James H. Williams Jr.

He is regarded as one of the world's leading experts in the mechanics, design, fabrication, and nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of nonmetallic fiber reinforced composite materials and structures.

During that period, he performed a range of mechanics calculations on the catapults, arrester cables, and power and propulsion systems of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68).

[1][26] In addition, Williams's efforts were recognized by both industry and the National Science Foundation and he was selected, through a university-industrial program, to spend the summer of 1974 at a major composites manufacturing facility.

As an industrial and governmental consultant and through his MIT Lab with his research students, he advanced the understanding of modern composite materials and structures, as well as the systems for experimentally testing them.

[26] Williams has also shown a sense of humor; 1) he led a group of students in building the world's largest yo-yo and tested it from the tallest building in Cambridge, Massachusetts;[27][115][116] (2) he has been called one of Boston's men of elegance and style;[13][117][118][119][120] and (3) he derived a mathematical proof of the counterintuitive number of rotations made by a non-slipping smaller cylinder rolling around a larger stationary cylinder, as presented in the popular "Ask Marilyn" column of the 72-year-old Parade Magazine, which is inserted into about 700 U.S. Sunday newspapers.

[121][122] During his career, Williams has conducted dozens of industrial and governmental consultations including (1) papermaking calender rolls, for which "he is considered, by virtue of his extensive work in the field, to be the nation's leading expert on stresses in rotary paper dryers";[33][123] (2) the first automated system for installing recessed highway lane delineation reflectors;[124] (3) an earthquake analysis of the 500 KV bus system of the British Columbia (Canada) hydroelectric power generating station and the design of an isolation system to protect its electrical lines during seismic activity;[125] (4) the design of composite rocket motor casings;[126] (5) the residual-life prediction of composite aircraft structures;[127] (6) the stress analysis of a high-speed optical pulsing system;[128] (7) the stress analysis of pelvic implants and bone stints for the Orthopædic Unit of the Massachusetts General Hospital;[129] (8) the effect of ultrasonic irradiation on the enhancement of composite fabrication;[130] (9) the ultrasonic NDE delineation of strength and rupture modes in adhesively bonded joints;[11][12] (10) the design of deepwater mooring composite systems for offshore oil platforms;[131][132][133] (11) an NDE regimen for the structural acceptance of composite automotive leaf springs;[134] among others.

"[137][18][25][136][138][139][140][141][142][143][144][145][146][147] On November 12, 2001, shortly after takeoff from John F. Kennedy International Airport, American Airlines Flight 587, an Airbus Industrie A300-600, crashed in Queens, New York, killing 251 passengers, a crew of 9, and 5 people on the ground.

At the request of several American Airlines pilots, Williams analyzed and then challenged the inspection requirements and the accident investigation conclusions of Airbus Industrie, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—all of whom to varying degrees blamed the co-pilot of Flight 587 for the crash.

The investigation and controversy concerning the crash focused on (1) the co-pilot's actions during takeoff, and (2) the aircraft's vertical stabilizer of the tail section, a complex structure of advanced composites.

"[148][149] Williams further stated and was frequently quoted in the print and broadcast media as describing Airbus's inspection policy as "analogous to assessing whether a woman has breast cancer by simply looking at her family portrait.

"[150][151][152][148][153][154] Through internet postings,[148] op-ed pieces,[153] industrial journal articles,[149] letters,[155] interviews in magazines and newspapers[150][151][156][157] and TV appearances,[152][158][154] Williams challenged the preliminary remarks and the final report of the NTSB's accident investigation.

Although there were several critics of the investigation, including varied pilots and pundits, Williams is widely regarded as the major engineering voice providing pushback against the conclusion that the air disaster was essentially the fault of the co-pilot.

[150][151][157][159] Williams has written hundreds of technical publications in refereed journals, conference proceedings, and major reports to industrial and governmental agencies, dozens of non-technical op-ed and political commentaries, and two books.