Professor
System Engineering and Product Design

Educational Background
B.S. Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, 1975
M.S. Engineering Science, Penn State University, 1981
Ph.D. Engineering Science and Mechanics, Penn State University 1987

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Location: McMahon Building, Room 228A

Research Overview
Study of the mechanics of electroceramic devices e.g. actuators and capacitors.  Computer simulations of PDEs: numerical analysis
Conceptual design of sensors: composite hydrophones.  Study of thermomechanical systems e.g. heat engines and heat pumps (past exp.)

Current and Recent Projects

• Simulation of the mechanics of Si3N4 materials via closed-form and FEA methods
• Identification of techniques to improve composite structures. -- Dupont/CACT
• Numerical methods for simulation of barium titanate MLC -- Ferro (concluding)

Select Publications and Patents
Modeling of the World Oil Production using Sigmoidal Functions-Update 2010, W.B. Carlson, Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy, 6: 2, 178-186 (2011).

Formulation of Piezoelectricity and Electrostricity and Electrostriction in 4mm Symmetry Via an Airy Stress Function, W.B. Carlson. Ferroelectrics, Letters Section, 34 (3), 80-83 (2007).



Analysis of World Oil production Based on the Fitting of the Logistic Function and its Derivatives, W.B. Carlson, Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy, 2 (4), 421-428 (2007).

Sensitivity of Predicted Oil Production to the Sigmoid Function,W.B. Carlson, Energy Sources, Part B: Economics, Planning, and Policy, 2 (4), 321-327 (2007).



Testing of Piezoresistive Polyurethane-FE304 Composites, W.B. Carlson, S.F Bartkowski, W.A. Schulze, S.M. Pilgrim. Ferroelectrics, 331, 83-88 (2006).

FORMULATION OF ELECTROSTRICTIVE STRESSES IN DIELECTRIC BODIES VIA AN AIRY STRESS FUNCTION, W.B. Carlson and D.E. McCauley. Ferroelectrics, Letters Section, 33 (1-2), 21-24 (2006)

APPROXIMATION OF ELECTROMECHANICAL STRESSES IN MLC CAPACITORS DUE TO INTERNALLY CLAMPED STRAINS, W.B. Carlson and D.E. McCauley. Ferroelectrics, 330 (1), 37-44 (2006).



SOLID FREEFORM ENCAPSULATION OF 1-3-0 PZT COMPOSITES, R. Sun and W. Carlson, Journal of Electroceramics, 8, 139-144, (2002).



GLASS TANK PERFORMANCE CALCULATED UNDER EXTREME MANUFACTURING CONDITIONS, W. Carlson and M. Koyuncu, Glass Researcher, vol. 10/11, 2-1, pp. 44-46,54 (2001).

Composite Hydrophone Devices Coupling Piezoelectricity and Tensegrity, D. Williams, W. Carlson, W. Schulze, S. Pilgrim, Materials Res. Innovations, vol 3 no 4 , pp. 226-230 (2000).

Piezotensegritic Structures for Tranducer Applications, W. Carlson, D. Williams, R. Newnham, Materials Research Innovations, vol 3.,pp.175-178 (1999).