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Exponent is best known for figuring out "what happened"
when something fails or develops a problem while in service.
These projects can come in all sizes, as shown by the examples
below.
 U-Bolt
Failure Investigation
A municipal fleet vehicle catastrophically lost the rear axle
on one of its trucks on a routine route. Exponent was asked
to analyze the accident to determine why the axle separated
from the truck. Examination of the fracture surface on the
U-bolt indicated classic cyclic fatigue at the top dead center
where the U-bolt contacts the top plate. The accident U-bolt
revealed an inconsistent radius at the contact with the top
plate, as compared to a new OEM replacement U-bolt. This change
in contact surface resulted in an increase in bending stress.
After detailed analysis, Exponent provided the client with
recommended guidelines to use when replacing OEM parts with
after-market hardware.
 Engine
Compartment Fires
After several reports of fires in a manufacturer’s popular
model, Exponent was retained to identify the cause of the
non-collision vehicle fires. We developed a test program that
included measurement of exhaust system temperatures under
various driving conditions. These conditions included controlled
leakage of various engine compartment fluids onto or near
the hot exhaust components. Our engineers developed a system
for delivering controlled amounts of fluid when the driver
could see that temperatures had achieved the targeted level.
With a tiny video camera in the engine compartment and a monitor
within his range of view, the driver could see whether the
fluid ignited. A Halon fire-suppression system could then
be activated by the driver to put out the fire. Having demonstrated
that we could reproduce the fires that had been observed in
the field, we then designed and tested various engine compartment
modifications to reduce the incidence of fires.
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