Corrosion and Wear Failures Analysis Expert Witnesses

Jamie Chapman, PhD, provides more than 35 years of broad technical, engineering, operational and economic expertise in the areas of Renewable Energy and Power Conversion Systems. Service as Expert Witness and Expert Consultant to law firms and agencies.

Dr. Chapman's experience includes research and development focused on the technologies needed to maintain leadership for the next, next generation of multi-megawatt wind turbine power plants, including turbulence detection by lidar and radar. His work in this area generated four patent disclosures.

From 2004-2010, Dr. Chapman served as Associate Director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University. As part of the Senior Research Faculty, he was a principal in achieving $10 million in external funding to implement a wind energy research and education program. Dr. Chapman delivered a graduate-level course on wind turbine design, control, grid interface and economics and initiated Texas Tech's program on the integration of wind turbines with desalination systems.

Dr. Chapman has provided national and international Expert Witness services in Patent, System Performance, Manufacturing Defects, and other litigation areas. In addition to his very broad technical background, Dr. Chapman is an excellent communicator, orally and in writing, of sophisticated and complex technological concepts.

Currently the principal at Time-Variable Systems LLC, Texas and New York, Dr. Chapman's focus and areas of expertise include:

• Innovative Electric Machines
• Variable Speed Electric Generators
• Marine Hydrokinetic Power Conversion Systems
• Radar Sensing
• Megawatt-scale Power Processing and Control via Power Electronics
• Wind Turbines
• Energy Storage
• Rotary and Linear Electric Machines
• Electronic Power Conversion
• Control and Grid Interface

View Dr. Chapman's Consulting Profile.

Gerald M. Halweg, CTC, CSI, TTA, President/CEO of the TILE INSTITUTE of AMERICA, has earned the recognition of being an internationally acclaimed Master Expert Witness and Consultant. He has over 45 years of experience specializing in Ceramic and Natural Stone Tile.

Background - Tutored by tile masters for decades, Mr. Halweg received his Ceramic Tile Consultant (CTC) degree in 1978. After receiving his degree, he taught and administered the Ceramic Tile Consultant (CTC) program (180-hour course) until 1992. Mr. Halweg worked in testing laboratories, tested materials for the construction trades, and developed test procedures. He administered the Official Quality Control & Testing Agency for the Tile Trade authorized by International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO).

Litigation Support - Mr. Halweg provides expert witness services for cases involving Construction Defects and Tile Installations. His job site inspections, consultations, and research for the tile and legal industries number in excess of 200 projects per year. Mr. Halweg's services are available to both plaintiff and defendant and include site review, written reports, depositions, arbitration, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise

Tile Installation Failures Tile Product Investigation Tile Penalization Veneer Tile Systems Marble Slabs Sound-Rated Tile Flooring Systems Tile Industry Codes Natural Stone and Allied Materials Lathe and Plaster Flooring Surfaces (Terrazzo, Pavers, etc.)

Decking and Roof Tiles Pools and Showers Mold & Mildew Testing Construction Safety Standards Slips, Trips, Falls Stairs & Ramps Coefficient of Friction Testing Leak Detection Waterproofing Concrete Slabs, Sub-Floors

Bryan Melan, PE, has over 40 years of experience in Mechanical and Structural Engineering and Project Management in the upstream and midstream oil and gas industries, including 30 years specializing in Pipeline Integrity Management and Engineering with Sunoco Logistics, Marathon-Ashland Pipeline, and Marathon Oil Company. He is a holder of two patents for a Pipeline Integrity Management Process. He also worked as a project engineer/manager for Amoco Production Co. and McDermott International. Mr. Melan was most recently Pipeline Integrity Subject Matter Expert for Marathon Oil's worldwide assets. Just prior to that, he served as Pipeline Technical Authority for Marathon Oil UK ltd. and Marathon Ireland. He is the chairman of the NACE task group responsible for standard SP-0102 (In-Line Inspection of Pipelines), former vice-chairman of the NACE ILI committee for In Line Inspection technical information exchange, and current vice-chairman of the NACE task group responsible for Publication 35100, the “In-Line Inspection State-of-the-Art” document.

