Metallurgical-Materials Engineer, Failure Analysis and Forensics, Expert Witness

Expertise

EXPERTISE

• Principal investigator of a failure that sent 11 people to hospital in personal injury case. 
• Successfully rebutted plaintiff’s experts in a $6 million property damage subrogation lawsuit. Found key documents and identified fatal flaws in plaintiff’s experts’ analyses. 
• Extensive experience with failure analysis of high-hazard process equipment at a Fortune 100 company. 
• Process analysis & root cause methodology used to explore alternative scenarios for solutions to problems.
• Systems-thinking for problem solving using DMAIC, RCFA, FMEA, Swiss Cheese, & Bow-Tie methodology. 
• Capable of translating complicated technical questions into easy-to-understand concepts or examples.
• Experienced with multiple engineering technologies, business and supply chain concepts for a multifunctional approach to process improvement, failure analysis and process safety. 
• Statistical and measurement system analysis, multivariate industrial experimentation for data-driven decisions.

Expert Witness Experience

• Principal investigator of a failure in personal injury case.
• Successfully rebutted plaintiff's experts in a $6 million property damage lawsuit. Found key documents and identified fatal flaws in plaintiff's experts' analyses.
• Document and deposition review.
• Issues and document analysis for "fatal flaws.
• Critique and analysis of opposing expert reports.

Experience

Notable Product Experience

• Cyrel®
• Kalrez®
• Neoprene®
• Invista®
• Stainmaster®
• Viton®
• Butacite®
• Freon®
• Dowtherm®
• Sorvall®
• Titanium
• Enriched uranium
• Plutonium
• Fluoropolymers and Fluorochemicals
• Pigments and Mineral Products
• Refractory bricks
• Supersacks

Undisclosed Company, Proprietor, 2014 - Present

• Provide engineering services for failure analysis, expert witness, litigation support, product development and process improvement. 
• Developed manufacturing technology process transfer system for major multinational aerospace company.
• Failure analysis in severe burns personal injury case due to fire and failure of a compressed natural gas hose.
• Analyses of equipment failures in fire protection systems that result in property damage.
• Statistical analysis of medical outcomes data for professional competency and standard of care litigation
• Process improvement studies for micro-electronic package welding.
• Data mining, analysis and research in support of litigation.

DuPont Global Operations and Engineering, Process Improvement Engineer, 2004 - 2014

Lean Six-Sigma Master Black Belt

• Reduced equipment failures, improved safety, cost, quality and capacity. Metallurgical failure analyses, root cause analyses (RCFA), & Failure Modes & Effects Analysis (FMEA) for business, technical or operational problems.
• Led project to reduce downtime and improve quality for fully fluorinated polymer reactor delivering $4 million in additional capacity.
• Improved product quality and identified process control problems through statistically designed multivariable experiment in a $300 million Cyrel® packaging graphics printing plate business.
• Led project to identify cost reduction opportunities and improve quality in Kalrez® O-ring manufacture.
• Led program to debottleneck manufacturing & increase capacity with no capital investment in Viton® fluoro-elastomer rubber manufacture. Improved coagulation, separation and reactor control.
• Determined causes of poor initiation of polymerization reaction & improved process performance for Neoprene®.
• Led project improve waste heat boiler system reliability, improve boiler feed water quality, and reduce steam leaks in at a chemical manufacturing site.
• Developed analysis and suggested operational improvements to reduce operating costs at a sulfonylurea agricultural chemicals manufacturing site in Puerto Rico.
• Analysis of multi-business steam demand to review feasibility to idle or shut down a power boiler.
• Capacity analysis at a polymer film (Butacite®) manufacturing facility.
• Failure analysis of sulfuric acid (H2SO4 ) process equipment to determine causes of downtime.
• Led the investigation into failures of high-pressure (900 psig) emulsion polymerization reactor seal.
• Technology Auditor for $10 million capital expansion project 

Senior Financial Analyst - Special Assignment, 2002 - 2004 

• Assistant to VP on assignment to DuPont’s CEO during the $20B divestiture of DuPont’s Textile Fibers (nylon), now Invista®, part of Koch Industries.
• Provided engineering, operations and business acumen to understand and manage cost reductions and personnel changes arising from the divestiture.
• Provided engineering support for emerging corporate environmental issues and litigation.

Continuous Improvement Engineer - DuPont Titanium Technology, 2000 - 2002

• Improved processes and reduced equipment failures to improve operational performance at manufacturing sites.
• Principal investigator into the safety of one-ton "supersacks". Identified the triboelectric effect as the root cause of package instability.
• Reduced downtime in the ore-feed system of a high temperature (1200 C) reactor.

Unit Technology Leader - DuPont Specialty Chemicals Business, (Carpet and Textile), 1998 - 2000

• Reduced equipment failures, process upsets, poor quality and equipment downtime in the protection chemicals (Stainmaster) site.
• Leader of Six Sigma project that delivered 30% additional capacity in a sold-out business without capital investment. Process modeling and multivariate experimentation concluded that a condensing heat exchanger was fouling requiring clean-outs and creating downtime. Studies of heat transfer showed that the temperatures were set inappropriately causing solidification of material on the tube walls. The solution was to change the inlet temperature of the heat exchanger.
• Improved maintenance scheduling, maintenance service delivery, uptime while reducing maintenance costs.

