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Mechanical & Metallurgical Engineer - Expert Witness

MME Forensic Consulting, Inc.

MME Forensic Consulting, Inc.

9540 Garland Road, #381-347
Dallas, Texas 75218
(214) 399-4844

Website https://www.plankmme.com

► Contact MME Forensic Consulting, Inc.

Expert WitnessLitigation Support
MME Forensic Consulting, Inc. is headed by Bradley N. Plank, P.E. Using his combination of mechanical and metallurgical (including plastics) experience and education, Mr. Plank provides forensic and consulting engineering services to attorneys, insurance professionals, and manufacturing companies.

A registered engineer in Texas and 24 other states, Mr. Plank's experience includes 32 years in manufacturing in the metals processing industries, 32 years performing failure analyses, and 28 years investigating claims.

Mr. Plank has testified in a wide variety of matters including personal injury and property damage, in both state and federal court, and his testimony has never been excluded. Assignments have involved mechanical equipment, appliances, oil and gas transmission equipment, plumbing, HVAC, heavy equipment, machine tools, cranes and wire cables, manufacturing processes, and thermal processes, among many others.

Services

Mr. Plank's services include investigation of claims and failure analysis for attorneys, insurance firms and industrial clients in loss or injury, involving:

• Mechanical equipment
• Appliances, gas fired and electrical
• Oil and gas transmission equipment
• Plumbing – a wide variety of components
• Boilers and water heaters
• HVAC
• Heavy equipment
• Machine tools
• Cranes and wire cables
• Manufacturing processes
• Thermal processes
• Fire and water damage losses
• Warnings and instructions
• Corrosion in domestic & marine environments
• And many others

Plank MME provides lab testing services in support of finding solutions to forensic investigations and engineering design problems.

Areas of Expertise

Additional Expertise:

Water Heaters, Water Damage, Oilfield, Heavy Equipment, Cables, Medical Devices.

Areas Served

Serving All States

Professional Experience

MME FORENSIC CONSULTING, INC., July 2018 to Present
Mechanical and Metallurgical Engineer
Responsibilities like those listed below for the prior employer, but now providing engineering expert services directly to attorneys, insurance professionals, and manufacturing companies. Performing engineering investigations with failure analyses and providing expert witness testimony in property damage and personal injury matters. One area of expanded experience has been HVAC system design and installation
investigations.

EFI GLOBAL, INC., 2008 to June 2018
Senior Engineer, Mechanical and Metallurgical
Responsibilities included the evaluation of failures of mechanical equipment, appliances, and systems that resulted in loss or injury. Experience in large losses included oilfield rig collapses, gas compression failures, crane and wire cable failures, manufacturing processes,
machine tools, and heavy equipment used in oilfield and industrial settings. Experience also included gas fired and electrical appliances, a wide variety of plumbing components, materials selection, failure analysis, and thermal processing, fire and water damage losses, as well as personal injury claims.

A. O. SMITH WATER PRODUCTS COMPANY, 1993 to 2007
Product Safety Manager
Responsibilities included overall product safety for residential and commercial water heaters and boilers. Reviewed and wrote warnings and instructions, oversaw product recalls and retrofits, reviewed competitors' products and ensured that A. O. Smith water heaters were safe for their intended purposes. Resolved customer complaints and performed field inspections on products involved in property damage and personal injury for claims and litigation. Resolved claims both directly and by working with a third party claims management partner.

THE STANLEY WORKS, 1982 to 1993
Manager of Product Development
Responsibilities included managing the product engineering department for the Industrial Tools Division. Duties included development of new product concepts through direct customer contact, performing product feasibility and design, project planning, existing product modification and maintenance, competitive analysis, vendor qualification, field failure analysis, and lab testing. Also served as division metallurgist, performing materials selection and specifying metallurgical processes. Represented the company on industry standards committees and drafted three ANSI safety standards for hand tools.

DRESSER INDUSTRIES, INC., 1975 to 1981
Plant Metallurgist and Heat Treating Supervisor
Responsibilities included plant metallurgist and managing the Heat Treating Department for an engineered chain manufacturer. Processes included hardening, carburizing, and induction hardening. Materials included carbon, alloy and stainless steels, cast and malleable irons. Performed materials selection, failure analysis, and specified metallurgical processes.


Licenses

Professional Engineer State Registrations (Licensed to practice as both Mechanical & Metallurgical except as noted):

• Alabama (Mechanical)
• Arizona
• Arkansas
• California (Mechanical)
• Colorado
• Florida (Mechanical)
• Georgia
• Illinois
• Kansas
• Louisiana (Mechanical)
• Michigan
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nevada (Mechanical)
• New Mexico
• New York
• North Dakota
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Utah
• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator, NAFI 4925-1142

Patents
U.S. Patent 5,797,358 Control System for a Water Heater issued August 25, 1998
U.S. Patent RE 37,745 Control System for a Water Heater issued June 18, 2002


Legal Experience & Services

Experience consulting and testifying in a wide variety of matters including personal injury and property damage, in both state and federal court. Testimony has never been excluded as an expert witness.


