Matthew Krott

Pennsylvania State University

Matthew Krott received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with honors in 2013 from the Pennsylvania State University and then continued on to pursue a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State. As an undergraduate student, Matt received both the Boeing Outstanding Mechanical Engineering Junior Award and the Thomas Briggs Hunter Memorial Award for Student Leadership from his department. From 2014-2017, he is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, which funds his Ph.D. research at Penn State. Professionally, he has completed internships at Pratt & Whitney in Connecticut and at Boeing in Philadelphia.

How did you get interested in vertical flight?

"I went through my undergraduate engineering program at an incredibly exciting time for the vertical flight industry. Even today, new configurations like tiltrotors and compound helicopters continue to expand the boundaries for vertical lift aircraft. As a young engineer, watching the development of these new helicopter concepts made me aspire to develop the next generation of rotorcraft. Although my background was in mechanical engineering, part of the beauty of rotorcraft is that they are so complex and involve the interaction of so many different disciplines. In completing my undergraduate honors thesis with Dr. Chris Rahn and Dr. Ed Smith, I quickly found my home in the fields of structures and dynamics, and have pursued my Ph.D. in this field as well."

What impact has receiving the VFF scholarship had for you?

"Being invited to my first AHS Forum in 2014 as a scholarship recipient was a fantastic experience. When I attended the VFF scholarship Awards dinner, I got the opportunity to sit at a table with several people who were remarkable leaders in the rotorcraft field. It was a huge inspiration to meet people who were not only great engineers that I looked up to, but were also very down-to-earth and humble about their career accomplishments."

What are some of your current projects or research interests?

"My Ph.D. research focuses on expanding the capabilities of a new class of vibration treatments using Fluidic Flexible Matrix Composite (F2MC) tubes. These tubes are significantly more efficient at moving fluid than pistons, enabling the development of a lightweight fluidic device that uses fluid inertia to replace the bulky and heavy mass in a traditional tuned vibration absorber. At AHS Forum 71, our research group published a paper experimentally demonstrating the potential of such a device for airframe vibration reduction. I enjoy this project because it addresses important rotorcraft vibration problems, but does it in a unique way that has not been explored before. The project has given me the chance to collaborate with engineers from both industry and government sectors to mature this technology and make it more viable as a solution for rotorcraft."