Medical Devices, Biotech, Failure Analysis, Mechanical Eng, Materials, Reliability, Expert Witness
T. Kim Parnell, PhD, PE is a Professional Mechanical Engineering consultant and is Principal & Founder of Parnell Engineering & Consulting (PEC). Dr. Parnell holds PhD and MSME degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, a BES from Georgia Tech, and is a registered Professional Mechanical Engineer (PE) in the State of California. He is an ASME Fellow, an IEEE Senior Member, and a Member of ASM and SAE. Dr. Parnell is Past-Chair of the IEEE Santa Clara Valley Section (IEEE-SCV) (over 12,000 members) and Past-Chair/Board Member of the IEEE Consultants' Network of Silicon Valley (IEEE-CNSV). Dr.Parnell is an experienced Expert Witness, has provided testimony in both trial and deposition, and has authored numerous expert reports PGR and IPR declarations. He has worked extensively as an expert in medical devices, patents, product failure, product liability, and personal injury. Dr. Parnell has been retained in medical device litigation cases that are in the news and adjudicated in MDLs. Products include IVC Filters (Inferior Vena Cava Filters), Pelvic Mesh, Transvaginal Mesh, Intragastric Abdominal Balloon Weight Loss Systems, Back Pain Reduction Systems, and others. Dr. Parnell brings both breadth and depth of experience to clients. He has over 34 years of professional consulting experience, has taught both graduate and undergraduate University classes (Visiting Professor at Stanford University & Adjunct Professor at Santa Clara University), and has also worked in industry. His industrial positions include sectors such as software, hardware, medical devices, and telecommunications equipment. He has extensive experience in areas including patents, medical devices, Nitinol shape memory alloy material, mechanical failure of products or equipment, and material failure by fracture or fatigue. Dr.Parnell frequently works with early-stage companies as both a technical consultant and a business advisor in sectors including medical devices and flash memory technology.
Areas of Expertise:
- Patents and Intellectual Property
- Medical Devices
- Medical Instrumentation
- Composite Materials
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA) & Simulation
- Cell Phones, Personal Electronic Devices
- Gas Leaks, Pipe Failure, Vapor Cloud Explosions
| - Shape Memory Materials
- Heavy Truck Crashworthiness
- Consumer Products
- Product Design Refinement
- Piping, Pressure Vessels
- Failure Analysis
- Reliability
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Selected Professional Memberships:
- Registered Professional Engineer (Mechanical), California
- ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), Fellow
- SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), Member
- IEEE (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers), Senior Member
- ASM International, Member
- SMST (Shape Memory and Superelastic Technologies), Member
View Dr. Parnell's Consulting Profile.
Rail residual stress distributions can be complex and variable in nature, as different manufacturing techniques produce varying stress magnitudes and distributions. To evaluate the effect of residual stresses on rail integrity, an analysis technique was sought that could quantify the effect of these stresses on web crack propagation.
The computer program LS-DYNA3D was used to simulate the behavior of a specific, though representative, heavy truck cab-over tractor-trailer vehicle during a full 180° rollover event. These simulations provide a key component in the development of a physical testing procedure for evaluating structural integrity and occupant crash protection system designs in heavy trucks.
The United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for Class III implantable medical devices requires a 10 year life, or approximately 400 million cycles of service.
