Dr. Fildes' Consumer Product Safety Committee Investigations

Key takeaways....

Dr. Fildes' analytics based on physical chemistry approach coupled with his long and broad experience are an ideal fit for producing data for companies that they need to address Consumer Product Safety Committee issues.

Introduction

Dr. John Fildes conducts accident and failure analysis investigations for insurers and litigators. His cases typically involve the performance of materials, materials compatibility, friction and wear, lubrication, the design process, and issues involving installation, maintenance, and adherence to codes and standards. He also offers consulting services to support companies, insurers, and attorneys dealing with Consumer Product Safety Commission issues and recalls.

Dr. Fildes is experienced with supporting companies, insurers, and attorneys with developing the data they need in dealing with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and with recalls. CPSC issues and recalls require quick response and innovative, but reliable approaches to testing, and we are uniquely qualified to meet this need.

CPSC-Related Technical Investigations

CPSC issues and recalls often require testing that is different than quality control tests typically performed by companies. Dr. Fildes’ physical-science based investigative approach is ideally suited to this need because the physical sciences (physics and chemistry) are the basis for test methods and test instruments. His physical-science background enables us to understand a wide range of issues and to develop practical and reliable, but non-standard, tests. He also is highly experienced with sensors, measurement technology, controls, statistics, and modeling.

Dr. Fidles has decades of experience with both bench-scale and full-scale testing, which is critically important for investigation CPSC issues and recalls. Bench-scale testing can accurately replicate the motion, contact geometry, and friction, of mechanical systems allowing wear and lubrication performance to be investigated under a wide range of highly controlled conditions.

He also conducts full-scale testing, sometimes in a limited way to validate the results of bench-scale testing, and sometimes as the primary investigation method.

For batteries, sensors, electronic and semiconductor devices, electronic materials, and corrosion resistance, Dr. Fildes has outstanding experience and uses sophisticated instrumentation for electrochemical testing and impedance spectroscopy.

Dr. Fildes has collaborations that provide unique resources at his disposal such as equipment and design capabilities, and competencies that include motion control, motors, pumps, regulatory control systems, and supervisory control and data acquisition systems. This allows Dr. Fildes to quickly and reliably implement the non-standard tests that are needed. Another core capability of that is rare and is especially relevant today is electrochemistry. This means that he is able to provide the insight companies, insurers, and litigators need.

Experience

Matches – Dr. Fildes assisted a company with determining if matches that were supplied as part of a kit could ignite unintentionally. To do this, he first tested the matches to establish the force and length of strike needed to cause ignition. He also tested if any other components of the kit could easily ignite the matches. He then instrumented the kit with an accelerometer and established the nature and magnitude of the motions and forces the kit experienced in everyday use. That information was used to design an instrumented machine to subject the kit to a large number of simulated usage cycles that would also detect if the matches ignited unintentionally.

Li-Ion Batteries – Dr. Fildes assisted a company with determining if it was safe to ship lithium-ion batteries that were being recalled. He assessed the implications of the reasons for the recall to establish the likely state of the battery, and then used his electrochemical knowledge to determine the issues that may arise.

Consumer Product Fire – Dr. Fildes assisted a company with determining the cause of a fire with a consumer product. He examined similar units and also instrumented them to measure the electric current and temperature at various locations. This allowed the identification of a wire crimp as the source of the fire.

Bio for John Fildes, Ph.D.

Dr. Fildes is a doctoral scientist who has conceived, organized, and conducted $28 million of projects including R&D, litigation expert investigations, and collaborations involving Government labs, large defense companies, and leading universities.

Dr. Fildes was also CEO of an $18 million professional scientific/engineering consulting firm; president of a not-for-profit R&D institute; founder and leader of a $6 million scientific/engineering consulting firm; leader of a $3.5 million startup product design firm; leader of a $10 million contract research lab at Northwestern University; a senior professional in the $4.5 billion Borg-Warner Corporation Research Center.

Product Failures Expertise

Friction; Abrasive Wear, Adhesive Wear, Testing, Friction Measurement, Wear Prevention, Lubricants, Oil Quality Monitoring, Solid Lubricants, Hard Protective Coatings, Decorative Coatings, Paint, Electroplated Coatings, Corrosion, Electrochemical Corrosion Measurement, Ice Prevention; Gas Sensors, Carbon Monoxide Detectors; Product Design Procedures.

Materials & Process Expertise

Composites for Aviation, Buildings and Civil Construction: Thermoset and Thermoplastic Resins and Adhesives, Resin Transfer Molding, Autoclaving, Impedance Spectroscopy; Use of Composite Materials and Spray Foams Made On-Site In Construction; Roadway Chip Sealing, Water Treatment; Intelligent Process Control.

Chemistry & Chem Processes Expertise

Prediction Of Materials Properties, Stability, And Compatibility; Chemical Exposure; Chemical Process Equipment Failures.

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