Abdus Suttar Khan

Dr. Abdus Suttar Khan (1941 - January 31, 2008) was an Oxford Scholar and distinguished aerospace researcher for four decades with NASA, Pratt & Whitney Air Craft Company of United Technology (USA), and the power generation company Alstom (Switzerland).

Early Life and Education

Abdus Suttar Khan was born in Bangladesh in the village of Khagatua, PS Nabinagar, District Brahman Baria in 1941. [ [http://www.thedailystar.net/pf_story.php?nid=25481 The Daily Star: Dr Abdus Suttar Khan] ] Dr. Khan attended Ratanpur High School and did his intermediate at Comilla Victoria College. After graduating at the top of his class from Dhaka University (DU) with a Bachelor of Science (Honors) in 1962 and Master’s Degree in Chemistry in 1963, Dr. Khan joined the Chemistry department as a lecturer at DU. In 1964, he accepted a scholarship to study in Oxford University and received his Ph. D. degree in Chemistry in 1968. Following his Ph. D., Khan returned to the Chemistry department of DU as an Associate Professor and worked there until 1973. That year, he left Bangladesh to conduct research in the field of Materials Engineering (alloys) in the United States.

Professional Work

From his four decades of research at NASA, United Technology, and Alstom, Dr. Khan invented more than 40 different alloys for commercial application in space shuttles, advanced commercial jet engines, and U.S. air force jet engines. These alloys made engines lighter, which enabled the aircraft to fly faster. Dr. Khan's work in Switzerland also involved alloys, which increased the speed of train engines and industrial gas turbines.

One of Khan's inventions, high strength nickel based alloys, were used for increased fuel efficiency in F-15 & F-16 fighter engines. Subsequently, these alloys were declared as 21st Century materials for advanced aircraft engines in the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Magazine (Popular Science, June 1990).

Awards and Achievements

For Dr. Khan's outstanding research and its application in aerospace, he received numerous prestigious awards from NASA, the U.S. Air Force, United Technology, and Alstom. In addition to these achievements, Dr. Khan was a Chartered Scientist (Professional Scientist) of the Royal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain, 2005), Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain, 1996), and a member of the American Society of Metals.

Some of his important awards and recognitions include:

1) The ‘1986 United Technologies Special Award’ for contributing the development of high strength nickel based alloys (known as Alloy Y) used for increased fuel efficiency of F-15 & F-16 fighter engines. The Alloy Y was highlighted in Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Magazine (AMM Magazine), August 4, 1986. Subsequently the Alloy Y was declared as 21st Century Materials for advanced aircraft engines, Popular Science, June 1990, pp 83

2) ‘United Technologies Research Center Award of Excellence ’ for developing a unique manufacturing process for hydrocarbon catalysis for high-speed aircraft & missile propulsion (1994).

3) The hydrocarbon fuel catalyst technology developed under NASA-Air Force contract was declared as enabling technology by NASA and US Air Force in 1992

4) ‘Pratt & Whitney’s Special’ Award for contribution to development of manufacturing technology for advanced surface protection coatings for use in jet engines (1993)

Commercial Products Developed

1) Nano-catalysts developed are used for in fuel flow path in advanced jet engines for high mach propulsion

2) Advanced abrasion resistant materials developed are used for increased fuel efficiencies of US AF fighter engines (Proprietary to United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney)

3) Corrosion & fatigue resistant coatings deposited by cathodic arc process is used in advanced commercial in Pratt & Whiney jet engines (Proprietary to United Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney)

4) Electrodeposited wear resistant coatings developed is used in advanced GT24/26 industrial gas turbine engines by Alstom, Switzerland (Proprietary to Alstom, Switzerland)

5) Electrodeposited oxidation-corrosion resistant coatings used by Alstom, Switzerland in Alstom Power GT-11 industrial gas turbine engines (Proprietary to Alstom, Switzerland)

List of Selected Patents

1) Khan, Abdus S, Nazmy, Mohamed,’ MCrAlY bond coating and method of depositing said bond coating’, US patent No. 20050003227 (January 6, 2005)

2) Khan, Abdus S, Fried, Reinhard, ‘ Thermally loaded component of a gas turbine comprises heat insulating ceramic layer used for gas turbine blades’ DE10332938 (February 10, 2005)

3) Khan, Abdus S, Nazmy, Mohamed, ‘ Method of applying a thermal barrier coating system to a superalloy substrate’, W02005038074 (April 28, 2005)

4) Allen, William P, Vernoesi, William, Hall, Robert J, Maloney, Michael J., Appleby, John W, Hague, Douglas D. and Khan, Abdus S. ’Reflective coatings to reduce heat transfer’, US patent No 6,887,587 (May 3, 2005)

5) Khan, Abdus S, Fernihough John, Konter, Maxim, ‘Method of repairing a ceramic coating’, US patent No. 6,890,587 (May 10, 2005)

6) Khan, Abdus S., Konter, Maxim, Schmees, Robert, ‘ Bond or overlay MCrAlY coating’, US patent No. 6,924,045 (August 2,2005)

7) Fried, Reinhard, Goecmen, Alkan, Khan, Abdus.S, ’ Temperature-stable protective coating over a metallic substrate surface, and a process for producing the protective coating’, US patent No. 6,720,087 (April 13, 2004)

8) Duda, Thomas, Jung, Arnd, Khan, Abdus S, ‘Method of depositing MCrAlY coating on an article and the coated article’, European patent No. EP1411148 (April 21, 2004)

