Dr. Frank Abdi

Dr. Frank Abdi is the founder and CEO of Alpha Star Corporation. Dr. Abdi has a strong theoretical and experimental background in airframe technology including the derivation and modification of theoretical equations, aeroelastic tailoring (composite tapering), optimization, material design, fatigue, creep, fracture mechanics, structural mechanics, analysis of structures, and use of computers to implement these techniques.

Dr. Abdi worked at Rockwell Aerospace for fifteen years where he was the manager of advanced program’s Controlled Configured Vehicle Research organization. Dr. Abdi has over 25 years experience in computer based modeling and code development for a range of applications associated with advanced structures, materials processing and composite mechanics with a unique background in finite difference and finite element as applied to aerospace components in support of Rockwell's division. While at Rockwell he was responsible for design and simulation of NASP (X30), B1-B bird strike, Advanced Launch System (ALS), Boosted Penetrator, Swedish Fighter, Special Operation Aircraft (SOA), and shuttle redesign.

At Alpha STAR he has been responsible for Advanced Composite Technology durability and damage tolerance program, Aeroelastic concept engineering (ACE) and several NASA sponsored SBIR, STTR, and ATP and computational structural mechanics (CSM) projects. He has the affiliation with the following professional organizations: American Society of Mechanical Engineers, AIAA (member of Optimization Committee), AIAA (member of Adaptive Structure Committee), NASA Ames (Committee in Aircraft Conceptual Design), and SAE (member of RMS Committee). He has published over 40 journal papers in optimization, materials science and computational structural analysis, co-authored 3 books in process optimization, composite durability and damage tolerance, risk management of composite structure.

Dr. Abdi received a B.S. and a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Michigan in 1974 and 1975 respectively, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Southern California in 1979.