Areas of Expertise: Forensic Engineering; Failure Analysis; Accident Investigations; Industrial Accidents; Mechanical Engineering; Materials Science; Design Engineering; Corrosion; Accident Prevention & Safety Warnings; Forensic Photography; Pipelines & Pressure Vessels; Industrial Equipment & Machinery; Petrochemical & Refineries; Product Liability; All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) & Carts; Firearms & Ballistics; Labels & Warnings; Playgrounds & Equipment; Safety Codes & Standards; Machine Guarding; Warehouse & Store; Automotive Engineering; Friction, Wear, Tribology; Steel & Metals; Metallurgy; Polymers & Plastics; Forklifts & Material Handling; Construction & Farm Machinery; Personal Protective Equipment & Gear; Protective Gear & Restraints; Medical Devices; Biomedical Engineering; Manufacturing Technology.
Dr. Scott Anson has been practicing and teaching engineering for over 30 years. The first 8 years were in industry engineering roles involving process development and tooling design, as well as extensive laboratory failure analysis. During his over 22 yr. academic career he held multiple industry appointments simultaneous with his academic role, in addition to his independent consulting work. He provides forensic engineering services involving product design, manufacturing defects, and warnings/instructions (marketing defects). He is a licensed professional engineer (P.E.) in Texas and Louisiana and has an active NCEES record to facilitate licensing in other states.
Dr. Anson has complementary skills in four key dualities that uniquely enhance his effectiveness in forensic engineering and expert witness services.
1) He is formally trained and experienced in both Mechanical Engineering and Materials Engineering, which enables him to assess both mechanical overstress and materials degradation, without defaulting to one or the other as the failure cause due to singular familiarity. In addition, he is uniquely able to parse issues of overstress and materials degradation, such that he is well positioned to de-conflate myopic root cause arguments that overlook the other possibilities.
2) He has a deep background in failure analysis from both a formal analytical laboratory perspective and using field techniques, which he combines to solve problems expediently.
3) As a university professor he was recognized for excellence in both teaching and connection with students. These teaching and connecting skills transfer to expert witness work as he supports the trier of fact in understanding the technical facts in issue to form a well-informed ruling.
4) While he is Ph.D. educated, he also has a hands-on approach to life in that he does most of his own vehicle and homestead repairs, which rounds out his theoretical knowledge with hands-on (practical) problem solving skills.
Certifications
• API 580 Risk Based Inspection, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. – Certification Number 96562
• API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspector, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. – Certification Number 87769
• API 571 “Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry (AKA “Corrosion and Materials”), American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. – Certification Number 68205
• API/ASME 579 Fitness for Service, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C. and ASME, New York, NY – Training and Experience (no certification offered)
Plant Safety Training – East Texas Safety Council, Longview TX
• Basic Orientation Plus
• Scaffolding User
• Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S)
• Texas Eastman Site Specific
• Confined Space Entry
Professional Associations
• National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE) – Atlanta, GA
• National Society of Professional Engineers – Alexandria, VA
• Texas Society of Professional Engineers – Austin, TX
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) – New York, NY
Recent failure analysis/ forensics engineering application areas within Mechanical and Materials Engineering:
1) Workplace injuries
2) Safety hierarchy application
3) Structural failure of a medical device
4) Failed industrial equipment
5) Commercial litigation
6) Stress overload
7) Product liability
8) Materials degradation/metallurgy
9) Golf cart tipping incident
10) Oil field injury — pipe left under stress during decommissioning
11) Slip and fall in a virtual reality (VR) system
12) Playground equipment pinch point.
13) Virtual reality gaming system fall.
14) Swing set tipping.
15) Firearms valuation including National Firearms Act (NFA) items.
16) Heavy truck fuel pump and engine failure — ceramic debris.
17) Baby stroller brake failure and tipping.
18) Super load (push and pull truck) — load securement failure.
An introductory video by Dr. Anson can be found at