
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
- EGR 393: Research Projects in Engineering
- ME 392: Undergraduate Projects in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 490: Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 491: Special Projects in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 492: Special Projects in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 555: Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 591: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
- ME 592: Research Independent Study in Mechanical Engineering or Material Science
- ME 759: Special Readings in Mechanical Engineering
- MENG 550: Master of Engineering Internship/Project
- MENG 551: Master of Engineering Internship/Project Assessment
In the News
- The Sky's the Limit for Duke Engineers Designing the Safest, Most Cost-Efficien…
- Building Faster, Safer Jet Turbines (May 23, 2019 | Pratt School of Engineering)
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.
- 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.
- Hollenbach, R., R. Kielb, and K. Hall. “Extending a Van Der Pol-Based Reduced-Order Model for Fluid-Structure Interaction Applied to Non-Synchronous Vibrations in Turbomachinery.” Journal of Turbomachinery 144, no. 3 (March 1, 2022). https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4052405.
- Hollenbach, R., R. Kielb, and K. Hall. “Unsteady Pressure Analysis of an Oscillating Cylinder Exhibiting Non-Synchronous Vibrations.” In Aiaa Science and Technology Forum and Exposition, Aiaa Scitech Forum 2022, 2022. https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2022-0561.