Les Knoll, PE Senior Mechanical Engineer 9307 Monroe Road, Suite M, Charlotte, NC 28270
704-246-2420
[email protected]
Years’ Experience: 45 Professional Summary: Extensive experience in construction and industrial accident investigation, forensics, testing, reconstruction, manufacturing machinery, household equipment, HVAC and ANSI/OSHA compliance. Industry experience in aerial lift design, manufacture and applications, surface mining equipment manufacture and applications, manufacturing machinery, assembly machinery, engineering management, project management, machine design, testing equipment and computer aided engineering.
Licenses and Certifications: Professional Engineer, NC, #040312
Project Experience: EFI Global, Charlotte for Cunningham Lindsey. Thailand Flood Project, Bangkok, Thailand The Thailand floods of October, 2011 destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars of manufacturing equipment as many manufacturing plants in the area outside Bangkok were under six to nine feet of water for nearly two months. Inspections of dozens of manufacturing plants from injection molding operations to food processing plants were carried out determining the extent of damage to buildings, machinery, stock and work in process. Assignments included accessing damage to machinery, determining to what extent machinery could be repaired, making repair/replace decisions on machinery and tooling, determining machinery value and assisting insurance adjusters in preparing loss statements. Other assignments included development of proprietary software for determination of machinery value and automating the process of determining replacement, cash value and indemnity values as a guide to adjusters. LWG Consulting, Northbrook, IL Alleged wind damage to large rollup door at boat storage facility A 40’ high rollup door allegedly sustained wind damage to its horizontal slats. Additional damage was found in the drive mechanism which had a broken drive shaft. The cause was found to be misaligned slats which caused friction and jamming in door operation as well as improper installation. Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico Elevator machinery allegedly damaged by sandblasting media Sandblasting in the shafts of the tourist elevators was thought to be causing damage to the elevator machinery. Machinery was examined and wipe samples analyzed by a forensic geology laboratory. No perceptible wear was found in machinery or cables, however, a thorough cleaning was recommended with improved masking techniques for future operations.
Les Knoll 704-246-2420
[email protected] Page 2 of 5
Project Experience (Continued), Fort Wayne Regional Airport Jet Bridge lowers upon itself causing internal damage An airport jet bridge capable of raising and lowering its boarding level to accommodate various types of aircraft lowered its bridge structure to the minimum height, damaging hydraulic and electrical equipment on its understructure. Cause was found to be failure of limit switches and other motion limiting equipment to govern extents of travel as well as a mechanical design that lacked mechanical stops. Rimkus Consulting, Westbrook, IL Aerial lift tip-over fatality. A boom-type aerial lift tipped over, killing the operator attempting to wash windows in a Pennsylvania office complex. Decals and markings on the boom, used as part of a preoperation test of the safety system, were found to be missing, and the rental company was thought to be at fault for not assuring these markings were on the machine. Further investigation revealed that the machine’s safety functions worked correctly later in the work day and at that time would have passed the pre-operation inspection, but in subsequent operation the safety devices failed, and did not “fail safe.” LWG Consulting, Northbrook, IL Mobile water well rig collapse A 180 foot mobile water well drilling rig collapsed during raising/lowering operations causing extensive property damage but no injuries. It was initially thought that the manufacturer of the mast raising cylinders was at fault because of the extensive damage to the lifting cylinders. Examination of the mast structure and lifting mechanism revealed improper welding procedures in the mast mounting. Reconstruction techniques were used to explain the sequence of collapse events and extent of the damage, none of which was caused by faulty mast cylinders. Packer Engineering, Naperville, IL AGV vehicle collision fatality A warehouse AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) pinned a worker in a warehouse aisle, crushing and killing him. Extensive path and motion studies were done on the vehicle system, and the safety systems on the AGV were tested and analyzed. It was found that the AGV was operating correctly, but the operator failed to conduct himself in a safe fashion when working around the AGV. EFI Global, Charlotte, NC Residential mold caused by moisture from HVAC system An HVAC system in a newly remodeled Charlotte home was thought to be the cause of high relative humidity in the home causing mold growth. An analysis of the HVAC system including flow measurements, temperature and humidity measurements, ducting and control configuration analysis and loading analysis on the system concluded that the system was putting out air of excessively high relative humidity during its cooling cycle, which would be conducive to mold growth in the residence. EFI Global, Charlotte, NC Residential water heater failure causing extensive floor and ceiling damage A Kenmore water heater installed on the second floor of a rural North Carolina residence failed and water leakage damaged the floor on which it was mounted as well as the first floor ceiling below it. The unit had seen a good number of years of service and the water coming from the unit was extremely rusty. Examination of the unit revealed the tank of the unit had rusted through, and the cause of the failure was normal wear and tear.
Our partner firms include: Engineering services in North Carolina and New York/New Jersey provided by EFI Global of North Carolina, P.C. and EFI Global Engineering of New York, P.C. respectively.