Facility Manager - DuPont Fluoro-products, 1995 - 1998

• Facility manager of the Freon Lab, a 40,000 square foot office and pilot plant facility.
• Cost and capital manager for Fluorochemicals research pilot plant and office building.
• Responsible for improving the maintenance and cost performance of the facility. Managed $14 million RD budget.
• Eliminated HVAC compressor failures. Determined the problem was due to the control sequencing of the air handlers during an emergency shutdown of the HVAC system when there was a chemical release at the pilot plant. Each compressor re-build cost over $35,000.
• Established preventive maintenance program for facility. Reduced building maintenance expense by 15%.
• Environmental coordinator for pilot plant and manufacturing control laboratory. Responsible for New Jersey, RCRA, and Superfund reporting for the facility.
• Led $1.2 billion SBU-wide Financial Data Quality project chartered by VP.
• Reduced quarterly earnings adjustments by improving finished product cost-accounting processes, and valuation of inventory. Reported to SBU Finance Director.
• Reduced monthly adjustments and account reconciliations by 80% in 6 months. Eliminated $1 million in accounting personnel support cost.

Research and Development Eng., DuPont Titanium - White Pigments-Mineral Products, 1990 - 1995

• Responsible for materials specification, reliability engineering and root cause failure analysis for key pieces of process equipment. Received 2 patents and re-designed two key pieces of process equipment.
• Designed improved ore-feed equipment resulting in decreased downtime by 4X. Resulted in deferred capital expenditures of $20 million. Received Special Accomplishment Award.
• Identified process and operational changes resulting in 1% yield-loss reduction.
• Led team that increased process heater capacity by 30%.
• Identified process and operations changes to reduce refractory brick failures. (Patent developed from this effort).
• Initiated process modeling that resulted in 30% reduced steam consumption for fluid energy mill and eliminated need for $12 million boiler expansion. Received Engineering Excellence Award for the work (and future patent).
• Lead engineer on failure analysis of oxygen preheater, which sent 11 people to hospital. Coordinated studies with legal department and various technical groups. Analysis resulted in OSHA determining DuPont was not at fault, and no fines were levied. Testified during personal injury lawsuit arising from failure. Charges of negligence were dismissed based on testimony.

Engineering Associate - DuPont - Corporate Engineering Department, 1985 -1990

• Member of the Corporate Engineering Materials Consulting Group, responsible for performing failure analyses and materials specification for DuPont's Electronic Materials, Medical Products and Fibers (nylon) sites.
• Failure analysis of carbon fiber, filament-wound centrifuge rotor failures for Sorvall Medical Products.
• Resolved manufacturing discrepancies and improved performance with supplier (Boeing).
• Failure analysis of a Dowtherm vaporizer tube failure which shut down a nylon plant. Studies resulted in major review of Dowtherm degradation mechanism and review of vaporizer operating procedures.
• Competitive intelligence for British Telecom - DuPont (BTD) joint venture
• Failure analysis of optical transceivers manufactured by the BTD joint venture.
• Defined process upgrades in CD mastering and manufacture for Phillips - DuPont joint venture.
• Resolved quality problems in electron beam writer for Phillips - DuPont joint venture.
• Resolved manufacturing process problems in progressive die-stamping operation for DuPont's Berg electronic connectors.
• Defined mechanical integrity, fitness for service and permission to operate high-pressure (6,000-7,000 psi) chrome oxide reactors.
• Failure analysis and product development for ceramic metal-matrix composites.
• Failure analysis of Hotel DuPont fire protection system standpipe failure.
• Use of surface analytical techniques such as SIMS, Auger spectroscopy and ESCA.

DuPont Atomic Energy, Engineer, Savannah River Plant, Aiken, SC, 1982 - 1985

• United States Department of Energy was operated by DuPont in Savannah River Site and charged with the manufacture of enriched uranium, plutonium and tritium for the U.S. nuclear weapons program.
• Responsible for the specification of materials of construction and inspection of equipment used in the extraction and refining of uranium, plutonium and tritium.
• Audits of pressure vessel fabricators, materials specification for corrosive service. Failure analyses, fitness for service and in-service inspections of chemical process equipment.

Educator

• Adjunct Faculty – Widener University – Department of Mechanical Engineering 
• Adjunct Faculty – University of Delaware – Lerner School of Business
• Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist - ASM Course
• Senior Project - Widener University - Dept. of Mechanical Engineering Adjunct Faculty

Honors & Publications

Credentials

• Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
• Post Work, University of Florida, WO3 (tungsten trioxide) Electrochromic Thin Film
• Thesis: Slow Strain Rate Embrittlement in Tantalum Due to Oxygen, University of Florida 
• DOE security clearance

Licenses

• Registered Professional Engineer: Delaware and Pennsylvania

Languages

• Spanish-Fluent
• English-Fluent

Awards

• Delaware Association of Professional Engineers –  Distinguished Service Award
• DuPont – Engineering Excellence Award – 
• DuPont – Specialty Chemicals Technology Award
• DuPont – Electronic & Communications Technology Quality Excellence Award

Publications and Patents

• Author of articles for scientific journals and magazines
• Internal proprietary technical reports
• Two patents

Education

• EMBA Executive Business Administration, University of Delaware, Newark, DE
• M.S. Metallurgical-Materials Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC