William P. Hnat, Ph.D.
Personal Website
Research Associate of Orthopaedic Surgery
Mechanical Engineering Instructional Laboratory Director
209 Sackett Hall
502-852-6816
Email...
Biography
Dr. William P. Hnat has expertise and research experience in the areas of experimental and analytical mechanics with particular emphasis on dynamics, acoustics and vibrations. He has performed extensive research in the area of biomechanics and dynamic modeling of complex systems, authored several technical papers in these areas, and is an expert in data acquisition, processing and analysis. He is director of Mechanical Engineering Department instructional laboratories and co-director of the Orthopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory. Prior to joining UofL in 1987, he had been involved in industrial research and development for more than a decade.
Education
Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, University of Akron, 1985.
M.Sc. in mechanical engineering, University of Akron, 1978.
B.Sc. in mechanical engineering, University of Akron, 1976.
Appointment Information
Original appointment as assistant professor - 1987.
Received tenure - 1993.
Promoted to associate professor - 1993.
Promoted to professor - 2000.
Portion of time committed to teaching - 50 percent.
Portion of time committed to research and scholarly activities - 40 percent.
Portion of time committed to institutional and professional service - 10 percent.
Professional Experience
1986-1987, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., group leader, CAE. Coordinated group responsible for developing tire dynamic simulation models, including software development and experimental verification.
1984-1986, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., senior development engineer. Developed tire noise simulation models and conducted research in the area of tire noise source identification.
1978-1982, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., staff development engineer. Director of acoustics laboratories responsible for conducting experimental tire and vehicle noise studies. Developed software to automate data acquisition and analysis.
Patents
"MEMS Capacitive Cantilever Strain Sensor, Devices, and Formation Methods," USPO 7302858, issued 12/4/2007 with Naber, J., Walsh, K., Voor, M., and Puno, R.
Professional Registration
None.
Recent Publications
Hnat, W., Conway, J, Malkani, A., Yakkanti, M. and Voor, M., "The Effect of Modular Tapered Fluted Stems on Proximal Stress Shielding in the Human Femur," Journal of Arthroplasty, accepted for publication in 2009.
Lin, J., Walsh, K., Jackson, D., Aebersold, J., Crain, M., Naber, J. and Hnat, W., "Development of Capacitive Pure Bending Strain Sensor for Wireless Spinal Fusion Monitoring," Sensors and Actuators, A 138, 276-287, 2007.
Abersold, J., Walsh, K., Crain, M., Martin, M., Voor, M., Lin, J-T., Jackson, D., Hnat, W. and Naber, J., "Design and Development of a MEMS Capacitive Bending Strain Sensor," Journal of Microengineering & Microelectronics, 16, 1-8, 2006.
Abersold, J., Walsh, K., Crain, M., Martin, M., Voor, M., Lin, J-T., Jackson, D., Hnat, W. and Naber, J., "Design Modeling, Fabrication and Testing of a MEMS Capacitive Bending Strain Sensor," IMEMS 2006 Conference, Singapore, October 2005.
Scientific and Professional Societies
- Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS)
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Honors and Awards
- Nominated for UofL Outstanding Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Award
- Tau Beta Pi
Institutional and Professional Service
- Member of Speed School Standards and Admission Committee (since 1996)
- Member of ABET Program Assessment Committee (since 1996)
- Member of Speed School Promotion and Tenure Committee (since 2001)
- Member of ASME Bioengineering Design and Rehabilitation Committee
Professional Development Activities
- Attended 5th Combined Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Societies, October 10-13, 2004
- Attended 53rd Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, February 11-14, 2007
