shotpeener.com blog

“James was awarded the 2011 Shot Peener of the Year from The Shot Peener magazine due to his extensive efforts to revise SAE shot peening documents and his dedication to improving shot peening practices at Corpus Christi Army Depot and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center. We especially admire the tenacity and thoroughness James demonstrates while working on the “J” and AMS documents.”

—Jack Champaigne
Editor, The Shot Peener magazine

JAMES KERNAN is an Aerospace Engineer employed by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center based in Huntsville, Alabama. James is responsible for the maintenance engineering of helicopter drive systems, including the transmission, gearboxes and rotor head, and the repair and overhaul of  drive system components.  James utlizes the full spectrum of repair development including failure analysis, root cause evaluation, and design redevelopment.

James has a B.S. degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso and has achieved Electronics Inc. Education Division’s Shot Peening Level III certification status. He is a member of ASM International and the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society. James was instrumental in leading the Corpus Christi Army Depot to Nadcap accreditation in 2007.

James realized from this in-depth audit that the shot peening specifications needed adjustments. He became a member of both the SAE Surface Enhancement Committee and the AMS Aerospace Metals and Engineering Committee (AMEC) Surface Enhancement Subcommittee. He co-authored the AMS 2590, Rotary Flap Peening of Metal Parts and AMS 2592 Flap Assemblies, Rotary Flap Peening. These specifications are utilized for minor repairs of previously shot-peened surfaces. “I enjoy using shot peening to repair components. Through my involvment with SAE, AMEC and my field experience, I can help refine specifications that will further improve the repair processes,” said James.

James is the sponsor of AMS 2430S, Shot Peening, Automatic and is responsible for coordinating its revisions. “I appreciate being part of the specification revision team and bringing together the committee members’ concerns to evolve a workable, auditable requirement into the specification. I hope to see the AMS 2430 get AMS B Committee approval soon with the AMS 2432, Shot Peening, Computer Monitored revision following thereafter,” said James.