Rex E. Paulsen, P.E., Ph.D.

Engineering Mechanics

 

Experienced in structures, stress, fluid and dynamic analysis, and systems engineering. Interests include cranes, wind loadings, roofing, structural failures, and oil drilling equipment. Member NSPI, ASAE, and ICBO. 

Education

  • B.S. (Aeronautical Engineering) Kansas University, 1949
  • M.S. (Engineering Mechanics) Standford University, 1952
  • Ph.D. (Engineering Mechanics) Standford University, 1953

Experience

  • 1973 - Present
    Vice President/Engineering Mechanics, Fay Engineering, Denver, Colorado
  • 1971 - 1974
    Dept. Chairman, MSEE and Chairman of the Sister DRI dept. including Civil and Mechanical Engineering, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado
  • 1962 - 1971
    Principal Staff Engineer, Department Head, Martin Marietta, Denver Colorado
  • 1955 - 1962
    Research Engineer, Sperry Gyroscope Company, Long Island, New York
  • 1952 - 1955
    Hiller Helicopter (Dynamics Engineering), Menlo Park, California

Society Memberships

  • NSPI
  • ASAE
  • ICBO

Consulting Activities

Since 1973, Dr. Paulsen has been in private consulting practice where he spent perhaps 20% of his time on new product development, testing, and design for individual clients. The other 80% has been spent in accident investigation, principally in Civil Engineering. He has investigated and reported on 14 major structural failures since 1977, including the Hyatt Regency walkway disaster in 1981 and 600 foot long air supported building near Grand Junction in about 1979. (See following list.)

  • His experience includes masonry and concrete structures. Most notable of these was a complete structural evaluation of the Federal Office Building in Helena, Montana for earthquake resistance.

  • He has prepared over 20 engineering reports on wooden trusses, bridges, and roof structures, mainly roof trusses. He has also analyzed and reported on a number of roof systems, involving metal roof trusses. Other truss structures he has investigated include crane booms, metrological towers, and oil well derricks.
  • He has examined and prepared engineering reports on over 50 cranes since 1975, many of these in the past five years. I have developed an in-house computer program for crane tip-overs. He has also done detailed stress analysis of hydraulic booms aimed at reproducing load charts. He also designed a portable oil well drilling rig.
  • Dr. Paulsen has been an adjunct professor of engineering at Denver University and taught at the University of Colorado/Denver (Fall 1991). An active experimenter, he designed and conducted three major experiments in 1986 exceeding $50,000 in total value. He holds three U.S. patents.
  • A practicing dynamicist since 1951, he has taught courses in Mechanical Vibration at DU and Engineering Mechanics to senior students at UCD. Professional experience includes helicopter dynamics, gyroscopics, inertial navigation and flight controls. A recent paper "Three-Dimensional Analysis of a Vehicle in Flight" has been published in the SAE Transactions.

Professional Status

    Registered Professional Engineer in Colorado

Specialties

Extensive experience in structural engineering including areas such as cranes, water mains, oil field equipment, and building problems; roofs, roof collapses, wind damage, foundation failures and structural appraisals after fires and explosions. Other areas of interest include, elevators, escalators, scaffolds, and helicopters.

Major Structural Cases

  • University Hills Baptist Church, Denver, Colorado
  • Rangeview High School, Aurora, Colorado
  • RREEF Roof ($1.2 M loss), Denver, Colorado
  • Gateway High School ($8.8 M), Aurora, Colorado
  • I-25 Bridge Collapse, Denver, Colorado
  • Potato Barn, Monte Vista, Colorado
  • Cinderella City Parking Deck, Denver, Colorado
  • Ornamental Concrete Beam, Wyoming State Office Bldg., Cheyenne, Wyoming
  • Wind Damage to Barnes Business College, Denver, Colorado
  • Hyatt Regency Walkways Fall, Kansas City, Missouri
  • FOB, Helena, Montana, Earthquake
  • 170 Foot Dome in Colorado Springs, Colorado
  • 600 Foot Air Building, Fruita, Colorado
  • Sawmill Roof Collapse, Pagosa Springs, Colorado
  • Denver Airport Column Collapse/Fatal, Colorado

Technical and Engineering Publications

  • Robinette, Ric D., Fay, Richard J., Paulsen, Rex E., "Delta-V Basic Concepts, Computational Methods, and Misunderstandings," SAE Publications SP-1030 February, 1994.
  • Fay, Richard J., and Rex E. Paulsen. "Three-Dimensional Analysis of a Vehicle in Flight," SAE International Congress and Exposition, Detroit, Michigan, March 1993.
  • Paulsen, Rex E., "Shingle Damage Caused by Hail," Fay Engineering Newsletter (Industry Update), Summer, 1993.
  • Paulsen, Rex E., "Problem Soils and Soil Problems," Fay Engineering Newsletter (Industry Update), Summer, 1993.