Principles and Practice of Forensic Mechanical Engineering

Fredric M. Blum has practiced forensic mechanical engineering full-time for more than 46 years and currently works as an independent practitioner. Mr. Blum has investigated thousands of cases on behalf of plaintiffs, defendants, insurance companies and attorneys, written thousands of reports, given deposition testimony numerous times and testified in court more than two hundred times. He received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University, USA, in 1963 and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, USA, in 1965. He is also a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator. Early in his career, Mr. Blum was employed for four years as a systems analyst at Auerbach Corp., Philadelphia, USA, and for five years as a systems analyst and Technical Manager at Analytics, Inc., Willow Grove, USA. For four years thereafter, he worked in construction carpentry and founded and operated his own residential design and construction company in Santa Fe, NM. For most of his career as a forensic mechanical engineer, he was affiliated with Paul Zamrowski Associates, West Chester, PA. Mr. Blum has authored several articles on forensic mechanical engineering, including “Oil Burner Fires” (1980), “Kerosene Heater Fires” (1981) and “Soot Contamination from Oil Burners, Gas Appliances & Candles” (2002).