John Louis Goldberg
John Louis Goldberg (1931 - 2023)
Prepared by Freda Garnsey, 11 December 2002 from oral history interview conducted on 2 June 1999. John Goldberg was born in Sydney on 1 April, 1931. His father was a solicitor and his mother worked at home. He had one younger sister. John married and had two sons.
His primary education was at Rose Bay Public School for one year, then boarding school to nine years of age, and finally Beecroft School. Secondary education was at Fort Street High School.
He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Sydney in 1953 and with a Master of Engineering from the same institution in 1963, and later, in 1986, a Ph.D., also at the University of Sydney
His first job was as an Assistant Engineer in the microwave division of Standard Telephones and Cables, working on microwave telephony links for South Australia. He compiled the handbook for it. He felt this work at STC was pioneering - a major project involving long distance, harsh terrain, novel technology, with a large number of channels needed. It was a forerunner for mobile phone technology in the 1950s.
Another project in which he participated was the development of the use of transistor circuits in pulse time modulation systems.
In 1957 accepted a position at the National Standards Laboratory at CSIRO. Among his projects were the development of radio frequency amplifiers, the development of stable RF amplifiers, and the application of electrical techniques to mechanical measurement.
In 1971 established the first Australian national standard of vibration measurement using optical interference techniques. His method was acknowledged in the former Soviet Union by the Mendeleev Institute of Metrology, Leningrad in its publications.
In 1972 undertook research and findings on supersonic noise levels and boom problems.
His most important and interesting project was the investigation of the failure of three major 500-megawatt generators at Liddell Power Station in 1982. He felt that it was caused by vibration and fatigue failure. He undertook investigation involving vibration properties of the windings and found a pattern of vibration and presented a paper on the findings at a French conference.
In 1979 he was invited to speak at 50th anniversary of the US Naval Research Laboratory Shock and Vibration Symposium for his work on roof damping. In 1982 and again in 1986 he investigated Japanese and Swiss power station construction techniques for the Electricity Commission of NSW. In 1986 visited Howald Werke Deutsche-Werft in Kiel, Germany, and Kockums in Malmo in Sweden, as arranged through his membership of the Education and Research Submarine Taskforce for the NSW government.
In 1987 he was appointed by the Premier of NSW (Bob Carr) to sit on the bench with Commissioner Woodward of the Commission of Inquiry on acoustic and vibration matters related to the BHP Steel Mill at Rooty Hill. His role was to ensure that there was integrity about the evidence.
Just before his retirement in 1989 he was the Senior Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO Division of Applied Physics. Following his retirement, he was invited to take up a position as Honorary Associate at University of Sydney. He was a consultant on the Third Runway at Sydney Airport, and served as an expert witness on Commissions of Inquiry, the Land and Environment Court, a Federal Senate Inquiry and various other inquiries.
He also carried out research and consulting on transport noise, especially fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters and road traffic; environmental acoustics and air-blast and vibration damage to buildings.
He was a member of the International Institute for Acoustics and Vibration, The Australian Acoustical Society, the New Zealand Acoustical Society the Board for Acoustic and Vibration Standards, and the Standards Association of Australia.
He was chairman of the Committee AV9-3, Air Blast over pressure and Ground Vibration Registration Advisory Committee for Acoustics and Vibration, the National Association of Testing Authorities and the Research and Education Committee of the NSW Submarine Task Force.
He was interested in reading history, liked fishing and played tennis.
To access an oral history interview with Alan Gilpin please use this link:'
https://heritage.engineersaustralia.org.au/wiki/Oral_Histories_Sydney
