Forensic Metallurgy

Dr. Douglas Townsend, P.E. of Forensic Metallurgy is a consultant, metallurgist, metallurgical engineer and expert witness. He provides investigation services in metal, glass and plastics failures. 

 

These failures may cause property losses and accidents that result in injuries and fatalities. He is an experienced failure analyst and accident investigator. His services include expert consulting on metal products failures, accident investigations and failure root cause analysis.

 

Forensic Metallurgy provides metallurgical engineering, metallurgical expert witness services for product liability and litigation for both industrial and consumer clients.

 

Dr. Townsend has over 15 years of experience in metallurgical research and in corrosion testing and failure investigation laboratories and 25 years of experience in forensic failure investigations of industrial and civil accidents as well as evaluating causes of losses for insurance claims for metals, glass and plastics failures. Dr. Townsend has been involved in over 700 cases that resulted in 99 depositions and 25 Federal, State and foreign court appearances as an expert witness for both plaintiffs and defendants. He has been admitted to courts to give testimony as a expert metallurgist and an expert in metallurgical, mechanical and structural engineering. Dr. Townsend endeavors to examine all available evidence in detail to discover probable causes acceptable to scientific, engineering and accident investigation peers.

Dr. Townsend personally conducts all aspects of every case.  Forensic Metallurgy has state of the art cameras for documenting field investigations as well as standard optical microscopes for examining and photographing evidence. For detailed examinations and destructive analysis he takes cases to only independent testing laboratories that do not represent the interests of any side of the case. 

 

Dr. Townsend has an extensive education that includes the following:

 

• PhD Metallurgy, Queen's University

• SM Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• BSc Metallurgical Engineering, Queen's University

 

Dr. Townsend is available to provide free phone and on-line initial consultations with domestic and international clients.

 

Contact me at forensicmetallurgy@att.net.