Frank J. Cunha

Professor of Practice, Mechanical Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering

Professor-of-Practice, MANE, RPI 2016 - Present, UCONN 2013 – 2015 Mechanical Engineering Department, United Technologies Pratt-Whitney Nov 1999 – March 2015 and April 1998 – Oct 1998 Development Leader for design of military and commercial aircraft engines, turbines, combustors and afterburners 100 US patents, Siemens-Westinghouse Corporation  Oct 1998 – Nov 1999 and March 1997 – April 1998 Principal Engineer development of land-based gas turbines 2 patents, General Electric Company Jan 1990 – Oct 1996 and June 1979 – Dec 1980 Edison and Staff Engineer responsible for the development of  heavy-duty gas turbines 14 patents, Public Service Electric and Gas Company March 1981 – August 1989 Electrical Power Generation Staff Engineer.

Programs Taught
Mechanical Engineering

Year Joined RPI

2016

Other Certificates and Licenses

P.E., New York University, Mechanical Engineering

Other Professional Experiences

University of Connecticut, United Technologies Pratt & Whitney, Siemens-Westinghouse Corp., General Electric

 

Education
  • Ph.D., New York University, Mechanical Engineering, 1995
  • M.S., New Jersey Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering, 1983
  • B.S., New Jersey Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering, 1979
Research Focus
  • Turbomachinery Development and Turbine Blade Analysis
  • Advanced Thermodynamics and Energy Systems
  • Solid and Fluid Mechanics
  • Computer modeling and simulation
  • Heat Transfer Testing
  • Slot Cooling
  • Thermal-Mechanical Fatigue
Contact cunhaf@rpi.edu
Select Works
  • Cunha, F.J., Gas Turbine Heat Transfer, Turbine Aerodynamics, Heat Transfer, Materials and Mechanics, Progress and Astronautics and Aeronautics, Vol. 243, ISBN-13: 978-1624102639, September, 2014.
  • Cunha, F.J., Turbine Heat Transfer Analysis, Gas Turbine Handbook, United States Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, 2006
  • Cunha, F.J., Trailing Edge Cooling for Gas Turbines, Special Section on Turbine Science and Technology, AIAA Journal of Propulsion and Power, April 2006.
  • Cunha, F.J., Integrated High Performance Turbine Engine Technologies VII “Turbine Edge Cooling, United States Air Force, Air Force Material Command, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Research Laboratory, May, 2003.
  • Cunha, F.J., Enhanced Turbine Airfoil Lifing for Long Hot Missions, United States Air Force, Air Force Material Command, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Research Laboratory, May, 2003.
  • “Heat Transfer on Internal Surfaces of a Duct Subjected to Impingement of a Jet Array with Varying Jet Hole-Size and Spacing”, Journal of Turbomachinery, Vol.128, 2006.
  • “Effects of Coating Blockage and Deposit on Film-Cooling Effectiveness and Surface Heat Transfer”, AIAA 2006-0024, 2006
  • Thermal-Mechanical Life Prediction System for Anisotropic Turbine Components Journal of Turbomachinery, TURBO-05-1110, 2005