Bill Lingnell is involved in engineering, design, and construction of projects throughout the United States, Canada and other countries. He consults for general contractors, manufacturers, fabricators, owners, developers, architects, and individuals relating to glass systems used on architectural projects. He consults to engineers, testing agencies, industry trade associations, insurance companies, building managers, window producers, curtain wall consultants, and the legal profession on matters concerning glass technology.

Michael S. Brackin is an Principal Engineer for Beason Brackin & Associates, LLC in Bryan, Texas and an Assistant Lecturer for the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.  Dr. Brackin is a licensed Professional Engineer with the state of Texas (No. 115516).  He holds Doctorate of Philosophy, Master of Science, and Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University.  Dr. Brackin is specialized in the field of architectural glass design, roadside safety, physical security, and computational mechanics.

Dr. Brackin previously served as an Assistant Research Engineer for Texas A&M Transportation Institute's (TTI) Roadside Safety and Physical Security Division.  Dr. Brackin began his tenure with TTI studying heavy vehicle impacts with bridge piers and abutments through the use of finite element analyses under TTI's Center of Excellence for Transportation Computational Mechanics.  Dr. Brackin worked with other TTI researchers to develop guidelines for the design of bridge piers for heavy-vehicle collisions. His research on this topic culminated in revisions included in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) LRFD Bridge Design Specifications.

More recently, Dr. Brackin has been actively involved in the design, analysis, development, and evaluation of roadside safety appurtenances and physical security barriers using basic mechanics, statics, dynamics, finite element analyses, and full-scale crash testing.  Dr. Brackin has contributed to the design and analysis of several roadside safety appurtenances including concrete median barrier systems, guardrail end treatments, guardrail tension anchors, wire rope median barrier anchors, work-zone barriers, and energy absorbing crash cushions.  Additionally, Dr. Brackin has contributed to the design and analysis of several physical security devices including wedge barriers, wire rope perimeter fences, bollards, and anti-ram retaining walls. 

Dr. Brackin has witnessed or been involved with in excess of 600 full-scale vehicular crash tests during his career.  Dr. Brackin has extensive experience in analyzing crash test data. He has performed dynamic analyses to determine design guidelines for loads imposed on structures during collisions by passenger, medium, and heavy-duty vehicles.  Most notably, Dr. Brackin was the lead author for ASTM F3016 titled “Standard Test Method for Surrogate Testing of Vehicle Impact Protective Devices at Low Speeds”, a standard designed to help protect pedestrians and storefront patrons from errant vehicle intrusions.

W. Lynn Beason received a B.S. (1973), M.S. (1974), and Ph. D. (1980) in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University. He was a member of the Civil Engineering faculty at Texas A&M University from 1981 until his retirement in 2017. He has been involved in glass research since 1973. He was involved in the initial research that positively linked the failure of glass in windstorms to missile impact. He developed the glass failure prediction model that serves as the theoretical basis for current glass strength selection charts in the United States. He developed and verified a load sharing analysis for insulating glass subjected to uniform pressures that serves as a basis for the design of insulating glass. He has performed research to establish and model the behaviors of heat-treated glass, laminated glass, and filmed glass. He has developed theoretical models that are used to estimate the behavior of glass in blast situations. He has developed procedures that can be used to design glass subjected to large body impacts. He has concentrated his efforts on the development of procedures to predict the performance of monolithic and insulating annealed glass subjected to thermal loadings. Recently he has focused a significant amount of effort on improving understandings of the strength and behavior of ceramic enamel coated glass. He has led development of four ASTM standards relating to the strength and behavior of window glass and made significant input to the ASTM procedures. He has designed and tested numerous high-profile, unique glass structures in the United States and around the world. He is the author of numerous scientific articles relating to the behavior of glass. He frequently serves as a consultant to industry and government groups interested in the response of glass to selected loading situations.

Beason Brackin has been heavily involved in the research and development of numerous public-interest standards and guidelines. These activities have focused primarily in the arena of ASTM International and have led to the publication of several journal articles and standards. Specifically, the principals have led the development of five widely accepted standards and are currently working on several more. Beason Brackin continues to be involved in leading the development of new and on-going standards and guidelines.

Most notably in the area of glass, research performed by Dr. W. Lynn Beason, founding Senior Principal, in the late 1970’s led to the Beason “Glass Failure Prediction Model” which serves as the basis for all window glass design in the United States. Dr. Beason was the Committee Chairman and lead author for the original development of ASTM E1300 “Standard Practice for Determining Load Resistance of Glass in Building”

In the area of safety and security, research performed by Dr. Michael S. Brackin, founding Principal, led to the development of ASTM F3016 “ Standard Test Method for Surrogate Testing of Vehicle Impact Protective Devices at Low Speeds”, a standard test method aimed at protecting pedestrians and storefront patrons from errant vehicle intrusions. Dr. Brackin is the current Committee Chairman and lead author for the original development of ASTM F3016.

