Vident Partners provides vetted failure analysis expert witnesses for cases involving product failures, material fatigue, weld fractures, manufacturing defects, and component breakage causing personal injury or property damage in product liability and industrial accident litigation. Request a referral today.
Find a Failure Analysis Expert →Overview
Failure analysis experts investigate why mechanical components, structures, and products failed, using materials science, metallurgy, and engineering principles to determine the root cause of failure. ASM International — the world's largest association of materials-centric engineers and scientists — is the primary professional and educational organization for failure analysis, publishing the Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention and offering dedicated training in fractography, fracture mechanics, and failure investigation through its Failure Analysis Society affiliate 1. ASTM International publishes mechanical testing standards including ASTM E8/E8M (Tension Testing) and the Volume 03.01 standards series governing metals mechanical testing and metallography that failure analysis experts routinely apply 2.
The failure analysis process typically involves visual examination, fractography (analysis of fracture surfaces), metallographic examination, chemical composition analysis, mechanical testing, and non-destructive testing (NDT) methods including radiography, ultrasonic testing, and magnetic particle inspection. Experts must be able to distinguish between failure modes such as fatigue, overload, corrosion, stress corrosion cracking, hydrogen embrittlement, and creep, each of which has different implications for causation and liability.
These experts are particularly critical in cases involving automotive component failures (axles, steering, suspension), industrial equipment breakdowns, pressure vessel explosions, crane and lifting equipment failures, medical device malfunctions (hip implants, spinal hardware, surgical instruments), and structural steel connections in building and bridge collapses.
Failure analysis testimony must satisfy Daubert requirements for scientific reliability, and experts are expected to follow established methodologies such as those published by ASM International, ASTM International, and NTSB investigation protocols.
The ASM Failure Analysis Society publishes the Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention and supports the professional community through educational programs in fractography, fracture mechanics, and failure investigation.
Case Types
Product liability involving component fracture or material defect
Automotive part failure causing vehicle accidents
Industrial equipment failure and workplace injury
Medical device malfunction and implant failure
Pressure vessel and boiler explosions
Qualifications
Related Specialties
FAQ
A failure analysis expert should hold an advanced degree in materials science, metallurgical engineering, or mechanical engineering, have extensive laboratory experience with metallographic and fractographic analysis techniques, and be familiar with ASTM testing standards. Professional Engineer licensure and prior Daubert-qualified testimony experience are strongly preferred.
Failure analysis experts are needed in product liability cases involving fractured or failed components, automotive defect cases, industrial accident investigations, medical device failure cases, structural collapse investigations, and any litigation where the root cause of a mechanical or material failure must be determined.
In general, engineering expert fees are determined by the expert themselves, based on a variety of criteria. Among those criteria are professional experience, forensic experience, engineering certifications and licensure, industry specialization, and publications. Vident does have some influence over expert fees by comparing experts within a specialty, but ultimately it is a personal decision by the expert.
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Vident Partners connects attorneys with qualified failure analysis expert witnesses. Complimentary consultation, 24-hour turnaround, no obligation.
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