Mechanical Engineering Expert Witnesses: 35

Fred P. Smith President - has retained over 600 times as an expert in intellectual property, and product liability cases where I have testified regarding claim construction, infringement, invalidity, breach of warranty, negligent misrepresentation. He has testified in court over 40 times in multiple state courts, Federal Court, before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the International Trade Commission (ITC).  

Mr. Smith has over 70 patents on such products with a number of patent applications still pending. He received the Utah Genius Award for being one of Utah’s top inventors. He has directed the development and improvement of a wide variety of products including:

hydraulically operated equipment, trucks, and related equipment, trailers, aerial lifts, industrial equipment, farm equipment, mobile equipment, material handling, forklifts, boom trucks, suspension systems, man lifts, garbage trucks, cranes, lift gates, pneumatic dump, front loaders, side loaders, automated loaders, rear loaders, recycling trucks, patient lift system, lawnmowers, roll-offs, liftgates, ziplines, and many consumer products.

Expert Witness Services Professional Expert Reports Testing Forensic/Failure Analysis Accident Reconstruction Demonstratives Inspections/Measurements Compliance with Standards Expert Testimony Patent & Patent Related Issues Patent Searches Provisional Patent Complete with Illustrations Patent Infringement Review

Product Development Innovative Concept Multi-Industry Experience Powerful Design Tools Full Service Fabricating Materials Design Analysis Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Electrical Structural Integrity Tests Value Analysis

William R. Acorn is founder of Acorn Consulting Services, LLC, an engineering firm. As a consulting mechanical engineer, Bill provides project analysis, forensic reconstructions and litigation support services relating to the design, delivery, and functioning of high-tech manufacturing facilities, semiconductor fabrication facilities, institutional laboratories, data centers, health care facilities and a variety of commercial buildings. He is a recognized expert in the evaluation of deficiencies in HVAC systems, cleanrooms, piping systems, refrigeration systems, construction defects, building and fire code compliance, and patent and trade secret disputes. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants. Bill has more than 40 years of experience as a professional engineer and is a recognized expert in assessing, evaluating, remediating and providing testimony on complex project design, construction and operational matters. His consulting expertise has been influential in shaping approaches to code compliance and life safety in semiconductor and similar advanced technology facilities.

Certifications and Designations:

• Registered as a Professional Mechanical Engineer in the States of Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.
• Registered with the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying NCEES (Certificate No. 6999)
• Fellow in the HVAC industry leading organization ASHRAE
• Visiting lecturer at the Arizona State University Del E. Webb School of Construction in Tempe, AZ
• Advisor to CREATE, ACE – Alliance for Construction Excellence and the IAB – Industry Advisory Board, all affiliated with ASU

Building Systems Analysis:

HVAC and Refrigeration Process and Power Piping Plumbing Systems Standard of Care in Design and Construction

Chemical Exposures in the Workplace Cleanroom Design and Performance Codes and Standards Patent and Trade Secret Disputes

Litigation Support: Bill’s pragmatic approach to both forensic and litigation consulting as well as project consulting is based on more than 40 years of real-world experience as a design professional, mentor and forensic analyst, as well as many years as an instructor in professional and academic settings. Represented both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of jurisdictions throughout the US and Asia. Bill’s ability to explain complex issues to non-technical audiences, including juries, mediators and judges, is a key to successfully solving your litigation challenges.

• Forensic Analysis
• Strategic Litigation Consulting
• Trial Demonstratives
• Expert Testimony

Acorn Consulting Services

Consulting Services: Services range from peer review to conceptual design to development of strategies and programs for expedited project delivery.

Bill frequently acts as an owner’s agent and mentor, functioning as an extension of the owner’s project team. On other projects, Bill serves as a subject matter expert assisting project delivery firms in their development of viable solutions and review of construction documents.

As a project consultant, Bill assures the project gets off to the right start and provides his expertise through completion and operation to maximize return on investment.

Consulting Expertise Includes:

• Project Design and Management Consulting
• Forensic Analysis and Litigation Consulting
• Mentoring & Advanced Education

Dr. Tarek Omar is a Mechanical and Structural Engineering expert with over 29 years of leading-edge experience in the areas of accident investigation and reconstruction, highway safety, automotive/vehicular engineering, security barriers, and structural analysis. 

From 1994 to 2003, Dr. Omar worked as a Senior Research Scientist at the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC), the renowned research center created in 1992 as a successful collaborative effort among the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and George Washington University (GWU). The NCAC supports the US-DOT strategic goal to reduce fatalities and injuries on the nation's roadways and has successfully served to enhance safety worldwide. Dr, Omar completed numerous research projects in vehicle crash analysis, vehicle crashworthiness, and highway safety. 

