Lubricants (Lubricating Oil / Grease) Consultants: 3

Engel Metallurgical LTD engineers and metallurgists offer laboratory testing services to determine material performance and material performance expectation. All tests are performed according to government and/or applicable industrial standards, including ASTM, military, and other specifications. Engel Metallurgical clients include attorneys, insurance company representatives and members of a broad range of industries, including chemical, agricultural, aviation, power generation, construction, transportation and manufacturing. Consulting Services:

Principal, Lester P. Engel, Jr., PE, is a Metallurgical Engineer with over 40 years of experience leading the company's detailed, quality-focused testing and services. He oversees the company's lab, continually adding new equipment and techniques.

Mr. Engel also has experience as the chief metallurgist for Brown Boveri Turbomachinery and as a metallurgical engineer for the Aircraft Engine Group of General Electric, where he focused on material selections for hot aircraft and marine gas turbine components. His GE career began in Nuclear Systems Programs, where his work included serving as the principal investigator on three NASA programs. Les Engel specializes in materials application, failure analysis, R & D program management, materials and process specifications, engineering standards and procedures, laboratory design and operation, data analysis and personnel, and budget management. He continues to personally perform failure analysis on aircraft and land turbines, generators, boilers, steel products, metals, cements, plastics, and other materials.

James A. Brusso, PhD, PE, has more than 20 years of experience in processing/properties of materials, materials characterization and behavior, materials specifications, mechanical testing, failure analysis, machining of materials, and laboratory design and operation. He is also Engel Metallurgical's Technical Manager and Quality Manager.

Dr. Brusso brings keen expertise to Engel Metallurgical and its clients, performing failure analysis; rendering expert opinions, giving depositions and testimony for litigation support; providing technical support for materials and process development and improvement; and developing and reviewing various product designs, materials, and process details.

Dr. Brusso has worked with Engel Metallurgical since 2000. Prior to that, he held several positions with The Timken Company in Ohio, where his responsibilities included establishing the company’s machinability testing laboratory, team leader for product development projects, managing the company's application metallurgical laboratory, and providing technical review of internal processing and testing standards to satisfy ISO 9000 / QS 9000 registration.

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Envista Forensics is a global leader in Forensic Engineering & Recovery Solutions. They provide Cause & Origin, Failure Analysis, Fire and Explosion Investigations, Accident Reconstruction, Damage Evaluations and Equipment Restoration Services following disasters of all kinds. Envista has offered Consulting Services to the insurance, legal and risk management industries, as well as businesses, public entities, and universities for over 25 years. Their Experts travel globally from 30 offices located across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Australia and Singapore.

Insurance Industry / Claims Professionals - Envista understands the need to save money and expedite the claim, to serve the insured and reduce uncertainty. They offer a menu of services that address insurers’ needs for timely, reliable information, as well as their need to satisfy the policyholders. Envista's insurance clients include Property Adjusters, Casualty and Liability Adjusters and Examiners, Boiler & Machinery Specialists, Inland and Ocean Marine Surveyors, Subrogation and Recovery Professionals, SIU (Special Investigation Units), Forensic Accountants, and Lloyd's & London Market.

Businesses - Envista understands that buildings, equipment, data and other assets are critical to the profitable operation of any business. They are proud to offer a variety of services that help businesses protect themselves when they need it most. Envista offers specialized expertise with all types of business, especially Manufacturers, Technology Companies, Food Processing, Hospitals, Medical / Dental Care, Laboratories, R&D (Research & Design), Schools and Universities, Law, Accounting, and other Professional Service Firms, Banking, Securities, Financial, Energy, Transportation, Retail, and Broadcast and Entertainment.

Universities & Public Entities - Risk Managers and Business Officers responsible for the operations of colleges, universities, local government and other entities have the challenging role of working to prevent financial exposure following disasters involving business-critical equipment, buildings/structures, data/networks, as well as safety. Envista engineers and technicians have over a quarter century’s worth of experience providing forensic consulting for college risk professionals, as well as the insurance carriers and legal professionals who serve them.

Consulting Services:

• Equipment Damage Assessments
• Forensic Engineering / Causation Analysis
• Building & Structure Damage Assessments
• Equipment Restoration & Preservation
• Evaluation of Repair and Replacement
• Project Management of Repair and Recovery Efforts Options
• Data Recovery
• Computer Forensics
• Forensic Video Services
• Cyber Incident Analysis

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Pond Industries LLC offers a wide variety of Metallurgical and Materials Testing services with specialized consulting solutions. Having obtained Professional Engineering certificates in 48 states, Pond Industries offers testing and consulting services to multiple industries with a wide portfolio of high-demand services, including:

Forensic Metallurgy / Failure Analysis - Determining the root cause of a mechanical failure is critical for preventing future failures or determining fault. Metallurgical failures in parts or assemblies are fatigue, overload, corrosion, improper design, or some combination of these failure modes. 

Engineering Consulting - Common engineering services provided are stress analysis, finite element analysis (FEA), material selection, mechanical design, CAD modelling, and engineering document review. Materials Testing - ISO 17025 accredited test laboratories to ensure clients get the best quality test results, and material experts that can help interpret and understand the test data and offer guidance when needed. 

Weld Inspections - AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) services to assist with any stage of the welding process or operations. From procedure and welder qualifications to pre- and post-weld inspections, clients have the comfort of knowing that your welding inspector is an expert in weld metallurgy and testing. 

Derailment Investigations - Extensive knowledge of rail related forensic metallurgy, having contributed to hundreds of derailment investigations and derailment emergency response teams. A typical derailment investigation includes site inspection, metallurgical evaluation, dynamic simulations, root cause.

Brett Pond,  PhD, PE, CWI, has over 16 years of experience as a Mechanical Engineering and Metallurgical consultant specializing in Forensic Metallurgy (failure analysis).  He has a strong background in the rail industry, having participated in hundreds of derailment investigations and rail related failure analyses. 

Dr. Pond obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, has Professional Engineering (PE) licensure in 48 states, and is an AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI).  He is an active member of ASM International, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and American Welding Society (AWS), and the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE)

.Dr. Pond has earned international recognition for his failure analysis capabilities and has given technical presentations at multiple Failure Analysis Forums hosted in Shanghai, China. He has a wide range of experience, including: API Fitness for Service (FFS) Evaluations, field testing, mechanical / metallurgical laboratory management, legal expert witness services, and failure analysis for Rail, Food, Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Medical, and Transportation industries.

View Dr. Brett Pond's Expert Witness Profile.