Mechanical Forensic Engineering
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 am – 12:15 pm
Lunch (On your own): 12:15 – 1:15 pm
Afternoon Session: 1:15 – 5:00 pm
Forensic Engineering Overview
General causes and consequences of mechanical failures
Legal and consumer definition of defective design
Relevance of codes and standards
Warnings
The NSPE Canon of Ethics and The Safety Hierarchy
Written warnings and owner’s manuals
Warning vs. training
Intuitive design
Forming Defensible Opinions
Techniques of documenting the failure
Conducting investigation and research
Determining causation and responsibility
Test protocols and testing
Preparing the Forensic Engineering Report
Identifying the report’s purpose and its audience
Organization
Example report analysis
Material Causes of Failures with Case Studies
Single force overload
FatigueCorrosion
Biological attack
Processing and heat treatment
Wear
Non-Material Causes of Failure with Case Studies
Assembly
Consensus driven absence
GuardingDesign for failure
Accidents, Murphy’s Law, and foreseeable misuse
Conclusions; Forensic Engineering as a Profession
Finding your niche
Building your credibility
Finding employment
Credits
Professional Engineers
7.0 PDHs
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and offers 7.0 PDHs to engineers in all states. Educators and courses are not subject to preapproval in Illinois.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00000700), New York (NYSED Sponsor No. 35), North Carolina, and North Dakota.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificateswill be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Stephen Batzer, Ph.D., P.E.
Batzer EngineeringDr. Batzer is a mechanical engineer who consults with clients regarding patent infringement, intellectual property (IP), and the forensic analysis of mechanical devices and manufacturing processes. He has over 30 years of experience and has taught mechanical engineering coursework at five universities. Dr. Batzer is a member of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers, the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering – Engineering Mechanics from Michigan Technological University. Dr. Batzer has three safety patents and speaks German. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the United States Army and consults on firearms cases.