James Taylor

Group Leader, Mechanical Engineering
Principal Engineering Consultant
Melbourne

Professional Background

Thirty years' experience in engineering consultancy of mining plant, rail track, rail passenger vehicles and rolling stock, transport vehicles, petrochemical and power plant. Specialising in pressure equipment (vessels and piping).  Company signatory for pressure vessel design verification. Fitness for purpose analysis including product integrity assessments. Australian Standards compliance testing.

Area of Expertise

• Pressure Vessel Design and Verification - Signatory.
• Piping stress analysis and inspection.
• Theoretical and experimental stress analysis.
• Structural integrity assessments of statutory equipment, plant and machinery.
• Product testing and Australian Standard compliance assessments.
• General mechanical and fitness for purpose testing of manufactured and fabricated products..
• Site measurements and surveys - field measurements of temperature, strain, acceleration, load, pressure and displacement.

Relevant Project Experience

• Involved in investigations applying theoretical/experimental stress analysis to pressure plant maintenance problems; finite element modelling of pressure vessels and plant equipment for Synergy Muja power station, Hazelwood power station, Loy Yang power stations, Stanwell power station, Tarong and Tarong Nth power station, Yallourn power station and NRG.
• Independent rail track investigations, rail passenger vehicle structural testing, experimental stress analysis (strain gauge surveys with static and dynamic testing) and theoretical stress analysis (FEA Finite Element Analysis), fatigue testing of rolling stock components.
• Vibration analyses/testing of structures and machinery for Stanwell power station.
• Pressure Vessel Design verifier for several Australian companies.
• Pressure Vessel Design - Finite Element Modelling - Company signatory
• Pressure equipment design assistance, design notification and registrations to regulatory authorities and hydrostatic testing.
• Structural integrity assessments of statutory equipment, plant and machinery. Crane inspections.
• Weighing of machinery and structures to determine Centre of Gravity Product testing and Australian Standard compliance assessments of vehicle components, gas cylinders and other bulk manufactured components.
• General mechanical and fitness for purpose testing of manufactured and fabricated products including proof load testing.
• Site surveys - field measurements of temperature, strain, acceleration, pressure and displacement for petrochemical, mining and manufacturing industries.
• Pressure equipment design, repair, inspections and assessment to AS1210, ASME BPVC, PD5500, AD2000, etc.
• Structural engineering inspection and assessment of plant including cranes, dredgers, stackers, reclaimers, turbines, boilers, piping, etc.

Qualifications

• BEng(Mech)

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Member of the Institute of Engineers Australia, MIEAust (for over 30 years)
• Registered Professional Engineer, RPEng
• Registered Professional Engineer QLD, RPEQ
• Member of Professionals Australia (for over 20 years)
• NATA technical assessor for pressure vessel design verification