Mr. Melan was also past chairman of the API workgroup which developed the API 1163, “In-Line Inspection Systems Qualification” standard, and past chairman of an ad-hoc committee established at the request of the USDOT Office of Pipeline Safety (currently PHMSA) in creating the frameworks for API 1163, NACE SP0102, and ASNT ILI-PQ (In-line Inspection Personnel Qualification and Certification). While on assignment in the UK, he participated in the creation of Parts 4 and 5 of British Standard PD8010 (Code of Practice for Pipelines).

Litigation Support - As a Pipeline Construction, Operations, and Maintenance subject matter expert witness, Mr. Melan provides services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. His In-line Inspection evaluation services allow him to evaluate pipes and pipelines using non-destructive examination techniques to detect and size internal and external damage.  He has been retained domestically and internationally. Mr. Melan's services include on-site inspections, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony.  

Areas of Expertise:  

In-Line Pipe (ILI) / Pipeline Inspection New Pipeline Construction Siting Pipeline / Pressure Piping Accident Investigation Root Cause Analysis / Causal Negligence

Pipeline Patent Infringement Pipeline Easement Rights Pipeline Construction Safety Codes / Regulatory Obligations Pipeline Route Evaluation

View Tide Water Integrity, LLC's Consulting Profile.

Dr. David Tawfik is a chartered professional engineer and has been engaged by major project alliances, legal firms, contractors and asset owners to provide impartial advice and undertake expert investigations concerning the Procurement, Fabrication and Performance of Construction Materials used in transportation infrastructure, rail, water, mining, maritime and energy sectors. 

Dr. Tafik's technical competence includes welding and joining, metallurgy, forensic engineering, thermal-mechanical analysis, corrosion analysis, non-destructive testing and condition monitoring. Dr. Tawfik has presented and published technical papers at international conferences, congress, forums and peer reviewed journals respectively. 

Expert and Consulting Services Include:

• Expert Technical Advisory
• Supervision and Approval of Fabrication Programs
• Forensic Engineering
• Third Party Reviews, Audits and Certification
• Troubleshooting
• Project Management
• Technical Due Diligence
• Incident Response

Expert Background: Dr. Thomas L. Read is the Principal and CEO at A. Read Consulting, LLC. He received his PhD. from Stanford University in 1972 and has over 25 years of manufacturing experience in electronics, metallurgy, factory safety, failure analysis, glass fracture, glass failure and bottle failure. As a member of the electronics industry, he has earned process patents and has an extensive background in manufacturing techniques.

In parallel, Dr. Read has spent over twenty five years as a consultant to attorneys and engineers. He has given more than 100 depositions and has appeared in court numerous times.

Company Profile: Read Consulting, LLC is a full service laboratory providing services in the following areas:

Failure Analysis; Factory Safety and Personal Injury (including machine guards and manufacturing safety)

Glass Failure Analysis - Glass Fracture, Glass Failures and Bottle Failure

Metal and Ceramic Failure

Grinding Wheel Failures

Intellectual Property and Patent Disputes

Product Liability and Product Quality

Manufacturing Disagreements (such as Intellectual Property, Failed equipment and Contract Disputes)

Reverse Engineering

Rapperport Associates, Inc., provides exceptional capability in Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigation, Accident Reconstruction, Structural Analysis, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials Science.

We have provided superior technical support for litigation since 1974, and possess an extraordinarily talented technical team with impeccable academic and industrial credentials and proven analysis capability. Our team of distinguished scientists and engineers is drawn principally from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) and Stanford University.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE:

Failure Analysis Structural Design Analysis Metallurgical Failures Finite Element Stress Analysis Fracture and Fatigue Analysis Scanning Electron Microscopy Corrosion

Accident Reconstruction Automobiles / Trucks Biomechanics / Injury Mechanism Off-Road Vehicles Occupant Motion Aircraft Animation

Fire & Explosion Analysis Cause and Origin Electrical Gases, Liquids and Dust Industrial Processes

........Safety Machine and Industrial Safety Machine Guarding Construction Failures Slips, Trips, Falls

