Since its inception, ASA has maintained an intense focus on gathering together top-flight chemical, metallurgical, mechanical, civil, and electrical engineers.

Many of these experts are professors in nationally regarded university departments at universities such as UCLA, USC, and Caltech.  Others have worked for large companies such as Boeing, Honeywell, and the former North American Rockwell or have been involved with government agencies such as NASA.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Chemical Engineering
The field of chemical engineering involves research and other activities in which the chemical sciences are applied to the development of numerous technologies, ranging from bomb-building to petrochemical refining to creation of synthetic fibers to waste processing.

Combustion
Chemical engineers who are experts in combustion can discuss fire cause and origin and explosions.

Petroleum Engineering

Plastics & Polymers
All plastics are polymers.  Polymers are chains of elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and silicon that make numerous materials (examples: tar, tree sap, Silly Putty, latex, and nylon).

When plastics and polymers break or fail, experts are often called upon to examine how and why.

MATERIALS SCIENCE & METALLURGY

Ceramics
Ceramics are inorganic nonmetallic substances with a wide range of (often high-temperature) applications, such as in rocket nozzles, precision molds for the metal industry, electrical insulators, and glass.

Corrosion
Rust, metal fatigue, and metal failure are issues commonly dealt with by metallurgists, who can investigate the causes of these problems and their remediation.

Fracture Mechanics

Materials Science
This field is concerned with the relationship between the structure and properties of materials.  Translation:  It brings together in one discipline metallurgy, ceramics, and the physics and chemistry of solids, with applications in disparate fields (e.g., communications technology, semiconductors, and biotechnology).  Wherever metal and glass are used, materials science had a hand in it.

ASA's many experts in materials science can discuss the proper use and failure of such materials.

Metallurgy
The science of processing and utilizing metals and alloys has wide and commonly understood applications.  Since metal can fail, metallurgy experts are often asked to look at the reason for such failure (very common example: the failure of a weld in a product or building).

Textiles
Fibers woven together, textiles have many important purposes, such as protective clothing for firefighters.

MECHANICAL & AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Acoustics & Vibrations
Applications in this field include noise control, acoustic measurement and testing, sonar and ultrasound technology, and vibration isolation as used in seismic engineering.

Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering
This broad field involves everything from aircraft design and performance to avionics to vehicle guidance/control to remote sensing, with ASA's experts able to examine safety and design concerns or failures in this regard.

Automotive Engineering
ASA's experienced automotive engineers can investigate the causes of vehicle failure and related issues of design and maintenance.

Aviation

Biomechanics / Biomechanical Engineering
This discipline studies the interaction of the human body with its environment (and in litigation is often concerned with the forces acting upon the body in accidents).

Fluid Mechanics / Thermodynamics
This discipline involves energy transfer and storage in thermal systems, with applications in machinery, chemical and manufacturing processes, and related problems and failures.

Hydraulics

Industrial Engineering

Manufacturing
This subject often involves large-scale methods of manufacturing and its related safety concerns.

Machinery
Accidents involving machinery are unfortunately too common; experts in machinery can address safety and design issues.

Mechanical Engineering
This wide-ranging field encompasses the engineering of practically any mechanism.  ASA is known for the depth and breadth of its mechanical engineering expert base, with professors at top university ME departments and individuals at private and public companies willing to act as experts.

Robotics
This growing discipline has broad application in equipment and machinery everywhere, with experts able to address the lateral safety and design concerns.

STRUCTURAL, CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

City Planning & Zoning
Our experts in this discipline most commonly tackle disputes and litigation involving municipal zoning restrictions. 

Civil Engineering
Civil engineers design and build public works projects such as roads, bridges, water systems, and buildings.  ASA's large group of civil engineers can consult on all aspects of these projects, including design, safety, and failure.

Coastal Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Geotechnical & Soils Engineering
Geotechnical engineers deal with soil mechanics, foundation engineering, and engineering geology.  In construction litigation, soil subsidence is a common problem addressed by geotechnical engineers, and the shifting ground of earthquake-prone areas is also a common concern.

Highway Design & Safety

Marine Engineering

Sanitary Engineering

Structural Engineering
The engineering of all types of structures is a major area of expertise, involving everything from design to materials testing to failure.

Traffic Engineering

Transportation & Shipping
Standard-of-care in these disciplines is a common area of investigation for ASA's experts.

Waste Management

Water Management

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SCIENCE

Algorithms & Encryption
A critical discipline to ensure secure communications, our experts often deal with patent disputes in this regard.

Analog & Digital Systems

Battery Technology

Biomedical Engineering
An important area of expertise combining several disciplines.  ASA's biomedical engineering experts can look at the design, safety and failure of biomedical devices (one exemplar case: burns caused by an electrocautery instrument).

Circuitry / Microprocessors

Communications / Telecommunications
Communications technology is often the subject of business disputes and patent litigation.

Computer Science
ASA has scores of experts in this general discipline who can examine practically any aspect of computer design or performance.

Control Systems

Electrical Devices
The safety and failure of such devices is a common area of exploration for our experts, from toasters to hair dryers to fuse boxes to printers.

Electrical Engineering
Over the years, ASA has developed close relationships with some of the best university EE departments in the country.  We have experts in all of the subdisciplines listed here.

Electromechanics

Hardware & Software

High Power Systems
Common incidents requiring investigation involve fallen power lines, transformer explosions, and the like.  

Internet / Web Technology
Such technology often forms the basis for intellectual property disputes.

Optics & Lasers
A common area of investigation for our experts involves the alleged failure of devices and/or processes which use lasers.

Programming

VLSI Systems

Wireless / Cellular Systems
Both the hardware and software underpinnings of these systems are the center of a growing number of intellectual property disputes. 

For a referral to an ASA-affiliated engineer, contact ASA at (818) 784.1800.

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