Corrosion Engineering Expert Witnesses: 8

Since 1988, Real-World Forensic Engineering, LLC ("RWFE") has provided engineering services to industries and government labs, as well as litigation support to both plaintiff and defense attorneys practicing in many areas.

RWFE Areas of Expertise Include:

Components & Machinery Metallurgy & Corrosion Dynamics of Impact & Collisions Friction Analysis / Slips, Trips and Falls Intellectual Property & Patent Review Accident Reconstruction / Animation Computer Aided Design Education & Training

Electrocution & Switch Malfunction Grounding & Lightning Protection Lightning Impulse Testing Products and Premises Liability & Safety High-Voltage & Current Power Systems Bridge Design and Safety Fire & Explosion Cause and Origin And Much More...

At RWFE, we proudly distinguish ourselves by our Four C's:

CREDENTIALS. COMPETENCE. CREDIBILITY. COMMUNICATION.

Credentials:	B.S., M.S., M.Eng., M.B.A., J.D., and Ph.D. Degreed Licensed Professional Engineers in Mechanical, Electrical, and Civil Engineering Tenured University Professors and Professionals NAFI Certified Fire and Explosion Investigators (CFEI) Licensed Master Electricians
Competence:	Over 80 Combined Years of Experience in Engineering R&D, Industry, Academia, Consulting, and Expert Witness Litigation Support Over 120 Combined Deposition and Court Testimonies
Credibility:	Internationally Recognized in Our Areas of Expertise More Than $19 Million in Peer-reviewed and Funded Research Grants Over 200 Combined Scientific Publications and Journal Articles
Communication:	Over 20 Different Undergraduate and Graduate-level University Courses Over 30 Invited Short Courses, Talks, and Lectures

Design Evaluation – Accident Investigation – Intellectual Property - Failure Analysis – Fire Cause & Origin – Component Testing - Computer Aided Drafting – Accident Animation - Expert Witness & Litigation Support

www.ExpertEngineering.com

Dr. Richard F. Lynch has over 35 years of industrial experience in all areas of Metallurgical and Material Forensic Investigations, including 11 years with a major metals producing and processing company. He serves as an Expert Witness / Consultant on Steel, Nonferrous Metals, and Non-Metallic Materials. 

As a U.S. patent holder, Dr. Lynch has authored and/or presented over 60 technical papers on the properties and uses of galvanized steel, cast and wrought non-ferrous and ferrous products, pretreatments for painting metallic surfaces, product development and ASTM standards. 

Dr. Lynch's client base includes attorneys and companies requiring failure analysis, metallurgical testing, or assistance with end product manufacture, metallurgical processing, casting, galvanizing, zinc production, surface treatments, metallurgical process licensing, international metals research and market research. 

Areas of Expertise:

Fracture Corrosion Failure Galvanized Steel Ferrous Nonferrous Polymers

Composites Paint Failure Standards / Specifications Failure of Structural Materials, Fabricated Products, Fuel Tanks Surface Preparation Metal Pretreatments & Painting of Galvanized Steel

Jose Villalobos, PE, is a licensed Civil and Corrosion Engineer with over 48 years of experience in the design and condition assessment of corrosion protection systems for municipal infrastructure including Water and Wastewater Conveyance, Treatment, and Storage.

Mr. Villalobos and his team at JLV Wolf Inc. are based in San Leandro, California and specialize in assisting owners and engineering firms when it comes to forensic investigations. With their help, clients can collect all the needed information to properly assess structural integrity or causes of the structural failure. The firm offers services throughout the US.

Litigation Support - Mr. Villalobos provides professional assistance to owners, design engineers, and attorneys in evaluating operational issues at water and wastewater plants that may require forensic investigations. He is retained for cases involving the deterioration of Concrete and Corrosion of Metals in Water and Wastewater Facilities including atmospheric, immersed, and buried exposures at:

Dams Storage Reservoirs Above Ground Tanks Elevated Tanks Treatment Plants

Digesters Pump Stations Pipelines Transmission Mains Underground Vaults

Relevant Project Experience (Partial List):

• A.C. Transit, Oakland, Bus Maintenance Facility Buries Hydraulic Fluid Line Investigation
• Thompson vs. Standard Oil
• Landels Ripley Diamond Union Oil Tank Investigation
• Field, Richardson et al – Contra Costa Water District PG&E Claims Seaport Center Stainless Steel Pipe Support Cable Failure and Corrosion of Concrete Piles
• Bay View Condominiums Copper Recirculation Hot Water Systems San Luis Water District Cement Mortar Coated Pipe Failure
• Sea Colony Residential Housing Subdivision Reinforced Concrete Slab  Foundation Failure

Engel Metallurgical LTD engineers and metallurgists offer laboratory testing services to determine Material Performance and Material Performance Expectation. All tests are performed according to government and/or applicable industrial standards, including ASTM, military, and other specifications.