Engineering

Mechanical

Structural / Civil

Metallurgy

Materials Science

Aeronautics and Astronautics

Electrical

POWERPLANT Specialists, LLC., (PPC) is a technical services company providing highly specialized support services for Industrial Power Generation Systems, Cogeneration and Combined Cycle Power Plants. PPC specializes in Design, Performance, Forensics, Construction, Design Defects, Cost Analysis for Lost Operations, Maintenance, and Repair. PPC has extensive international experience and is OSHA Lockout / Tagout Certified. Areas of Expertise

• Power Generation
• Marine Propulsion - Conventional / Alternative Fueled Systems
• Microturbines
• Boilers
• Industrial Gas Turbines
• Diesel Engines
• Cogeneration
• Geothermal
• Landfill
• Digester Gas
• Wind and Solar Powered Generation Systems

Micale Partners has over 60 years of combined technical and operations experience in Aircraft Design and Operation, Space Launch Vehicle Design and Operation and Automotive Design. They provide services to clients both nationally and internationally.

Micale Partners combines expertise in aerospace design, aircraft flight and airline operations. This combination provides the client a consulting resource that understands how a system should be designed, fabricated, assembled and used. The depth and complete knowledge of aviation allow Micale Partners to serve as a formidable expert witness resource. The experts at Micale Partners also provide a diverse background of industry experience ranging from aircraft to automotive to space launch vehicles.

Litigation Support Services:

Documentation Review Failure Root Cause Investigation Engineering Corrective Action Definition Transcript Review / Process Review Event, Incident, or Accident Timeline Mapping

Event Recreation Design Deficiencies Failure Vehicle Performance Fact Finding Analysis Human Factors Assessment

Anthony G. Micale, BSME, MBA, has over 32 years of Aerospace and Automotive Engineering experience, including rigorous Failure Analysis. Mr. Micale is a dual citizen of the Unites States and the European Union. He has Top Secret Clearance TS/SCI – Special Intelligence (SI) / Talent Keyhole (TK)and Department Of Defense (DOD) Secret Clearance.

Mr. Micale is also currently employed at The Aerospace Corporation, a Federally Funded Research and Development Corporation where he contributes to US space flight mission assurance. He has specialized in aerospace design and operation of flight and space vehicles with an emphasis on Flight Safety and Mission Assurance. Mr. Micale is a past technical leader of an aircraft accident and incident investigation board comprised of engineers, pilots and legal counsel for a major commercial aircraft manufacturer. In this role he has studied, understood, created reports and defined design changes to resolve aircraft safety issues.

Over his career, Mr. Micale has conducted numerous analyses of root cause to determine failures attributed to: Design Flaws, Human Error, Human Workload, Improper Manufacturing, and Inadequate Maintenance. He has designed aircraft systems, conducted testing and performed evaluation that have led to aircraft certification with the FAA and the CAA. His experience includes interface with aircraft manufacturers, space vehicle manufactures, commercial aircraft operators and government agencies.

Anthony Micale has also been employed by Ford Motor Company where he designed automotive vehicle powertrains and vehicle control systems. He has vehicle dynamics training and understands the basis for vehicle stability and car crash dynamics.

Practice Areas:

Aerospace Engineering Aircraft Engineering Failure Investigation Failure Analysis Aircraft Safety Risk Assessment Flight Controls Systems Design

Human Factors Hazardous Operations Space Vehicle Design Fact Finding Event Reconstruction Technical Drawings Throttle Control Anti-Lock Brakes

Paul J. Micale, Pilot, Masters Aeronautical Science, is an active airline pilot with 26 years of flight experience 13 of which are under FAR Part 121. Specializing in Aviation and Aerospace and Transportation, he has over 7,200 flight hours with multiple ratings.

A decorated veteran, Mr. Micale has also been forward deployed as a combat pilot with the US Army during 7 years of active duty. He has been a combat pilot in both the C-12 (Beechcraft 200) aircraft and the AH-64 Apache Attack helicopter.

Mr. Micale's career includes continued service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserves where he has been a pilot and commander of flight units. As a military pilot, Mr. Micale has flown fixed and rotary wing helicopter aircraft. His education and experience emphasizes Flight Operations and Safety. He has Department Of Defense (DOD) Secret Clearance.

