Ted Zirkle

Dr. Zirkle specializes in the reliability assessment and failure analysis of mechanical systems across a range of industries with a particular focus on renewable and non-renewable energy, transportation, machine safety, and manufacturing. Dr. Zirkle assists clients in these industries in a range of contexts, including design optimization, regulatory compliance, and intellectual property disputes. He provides valuable insights to clients by leveraging diverse methods of investigation including computer and statistical analysis, laboratory and site inspections, and regulations, codes, and standards evaluation.

Renewable Energy

Dr. Zirkle performs engineering assessments of mechanical systems used to generate renewable energy, including wind turbines, water turbines, and solar panels. He consults on the mechanical integrity of these systems in the context of applicable standards, expected design life, maintenance, and operational conditions for life cycle assessment. Insights provided by Dr. Zirkle have been used to identify and address factors that reduce the power generation capability of renewable energy systems.

Non-renewable Energy

Dr. Zirkle evaluates mechanical systems used for non-renewable energy, especially in the context of aging infrastructure and failure analysis. For example, he has helped clients develop procedures to navigate the complex federal regulatory environment for hazardous material transport. He has also performed detailed analysis of laboratory data for gas turbine failures. Dr. Zirkle's work in this area has been employed to evaluate natural gas pipelines for regulatory compliance and to inform root cause analyses for arbitration proceedings.

Machine Safety

Dr. Zirkle performs engineering analyses of industrial and construction equipment, particularly in the context of machine safeguarding and machine failure. Previous investigations have involved saws, presses, forklifts, cranes, drilling equipment, and personnel lifts, amongst other equipment. Dr. Zirkle assists clients by performing structural strength analyses, evaluating equipment operator training, and assessing equipment maintenance and standard of care.

Transportation

Dr. Zirkle's experience in transportation is primarily related to engineering assessments for rail and automotive systems. For example, he has conducted structural strength analysis of both as-designed and in-use railcars in the context of available standards and guidance documents. Dr. Zirkle has also performed assessments related to automobile personal injury incidents that involved mechanical systems such as parking brakes and cargo straps.

Manufacturing

Dr. Zirkle is experienced in evaluating premature component failure that resulted from manufacturing in a variety of industries. In particular, he has assessed machining processes and associated quality assurance/quality checking practices. Dr. Zirkle's insights have helped clients identify the root cause of component failure and the most effective containment and corrective actions in view of manufacturing constraints.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Zirkle received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He researched the failure of stainless steel structures exposed to damaging hydrogen environments in nuclear energy applications. Dr. Zirkle translated these findings to the engineering component level, enabling precise root cause failure analysis and informing hierarchical nuclear energy design processes. In addition to his graduate research, he has also conducted research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Sandia National Laboratories, investigating light-based surface roughness characterization and topology optimization, respectively.