Engel Metallurgical clients include attorneys, insurance company representatives and members of a broad range of industries, including chemical, agricultural, aviation, power generation, construction, transportation and manufacturing.

Litigation Support - Attorneys requiring reliable information rely on Engel Metallurgical. Les Engel and his team of specialists sort through intricate details of structural and material failures, accidents, manufacturing defects and other unexpected incidents that lead to lawsuits, with involvement from initial discovery through court appearances, if necessary.

In 2003, Engel Metallurgical earned ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). This accreditation officially recognizes Engel Metallurgical proficiency in quality and details, and helps ensure that its findings will carry more weight in clients’ litigation cases.

Engel Metallurgical Ltd. is listed with the Minnesota Association For Justice (formerly Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association) as an expert in the field of metallurgy. Their engineers have extensive experience with deposition and trial. Their high ethical and scientific standards complement our expertise in providing sound, unbiased opinions on technical issues, including:

Inspection: Equipment and Components Inspected on Site

Failure Analysis:

Root Cause Failure Mode

Photographic Documentation Fracture Evaluations

Product Evaluation:

Quality Control Efforts Reverse Engineering Materials Certification Product Claims, Product Recalls Corrosion Resistance Coatings Selection

Product Replacement Non-destructive Testing Procedures Literature Searches US / Foreign Specifications Equivalents Material Property Design Limits

Principal, Lester P. Engel, Jr., PE, is a Metallurgical Engineer with over 40 years of experience leading the company's detailed, quality-focused testing and services. He oversees the company's lab, continually adding new equipment and techniques.

Mr. Engel also has experience as the chief metallurgist for Brown Boveri Turbomachinery and as a metallurgical engineer for the Aircraft Engine Group of General Electric, where he focused on material selections for hot aircraft and marine gas turbine components. His GE career began in Nuclear Systems Programs, where his work included serving as the principal investigator on three NASA programs.

Les Engel specializes in materials application, failure analysis, R & D program management, materials and process specifications, engineering standards and procedures, laboratory design and operation, data analysis and personnel, and budget management. He continues to personally perform failure analysis on aircraft and land turbines, generators, boilers, steel products, metals, cermets, plastics, and other materials.

With high ethical and scientific standards, Les Engel offers sound, unbiased expert analysis and testimony on technical issues. He provides expertise to insurance companies and counsel representing both plaintiff and defendant.

James A. Brusso, PhD, PE, has more than 20 years of experience in processing/properties of materials, materials characterization and behavior, materials specifications, mechanical testing, failure analysis, machining of materials, and laboratory design and operation. He is also Engel Metallurgical's Technical Manager and Quality Manager.

Dr. Brusso brings keen expertise to Engel Metallurgical and its clients, performing failure analysis; rendering expert opinions, giving depositions and testimony for litigation support; providing technical support for materials and process development and improvement; and developing and reviewing various product designs, materials, and process details.

Dr. Brusso has worked with Engel Metallurgical since 2000. Prior to that, he held several positions with The Timken Company in Ohio, where his responsibilities included establishing the company’s machinability testing laboratory, team leader for product development projects, managing the company's application metallurgical laboratory, and providing technical review of internal processing and testing standards to satisfy ISO 9000 / QS 9000 registration.

View Engel Metallurgical's Consulting Profile.

Paul Eason is a Licensed Professional Engineer, Nationally Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator and Forensic Consultant. His expertise comes from a strong background in industry and academia. In addition to his consulting practice, he is a professor in the School of Engineering at the University of North Florida, and maintains a graduate faculty appointment in the Materials Science and Engineering Program at the University of Florida. 

Dr. Eason has testified in numerous trials and depositions in the following practice areas: 

Product Design & Manufacturing Analysis - Metallurgy & Materials - Fire & Explosions - Industrial Accidents 

Areas of Expertise: Product Liability and Materials Failure Analysis, Product Defect & Safety Issues including: Metals, Plastics, Glass, Ceramics, Corrosion, Fatigue, Overload & Material Selection 

Fire and Explosion Analysis including: cause and origin determination, product related fire causation, industrial process accidents, dust explosions, welding / brazing accidents

Edward S. George PE, has over 30 years of experience in the field of Product Liability and Failure Analysis.

Mr. George earned his BS and MS degrees from the University of Florida Department of Materials Science and Engineering, graduating with a specialty in metallurgy. He is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Florida. Mr. George is a member of The National Society of Professional Engineers, The American Welding Society, The National Association of Forensic Engineers, The Florida Engineering Society, American Water Works Association, and The International Society for Fall Protection.

