Lane Darby
Lane Darby
Inventor · Mechanical Engineer
 

I recently graduated from the Edison Engineering Development Program at GE Aerospace.

I’m Lane Darby.

My focus is on aerospace design, with a history of novel solutions to complex challenges.

I graduated in May 2021 with my B.S. and in December 2021 with my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. As a graduate of the Edison program, I have committed to continuous learning by taking additional classes at GE Aerospace while performing in my full time job. In my short time at GE, I’ve already developed a reputation as someone who can be called upon to help get a project back on schedule.

 
 
 
 

For a portfolio from my time in an activity at Carnegie Mellon called “buggy”, please visit buggy.lanedarby.com

For a portfolio from my projects at Carnegie Mellon, please visit cmu.lanedarby.com

For details on my time at GE Aerospace, please visit ge.lanedarby.com

 
 

Thank you for taking the time to look through my profile and work.

I look forward to hearing from you.

 
 
 
 
 

Experience

GE Aerospace

Structures Design Engineer · Defense Combat propoulsion · October 2024 - Present

  • Brought static pressure sensing system to a successful PDR, burning down risk for engine control schemes

    • Developed large 3D 360° model and scripted workflow to allow quick iterations, going through 17 iterations in 10 days to narrow down design concept

    • Increased LCF life from near-zero to 2% margin, and modal margin to engine redline from -6% to +76%

    • Worked with the aero testing lab on flow test to prove out novel sensing concept

    • Collaborated with thermal systems, aero, and controls engineers to ensure clean signal throughout operating range

  • Supported turbine frame diffuser PDR, running LCF and creep analyses to ensure highly challenged component met program requirements

    • Collaborated with diffuser hardware owner to redesign for LCF through use of 3D submodels

    • Optimized cutouts and circumferential clocking for life limited location, increasing LCF margin from -52% to +8%

  • Supported low pressure turbine rotor PDR, running creep analyses to ensure critical hardware met requirements

  • Took over turbine frame flowpath hardware while design engineer was on paternity leave, redesigning heat shields to meet creep life and releasing models to suppliers for quote

  • Led daily management for significant process substantiation on legacy engines, increasing on-time delivery from 60% to 80%, and reducing backlog from 10 per week to 5 per week

Rotating Parts Design Engineer · Advanced Mechanical Design · July 2023 - October 2024

  • Supported high pressure turbine and compressor rotor preliminary design reviews for a demonstrator program

    • Built 3D finite element model to assess HPT forward shaft capability under blade-out loading scenarios, resulting a design change to bring capability from -32% margin to +2%

    • Collaborated with dynamics and systems stakeholders to address one of the largest risks to the demonstrator’s schedule, performing non-linear analyses to provide rotor and engine stiffness updates

  • Assisted in updating rotating parts stress best practice to include lessons learned and updates from the governing design practice, and disseminated tools and techniques to stress support team

  • Created and utilized standard work for shell model stress and vibrations analysis, allowing for rapid design iterations on core rotor layout, and bringing total analysis time for a single iteration down from 20 minutes to under 4 minutes

    • Using simplified models, iterated with dynamics to create a preliminary redesign of the core structure to meet 50% increased stiffness requirement

    • Performed trade studies with thermal design using standard work to select flow architecture and cooling requirements to meet forward outer seal and disk stress and life targets

    • Reduced weight of HPT forward outer seal by 41% from preliminary design model while still meeting disk design practice requirements

    • Assessed component vibration characteristics of core rotor using standardized scripts, analyzing and post-processing 60 nodal diameters with 50 mode shapes each in 7.5 hours

  • Collaborated with advanced design tools team to bring shell model scripts into a GUI for use on other engine programs

  • Mentored new hire within rotating parts on design practices and processes, helping them to execute and deliver on a novel midseal design and architecture

Aerodynamics DESIGN Engineer · Compression systems aerdoynamics · July 2022 - july 2023

  • Led low pressure ratio fan through test readiness and red flag reviews in preparation for testing at NASA Glenn Research Center’s 9 by 15 Low Speed Wind Tunnel

  • Rewrote entire LPR fan test data reduction code in NPSS, leveraging and improving existing legacy Fortran codes

    • Reduced execution time from 58s to 12s for a single point compared to previous tests, and disseminated adjustments to the broader compression system aerodynamics community at GE

    • Collaborated with NASA Glenn and Safran Aircraft Engines engineers to converge on consistent data reduction and instrument correction methodologies between entities

  • Developed new methods to apply static wire and Mach recovery corrections, sharing with the aero community

  • Assessed entire 240-point LPR fan map in RANS CFD using updated best practices to create pre-test predictions, comparing with LES results where applicable to improve understanding of RANS limitations

  • Completed detailed aerodynamic design of OGV on a short one week turnaround, reducing hub weakness and pressure losses by 30% compared to baseline design

  • Created multistage booster CFD setup for faster iterating and data matching on current high-speed booster designs, in preparation for upcoming rig tests