In 2003, Dr. Omar founded his consulting firm, Advanced Research & Technology, LLC (ART). In his role as President and Senior Consultant, he directs and conducts advanced Design, analyses, and Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in the areas of Structural Impacts, Transportation Safety, and Physical Security Protection. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Omar and his team at ART provide clients with the compelling scientific evidence necessary to pursue and win complex specialty lawsuits including but not limited to accident investigations, structural analyses, airbag & seatbelt fatalities and injuries, slip, trip & falls, occupant biomechanics, crashworthiness, and failure analysis, fuel tank, pipelines, and pressure vessel analysis. 

ART experts are widely recognized as world leaders in advanced computer simulations of complicated structural dynamics, crashes, and impact-related problems. They use state-of-the-art technology including 3-D computer animation engineering and modeling and the latest engineering techniques for crash analysis (frontal, side-impact, vehicle, rollover, etc.), crash scene investigation, crash test data analysis (FMVSS, NCAP, IIHS, etc.), crash statistical data analysis (NASS, FARS, etc.), occupant kinematics, occupant protection, biomechanics, vehicle dynamics, and computerized crash simulations. 

Areas of Expertise:

Accident Investigation Accident Reconstruction Transportation Safety Mechanical Design Structural Analysis Accident Biomechanics

Failure Analysis Vehicle Dynamics Crashworthiness Materials Testing and Evaluation Vehicle Damage / Crush Analyses Intellectual Property / Patent Infringement

View ART's Consulting Profile.

Jason Young, BESc., MASc, PEng, is the President of Advantage Forensics Inc., a multi-disciplinary forensic engineering firm in Ontario with service across Canada and the U.S., including N.Y., Michigan, Ohio, Penn., Mass., Vermont, California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Missouri & Hawaii. Mr. Young is an outstanding seasoned expert in collision reconstruction, human factors, biomechanics, patent infringement, and waterparks with an exceptional track record at mediation and trial. 

Our firm was VOTED #1 EXPERT WITNESS in Accident Investigation & Reconstruction in Canada.  We have conducted thousands of forensic investigations with tremendous success at trial for our plaintiff & defence clients in:

• Collision Reconstruction - pedestrian, nighttime visibility, motorcycle, bicycle, truck, data recorder download & analysis, freeway collisions, computer simulation, winter maintenance, road design, forensic video analysis, snowmobile, Segways
• Human Factors - perception reaction time, driver behavior, road signage, warnings & labels, product misuse
• Slips, Trips & Falls - friction testing, staircase building code assessment, fall hazard assessment
• Biomechanics - seatbelt use, injury thresholds, fraud investigation, fall dynamics, occupant ejection, whiplash & concussion thresholds
• Product Failure - materials failure, design assessment, safety factor testing, electrical failure
• Playground, Fitness Equipment & Sports Accidents - playground, exercise equipment, marine, trampoline, ski, sports facilities
• Waterpark, Pool, Zipline & Amusement Ride Accidents - waterslides, friction testing, zipline, aerial adventure, acceleration testing 
• Fire & Explosion Investigation

Our team of over 30 experts and consultants provides the full complement of forensic, academic, research & courtroom experience.

Mr. Young is a licensed professional engineer and seasoned expert with over 20 qualifications at Superior Court level, over 20 publications, and 2500 forensic investigations with 1500 trial-ready reports over 20 years in Collision Reconstruction, Human Factors, Biomechanics, Patent Infringement, Road Design & Waterslide Design. 

Mr. Young has a Masters in Biomedical Engineering and a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, as well as numerous certifications and contributions to standards in these areas. Mr. Young has provided seminars to law conferences for over 15 years on these topics. Mr. Young is a long-time member of CATAIR, HFES, CARSP, and ASTM. See our website at www.aforensics.ca for additional information. We also offer the option of fixed file quotes GUARANTEED within 10%. View Advantage Forensics' Consulting Profile.

Dr. Adam K. Aleksander, PhD, PE, CSP, has over 40 years of experience in the areas of Mechanical Engineering, Human Factors, and Safety Engineering. He combines both academic credentials and active work in industry to provide a grounded perspective in Product Liability, Industrial Incidents, Warnings, and OSHA related issues. He is also a VP of an Energy Services firm, with over 35 overseas assignments related to forensic services, power utility issues, and equipment failures.

Dr. Aleksander has been a practicing engineer since 1972, focusing his Manufacturing, Consulting and Forensic investigations on Problem Definition and Root Cause Analysis of complex problems in confidential issues. His firm has experience encompassing an enormous variety of claims, from large $45 million dollar dam claims, to environmental clean-up claims, to small road construction claims. His litigation services often involve reconstruction, perception reaction studies, warnings, equipment operation, mechanical failures, industrial accidents, skiing, and bicycling injuries.

