Description
Mechanical and Materials Specialist and a practicing forensic engineer with over 20 years of experience conducting comprehensive investigations across mechanical engineering and materials performance accidents and failures. Expertise encompasses determining the critical role of materials and mechanical components in multidisciplinary incidents including fires, explosions, product failures, and transportation accidents. Specializes in analyzing business interruption losses and personal injury cases, providing expert testimony and technical analysis for complex engineering failures. Extensive background combines theoretical knowledge with practical field investigation experience to deliver thorough forensic evaluations. Work spans multiple industries, offering clients detailed technical insights into the mechanical and materials science aspects of accident reconstruction and failure analysis.
Education
University of Maryland
Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering December 2002
Dissertation – “Modeling the Transition Region Fracture Behavior of Ferritic Steels”
M.S. Mechanical Engineering August 1999
Thesis – “Influence of Grain Size, Strain Rate and Texture on the Stress-Strain Behavior of AlMg Alloy 5086”
B.S. Mechanical Engineering May 1996
Undergraduate Research – Metallurgical assessment of creep-stress rupture behavior of Ni-Cu alloy K500
EXPERTISE
Failure Analysis
- Aircraft Components and Systems
- Airport Ground Transportation
- Cars and Trucks
- Consumer Products
- Cranes, Hoists, and Boom Trucks
- Electric Power Distribution Equipment
- Fasteners, Joints, and Welds
- Gasoline and Diesel Engines
- Lift Trucks and Heavy Equipment
- Oil/Gas Industry Equipment
- Recreational Devices
- Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Mechanical Systems (Plumbing, Piping, HVAC, Refrigeration, Sprinkler Systems)
Fires and Explosions
- Appliances
- Cars and Trucks
- Consumer Products
- Electric Power Distribution Equipment
- Farm and Heavy Equipment
- Fuel Gas Systems
- Industrial Operations
- Lithium Batteries
- Oil/Gas Industry Equipment
- Petroleum Product Storage Tanks
- Pressure Vessels
Materials Analysis
- Fatigue, Overload, and Corrosion
- Material Composition and Alloy Identification
- Mechanical, Physical, and Thermal Properties
- Metals, Plastics, Glasses, Ceramics
ASSOCIATIONS
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Member
ASTM International, Member
Aviation Insurance Association (AIA), Member
Flight Safety Foundation, Member
National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI), Member
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Member Maryland Chapter
LICENSURE, CERTIFICATIONS, TRAINING
Professional Engineer
District of Columbia License No. PE920286
Virginia License No. 0402059087
Maryland License No. 40525
National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI)
Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator No. 23221-13923
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
10-hour General Industry Safety and Health No. 26-707022504
30-hour General Industry Safety and Health No. 26-907246877
Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM)
CDR Tool Technician Training Certification No. 12621055
EXPERIENCE
RTI Group, LLC
Senior Mechanical/Materials Failure Analysis 2020 – Present
Utilized the scientific method and various engineering principles to conduct forensic investigations and technical analyses of: mechanical systems, components, and materials failures; transportation (automobile, aviation, marine), product, workplace, recreational, and industrial accidents/incidents; fires and explosions in support of insurance claim analysis and civil litigation
MW Forensic Engineering LLC
Mechanical/Materials Engineer January 2020
Utilize the scientific method and various engineering principles to conduct forensic investigations and technical analyses of: mechanical systems, components, and materials failures; transportation (automobile, aviation, marine), product, workplace, recreational, and industrial accidents/incidents; fires and explosions in support of insurance claim analysis and civil litigation
FORCON International
Mechanical/Materials Consultant January 2020
Mechanical/Materials Engineer July 2018 – December 2019
Utilize the scientific method and various engineering principles to conduct forensic investigations and technical analyses of: mechanical systems, components, and materials failures; transportation (automobile, aviation, marine), product, workplace, recreational, and industrial accidents/incidents; fires and explosions in support of insurance claim analysis and civil litigation
RTI Group, LLC
| Director of Engineering and Research | January 2015 – July 2018 | |
| Director of Mechanical Engineering | September 2011 – January 2015 | |
| Mechanical/Materials Failure Analyst | September 2008 – September 2011 |
Utilized the scientific method and various engineering principles to conduct forensic investigations and technical analyses of: mechanical systems, components, and materials failures; transportation (automobile, aviation, marine), product, workplace, recreational, and industrial accidents/incidents; fires and explosions in support of insurance claim analysis and civil litigation
Independent Consultant March 2005 – September 2008
Investigated product and mechanical systems component failures in support of insurance claim analysis.
Developed a computational, predictive model of ferritic steel fracture toughness versus temperature to bridge microscale dislocation behavior with macroscale continuum stress response.
Structural Integrity Associates
Engineering Associate May 2004 – March 2005
Supported existing projects related to the core business of detection, characterization, and mitigation of service induced damage in steel components used by the energy industry.
SEA Limited and FTI/SEA Consulting
Project Engineer, Mechanical October 2002 – January 2004
Employed the scientific method and various engineering principles in the forensic investigation of equipment and materials failures/accidents over a broad range of industries.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
American Welding Society
Destructive Testing, June 2021
Metallurgy II, April 2021
The Science of Nondestructive Testing, June 2021
Understanding Welding Symbols, November 2021
Welding Fundamentals I, June 2021
Welding Fundamentals II, June 2021
Continuing Education & Development, Inc.
Basic Direct Current (DC) Theory, January 2019
Grounding System Theory and Practice, January 2019
Corrosion: Overview, January 2019
Engineering Ethics Case Study: The Challenger Disaster, May 2020
Material Properties and Corrosion, May 2020
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Canvas Network
Aviation 101, February 2019
Delft University of Technology and edX
TUDF-FE01x: Forensic Engineering: Learning from Failures, February 2019
DelftX-AEASM1x: Introduction to Aerospace Structures and Materials, March 2021
International Association of Arson Investigators, Inc and CFITrainer.net
The Scientific Method for Fire and Explosion Investigation, May 2019
Introduction to Evidence, May 2019
Residential Natural Gas Systems, August 2017
Investigating Natural Gas Systems, August 2017
Explosion Dynamics, August 2017
Documenting the Event, April 2018
Motor Vehicles: The Engine and the Ignition, Electrical, and Fuel Systems, October 2018 Motor Vehicles: Transmission, Exhaust, Brake, and Accessory Systems, October 2018 Investigating Motor Vehicle Fires, October 2018.
Fire Chemistry, May 2019
Physical Evidence at the Fire Scene, May 2019
Introduction to Fire Dynamics and Modeling, May 2019
Fire Protection Systems, May 2019
- J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Entry-Level Driver Training Module 03: Pre- and Post-Trip Inspections, June 2021
Entry-Level Driver Training Module 20: Maintenance, June 2021
Loading & Unloading: Straight Truck Series, June 2021
Vehicle Inspections: Straight Truck Series, June 2021