Explicom is a specialised company focused on providing excellent metallurgical advice in engineering failure analysis. The aim is to work with our clients to provide considered and robust opinions in a timely manner. We are problem solvers with access to a wide range of resources to investigate a variety of materials-related issues.
EXPERTS
Dr. Richard Clegg
Director & Principal Consultant
Dr. Clegg is an internationally recognised expert in engineering failure analysis and has 30 years of experience working as a materials engineer in industry and academic institutions, in both Australia and the UK. He was educated at the University of Queensland and the University of Cambridge. From 2009 until 2022 he was the Editor-in-Chief of the premier international journal in the field, Engineering Failure Analysis. In 2022, he was appointed Honorary Editor and is still actively involved with the journal. In 2012 he founded the Open Access journal Case Studies in Engineering Failure Analysis. Dr.Clegg has had considerable experience in working on materials degradation based projects with major process industries.
He has worked on a number of legal cases involving failure of engineering components. He is experienced in presenting evidence in Court and in 2012, he received training in London from Bond Solon in providing expert evidence as part of Court proceedings (Report writing for legal proceedings and Courtroom Skills). In 2014, he was retained by Maurice Blackburn on behalf of the Plaintiff as the metallurgical expert on the Murrindindi Mill 2009 Black Saturday Bushfire Class Action. The case settled on the eve of the court case in favour of the Plaintiff for an estimated $300million.
Dr. Clegg is also an Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology and was previously Professor of Industrial Materials Science at Central Queensland University. He was Queensland Chairman and National Councillor for Materials Australia and amongst other memberships, is a Fellow of Engineers Australia. He is also on the International Standards Committee for the American Society for the Testing of Materials (ASTM).
Dr. Clegg's key areas of expertise are:
Engineering Failure Analysis, Metallurgical Consulting, Fracture Mechanics, Fracture Properties, Environmental Fracture, Corrosion.
To contact Dr Clegg directly to request a CV, please use the button below.
SERVICES
Explicom provides services related to understanding metallic materials and their performance during service. Our experience across a wide range of industries combined with our ability to carry out sophisticated testing means we are well placed to get to the bottom of any problem.
Metallurgical Consulting
Dr.Clegg is an experienced metallurgist with over 35 years combined experience in metallurgical engineering in Australia and overseas. He is experienced in identifying metallic materials, understanding how metals are made and the types of problems that occur during the process of manufacture. Some typical services we have provided are:
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Estimating likely compliance of a steel to a particular grade based on limited data such as chemical and hardness results.
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Preparation and assessment of replicas produced on-site.
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Identification of the likely sources of residue such as wear particles or corrosion
Engineering Failure Analysis
Engineering failure analysis involves investigating the causes of engineering failures. Explicom has highly experienced and well-credentialed experts in this field. Our experts are well-trained and experienced in preparing reports on engineering failures for court proceedings, as well for industrial clients interested more in finding a solution to their problem than in litigating. Some typical cases are outlined below.
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Identification of the likely causes of a crack in a newly constructed pipeline
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Investigation into the cause of fracture of a shaft
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Examination of failed anchors used at high temperatures in a kiln for the cause of failure
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Application of modern fracture mechanics principles to understanding the cause of failure of raise bore shafts
Our experts are well-equipped to use the latest engineering and scientific analysis techniques to help understand the cause of failures and ensure that clients obtain the best possible and most robust answers.