The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) recently announced Brian Dykas, Ph.D., PE, senior materials and processes engineer for Blue Origin, as the keynote speaker for the 2024 STLE Annual Meeting and Exhibition, May 19-23 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Dykas leads experimental tribology for propulsion systems at Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin — the privately owned aerospace manufacturer and spaceflight services company founded in 2000 by founder, executive chairman, and former president and CEO of Amazon, Jeff Bezos. In this role, he works with design teams across all internal engine programs to identify technical risks and design solutions for tribological interfaces, mechanisms, seals and bearings.
He will open the meeting with a keynote address that focuses on how tribology is
supporting Blue Origin’s mission to build a road to space using safe and reliable launch vehicles. With this, the company aims to aid in the discovery of unlimited space resources to better the quality of life of people everywhere.
During the presentation, “Tribology in the New Space Economy,” Dykas will discuss how a key feature of the newest generation of launch vehicles known as “reusability” raises technical challenges in the design of propulsion, mechanical, and structural systems, which must be designed for repeated exposure to launch and landing in seacoast and marine environments. This must be accompanied by order-of-magnitude longer lives than in expendable vehicles. At the same time, reductions in design cycle time and higher launch cadences allow for iterative approaches building on operational experience. The talk will also cover the latest trends and opportunities for tribologists and suppliers in the growing space industry.
In addition to this keynote presentation, the 2024 meeting will feature nearly 500 technical presentations, live Q&A opportunities with academic and industry leaders, 13 industry-specific education courses, discussion panels on technical and market trends, a 100-plus exhibitor trade show, and the popular Commercial Marketing Forum.
Individual meeting and hotel registration is now open. STLE members and non-members can take advantage of early bird rates now through March 22.
MORE INFO www.stle.org
