Dr. Gregory Smith is a Materials Scientist and Engineer with a B.E. in Engineering Science, a B.S. in Marine Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Material Science and Engineering. He has over 10 years of experience working with surface engineering and protective coatings, involving paints, polymers, and cladding, with extensive knowledge of thermal spray and cold spray metallic, cermet, and ceramic coatings and repairs. Additionally, Dr. Smith has experience with aerospace-, sea-, and land-based power generation; heavy equipment; mechanical systems, including valves/actuation, boilers, furnaces, heat exchangers, and plumbing; and experience with government/defense industries applications. His experience has included a focus both in research and development and practical engineering-related failure analysis, statistical process control, process and design engineering, and mechanical/thermal testing.

Specifically in the areas of coatings and corrosion prevention, Dr. Smith’s experience covers a wide range of protective and functional coating types, including epoxy and siloxane-based paints, hard-facing carbide and metallic coatings applied via high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) and cold spray methods, as well as more traditional thermal spray techniques including flame spray, twin-wire arc spray, and air plasma spray (APS) used for ceramic and metallic coating application. He is a subject matter expert on the role of processing induced residual stresses and mechanical operation, breakdown, and failure of such systems. Additionally, he has extensive experience in corrosion and environmental degradation of metallic structures and laboratory analysis.

Dr. Smith began working as a process engineer with a start-up firm developing characterization tools and sensors for process measurement of thermal spray deposition activities. This included advancing a DARPA-funded non-distributive evaluation (NDE) inspection program using flash infrared thermography (FIT) to identify and visualize defects below a spray-coated deck structure using digital image correlation algorithm that he developed.

He extended his NDE coating inspection focus internationally at GKN Aerospace Engines Sweden, where he implemented an eddy current-based thickness probe for contact thickness measurement of ceramic thermal barrier coating (TBC) layers applied to a range of FeCrAlY and NiCoCrAlY metallic bond coats and Fe, Ni, and Ti-based substrates. Additionally, Dr. Smith supported statistical process control and process engineering for commercial aerospace-, land-, and sea-based power generation gas turbines in the development of testing reduction plans, to reduce QC/QA test burdens, and supported coating failure analysis on critical systems.

Dr. Smith’s materials graduate work focused on mechanical property characterization of thermal spray and cold spray coating systems. Externally facing, he heavily supported an Army Futures Command program developing temperature-resistant diesel piston coatings for improved power generation on track vehicles. Additionally, he supported process parameter development and mechanical testing for aerospace original equipment manufacturer (OEM) components, such as Al2O3 clearance coatings in turbine compressor sections and WC-CoCr and CrC-NiCr hard-chrome alternative materials in landing gear struts, where resistance to fatigue and impact-based damage was a primary concern.

As a Materials Research Engineer for the US Navy, Dr. Smith supported shipyards, warfare centers, regional maintenance centers, and Navy technical authorities on a wide range of corrosion-related mitigation and prevention efforts. He was recognized as an expert in surface preparation, non-skid materials, and research and development within NAVSEA 05P Coatings and Corrosion Control technical pyramid and directly supported updates to NAVSEA Standard Item 009-32 and 009-124 to improve technology transfer to shipboard and fleet operation. Dr. Smith worked with a range of polymeric and thermal spray coatings systems under MIL-PRF-32577, -23236, and -24667, and with a range of aluminum, stainless steel, CuNi, Inconel, and high-yield carbon steel material components. Additionally, he is certified as a NACE/SSPC Level 1 Coatings Inspector.

Dr. Smith is an active member of ASM’s Thermal Spray Society sub-committee and involved in the publication and peer-review of the Journal of Thermal Spray Research papers. He additionally mentors and supports graduate students at his alma mater.