Academic Credentials
  • Sc.M., Applied Mathematics, Brown University, 1986
  • Ph.D., Engineering, Brown University, 1986
  • Sc.M., Engineering, Brown University, 1984
  • B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 1981
Licenses & Certifications
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, California, #31530
  • Professional Engineer, Michigan, #6201069727
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, Nevada, #024867
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, Texas, #113452
  • Professional Engineer Mechanical, Washington, #52816
Professional Honors
  • Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2019
  • SRI International Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • University Fellowship, Brown University
  • Ingersoll Rand Award
  • Alfred Stenning Award
  • Pi Tau Sigma
  • Tau Beta Pi
Professional Affiliations
  • Community Service
  • Mentor to the FIRST Robotics teams at Woodside High School, Woodside, CA.
  • Affiliations
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME - Fellow)
  • ASME B5 Technical Committee 52 - Machine Tool Performance
  • ASME B5 Technical Committee 64 – Linear Positioning
  • ASM International — American Society for Metals
  • Society of Manufacturing Engineers

Richard W. Klopp, Ph.D., P.E., F.A.S.M.E., is a principal engineer in Exponent's Mechanical Engineering practice with over 27 years of experience in mechanical failure analysis, mechanical design, machine tools, intellectual property litigation support, and industrial manufacturing consulting. He specializes in root-cause analysis, fracture mechanics, industrial machinery, mechanical integrity, and mechanical function across manufacturing, energy, medical equipment, automotive, construction, mining, and consumer products industries. 

Mechanical Failure Analysis

Dr. Klopp's mechanical engineering background includes extensive experience identifying the causes of complex failures of complex mechanical systems. He has investigated hundreds of failures of machine tools and manufacturing equipment, mining and minerals processing machinery, construction equipment, piping and plumbing, home appliances, medical equipment, reciprocating engines, powerplant equipment, bearings, gears, and consumer products. Dr. Klopp's academic training coupled with his broad, hands-on experience acquired over a lifetime of observing, analyzing, using, disassembling, designing, and making machines, engines, tools, and models has given him deep insight into how mechanical systems work and fail.

Mechanical Design

Dr. Klopp has analyzed mechanical designs from the standpoint of failure analysis and prevention, fitness for purpose, performance, manufacturability, and service life. He applies field and laboratory techniques to characterize the stresses, environmental conditions, system interactions, and mechanical performance of mechanical systems. Techniques include photography and videography, dimensional metrology, strain gauging, 3D scanning, and vibration measurements. Dr. Klopp also applies computational methods such as finite element analysis to understand stresses, strains, deflections, and fatigue.

Machine Tools

Dr. Klopp is a skilled machinist qualified to set up and operate machine tools such as lathes, computer numerical control (CNC) and manual milling machines, and other shop equipment. His personal machine shop is equipped with a CNC vertical machining center, two manual milling machines, two toolroom lathes, grinders, drill presses, and a wide variety of supporting tooling and equipment. Dr. Klopp routinely uses computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. He is a mentor for the local high school FIRST Robotics team. In addition to mentoring on mechanical design, Dr. Klopp's role includes maintaining, tooling, upgrading, and repairing the school's manual and CNC machine tools and teaching students and other mentors how to use them.

Intellectual Property

Dr. Klopp has more than 25 years of experience working at the intersection of mechanical engineering and intellectual property. He has qualified as an expert before U.S. federal and state courts, international arbitration courts, and the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He has performed laboratory testing and reverse engineering of accused infringing and prior art products in support of attorneys and testifiers. Dr. Klopp is familiar with the Markman claim construction process, infringement analysis, invalidity analysis, and trade dress and design patent functionality analysis. Dr. Klopp has significant experience analyzing trade secret claims involving mechanical apparatus and hardware.

Industrial Manufacturing

Dr. Klopp has extensive, hands-on experience with machining, metal forming, tube drawing, heat treatment, brazing, and soldering operations. He has investigated issues involving steel fabrication, steel rolling, automobile manufacturing, plastic extrusion, iron ore concentration, food manufacturing, agricultural processing, and material handling and conveying. Issues have involved underperformance, water damage, fire and smoke damage, equipment failures, human injuries, and intellectual property disputes.

Mechanics of Materials

Dr. Klopp's research background is in the mechanics of materials. He applies this background to understand the interplay between metallurgy and mechanical properties such as fracture toughness, yield strength, ultimate strength, fatigue resistance, deformation, and strain to failure. He has investigated the effects of metallurgy on the high-strain-rate and fracture behavior of metal alloys including alloy steels, titanium alloys, and fusion welds.

Before joining Exponent, Dr. Klopp was a research engineer at SRI International and worked as a research associate at Brown University. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.