As an Expert Witness, Dr. Aleksander has worked with many clients, including plaintiff's and defendant's attorneys, both civil and criminal, attorneys representing corporations, corporations in the power utility area, and corporations that produce products. His services are also available to insurance executives with complex claims issues that involve industrial or utility related losses. Dr. Aleksander has been retained over 125 times in a wide range of technical investigations.

Litigation Expertise:

• Product Liability - Design, Manufacturing and Marketing Defects, Involving Damage, Injury or Fatality
• Equipment Failures - Proximal Cause of Failure with Contributing Factors
• Human Factors, Visibility, Ergonomics, and General Research Issues - Product Usability, Warnings, Instructions, Perception, Reaction Time, Visibility and Conspicuity Issues
• Construction, OSHA, and Safety Engineering - Regulatory and Safety Issues
• Industrial Projects
• Power Utility - Service and Equipment Failures

View Dr. Aleksander's Consulting Profile.

Ole E. Haaland, PE, has thirty four years experience in Power Production, Design, Construction, and Commissioning, with 30+ years managing people and projects. Mr. Haaland's experience is in conventional, nuclear, and alternate fuel power plant mechanical and electrical systems. He has performed as Project Manager, Construction Manager, and Commissioning Manager for several Greenfield power projects.

Mr. Haaland held a senior reactor power operator's license and a number of senior engineering positions at the New York Power Authority prior to joining ANNA. Mr. Haaland received his BSME from the New York Institute of Technology and is a registered professional engineer in many states. He was recently elected to the EGSA Board of Directors for 2015-2017.

Litigation Support - Ole Haaland conducts root cause analysis investigations for counsel representing Plaintiff and Defense. When needed, he provides expert witness testimony for power plant design, construction, and operational failure issues and for parties involved in contract disputes.

Areas of Expertise:

Switchgear Voltage Regulators Turbine Generators Control Systems Hydro Generators Diesel Generators

Condensate Polishers Feed Water Heaters Main Condensers Moisture Separators Electrical Breaker Failures Operational Failures

View Ole Haaland's Consulting Profile.

Karl R. Leinsing, MSME, PE, President of ATech Designs, Inc., is a Professional Mechanical Engineer who specializes in Medical Device Product Development from concept to production. Mr. Leinsing has been granted over 34 patents (needle free IV valves, laparoscopic devices, needlescopic devices, suture lockers, catheters, mitral valve repair devices, knitting machines) and excels in solving the most complicated problems and design challenges. His company has a fully equipped medical lab with calibrated measurement and test equipment and all is fully documented with high quality reports with pictures and video to provide credible results and easy to understand compelling data.

The winner of five design awards, Mr. Leinsing is recognized as one of the top 100 medical device professionals in the nation by MD&DI. For dedication to his industry, he was made the 2014 Chairman of the Medical Device and Manufacturing Conference in Anaheim, CA. Mr. Leinsing has also been acknowledged for his work in a publication by Life Magazine. Mr. Leinsing offers litigation support services to the legal community. He has extensive experience with Patent and Product Liability cases including report writing, depositions, and testimony.

Areas of Expertise:

Intravenous (IV) Systems & Disposables Hernia Repair Endometrial Ablation Laparoscopic Instruments Injection Ports Catheters Heart Valve Repair / Replacement Subcutaneous Ports

Bed Rails Cervical Screws Syringes, pen injectors, auto-injectors IV / Insulin Pumps Glucose Monitors Peritoneal Dialysis Pumps Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Repair Sleep Apnea Devices (CPAP)

View Karl Leinsing's Consulting Profile.

Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell is a Chartered Engineer who practices as an Arbitrator, Adjudicator and Expert for Determination. Geoffrey is the former Senior Partner of Consulting Mechanical and Electrical Engineers BHA Cromwell House.

A one time Chairman of the Expert Witness Society, Geoffrey Hartwell has experience giving evidence in court (in both civil and criminal matters) and in International Arbitration. He sometimes is retained as a Single Joint Expert or as a Tribunal Expert. His services are offered to both Plaintiff and Defense. Even when retained on behalf of a Client he, like all Experts, has an overriding responsibility to the Court or Tribunal.

After his early career in aerospace and nuclear energy, Geoffrey entered private practice in association with the late Leslie Heap and Gerald Lewis of Heap and Digby, Consulting Engineers, in 1969. While with them he designed water and sewage equipment and also the bascule moving machinery for the Lowestoft Bridge, in Suffolk. He practiced also as Beresford Hartwell and Associates and, in 1971 established a separate office in Wallington, South London.

