Seattle Materials Testing Laboratory

Expertise for Industrial Clients and Litigation Support

Global Notification of New Chemicals

Failure Investigation Analysts at a State-of-the-Art Lab

Count on Exponent when you're facing your most challenging investigations: from determining the right questions to identifying the most appropriate analytical techniques for finding answers. Exponent's Seattle Lab is staffed by a superior team of experts from a variety of disciplines, including materials science and mechanical engineering, so you get the evidence-based insights you need to move forward.

Whether investigating a structural failure from an industrial plant explosion, assessing the root cause of a wastewater pump failure, or examining a design failure that led to an industrial accident, organizations facing potential litigation need to work with a multidisciplinary team of top failure analysts who can leverage cutting-edge equipment and facilities.

The Latest Equipment and Techniques

Tap into our ability to test for and investigate all varieties of failures, on virtually all materials, to find the root cause using the latest technology and the most advanced techniques. Our Seattle Lab boasts cutting-edge equipment, including:

  • Scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) capability
  • Keyence electronic microscope
  • Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR)
  • Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC)
  • Advanced pressure, flow, and temperature testing and data acquisition equipment
  • A fully outfitted metallographic lab with:
    • Cutters, polishers, grinders, and sample preparation equipment
    • Micro and Rockwell hardness testers.

But it's not just the equipment that differentiates us: our highly trained staff of engineers and technicians is experienced in all forms of analysis involving metals, polymers, and ceramics, including site inspection and documentation, failure mode determination, corrosion analysis, loading and dimensional analysis, pressure and stress analysis, finite element analysis, fractography, and fracture mechanics.

Work with experts who offer over a century of combined experience, in addition to an acclaimed international network of consultants at our disposal within Exponent. We leverage this experience to investigate a wide variety of technical challenges.

Seattle Lab Expertise

Plumbing failures

Oil and natural gas industry failures

Industrial failures and explosions

Crane, bridge, and building collapses

Equipment and machinery failures

Vehicle accidents and component failures

Piping and pipeline failures

Personal injury investigations

HVAC and building mechanical failures

Construction defect litigation support

Failure consultation for a variety of clients and industries