Walter Bernard Grossman was born in 1927. He graduated from the City University of New York, School of Engineering in 1948 with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Cum Laude) and in 1953 with a Master of Civil Engineering. He's affiliated with the Tau Beta Pi (National Engineering Honor Society) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He's a Licensed Professional Engineer in New York and New Jersey
Mr. Grossman has worked in the aerospace industry. At Republic Aviation, Farmingdale, Long Island, NY, from Oct. 1952 to Jan. 1955 and Avro, Toronto, Canada, Jan. 1955 to Oct. 1955 he was a senior aircraft stress analyst. He worked on load determination, stress and deflection analysis of statically indeterminate airframe structures and sub-components on F84-F, RF84-F and CF-105 (Canadian) programs. The CF-105 was unique in that it was an early tandem jet configuration.
With Arde Associates (Engineering Division), in Newark and Paramus, NJ (including consulting at Reaction Motors, Denville, NJ) from Oct. 1955 to May 1959 he worked on all phases of structural systems engineering as related to the LR99 throttleable liquid propellant rocket engine development and qualification programs. The LR99 is the engine used in the X-15 aircraft, consisting of a regeneratively cooled chamber, multi-spud domed injector and a turbopump. He also worked on development of gimballed nozzle for the first stage Minuteman rocket engine and Ardeform, a process for obtaining ultra-high strength pressure vessels by cryogenically stretch-forming stainless steel.
Next with Curtiss-Wright Corp., Wright Aeronautical Division, Wood-Ridge, NJ, from May 1959 to Jan. 1963 he held technical and administrative responsibility for 25 stress engineers working on (1) turbo-compound reciprocating aircraft engines (TC 18, TC 9); (2) turbojet engines (J-65, TJ-60); rotating combustion or Wankel engine; (4) low thrust, small liquid propellant rocket engines; and (5) diameter solid propellant rocket cases (Minuteman). He was instrumental in establishing an experimental stress analysis lab to implement and verify analytical studies. He was the author of "An Investigation of the Maximum Stresses in Long Pressurized Cylindircal Shells" published in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Journal, May 1963. The article dealt with non-linear stress analysis of cynlindrical shells.
From Jan. 1963 to Dec. 1965 he was an aerospace structural systems engineer at Thiokol Chemical Corp., Reaction Motors Div. He worked on all phases of structural systems engineering as related to rocket engines, valves and components. He had primary responsibility for monitoring the structural engineering portions of: Condor missile and Bullup A and B, packaged liquid powerplant; CI, Common Engine, radiamic liquid propellant rocket engine; LEM, Lunar Descent Engine and Cryogenic Fill and Vent couplings; blade valve (Lockheed); safety relief valve (Martin); 12-inch diameter quick closing ball valve (URDC); fuel and cryogenic valves (Chrysler); Surveyor propellant tank program; thixotropic propellant pumping studies; positive expulsion systems studies.
He disclosed on four patents related to packaged liquid powerplants and positive expulsion systems including a helically indented rolling diaphragm (also known as Rolldex). These were: (1) Valve Mechanism—Patent 3,430,442; Mar. 4, 1969, (2) Rolling Metal Diaphragm—Patent 3,516,578; Jun. 23, 1970, (3) Rolling Diaphragm Construction—Patent 3,847,309; Nov. 12, 1974, and (4) Apparatus for Positive Feeding ofFluid Propellants—Patent 3,880,327; Apr. 29, 1975.