Paul Micale is a licensed civilian Airline Transport Pilot with type rating as Pilot in Command and is currently employed by American Eagle Airlines as a CRJ-700 Pilot and First Officer in the Canadair Regional Jet aircraft with 65 seat occupancy. He is FAA certified for CAT II instrument approaches and to fly in Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) airspace. Mr. Micale is type rated for this and other aircraft requiring an FAA type rating. He has a Masters of Aeronautical Science with a specialization in aviation safety from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Practice Areas:

Airline Pilot Military Pilot Aviation Pilot Army Aviator / Army Pilot Flight Operations Helicopter Pilot Aircraft Safety Risk Assessment Human Factors

Crew Resource Management FAR 121 Pilot FAR Part 121 Pilot FAR 135 Pilot FAR Part 135 Pilot Flight Safety Aircraft Safety Crewmember Fatigue.

View Micale Partners Consulting Profile.

Reza Mirshams, PhD, PE, is an independent Professional Engineering consultant with degrees in Industrial Metallurgy and Metallurgical Engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in his field of expertise. Dr. Mirshams' research experience includes engineered materials: Alloys for Aerospace, Automotive, Structures, Construction, Plumbing, and Products Liability. In particular, his expertise involves:

• Metallurgical Analysis
• Manufacturing Processes
• Products Defects
• Corrosion Analysis
• Fracture Analysis
• Products Liability

Reza Mirshams provides litigation support services for matters regarding Forensic Materials Failure Analysis and Metallurgical Engineering Analysis. His expertise is in finding the root cause of failures due to metallurgical inconsistencies and operational causes, and flaws in manufacturing processes. Dr. Mirshams' Expert Witness services are offered to attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense across the nation. 

Areas of Expertise

Failure Analysis of Materials and Structures Products Failure Analysis Consumer and Industrial Product Liability Evaluation Corrosion Failure Analysis Welding Failure Analysis Fractography, Fracture Analysis

Materials Characterization Forensic Metallography & Fractography Intellectual Property / Patent Infringement Accident Investigation and Reconstruction Heavy Equipment Accidents Tubular Product Failure

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Marc H. Richman, ScD, PE, has been actively engaged in Forensic and Consulting Engineering for over 45 years. He has personally supervised and conducted over 3,000 investigations for individuals, attorneys, insurance carriers, industrial firms, state and federal agencies and commission, and police and fire departments.

Dr. Richman's educational background at MIT was physical metallurgy and failure analysis. He taught as an instructor at MIT and ran the analytical Metallography laboratory there as well as set up the electron microscopy laboratory at MIT. At Brown, he was director of the Central Electron Microscopy Lab and was very active in Failure Analysis and Fractography as well as Analytical Metallography.

Dr. Richman has investigated failures of offshore drilling rigs and propeller shaft failures(Bethlehem Steel Shipbuilding), helicopter crashes on the Pan Am building and at Newark Airport (NY Airways and Lloyds of London), construction elevator failures (Gilbane Construction and Aetna), bridge failures (Mystic River Bridge upper deck - MassPort Authority), hydroelectric plant shaft failures (McCallum Enterprises), pressure vessel and machinery failures, military equipment and weapons failures, building failures and collapses (US Navy and others), and steel mill production (Italy).

Litigation Support - Marc H. Richman has testified for both plaintiff and defense in about 175 trials in civil and criminal courts. He has served as Technical Advisor to the US District Court (RI) on patent cases (Hon. Raymond Pettine) and has been a consultant for the US Naval Applied Science Laboratory, the US Army Materials and Mechanics Research Center, Battelle, Texas Instruments, etc.).

Dr. Richman has provided expert testimony from product malfunctions, to fatal car accidents, to peeling paint on the Pell Bridge, to the Pan Am Building helicopter crash, to water and gas main failures, to metallurgical examinations of murder weapons.

