Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009
  • M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, 2005
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, Arizona, #53859
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, Texas, #145819
  • Certified Vibration Analyst (CVA), Category II per ISO 18436-2
Academic Appointments
  • Adjunct Instructor, Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2017

Dr. Cardi is an experienced mechanical engineer who advises clients on complex problems in design, manufacturing, product testing, and failure analysis. He leverages his prior experience developing various electromechanical systems for the military to provide a wholistic assessment of the technologies of interest in each of his engagements — from the mechanical performance of systems to their underlying software and control.  Dr. Cardi has provided consulting services regarding product recalls, product defect litigation, intellectual property litigation, national defense, and insurance disputes.

Dr. Cardi has applied his engineering expertise to projects involving consumer products (e.g., kitchen appliances, pressure washers, hoverboards, and heated blankets), construction equipment (e.g., excavators, bulldozers, boom lifts, and cold planers), hydraulic systems (e.g., pumps, valves, and actuators), and fluid handling components (e.g., valves, fittings, and piping). He has extensive experience performing investigations at industrial facilities in the context of workplace accidents as well as performance assessment of manufacturing lines.

Dr. Cardi helps clients navigate all stages of the product/concept development process — from problem identification, to background research, requirements definition, preliminary design, detailed design, prototyping, testing, and design verification. He facilitates knowledge transfer that enables clients to address future challenges and improve their development pipeline. Dr. Cardi utilizes a combination of simulation and experimental techniques to provide timely and accurate answers to clients' problems. He has extensive knowledge of fabrication processes including milling, turning, injection molding, welding, and waterjet. Dr. Cardi also possesses an extensive understanding of the capabilities and limitations of many machine shop tools developed through firsthand experience. He utilizes his knowledge in electrical design, software, and motion control to build robots in his home workshop and has developed embedded software for six (6) microcontroller platforms.

Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Cardi was a Senior Research Engineer at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) where he worked on the mechanical design and precision alignment of high-power radar systems. He also conducted research on the modeling and prediction of chatter (unstable cutting) in metal turning operations, as well as estimating the amount of residual stress in a workpiece after milling.