Mr. George has experience in a variety of material failures including Metals, Polymers, Plastics, Composites, Ceramics, Glass, and Porcelain.

Litigation Support - A court-qualified expert, Mr. George has over 13 years of experience and has testified in depositions and trials. His forensic training is complemented by his industrial experience including:

• Heat Treating of Metals
• Welding and Joining of Materials
• Materials Testing and Evaluation
• Quality Control and Assurance
• Optical and Scanning Electron Microscopic Techniques
• Destructive and Non-destructive Physical Testing
• Laboratory Equipment and Procedures

View Edward George's Consulting Profile.

Dunham Engineering provides a wide array of Storage Tank and Corrosion Engineering and Inspection services. With offices in McAllen, College Station and Oklahoma City, they are able to provide local service to a large geographic area. Dunham Engineering is licensed to provide engineering services in numerous states and will travel wherever needed.

Dunham Engineering Inc. helps owners, engineers, contractors, and architects produce high-quality projects and provides inspection services for everything from water storage tanks, oil tanks, and bridges, to residential foundations and framing.

Litigation Support - Dunham Engineering provides expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. Services include on-site inspection, thorough reporting, depositions, arbitration, mediation, and trial testimony. Cases include issues with:

• Construction of Elevated Steel and Concrete Structures
• Corrosion Engineering of Steel and Concrete Structures
• Fall Protection on Elevated Structures

Jimmy D. Dunham, PE, NACE, CWI  has over 50 years of general engineering experience, including 21 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His specialty is Steel Structures and Protective Coatings for Corrosion Control, including water tanks. He has designed and supervised over 500 water tank construction and rehabilitation projects. Mr. Dunham founded Dunham Engineering in 1992 and grew the company into one of the premier structural engineering specialty firms in the region.

Accomplishments:
• Provided engineering design and management for 1,000+ water tank coating and construction projects, and 200+ lead abatement projects in Texas over the last 20 years.
• Provided engineering design and management for 1,000+ water tank coating and construction projects, and 200+ lead abatement projects in Texas over the last 20 years.
• Performs approximately 50 structural and corrosion evaluations on tanks, towers, buildings and bridges annually.
• Inspected and designed 5 elevated storage tank rehabilitation projects for Laguna Madre Water District in the last 4 years, all requiring containment.
• Inspected and designed elevated storage tank rehabilitation project for Los Fresnos, Texas that is currently in construction phase. Project required containment.
• Designed and inspected numerous East Texas water tank construction and rehabilitation projects for Owners including City of Groves, North Hardin Water Supply Corp., City of Silsbee, City of Beaumont, and many others.
• Designed containment systems for numerous bridge and water tank rehabilitation projects.

Travis C. Tatum, PE, CWI, NACE, API, has been practicing engineering since 2006. Certified in both Civil and Structural Engineering, he is skilled at bringing projects in on-time and on-budget. A recognized expert in Structural and Corrosion Engineering Design, Construction, and Rehabilitation, Travis has presented numerous white papers at various conferences and has served as a qualified expert witness.

Structural Engineering Accomplishments:
• Commercial Building Roof Evaluation & Rehabilitation, City of College Station, TX.
• Sam Houston State University Bowers Stadium Rehabilitation and Expansion, Huntsville, TX.
• Structural Evaluation & Rehabilitation of the historic Texas Cotton Gin Museum, Burton, TX.
• Commercial and Residential Foundation Evaluation & Design.
• Modification Inspection, Design & NDT for Various Monopoles, Self-Support Towers, Guyed Towers & High-Mast Light Poles (HMLPs). Customers include SHSU, Crown Castle, and SBA Communications.

Storage Tank and Corrosion Engineering Accomplishments:
• Rehabilitation of Sugar Land and Baytown Elevated Water Storage Tanks, winners of the 2015 and 2016 SSPC William Johnson Award for outstanding achievement demonstrating aesthetic merit in industrial coating work.
• Rehabilitation of 4 Elevated Water Storage Tanks, Fort Worth Water Department, Fort Worth, TX.
• API Inspection, Evaluation, Rehabilitation and Return-To-Service of 6 Fuel Storage Tanks for Fikes Waco Terminal, Waco, TX.
• Rehabilitation of 4 Elevated Water Storage Tanks, SJRA, The Woodlands, TX.
• Rehabilitation of 5 Elevated Water Storage Tanks, Port Isabel and South Padre Island, TX.
• Design & Construction Mgmt. of Horseshoe Bay West and Summit Rock Composite Elevated Tanks, City of Horseshoe Bay, TX.
• Rehabilitation of 2.0MG Elevated Water Storage Tank, Brownsville PUB, Brownsville, TX.
• Fuel Storage Tank Evaluations & Air Monitoring, College Station Fire Training Center, TEEX, College Station, TX.

