Aerospace engineer recognized for lifetime of innovations

A University of Cincinnati professor’s innovations could revolutionize powered flight.

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science Distinguished Professor Ephraim Gutmark is developing a rotating detonation engine to replace traditional combustion engines. It promises to be lighter, safer and more energy efficient since it uses hydrogen fuel instead of petroleum.

While the parts and arrangements of gas-turbine engines have been refined in countless ways, the basic design has remained much the same since Frank Whittle in England fired up his new invention in 1937, Gutmark said.

Gutmark and his students applied for a patent on a new design for his rotating detonation engine. It’s only the latest innovation Gutmark has created as a lifelong inventor. His work was recognized recently by the National Academy of Inventors, which named him a fellow.

When you hear the word invention, you might think of a new, never-before-seen gizmo that changes the world. But in engineering, inventing rarely works that way, Gutmark said. And in aerospace engineering, in particular, innovation proceeds slowly with deliberation and purpose.

“Aerospace engineering is such a conservative field, you end up making small, incremental steps forward. But with a project like this, students get very excited because it’s something new,” he said.

Gutmark has been awarded 78 U.S. patents in topics ranging from combustion to fluid mechanics to propulsion systems and jet noise. Multinational corporation Halliburton even uses a new nozzle design he developed for efficient oil drilling.

More recently, he has applied his expertise in air flow to medicine where he has collaborated with doctors on improvements to CPR devices and equipment to help children breathe easier.

He also developed a sleep apnea system that might one day replace the bulky masks people wear.

Gutmark holds a joint appointment as a professor of otolaryngology in UC’s College of Medicine and is an affiliated professor at the Swedish Royal Technology University.

For his latest project, he worked with an unlikely partner — his daughter Iris Gutmark-Little, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at Cincinnati Children’s. She is also an associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics in UC’s College of Medicine.

Children with a range of respiratory conditions sometimes can’t cough up congestion in their lungs and airways, so Gutmark and his daughter developed a device that can help do that for them. It could have applications for everything from COPD and asthma to cystic fibrosis and respiratory illnesses, they said.

“Even if your lungs aren’t working properly, this device can help you get it out,” he said. “The next step is clinical trials. We’re actively looking for investors now.”

Little said she was delighted to work with her father on a research project. Her brother and sister also are physicians.

“It’s been amazing. My dad is the most quietly brilliant man I’ve ever met,” she said.

At Cincinnati Children’s, she is director of both the Growth Center and the Turner Syndrome Center, which treats girls with the genetic disorder. Little said she moved back to Cincinnati so her children could have the benefit of spending time with their grandfather.

“We’re collaborators, but he’s so supportive. That’s how I was raised, with encouragement every step of the way,” she said.

Gutmark said it is gratifying to see his work adopted so quickly by industry and medicine.

“The most satisfaction I get is in medicine because you see immediate benefits for people,” he said.

“In engineering, inventions percolate into the real world very slowly,” he said. “Aerospace engineering, in particular, is very conservative. You don’t want to make big changes quickly, so it takes tens of years for something new to find its way to applications. They are very risk averse.”

That’s why he is so excited about his rotating detonation engine. Its adoption would represent a seismic change in aviation.

Gutmark is looking forward to commercializing more of his ideas. He said he seeks inspiration in necessity.

“Improved technology is driven by need,” he said. “If you understand the issues, your intuition can tell you the right direction to start looking for solutions.”