Affiliations

• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
• American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE)
• ASM International (former Executive Committee local chapter)
• Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE)
• Association for Materials Protection and Performance, formerly NACE (AMPP)
• National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI)
• Forensic Expert Witness Association (FEWA)


Awards & Honors

• Unified Investigations & Sciences, Inc., Subsidiary of Sedgwick Corporation, Top Ten Award, Recognition for High Performance in Engineering Investigation, 2017
• Unified Investigations & Sciences, Inc., Subsidiary of Sedgwick Corporation, Pinnacle Award, Recognition for High Performance in Engineering Investigation, 2016
• Unified Investigations & Sciences, Inc., Subsidiary of Sedgwick Corporation, Pinnacle Award, Recognition for High Performance in Engineering Investigation, 2015


Seminars & Training

Specialized Training (Partial List)

• PDH Engineer.com, Basics of Water Treatment, Live Webinar, November 22, 2021, 2 hours, tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Programmable Logic Controllers: How They Work and How to Make Them Work for You, Live Webinar, September 28, 2021, 3 hours, tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Engineering Ethics, Principles, and Case Studies, Live Webinar, July 26, 2021, 2 hours, tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Plate Heat Exchangers, Live Webinar, May 21, 2021, 3 hours, tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Design for Stress and Strain, Live Webinar, April 9, 2021, 4 hours, tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Design for Fatigue Analysis, Live Webinar, March 12, 2021, 4 hours, tested.
• ASPE Online Webinar, “Electric Tankless Heater Design, Application and Pitfalls, November 26, 2020, 1 hour.
• SPE Online Webinar, “The Consequences of Ductile-to-Brittle Transitions in Plastics, December 10, 2020, 1 hour.
• SPE Online Webinar, “Fractography in Plastics Failures,” September 3, 2020, 1 hour.
• SPE Online Webinar, “Understanding Wear of Plastics,” October 29, 2020, 1 hour.
• ASPE Online Webinar, “Introduction to Heat Pump Water Heaters,” September 22, 2020, 1 hour.
• ASHRAE Online Webinar, “Humidity Control: Avoiding Five Common Design Problems,” September 22, 2020, 1 hour.
• PDH Engineer.com, Laws and Rules for Florida Engineers (Renewal Cycle 2019-2021), Live Webinar, September 15, 2020, 1 hour, tested.
• ASHRAE Online Webinar, “COVID-19 Pandemic Technology Considerations,” September 9, 2020, 1 hour.
• ASPE Online Webinar, “Application for Smart Management in Commercial Buildings,” June 24, 2020, 1 hour.
• ASHRAE Online Course, “Guideline 36: Best in Class HVAC Control Sequence,” Live Webinar, May 28, 2020, 3 hours.
• ASHRAE Learning Institute Online Course, “Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems: Design and Applications,” Live Webinar, April 30, 2020, 3 hours.
• ASHRAE Self Study Courses on Psychrometrics (1 hour), Refrigeration System Parameters and Key Performance Indicators (0.5 hour), Refrigerants (2 hours), and Compressors (2.5 hours), April 8, 2020, total of 6 hours, all tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Hazardous Area & Electrical Equipment, Live Webinar, March 6, 2020, 2 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Overview of the Electric Power Industry, Live Webinar, January 28, 2020, 3 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, The Greene Turbine, Live Webinar, January 20, 2020, 2 hours tested.
• University of Wisconsin, College of Engineering and Engineering Professional Development, PE Ethics Workshop IV: Truths, Half-truths, Deception, Omissions, and Outright Lies, September 27, 2019, 2 hours, tested.
• Alabama Board of Licensure for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors, An Ethical Conversation, July 24, 2019, 1 hour, tested.
• Texas Board of Professional Engineers, Professional Engineering Practice Update/ Ethics, Live Webinar, July 11, 2019, 1 hour, tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Forensics Engineering – An Overview, Live Webinar, April 18, 2019, 7 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Steel Design Introduction, Live Webinar, February 20, 2019, 7 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, How Things Break: Fatigue, Live Webinar, January 30, 2019, 4 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, Live Webinar, May 23, 2018, 4 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Engineering Triumphs – Sports Projectiles, Live Webinar, February 28, 2018, 4 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, How Things Break: Thermal Effects, Live Webinar, January 30, 2018, 4 hours tested.
• PDH Engineer.com, Engineering Triumphs – Cement Manufacture, Live Webinar, January 22, 2018, 4 hours tested.
• Unified Investigations & Sciences, In-Service Webinar Series, Essentials of NFPA 1033, June 2016-January 2017, 8 hours tested.
• CPE Solutions, LLC, Lubrication Principles, January 2, 2017, 2 hours tested.
• CPE Solutions, LLC, Fluid Power—Hydraulic Principles, January 2, 2017, 4 hours tested.
• PDHNow.com, Florida Ethics 2017-2019, June 18, 2018, 1 hour tested.
• PDHNow.com, Florida Laws and Rules for Professional Engineers, Biennium Cycle 2017-2019, June 16, 2018, 1 hour tested.
• CPE Solutions, LLC, Accident and Injury Protection Part 2, June 14, 2016, Live Webinar, taught by Derek Finger, PE, 2 hours tested.
• CPE Solutions, LLC, Cathodic Protection Systems for Civil Works Structures, May 30, 2016, 5 hours tested.
• CPE Solutions, LLC, An Introduction to Inspection of Boilers and Unfired Pressure Vessels, May 30, 2016, 3 hours tested.
• OSHA Asbestos Awareness Training, Safety Compliance Management, Inc., March 5, 2016, 2 hours tested.
• Hazwoper Refresher Course in Compliance with 29 CFR 1910.120 Standard, Dallas, Texas, February 13, 2016, 8 hours tested.
• Engineering Ethics 2016, Rossiter & Associates, Grapevine, Texas, February 9, 2016, 2 hours.


Education

• Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Bachelor of Science, Metallurgical Engineering, 1975
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
Master of Business Administration, 1981




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