The Beason Brackin team has either led or held a significant role in the development and continuation of the following standards:

Glass:

• ASTM E997 “Standard Test Method for Evaluating Glass Breakage Probability Under the Influence of Uniform Static Loads by Proof Load Testing”
• ASTM E998 “Standard Test Method for Structural Performance of Glass in Windows, Curtain Walls, and Doors Under the Influence of Uniform Static Loads by Nondestructive Method”
• ASTM E1300 “Standard Practice for Determining Load Resistance of Glass in Building”
• ASTM E2431 “Standard Practice for Determining the Resistance of Single Glazed Annealed Architectural Flat Glass to Thermal Loadings”

Roadside Safety:

• ASTM F3016 “Standard Test Method for Surrogate Testing of Vehicle Impact Protective Devices at Low Speeds”

Physical Security:

• ASTM F2656 “Standard Test Method for Crash Testing of Vehicle Security Barriers”

Beason Brackin provides expert witness testimony, consulting, and testing services in support of litigation relating to roadside safety, physical security, structural glass, and general glass products. Ensuring true expert services, Beason Brackin is highly selective in the participation in legal cases. The facts of each case dictate the technical position taken. As such, Beason Brackin provides services to both plaintiff and defendants depending upon the merits of each case. The following are examples of case work Beason Brackin has served on.

Glass:

• Glass bottle failures
• Glass candle holder failures
• The design and failure of agriculture machine windshields
• The design and performance of glass skylights
• The design and failure of glass curtainwall systems
• Glass failure due to nickle sulfide, inclusions, abrasions, etc.
• Human ejection through glass windows
• Thermal failure of glass containers and products
• The use of finite element analysis to analyze glass plates
• Injury due to glass mirror breakage

Roadside Safety:

• The design and performance of vehicle protective devices
• The design and performance of vehicle bollards
• The design and performance of longitudinal cable barriers
• The design and performance of guardrail end-treatments
• The use of finite element analysis to analyze roadside safety hardware

Beason Brackin offers a wide range of structural and thermal testing that includes standard driven tests and unique application testing. While Beason Brackin performs standard, routine testing, most of the testing services performed are focused on highly specialized, one-off custom tests for both common and unique applications. Below are examples of Beason Brackin’s scope of services for testing.

Glass:

• Uniform pressure testing for architectural applications (typically less than 300 psf)
• High-pressure testing for unique applications (up to 15,000 psi)
• Vertical axis edge-strength testing
• Biaxial-Stress testing
• Four-point beam testing
• Thermal stress testing for full-scale glass plates
• Subscale thermal stress testing for glass components and edge strength
• Thermal performance and parameter evaluations
• Testing and evaluation of in-service glass systems

Roadside Safety & Physical Security:

• Dynamic load testing
• Static load testing
• Quasi-static load testing
• Full-scale crash test facilitation (MASH, NCHRP Report 350, ASTM F2656/F3016, etc.)
• Pendulum and Bogie testing
• Drop testing
• Surrogate Vehicle Testing (ASTM F3016)

Among the primary services offered by Beason Brackin are the design, development, improvement, testing, and evaluation of structural glass products, architectural glass and frame systems, roadside safety hardware, and physical security products and systems. In addition, Beason Brackin performs unique research to solve new and complex problems regarding structural glass, roadside safety, and physical security systems. The following are examples of the scope of services performed by Beason Brackin.

Glass:

• Interpretation and application of glass standards, guidelines, and building codes
• Finite element analysis of glass systems (structural and thermal stress)
• Development and design of specialized non-traditional glass applications
• Inspection and evaluation of in-service glass
• Inspection and evaluation of glass damage due to windborne debris
• Failure and forensic analysis of glass systems
• Design and evaluation of glass curtainwall systems
• Design and evaluation of glass canopies
• Design and evaluation of glass window and frame systems
• Design of aquarium and animal enclosures
• Design of glass handrails and stair systems
• Design and evaluation of glass walkways and bridge systems
• Design of glass dance floors

Roadside Safety:

• Finite element analysis and computer simulation of full-scale vehicle impacts
• Design and evaluation of cable median barriers
• Design and evaluation of concrete and steel longitudinal barriers (portable, semi-rigid, and rigid)
• Development of work-zone and low-profile longitudinal barriers and end-treatments
• Design and evaluation of guardrail end-treatments
• Design of general hardware systems and connections
• Development and Evaluation of energy absorbing crash-cushions and components
• Full-scale crash test analytics, vehicle stability, and barrier performance
• Interpretation and application of test and design guidelines

Physical Security:

• Finite element analysis and computer simulation of full-scale vehicle impacts
• Development and evaluation of wedge barriers
• Development and evaluation of planter barriers
• Development and evaluation of fence barriers (wire and fiber rope)
• Design and analysis of bollard systems
• Design and analysis of pedestrian protective devices
• Design of terrain features (ha ha walls, ditches, boulders, etc.)
• Interpretation and application of test standards

Our mission is to develop relationships with our clients by providing the highest quality of professional services to the architectural, engineering, and legal communities in an ethical and timely manner. We are specialized engineers, researchers, and consultants that are driven by our client’s challenges. Our focus is providing innovative solutions to unique problems through hard work, teamwork, and creativity. Our longstanding relationships with the architectural and structural glass, roadside safety, and physical security communities create the essence of our expertise.

Meeting Today's Challenges Moving You Forward

Our mission is to develop relationships with our clients by providing the highest quality of professional services to the architectural, engineering, and legal communities in an ethical and timely manner. We are specialized engineers, researchers, and consultants that are driven by our client’s challenges. Our focus is providing innovative solutions to unique problems through hard work, teamwork, and creativity. Our longstanding relationships with the architectural and structural glass, roadside safety, and physical security communities create the essence of our expertise.