“Many companies have needed to downsize their engineering staff over the last decade and as a result have lost critical institutional knowledge in the key areas of metallurgy, materials selection and materials science. Retaining the services of Nerac is similar to having an ‘on call’ metallurgist or materials engineer to use in time of need vs. the cost of keeping full time staff.”
Steve Sparkowich is a technologically sophisticated engineer with expertise in failure analysis, corrosion assessment, welding and materials selection, and a solid track record of technical and commercial success engineering specialty materials for diverse industry applications. He has more than 25 years experience working with clients and laboratory teams on materials and processes resulting in direct applications in chemical processing and refining, metals and mining, water treatment, biomedical, aerospace, defense, nuclear and microelectronics industries. Steve is efficient at identifying problems and finding solutions through a cooperative, networked approach. He assists clients with practical investigations into the selection, design, fabrication, testing, inspection, and performance of materials of construction used in the process industries as well as everyday problem solving addressing issues that are important to a clients’ success. Steve is a frequent author for industry journals and speaker at industry conferences, educating professionals with his knowledge of specialty materials.
Credentials
- Ohio State University, Graduate Certificate, Welding Engineering, 2008
- Colorado School of Mines, Bachelor of Science, Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, 1989
Certifications
- Licensed Professional Metallurgical Engineer
- Instructor of Metallurgy, Linn-Benton Community College
- ASM Oregon Chapter Chairman, Chapter of Excellence Award
Publications
[1] Sparkowich, S, “Special Approaches to Metallography for Zirconium & Other Reactive Metals” Microscopy & Microanalysis 2010, Portland, Oregon. Vol. 16 Suppl. 2 Pages: 790-791.
[2] Sparkowich, S, Holmes, D, Snow, P, "Characteristics of the Thickened Zirconium Oxide Layer Formed During Air Annealing of Zircadyne© 702 Zirconium" CSC09 Corrosion Solutions Conference 2009 Proceedings, Sept 20-24, 2009, Park City, Utah, Pages: 201-206.
[3] Rodriguez, N, Dickinson, T, Nguyen, D H, Park, E, Foyos, J, Sutherlin, R, Sparkowich, S, Hogue, F, Stoyanov, P, Ogren, J, "On the bimodal grain growth in zirconium grade 702 alloy" ENGINEERING FAILURE ANALYSIS. 2008; Vol. 15 No. 5.
[4] Snow, P, Sparkowich, S, Bozzello, M, "Effects of heat treatment and surface condition on the corrosion resistance of zirconium in hydrochloric acid" CORROSION 2008 - NACE INTERNATIONAL, March 16 - 20, 2008 , New Orleans, Report: 08185.
[5] Sparkowich, S, Weekly, F, Lentz, G, Sanders, B J, "Upgrading to Zirconium Fasteners for Enhanced Performance in Corrosive Applications" American Fastener Journal. Feb 2008 Vol: 25 Pages: 22-36.
[6] Sarrail, B, Schrupp, C, Babakhanyan, S, Muscare, K, Foyos, J, Ogren, J, Stoyanov, P, Sparkowich, S, Sutherlin, R, Clark, R, "Quenching methods for Ti-325 alloy" ENGINEERING FAILURE ANALYSIS. 2007 Vol. 14 No. 7.
[7] Sarrail, B, Schrupp, C, Babakhanyan, S, Muscare, K, Foyos, J, Ogren, J, Sparkowich, S, Sutherlin, R, Hilty, J, Clark, R, "Annealing and anomalous bimodal grain growth of Zr 702" ENGINEERING FAILURE ANALYSIS. 2007 Vol. 14 No. 7.
[8] Snow, P, Sparkowich, S, Bozzello, M, " Corrosion of Zircadyne© Zirconium in the Concentrated Hydrochloric Acid" CSC07 Corrosion Solutions Conference 2007 Proceedings, Sept 9-13, 2007, Sunriver, OR, Pages: 153-164.
[9] Sparkowich, S, Weekly, F, Lentz, G, Sanders, B J, "Upgrading to Zirconium Fasteners in the Chemical Process Industry" CSC07 Corrosion Solutions Conference 2007 Proceedings, Sept 9-13, 2007, Sunriver, OR, Pages: 165-173.
[10] Sparkowich, S, "Acid recovery: ten tips for preventing corrosion on zirconium heat exchangers and other metallic components." Metal Finishing. 2005 Vol: 103 Issue: 5 Pages: 65-71.
[11] Sparkowich, S, Snow, P, "Titanium Grade 36: An Alloy Offering Improved Corrosion Resistance Over Ti Grade 7 and Other Ti-PGM Alloys” CSC05 Corrosion Solutions Conference 2005 Proceedings, Sept 11-15, 2005, Sunriver, OR, Pages: 35-42.
[12] Sparkowich, S, "Zirconium passes the acid test" SULPHUR. British Sulphur Publishing, London. May/June 2005 Number 298 Pages: 39-43.
