Robert Kielb

Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Robert Kielb has over 45 years academic, industrial and government research laboratory experience in turbomachinery propulsion.  This consists of 8 years with the U. S. Air Force, 10 years with NASA Lewis Research Center, and 12 years with GE Aircraft Engines as Manager of Aeromechanics Technology.  He has also been an Affiliated Professor at the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) since 2008.  KTH is the leading science and technology university in Sweden.  Currently he is Associate Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University where conducts research and teaches.  He is also Director of the GUIde Consortium (10 companies, 4 universities and 2 government organizations) and Duke Coordinator for the EU-funded THRUST MEng Program.  His primary experiences are: 1) developing and implementing state-of-the-art mechanical and aeromechanical design technologies; 2) directing blade design, manufacture, and test; 3) initiating and executing R&D programs to support needed technology improvements, and 4) coordinating research programs among government, industry and universities (GUIde).  He has authored or co-authored over fifty technical papers, is a recipient of the ASME’s Melville Award for substantial improvements in the understanding of turbine aeroelasticity, and has presented invited lectures worldwide. Dr. Kielb is a Fellow of the ASME and was a Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Gas Turbine Institute, serving on the Board for 6 years. He has also served as Technical Program Chair for ASME Turbo Expo ’96, Chair of the ASME Structures and Dynamics Committee, and Associate Editor of both the Journal of Turbomachinery and Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power.  (ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers)

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Professor of the Practice Emeritus in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Contact Information

  • Office Location: 179 Hudson Hall, Box 90300, Durham, NC 27708
  • Office Phone: (919) 660-5327
  • Email Address: rkielb@duke.edu

Education

  • Ph.D. Ohio State University, 1981

Research Interests

Unsteady aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, mistuning, damping, and probabilistic methods. Principal investigator on AFOSR, DARPA, NASA, and industry-funded research projects.

Courses Taught

  • ME 392: Undergraduate Projects in Mechanical Engineering
  • ME 490: Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering
  • ME 592: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
  • MENG 550: Master of Engineering Internship/Project
  • MENG 551: Master of Engineering Internship/Project Assessment

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Šimurda, D., P. Psota, P. Šidlof, R. Kielb, M. Luxa, J. Hála, and J. Lepicovsky. “Optical measurement and visualization of transonic airflow in a compressor blade cascade.” Journal of Visualization 26, no. 3 (June 1, 2023): 529–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-022-00901-3.
  • Hegde, S., J. D. Inge, and R. Kielb. “Effect of System Mode and Structural Damping Perturbation on the Mistuned Forced Response and Aerodynamic Damping of Embedded Compressor Rotors.” Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power 145, no. 5 (May 1, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4055832.
  • Pan, T., Z. Yan, H. Lu, Q. Li, and R. E. Kielb. “Forced Response Induced by Low Engine Order Under Circumferential Inlet Distortions With Different Extents.” Journal of Turbomachinery 145, no. 4 (April 1, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4055970.
  • Hollenbach, R., R. Kielb, and K. Hall. “A Fluid-Structure Interaction Tool Using a Van der Pol-Based Reduced-Order Model for Buffet and Nonsynchronous Vibrations.” Journal of Turbomachinery 145, no. 1 (January 1, 2023). https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4055447.
  • Hegde, S., A. Madden, and R. Kielb. “Improved strain-energy based mistuning models Part I: Motivation, Approach, and Understanding.” In Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Expo, Vol. 11A, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1115/GT2023-100678.