  • Assisted in development and testing of in-house CFD processing tools, including creating new training materials and best practice for meshing of stator cavities in multistage CFD

Rotating Parts Design Engineer · advanced Combat Engines · January 2022 - july 2022

  • Led low pressure turbine rotor through a successful PDR

    • Reduced LPT rotor PDR slip from 4 months to 2 weeks through crashing schedule and simplified analyses

  • Collaborated with turbine blade owners to help them achieve their targets through dovetail redesigns, burning down risk for the engine program on a novel blade configuration, increasing stress margin on disk dovetail from -5% to 12%

  • Created advanced sealing component between low CoTE blade and high CoTE disk, which separates airflows to protect the rotor, and decreases leakage by about 10% over legacy methods, published in U.S. patent 20250146419

    • Sealing component lowered temperatures in the disk rim by 30°F and eliminated creep / rupture concerns

  • Worked with product design engineers, materials application engineers, and daily meetings with producibility engineers to ensure product vision was both as intended and easy to manufacture

  • Created training material for new rotor design engineers on creating models to allow for quick disk dovetail iterations

  • Updated design practice template for rotor dovetail domino criteria to allow for instantaneous iterations

Control Systems Intern · advanced Military Engineering · June 2021 - August 2021

  • Created standard work Perl scripts to run engine test vectors on FADEC test systems with minimal user input

  • Created new user panels on FADEC test system to allow easier switching and monitoring of parameters

 
 

Projects

Carnegie Mellon University

The Sector Sweeper · eLECTROMECHANICAL sYSTEMS dESIGN · Fall 2020

  • Worked in a group of 5 to design, build, and test a semi-autonomous robot that picks up a track and field discus, reducing travel time by about 50% for a typical athlete

  • Designed and built a combine harvester-like rotating drum that pushes a discus up a ramp and into the storage area, in role as collection subsystem lead

  • Voted “Best Design” out of all College of Engineering capstones at the Design Expo

Dynamic Gripper · Engineering dESIGN · Fall 2019

  • Worked in a group of 4 to design and build a gripper to lift a 1.3 lb artifact 36” high, and swing two passes while having the artifact move less than 0.1” in all directions

  • Weight decreased by 44% between first and second design reviews, demonstrating learned principles of material selection, engineering design, and manufacturing

Crane Project · Stress Analysis · Spring 2019

  • Worked in a group of 3 to design and build a crane to lift a 1 lb. weight 2 inches high, and deflect under 1 inch when the weight was loaded at the end

  • Weight decreased by about 50% between first and second design review while still deflecting under 1 inch, demonstrating learned principles of stress analysis

Spirit Racing Systems

Fleet Maintenance and Repair

  • Collaborated with team of mechanics to build and maintain composite-based free-roll racing vehicles, equipped with a steering / braking system, two axles, and three wheels

  • Fabricated polycarbonate windshields by heat forming and sculpting to match profile

Data Visualization of Driver Trajectory

  • Developed MATLAB functions that import GPX files from practice runs to visualize and analyze multiple driver paths, including self-updating wheel and pusher databases

  • Integrated plots track consistency of drivers and inform optimization of driver lines, using MATLAB to overlay on top of a Google Maps satellite map

Wheel fairing design

  • Conceptualized rear wheel fairing profiles and attachment methods to vehicle

  • Performed fluid flow analyses in ANSYS Fluent to reduce drag by about 30%

  • Created mold using CNC router and fabricated fairings using layup techniques

 
 

Leadership

Spirit Racing Systems

Head Mechanic · Build Lead

  • Collaborated with an interdisciplinary team to build and maintain composites-based free-roll racing vehicles

  • Coordinated training for new mechanics, and lead work sessions for building new vehicles and maintaining current fleet

  • Redesigned and manufactured steering, rear wheel fairings, and windshields

  • Instituted and led mentorship sessions for new team members, focusing on vehicle dynamics and construction

 
 

Education

Carnegie Mellon University

B.S., Mechanical Engineering · QPA: 3.98 / 4.0 · May 2021

M.S., Mechanical Engineering · QPA: 4.0 / 4.0 · December 2021

 
 

Skills

Software

  • NX (and NX Advanced Simulation)

  • Solidworks (and SolidWorks Simulation)

  • ANSYS APDL

  • ANSYS Workbench

  • Hypermesh

Programming Languages

  • Python

  • MATLAB

  • NPSS

  • Bash

  • VBA

  • Perl

Manufacturing

  • Composite layups

  • Laser cutting

  • 3D printing

  • Manual lathe

  • Manual knee mill

  • CNC mill

  • CNC router

 
 

Awards and Honors

GE Aerospace

Lead Inventor on US Patent No. 20250146419 (PDF)

 

Carnegie Mellon University

College of Engineering Dean’s List · 8 Semesters · Fall 2017 – Spring 2021

Pi Tau Sigma

American Society of Mechanical Engineers