Expert Witness Blog

Physics expert witness Louis A. Bloomfield, Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia, answers the question “How do anti-lock brake systems work?”

If you brake your car too rapidly, the force of static friction between the wheels and the ground will become so large that it will exceed its limit and the wheels will begin to skid across the ground. Once skidding occurs, the stopping force becomes sliding friction instead of static friction. The sliding friction force is generally weaker than the maximum static friction force, so the stopping rate drops. But more importantly, you lose steering when the wheels skid. An anti-lock braking system senses when the wheels suddenly stop turning during braking and briefly release the brakes. The wheel can then turn again and static friction can reappear between the wheel and the ground.

For more, see howeverythingworks.com.

Pesticides expert witness Allan Snyder; ACGIH, AIHA, SPCI, writes that there are more than 2,500 different types of termites in the world with the most common species being Drywood, Dampwood and Subterranean. Dampwood Termites:

They live and breed in soil, sometimes many feet deep.

Subterranean termites require moist environments.

Diesel engine experts at TractorData.com write on tractor fuel types:

Diesel Fuel Diesel fuel first started appearing in large agricultural crawlers in the 1930s, but it was not until the 1950s that diesel became a major fuel source for farm tractors. Difficult starting limited the use of early diesel engines. Some manufacturers built spark-ignition diesel engines, or engines that started on gasoline and were switched over to diesel. Others used small gasoline “pony motors” to warm and start the diesel main engine.

By 1960, diesel engines had greatly improved and were becoming very popular for large farm tractors. By the 1970s, nearly all farm tractors used diesel engines.

In Mold, Housing and Wood, wood products experts at the Western Wood Products Association write:

Why is there concern about mold in homes?

Mold growth in homes has not necessarily increased in recent years, but new court cases involving mold, sensationalistic media coverage and publication of questionable scientific research have increased public awareness of the issue.

On their website, packaging experts at the Paperboard Packaging Council offer their Industry Glossary. Definitions include:

basis weight: the specification of boxboard as density of weight per unit area. In the US it is measured as “pounds per thousand square feet,” and in Europe, as “grams per square meter”(gsm). It ranges from a light weight of 60 pounds per thousand square feet to as heavy as 200 pounds per thousand square feet in a single ply; however, any one machine is ordinarily not capable of making this complete range.

In his article Insurers: To Rescind Or Not to Rescind?, insurance expert witness Akos Swierkiewicz writes:

State insurance codes and legal precedents also have an impact on the insurer’s decision-making process concerning rescission.

For example, the California Insurance Code allows policy rescission even in cases of unintentional misrepresentation or unintentional concealment, and it provides that materiality is to be determined solely by the probable and reasonable influence of the facts on the insurer.

Tractors experts at TractorData.com explain Roll-Over Protective Structures (ROPS):

A roll-over protective structure (ROPS) is a frame designed to protect a tractor operator if the tractor rolls. ROPS acts by limiting most rolls to 90-degrees. In the case of a full roll-over, ROPS protects the operator from being crushed by the tractor. On tractors with loaders, the ROPS is often equipped with an overhead structure to prevent dropped object from hitting the operator, this is known as a falling-object protective structure (FOPS).

!is an internet tractor resource containing descriptions on over 6,000 models of tractors listed. You can use the Farm Tractors or Lawn Tractors links at the left of the homepage to browse a list of all tractor manufacturers. There are over 141 currently on the site. The search box will move directly to a specific tractor manufacturer’s information. Simply type the first few letters and then select the brand you want from the list.

Electronic evidence recovery expert witness Steven G. Burgess writes on: The Case for Electronic Discovery:

Document Creation and Storage

Microsoft Word is the leading word processing program for office computers. When a document is begun in Microsoft Word, three things happen:

Risk management expert witness Alan F. Shirek describes the job of the risk manager:

The “best in class” risk manager has a relationship with the CEO and meets periodically with the Board of Directors. The risk manager is respected for his or her knowledge, experience and ability to assist the organization in accomplishing its major goals while protecting assets, income stream and employees.

How does a risk management consultant add value to such an operation? Primarily by helping the risk manager solve problems that are beyond his or her level of direct experience and by taking on tasks requiring time that the risk manager does not have available.