Areas of Expertise:

Forensic Engineering Investigations Failure Analysis Fire Cause and Origin Product Liability Accident Reconstruction Gas Explosions

Structural Failures Metallurgy Orthopedic Device Failure Product Liability Machine Guarding Instructions and Warnings

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

LECS (UK) Limited  is an International Engineering Firm specializing in Lifts, Escalators, Facade Access and Funiculars (cable cars). With over 20 years of trading history, their specialized engineers are qualified, experienced and carry full professional insurances. Members of the engineering team have all worked for major contractors and have held positions including Senior Engineer, Project Manager and Commissioning / Test Engineers. As a result, LECS has over 150 years of accumulated experience within the key staff of the engineering team and currently employs 10% of the world’s graduates of the MSc in Lift Engineering from the University of Northampton.

LECS (UK) Limited is a member of independent bodies such as ACE, BSI and ConstructionLine. They have an accredited Quality Assurance scheme to ISO 9001 (2008) and are regularly audited. They provide services for many market sectors including overseas projects, hotels, retail, commercial health, local authority and heritage. The engineers at LECS (UK) have extensive experience as Expert Witnesses and Consultants in litigation involving lifts and escalators. Their services include preparing expert reports in accordance with Regulation 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules and also in Criminal cases. They are also available for adjudication and arbitration cases. LECS (UK) expert witness services have been called on in overseas situations including Gran Canaria, Dubai, Hong Kong, Spain and Turkey.

Services Include:

• Expert Witness - Litigation Support
• Statutory Inspections
• Maintenance Audits
• Acquisition & Condition Surveys
• Project Management
• Traffic Analysis
• Risk Assessments
• New Installations & Modernization Specifications
• Maintenance Specifications
• Training
• Portfolio Management

T. Rao Tipirneni has a M.S. in Metallurgy from Stevens Institute of Technology, with approximately 40 years of experience in Metallurgical Failure Analysis. He has been President of Long Island Testing Laboratories, Inc., specialists in Aerospace Metallurgical Testing, since 1985.

Litigation Support - Mr. Tipirneni provides expert testimony to counsel representing both plaintiff and defendant. His services include laboratory testing, written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Inconel Turbine Blades Fasteners Automobile Engine Parts Boat & Aircraft Parts Weld Joint Failures Corrosion Pipe Failures

Accident Failures Ladders Hammers Hip Implants Rail Road Car Wheels Springs

Harvey C. Voris’ entire engineering career has been devoted to the Fitness Industry. He has over 35 years of Fitness Equipment Design experience and has been issued 7 U.S. utility patents.

Mr. Voris has a Bachelors of Science in Engineering from UCLA with a specialization in Bio Structural Mechanics. His Masters in Engineering is from Cal State Long Beach where he specialized in Fatigue and Failure Analysis. Mr. Voris has spent 21 years devoted to the development and promotion of safety standards for the fitness industry. He has authored numerous standards and has chaired the ASTM committee devoted to fitness standards development since 1995.

Litigation Support - Mr. Voris provides engineering analysis and accident reconstruction related to consumer and fitness products and facilities. His services are available to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defense. With 35 years of experience, a biomechanics background, and extensive experience in design and product testing, Mr. Voris speaks with authority on the following critical issues:

Product Liability - Patent Development - Patent Infringement - Facility Risk Management - Standards Compliance

View Harvey Voris' Consulting Profile.

Christopher E. Janson, MS, CSP, CHMM is a Board Certified Safety Professional with 20 years of experience providing Accident Reconstruction and Failure Analysis services. Mr. Janson has held safety management positions with several Fortune 500 companies. He has also worked with a variety of firms as a consultant for the insurance industry.

Mr. Janson offers litigations support, expert witness, and testimony services for clients involved in safety related matters. His services are available to attorneys for both Plaintiff and Defense. Mr. Janson has been retained over 30 times in the last five years.

Areas of Expertise:

Accident Investigation Walking Surface Characteristics, Measurement Fall Protection Machine Guarding Product Liability & Design Safety Analysis Electrical Safety Ergonomics / Human Factors Lockout / Tagout Warning & Instruction Adequacy Retail Safety

Building & Safety Code Compliance OSHA Compliance Cranes / Scaffolds / Ladders Confined Space Safety Management Systems Material Handling/Fork Trucks Safety Equipment Hazard Communication / Chemical Safety Safety Audits Industrial Hygiene

View Christopher Janson's Consulting Profile.