Dale Clark

Dale Clark is professional engineer at J.S. Held. He has worked for more than a decade as a mechanical engineer and materials scientist consultant in the field of metallurgical and materials engineering. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and Master of Engineering degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, both from the Colorado School of Mines. Dale tailored his graduate studies to the field of forensic engineering with specific courses in failure analysis and plastics. He supplements his education and experience with continuing education courses on an ongoing basis. He is currently a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Washington, Oregon, and Nevada.

Dale has participated in a broad range of failure analysis projects, routinely serving as the principal investigator and project manager on investigations for industrial and manufacturing clients, the insurance industry, and legal teams. He has led investigations of failures of diverse materials and devices, including the failure of a fullering tool (used for making horseshoes) due to improper metallurgical heat treating; failure of a tube-cutting tool due to a fabrication induced stress riser; analysis of alternative welding procedures for a manufacturing client; corrosion analysis and assessments; analysis of mechanical and metallurgical failures for a petro-chemical plant; investigation of failures for oil and gas pipelines; numerous residential and industrial appliance failures; investigation of injuries related to trampoline gyms; and numerous investigations of failures in plastic piping and tubing and plastic structural components. Dale routinely conducts Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) examinations, prepares and examines metallurgical and plastic cross-sections, and is familiar with interpretation of chemical laboratory testing including Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.