9) Khan, Abdus S., Bossmann, Hans-Peter, Duda, Thomas, Schnell, Alexander, Stefansson, Karl-Johan, Toennes, Christoph T, ‘Method of depositing an oxidation and fatigue resistant MCrAlY coating’, US patent No. 20040079648 (April 29, 2004)

10) Khan, Abdus S., Duda, Thomas, ‘Method of depositing a local coating’, US patent No.20040159552 (August 19, 2004)

11) Khan, Abdus S, Duda, Thomas, Hoebel, Mathias, Schnell, Alexander, ’A method of depositing a local coating’, US patent No. 20040163583 (August 24, 2004)

12) Khan, Abdus S, Boston, Ian W and Hearley, James. A,’ Method of depositing a wear resistant seal coating and seal system’, US patent No.20040185294 (Sept. 23, 2004)

13) Schnell, Alexander, Kurz, Wilfred, Hoebel, Mathias, Khan, Abdus S., Konter, Maxim Bezencon, Cyrille, ‘MCrAlY type alloy coating’, European patent US patent No.20040234808 (November 25, 2004)

14) Schnell, Alexander, Hoebel, Mathias, Kurz, Wilfred, Khan, Abdus S., Konter, Maxim, Bezencon, Cyrille, ‘Method of growing a MCrAlY coating and an article coated with the MCrAlY coating’, US patent No.20040244676 (December 9, 2004)

15) Khan, Abdus S., Fried, Reinhard, ‘Method of applying a coating system’, European patent No. EP1491658 (December 29, 2004)

16) Khan, Abdus S, Fried, Reinhard, ‘Method of applying a coating’, European patent No. EP 1491657 (December 29, 2004)

17) Khan, Abdus S, Duda, Thomas, Schnell, Alexander, Jung, Arnd, ‘A method of depositing a coating’, European patent No. EP 1491650 (December 29,2004) 18) Fernihough, John, Khan, Abdus S., Konter, Maxim, Oehl, Markus, Dorn, Joachim-Hans, 'Process of repairing a coated component’, US patent No. 6,569,492 (May 27, 2003)

19) Beers, Russell A, Noetzel, Allan A, Khan, Abdus S., ‘Oxidation and fatigue resistant coating’, US patent No. 20030211356 (November 3, 2003)

20) Allen, William P, Vernoesi, William, Hall, Robert J, Maloney, Michael J., Appleby, John W, Hague, Douglas D. and Khan, Abdus S. ’Reflective coatings to reduce heat transfer’, US patent No. 6,652,987 (November 25, 2003)

21) Khan, Abdus S., Zagorski, Alexander, Savell A, Katsnelson, Savell, S, Pozdniakov, Georgij A, 'Method for treating the bond coating of a component’ European patent No. EP1215301 (June 19, 2002)

22) Beers, Russell A, Khan, Abdus S, Noetzel, Allan A, ‘Oxidation resistant coatings for copper’, US Patent No 6,277,499 (August 21, 2001)

23) Mullen, Richard S, Allen, William P, Gell, Maurice L, Barkalow, Richard H., Noetzel, Allan A., Appleby, John W, Khan, Abdus S. 'Multiple nanolayer coating system’, US Patent No. 5,687,679 (November 18, 1997)

24) Khan, Abdus S, Murphy, Kenneth S, Fenton, Richard J, ‘Method for improving oxidation and spallation resistance of diffusion aluminide coatings’, W09530779 (November 16,1995)

25) Khan, Abdus S., 'Non-destructive test for coated carbon-carbon composite articles’, US Patent No. 5,317,901 (June 7, 1994)

26) Khan, Abdus S, Wright, Robert J.’ A method for protecting article from hydrogen absorption by Application of alumina coating’, US Patent No. 5,252,362 (October 12, 1993)

27) Senterfitt, Donald R, Hamner, Larry D., Mullaly, James. R, Khan, Abdus S, Smeggil, John. G, 'Leading edge heat Pipe arrangement’, US Patent No. 4,966,229 (October 30, 1990)

28) Gostic, William J, Khan, Abdus S, Murphy, Kenneth S, 'Oxidation resistant single crystals’ US Patent No. 4,878,965 (November 7, 1989)

29) Hecht, Ralph J, Khan, Abdus S, Barkalow, Richard H, 'Substrate tailored coatings’, US Patent No. 4,758,480 (July 19, 1988)

30) Bourdeo, Girad G, Khan, Abdus S,’ Nickel base superalloy’ British patent No. GB02110240 & FR-2517329 (June 3, 1983)

31) Barrett, Charles A, Lowell, Carl E, Khan, Abdus S, 'A ternary NiCrAl system’, US Patent No. 4,340,425 (July 20,1982)

Retired Life

During his retired life, Dr. Khan was conducting research as an honorary professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Florida State University. While researching there, he tried to establish a Center of Excellence in nanomaterials for research in the area of nano carbon nanotechnology for applications in materials science and biomaterial technology.

Social Achievements

Besides his scientific achievements, Dr. Khan was also involved in community services in the United States. Dr. Khan was the founder of the Bangladeshi Association of Florida and organized numerous Asian community events. In 1991, he raised $61,000 for Bangladeshi flood victims and donated these funds through the Red Cross. Dr. Khan also established a cooperative agreement between Dhaka University and Lamar University (Texas, USA) to train faculty members and graduate students of DU.

References

: [http://www1.uspto.gov/web/patents/patog/week36/OG/patentee/alphaK.htm List of Patentees 4th September, 2007]