31 March 2009

Prestigious award for Defence scientist

Dr Bruce Hinton of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has been honoured by the U.S.-based professional organisation NACE International (formerly the National Association of Corrosion Engineers) as the 2009 recipient of its prestigious F.N. Speller award. He is the first Australian to win the award.


The F.N. Speller Award, which is named after a U.S. pioneer in metallurgy and corrosion engineering, recognizes significant contributions to corrosion engineering. Recipients of this award have made an international contribution through education or work promoting development or improvement of a method, process, and type of equipment or material that facilitates control of corrosion or makes the process more economical.


Dr Hinton received the award in recognition of his sustained and insightful application of corrosion science and engineering to the solution and prevention of corrosion problems on Australian Defence Force aircraft over a period of 40 years.


In the course of his career, Dr Hinton has conducted research in numerous areas including atmospheric corrosion, corrosion inhibition, conversion coatings, stress corrosion cracking, corrosion sensors, corrosion fatigue, and hydrogen embrittlement. This work was carried out not only at DSTO, but also through collaboration with both industry and academia in Australia and overseas.


His work has increased aircraft availability for operational use, and significantly reduced the time and money spent on aircraft maintenance. A program to proactively manage corrosion in Australia’s Black Hawk fleet in the 1990s was one of Dr Hinton’s most significant contributions to Defence.


On 25 March Dr Hinton delivered the 2009 F. N. Speller lecture at the Corrosion 2009 conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on ‘Prevention and Control of Corrosion in Aircraft: Changes Over Four Decades’.


Dr Hinton has also received the Defence Minister’s Award for Achievement in Defence Science for his work on corrosion control and management.


More detail of Dr Hinton’s work may be found here.

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