on nickel and aluminum specimens to support a project from the Materials & Processes Engineering group at Pratt & Whitney. The results will be presented by Pratt & Whitney at the International Conference on Residual Stress, happening October 20-23, 2025, in Detroit, MI. If you are planning…
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Maintaining the high quality of our work is our top priority. That’s why it’s important that our office environment promotes efficiency and qualitative communication here at Hill Engineering. From a project’s inception until its close, we strive to keep a workflow that handles our customer’s needs with consistent attention and care. At the moment a…
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After a busy summer filled with high-temperature residual stress measurements, the Hill Engineering team took some time to relax and recharge with a well-deserved pool party. Nothing beats cooling off in the water after long days in the lab, and this year’s gathering gave us the perfect chance to enjoy some sunshine and spend quality…
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As was previously discussed, Hill Engineering was recently awarded ISO17025:2005 accreditation for our Quality System. Developing a Quality System that is compliant with ISO is a significant effort, and at Hill Engineering we took it as an opportunity to improve the quality and documentation of our laboratory residual stress measurement services. Here’s a look back…
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Fatigue is one important failure mode that guides the design and engineering of aircraft structure. As we have discussed previously aircraft are often manufactured using rivets and fasteners, which require drilling many holes in the structure during assembly. The holes act as stress concentrations, which tend to be locations where fatigue cracks are found. Compressive…
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Hill Engineering recently moved into a new facility in Rancho Cordova, CA. The new facility features a combination of laboratory, research and development, and office space; all of which are important as we work tenaciously to meet the needs of our current projects, while at the same time keeping an eye towards innovation and new…
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Aircraft undergo complex loading during their operation and lifecycle. For example, take off, landing, turbulence, and flight/ground maneuvers are all instances where significant loading occurs. The cyclic loading and unloading activates a failure mechanism called fatigue, which is most prevalent at the highest stressed regions. Many aircraft are assembled using riveted construction, whereby small holes…
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Fracture and fatigue are important material performance issues that Hill Engineering examines on a regular basis. Hill Engineering recently contributed to a publication titled “Investigating and interpreting failure analysis of high strength nuts made from nickel-base superalloy.” The publication includes a detailed review of work performed to understand the failure of these fracture critical nuts.…