Les Knoll 704-246-2420
[email protected] Page 3 of 5
Project Experience (Continued), LWG Consulting, Northbrook, IL Two types of pipe bursts A pressure line feeding the pumping mechanism of an outdoor fountain at the entrance to a central Illinois housing development failed causing flooding in an underground pump room and damaging components. Cause was an unusual type of piping failure in which turbulent flow of water erodes copper piping walls. Recommended resizing of the piping, changing piping routing and materials. Multiple pipe bursts were found in the HVAC system of a downstate Illinois casino boat. The cause was found to be the improper and incomplete winterization of the boat’s HVAC system. Nearly 100 pipe bursting failures were discovered and restoration of the system was overseen. Travelers Insurance, Indianapolis, IN Lubrication system in a steel mill allegedly explodes, injuring worker A manufacturer of high torque couplings for rolling mills was accused of having a lubrication system within the couplings capable of forcing lubrication back out of its lubrication ports, causing injuries to workers doing maintenance on the couplings. Investigation showed that the true cause of the injuries was by lubrication coming from the worker’s lubrication ‘wand’ equipment during disassembly under pressure, and had nothing to do with the lubrication systems in the rolling mill couplings. Investigation included system analysis, computerized trajectory analysis and evaluation of biomechanical engineering data. PWP International LLC Replacement-in-kind of a 1927 Skinner pipe organ in a Masonic lodge fire A four-alarm fire gutted the historic Quincy Masonic Temple in Quincy, MA. The interior and a 1927 Skinner pipe organ were totally destroyed. Analysis was done to determine if quotes submitted for replacement met the artistic qualities of the original instrument. A replacement-in-kind was located, manufactured in the same year as the original and only 15 opus numbers (serial numbers) newer than the original. Quotations were obtained for sale and restoration of this replacement instrument. Peachtree Congregational Church, Atlanta Georgia Lightning damage to hybrid pipe/virtual organ A lightning strike caused extensive damage to the electrical components in a 50-year-old pipe organ containing recently added digital components. The assignment included evaluation of replacement parts for correctness and a cost analysis of the repairs.
Court Qualifications/ Depositions: Design Liability, Van Fab v Dayton-Rogers, Kankakee, IL, Trial/ Deposition Product Liability, Dane v Speedor, Kane County, IL, 1999L 000 248,Trial/Deposition Product Liability, Crippen V. Bucyrus-Erie, San Diego, CA, Deposition Liability, Haas/Olsen v Beckman, IL, Deposition Liability, Brooks v Standard Parking Cook County, IL, Deposition Product Liability, Klimek v Timesavers, Cook County, IL, 03L9761, Trial/Deposition Product Liability, Lapsley v Xtek, State of IN, Trial Liability, Aliotto v. Belec, Cook County, IL 2011-L-11296, Deposition
Our partner firms include: Engineering services in North Carolina and New York/New Jersey provided by EFI Global of North Carolina, P.C. and EFI Global Engineering of New York, P.C. respectively.
Les Knoll 704-246-2420
[email protected] Page 4 of 5
Professional Experience: EFI Global, Inc. Charlotte, NC, Senior Mechanical Engineer, 2011 – 2015 Forensic Mechanical Investigations, Cary, NC 2010-2011 LWG Consulting, Northbrook, IL 2009-2010 Rimkus Consulting Group, Westmont, IL 2006-2009 Packer Engineering, Naperville, IL 1998-2006 Grider Consulting, Naperville 1996-1998
Specialized Education: Blast Hole Bit Technology, Gardner Denver Corp, 1984 CADAM Computer Aided Design training, IBM 1985 Computervision Computer Aided Design training, Computervision, 1990 OSHA 10 Hour Safety Certification, 1999 Crane Inspector’s Certification, CIMA, 2007
Education: Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 1969
Affiliations: SIA ANSI A92.3 Committee ANSI A92.5 Committee ANSI A92.7 Committee
Publications: “Aerial Lift Accidents: Operator or Machine? Occupational Health and Safety Vol. 71, No. 9 (2002) Aerial Safety: Preventing and Dealing with Accidents” Lift Equipment (2002) “Aerial Lift Safety for the Asphalt Industry” Asphalt Contractor (2003) “Oops! The Accident That Might Have Been” Lift Equipment (2003) “Safety Tailored for Consumers” Lift Equipment (2003) “The Accident That Might Have Been” Safety Prospective Column, Lift Applications and Equipment (2003) “Just Say No, Repair Facilities Have the Right To Refuse Improper Repair Work” Crane Works (2005) “How to Loose at Lift Litigation” Lift Equipment (2005)
Our partner firms include: Engineering services in North Carolina and New York/New Jersey provided by EFI Global of North Carolina, P.C. and EFI Global Engineering of New York, P.C. respectively.
Les Knoll 704-246-2420
[email protected] Page 5 of 5
Publications (Continued), “Teach Your Children Well” Lift and Access (November/December 2005) (With Dr. David Curry) “Falls from Aerial Lifts, Breaking Down the Humpty Dumpty Theory” Lift and Access (March/April 2006) “Lift Technology Doesn’t Replace Operator Training” Lift and Access (March/April 2011) Publications available on the Internet: “Playing the Numbers Game” Lift and Access http://www.liftandaccess.com/360/V2I9/ “Aerial Lift Accidents: Operator or Machine?” http://www.elcosh.org/en/document/58/d000042/aerial-lifts-accidents%253A-operator-ormachine%253F.html “Urban Myths in the Aerial Lift Industry” Lift and Access http://www.liftandaccess.com/360/V3I19/
Our partner firms include: Engineering services in North Carolina and New York/New Jersey provided by EFI Global of North Carolina, P.C. and EFI Global Engineering of New York, P.C. respectively.
