David Buss Email & Phone Number

Hawthorne, California, Us

Hawthorne, California, Us

Hawthorne, California, Us

College Station, Texas, Us

- Designed tooling and ball-detent mechanism for zero-fastener nosetip installation to maintain aerodynamic profile of the vehicle and streamline payload integration- Implemented protocol for component mass overrides in CAD model and validated predicted weight/CG within 2% of actual to ensure flight stability- Designed and built quick-disconnect fill/vent hardware to ensure safe and remote flued transfer from GSE to the vehicle- Developed single DOF simulation for apogee adjustment prediction of concept air-brake system to fine-tune aerodynamic control surface geometry, actuator selection, and perturbation-based control scheme

College Station, Texas, Us

- Assisted in the planning and execution of all critical tasks required for a successful hybrid rocket flight at 2019 competition- Oversaw 500+ component SolidWorks assembly as the lead component designer and integration engineer, achieving the highest standard for models, renders, and CAD training in the team’s history- Developed new prepreg composite manufacturing techniques, including custom PID controlled oven, tube-layup apparatus, and testing campaign, so that this year’s airframe could be lighter and stronger- Managed seven members’ individual projects and the subteam’s schedule, budgeting, and presentations to ensure effective communication and overall team operation

College Station, Texas, Us

- Led recovery system overhaul including ejection canister design and manufacturing, parachute folding techniques and guide, MATLAB charge calculator, and SOP documentation to ensure safe return of our rocket- Responsible for machining of all bulkheads, fabrication of composite body elements, launch infrastructure maintenance, simulations, and Solidworks assembly upkeep- Created and presented 40+ weekly technical design review PowerPoints to update team on subsystem changes

Hawthorne, California, Us

- Designed and produced a mass-efficient and man-rated portable scaffold platform system to make rocket tank entry/exit safer and easier during all stages of the build process- Wrote and released the Starship Tank Cleaning specification to formalize procedural requirements for mitigating FOD in propellant storage and Raptor feed systems- Created system-level tooling design of new tank washing equipment focused on improved access, ease of operation, deleting steps, and reduced man-hours while targeting a cleanliness level several orders of magnitude better than current results

Falls Church, Va, Us

- Composed analysis of rocket lap joint gap width using Nastran FEA and hand calculations to recommend optimum geometry, preventing yielding of structure during assembly- Utilized NX cable routing tool to model electrical and ordinance cables for vehicles and infrastructure, coordinating with electrical and propulsion engineers to fine-tune slack and length- Managed high-level NX rocket assemblies to ensure successful component integration across several departments

Houston, Tx, Us

- Overhauled design of small-sized Resilient Seated Butterfly Valves, drastically increasing Cv and lowering annual cost by upwards of $500,000, so that the valves were applicable to a more diverse range of control applications- Ran 100+ Solidworks FEA and SimulationHub CFD simulations to verify the integrity of design changes- Worked with machine shop to prototype new valve design and empirically validate Cv increase obtained through CFD

- Designed and fabricated 6 thermoelectric reaction vessels for testing and operation to power the car’s subsystems- Developed and executed experiments to collect empirical data on peltier units and selected motors so that the team could optimize power management and chemical decisions- Delegated projects among members and ran weekly team meetings to increase design process efficiency

Joliet, Illinois, Us

- Operated lathe, mill, radial drill, forklift, motorized shop cranes with lifting magnets, and band saw to complete fabrication jobs ranging from 1 to 1000 parts in order for the company to reach higher levels of output- Designed CNC plasma and waterjet jobs using AutoCAD, as well as to create reference drawings for company clients, adding valuable CAD capabilities that the company didn't have before- Delivered finished parts exceeding 6000 pounds to 20+ clients around the greater Chicago area using the company’s large stake bed truck to assist boss and allow more efficient use of shop time

- Instructed students in using shop equipment and guided them in machining their own parts so that they could become more self-proficient in the design process- Fabricated parts submitted for senior design projects, design team projects, and various other projects in the college of engineering, allowing their teams to reach higher levels of design and production- Assisted in last second cleanup and repairs during shop flooding caused by hail damage, saving thousands of dollars' worth of shop equipment

Bachelor'S Degree, Aerospace, Aeronautical And Astronautical Engineering

High School