In parallel with his design career, Geoffrey was first appointed as arbitrator in 1972 and his first foreign arbitration, an ICC appointment in Switzerland, took place later that year. He studied Law to Intermediate level and then transferred to the examinations of the Institute of Arbitrators (now Chartered) of which he became Chairman in 1996-1997 and for whom he taught in various countries on several courses, including the prestigious Diploma in International Commercial Arbitration.

Technical Expertise:

Electrical Engineering and Design Mechanical Engineering and Design Instrumentation Automation and Computer Control Systems Maritime and Infrastructure Engineering Process Engineering Solid Waste Handling

Communications Manufacturing Computer Cartography Moving Bridges and Lock Gates Construction Project Management Nuclear Energy Water and Waste Water Treatment

Arbitration: Geoffrey Hartwell also acts as an arbitrator and adjudicator, as an expert mediator and conciliator, as an expert investigator and assessor for arbitral tribunals, and also as a Special Referee in the High Court of Justice of the Isle of Man. His services have been required in the UK and internationally.

Dispute Boards: Geoffrey Hartwell has experience both as Member and as Chairman of Dispute Boards?. He has been a member of Dispute Boards, retained from the beginning of a project or, alternatively, appointed on an ad hoc basis when a problem arises, Dispute Adjudication Boards to determine a binding decision, and on Dispute Review Boards to make decisions that are advisory but not binding.

Adjudication: Similar to arbitration, Mr. Hartwell adjudicates domestic and international disputes which are only temporarily binding unless otherwise agreed upon by the parties.

View Geoffrey Beresford Hartwell's Consulting Profile.

Thomas H. Burtness, PE, is an Electrical Engineer specializing in both Electrical and Building Construction - equipment selection, specification, and installation (actually “working with the tools”), as well as cost control techniques.

Background - Mr. Burtness has 40+ years of experience in the design, specification, construction contract administration, installation, startup, and troubleshooting of electrical power, on-site generation, distribution, control, and instrumentation systems and equipment for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal occupancies. His experience also includes water, wastewater, and stormwater treatment plants, and military facilities.

Additional expertise includes Illumination Engineering for street, roadway, and area lighting including photometric footcandle requirements, calculations, field verification, equipment specifications, installation, and analysis of failure, glare, overlighting and underlighting.

Litigation Support - Since, 1981, Mr. Burtness has been providing forensic electrical engineering services to insurance companies and attorneys including accident and failure investigations, determination of cause and origin, litigation support, expert opinions, reports, and testimony. His services are available nationwide, with PE registration by comity available in most states.

Cases Involve:

Industrial Accidents Electrocution Personal Injury Fire Equipment and Machinery Failure

Failure of Safety Circuitry Grounding Lightning Damage and Fire Construction Defects / Contract Claims Design and Specification Disputes

View Thomas Burtness' Consulting Profile.

Jose J. Granda, PhD, PE, is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the California State University in Sacramento, CA. Prof. Granda is a Professional Registered Mechanical Engineer with almost 40 years of experience in the industry. A NASA Fellow, he served as a NASA public spokesman for 17 space shuttle missions.

Degrees and License:

• PhD in Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Davis
• ME in Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
• MS in Mechanical Engineering,  National Polytechnic University, Ecuador
• PE (Professional Engineer) License in Mechanical Engineering

Specialized Training: Vehicle Dynamics and Design, Vehicle Safety and Crash Reconstruction, Accident Bio-mechanics, Finite Element Modeling in Computer Aided Design, Advanced Mechanical Design and Failure Analysis, CSUS;  Motorcycle Accident reconstruction;  EDR Certification, Tech 1, Tech II,  EDR Analysis Certification, Collision Safety Institute;  Applying Automotive EDR Data to Traffic Crash Reconstruction, SAE Society of Automotive Engineers International;  Advanced Accident Reconstruction Utilizing Human Factors course; Photogrammetry for Collision Reconstruction, Lightpoint Data; Bicycle and Pedestrian Accident Reconstructions; Heavy Commercial Vehicles Accident Reconstruction

Litigation Support - Prof. Granda is an expert in Forensic Engineering and Accident Reconstruction using computer simulations. His cases include accidents involving vehicles and people. He offers services to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant which include thorough written reports, depositions, and trial experience.