Joe Seiter, PE, NACE, API, has over 25 years of experience in Mechanical Engineering, including a wide range of coding design obtaining his master’s in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma Christian University in 2017. Mr. Seiter has designed and supervised construction of tank and freight rail cars, ocean sea containers, trailers, oil and natural gas.

Career Highlights
• Performs approximately 50 structural and corrosion evaluations on tanks and metal building structures annually for the Oklahoma branch office.
• Structural steel inspection of Positive Tomorrows school in Oklahoma City
• Structural steel inspection of Remerge Women’s Center in Oklahoma City
• Structural steel inspection of Norman Pediatrics building in Norman
• Construction dispute deposition and testimony experience
• Provided engineering design of 40,000 bbl./day oil terminal.
• Designed 53’ dry van trailer with 2-ton reduction in tare weight.
• Designed ocean-going container with 2 1/2-ton reduction in tare weight.
• Named on 10 patents for railcars, trailers and structures.
• Blast mitigation design for rail tunnels and bridges.
• Sheet metal subcontractor/mechanic prior to engineering career with metal roof fabrication and installation experience.
Notable projects: TGI Fridays metal standing seam roof system and Stuart Anderson Black Angus Steakhouses metal batten roof system.

Michael A. Pollock, PE, USPTO, is a Mechanical Engineer responsible for the design and engineering of commercial, industrial, manufacturing, institutional, and residential venues, as well as efforts relating to services and products used in and around these facilities. Mr. Pollock's full CV can be viewed at cogentexpert.com.

Business and industries include electronics, safety and construction, building materials, polymers and plastics, instrumentation manufacturing, petrochemicals, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, colleges, athletic facilities, textiles, coatings and resins, food storage, biosciences, supermarkets, inks & pigments, automotive, facility and real estate operations, agricultural, transportation, nuclear, healthcare, nutrition, retail, distributors, pulp and paper, packaging, utilities, apparel, and R&D centers.

Litigation Support - Mr. Pollock is a subject matter expert in Commercial and Industrial Engineering Applications and Projects, as well as engineering standards and applicable codes (ASHRAE, ASME, NIST, NFPA, NBIC, ASTM, SAE, LEED, ASCE, GMP, ISA, BOCA, and EPA Regulations.) He has engaged with local, state, and governmental officials and agencies regarding numerous matters over his commensurate years of experience.

Areas of Expertise:

Investment Engineering Economics Mechanical Engineering Standard of Care Architectural Standard of Care Construction Delay Construction Defect Construction Schedule Analysis Accident Analysis Metallurgical Failure Rotating Equipment Electrical Failure Chemical Failure Processes Instrumentation and Controls

Chillers Coatings Refrigeration Thermodynamics Water Treatment Steam Systems and Boilers   Power and Utilities Energy Conservation Environmental Impact Safety HVAC Project Management Product Development

Registrations

• Professional Engineer: PA (PE075410)
• American Bar Association (ABA) – Construction Forum
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Act Certification – Universal (includes Chillers, HVAC & Refrigeration)
• United States Patent & Trademark Office Registered (USPTO)                              

Forensic Consulting Experience

Warehouse Distribution Facility – Maryland - Evaluated a $10M (million) claim relating to purported construction defect claims by the 600,000 sq. ft. facility owner against the facility construction contractor and an original equipment manufacturer relating to installed infrastructure in the facility. Developed an expert opinion and expert report regarding the analysis of the purported defects and a proposed repair solution to correct said defects. 

 Psychiatric Hospital Facility – North Carolina – Evaluated a $28M (million) construction claim by the general contractor against a hospital facility concerning a $100M facility construction project.  Developed an expert opinion and report for general construction issues, constructability, design revisions, and corresponding delay analysis for mechanical, HVAC, electrical, smoke and fire, structural, security and building automation systems. 

Forensics Consulting Work-in-Progress 

• 2022 – International Trade Commission (ITC) Matter – Resin Manufacturing Facility Construction Delay / Completeness Analysis
• 2022 – Mechanical Systems Coatings Matter Analysis
• 2021 – Industrial Manufacturing Facility Standard of Care Matter, Construction Defect, Construction Delay     
• 2021 – Electrical Distribution System Construction Defect Matter, Standard of Care
• 2021 – Hotel Facility HVAC Materials of Construction Related Defect Matter