forensic engineering · materials science · reliability

The authority on why things fail.

Independent failure analysis for litigation, recalls, and plant incidents — when one answer is worth tens of millions.

what are you investigating?

1,200+matters supported
300+testifying & consulting experts
27engineering disciplines
$4.8Bin disputes informed
explore failure modes

Start with what failed.

Each failure mode is a deep, citable analysis — the mechanism, the evidence, the methods we use, and what's typically at stake.

curated and comprehensive

Collections for high-stakes failures.

Guided sets of analyses, checklists, and precedent — organized around the problem in front of you.

latest guidance

Authority that ranks — and gets cited.

Plain-spoken, rigorous explainers written for litigators, insurers, and engineers. The corpus behind the assistant.

the expert roster

The people behind the answer.

Court-tested experts across metallurgy, electrochemistry, reliability, and forensic engineering.

EM

Dr. Elena Marsh, Ph.D.

Metallurgy & fractography · 18 yrs
aerospace · power gen
JO

James Okafor, P.E.

Reliability & root-cause · 22 yrs
heavy industry · oil & gas
ST

Dr. Sora Tanaka

Battery & electrochemistry · 14 yrs
EV · consumer electronics
RD

Robert Díaz, P.E.

Welding & structural · 25 yrs
construction · pipelines

Free: failed-part evidence-preservation checklist

Protect the part before spoliation kills the case. A field-ready guide for first responders and counsel.

glossary

Plain-language definitions, expert-grade.

The terms that show up in reports, depositions, and AI answers — defined clearly.

fractographythermal runawaycreep intergranular corrosionspallingdelamination fatigue striationshydrogen embrittlementheat-affected zone stress-corrosion crackingbrinellingporosity

Something failed. Find out why.

Tell us what happened. We'll triage it and connect you with the right expert — usually within one business day.

failure-analysis assistanttriage · not a substitute for an expert
Tell me what failed and I'll help scope it — the likely mechanisms, what's at stake, and which expert fits. I won't give the formal analysis here.