Areas of Expertise:

Automotive Accidents Truck Accidents Bus Accidents Motorcycle Accidents Biomechanics Occupational / Workplace / Industrial Accidents Finite Element Modeling and Failure Analysis

EDR (Event Data Recorder) Analysis Speed Studies Patent Infringement Slip and Fall Visibility Fitness Equipment Cranes / Hoists / Lifts

 View Prof. Granda's Consulting Profile.

James Caylor, PE, is an independent consulting Mechanical Engineer specializing in NH₃ and CO₂ Refrigeration Systems used in process and cold storage applications. Clients have included Leprino  Foods, Safeway, Dreyer’s, Tyson, ConAgra, Unilever, Nestlé, Imperial Irrigation District, Lineage Logistics, and Grupo Kuo (Kekén).

Background Information - Mr. Caylor's first 15 years in the refrigeration business were spent as a service and startup technician, including a UA steamfitter apprenticeship, 11 years in the industrial field and the final 8 years self-employed as Caylor Refrigeration. He then returned to college and graduated from Arizona State University in 2000 with a BSME. 

Mr. Caylor worked as a project engineer for two design/build contractors and became a PE before moving to Tyson Foods’ corporate design group in 2005. He joined Jacobs Engineering’s Food and Beverage Group in Fort Worth in 2007, finished in 2013 as Deputy Director in charge of all refrigeration projects and opened his own consulting firm in 2014.

Litigation Support - Mr. Caylor has been retained in seven expert witness cases, including one completed and two more scheduled  depositions. Two of these are currently preparing for trial and one for arbitration. Disputes tend to fall into one of three categories:  

Component Function - System Design / Installation/ Operation - Regulatory Compliance

Mr. Caylor has also consulted for lawyers representing a food processing firm facing EPA citations at multiple plants. His forensic analysis services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include site review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

System Design and Design Review (owner’s agent) Mechanical Code Review (IIAR, IFC/IMC, ASME B31.5, ASHRAE Std 15) Operational analysis Industrial Process Refrigeration Cold Storage

Ammonia Carbon Dioxide Piping Insulation OSHA / EPA

View James Caylor's Consulting Profile.

Robert C. Hoffman Jr, PE, CFEI, is a licensed Professional Engineer certified as a Fire and Explosion Investigator. With 30 years of experience, the primary focus of his knowledge is a deep understanding and application of all aspects of Product Safety for the Consumer Goods Industry.

Background Experience: For 27 years, Mr. Hoffman worked with the Whirlpool Corporation in various roles. He served the company as a Drum Sub-System Design/Development Engineer, a Laundry Product Approval Engineer, and Dryer Platform Structures Sub-System Leader and Engineer. His final position with the company before retirement was Principal Engineer, a position he served in for 8 years. 

Mr. Hoffman's primary areas of specialization are Heat / Combustion Containment strategies, and Electrical System Design strategies in expected customer abnormal use.  His involvement in field investigation evaluations and product liability support allow him to understand how products react in the field and produce both relevance safety tests and design solutions.

Litigation Support: Mr. Hoffman works as an expert witness with clients needing to understand if a product in the field has some type of design or manufacturing defect, as well as clients needing support to defend their product against a potential field hazard allegation. His background in statistics and presentation of data allows him to take complex situations and break the information down into simple, yet accurate assessments of the situation.

Mr. Hoffman's services include product failure mode and effects analysis, root cause investigations, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Product Safety / Appliance Safety Product Fire Hazard Electric Shock Lacerations Suffocation

Contact Burn Hazards  Warning Labels Faulted Components Clothes Dryer Fire Containment Code Evaluation

View Robert C. Hoffman'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 and 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

• Over 35 years of experience in Mechanical / Structural Engineering & Design, Failure Analysis, Product Liability, Industural Asbestos,Pressure Vessel & Boiler analysis and evaluation of mechanical and structural components.
• Extensive trial experience. Has been involved in multi-million dollar cases. Areas involved included:

  
  

  - Piping & pipe supports - Structural failure of products - Failure analysis - Industrial asbestos - Seismic analysis - Fire protection - Pressure vessels

  - Tanks - Construction - Heat transfer analysis - Environmental qualification of equipment - Welding - Product design - Patent information

• Expertise in developing litigation rate-case exhibits and detailed supporting testimony, and in organizing case documentation into easy-to-use computer databases for trial use.

Eugene R. Camerota is a Professional Consulting Engineer. His consulting experience includes the analytical and experimental studies of Engineering problems dealing with Accident Reconstruction and Product Liability. His work includes the following specialties:

Automotive / Motorcycle Accident Reconstruction

Crash Data Retrieval

Seat Belt Restraint Analysis

Automotive Component Design Evaluation

Construction Equipment

Industrial / Portable Machinery

Consumer Product Evaluation

OSHA

Slip and Fall