Chris S. Spies, P.E.

Consulting Engineer

Engineering Fields

Automotive
Mechanical

Mr. Spies grew up spending most weekends in the garage with his father. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Missouri, he joined a compressor manufacturer where he designed centrifugal compressors and heat exchangers for automotive and industrial applications. He also has additional experience in the design, testing and analysis of planetary gear drives, as well as design of hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems, and powertrains for off-highway equipment. Now with ED&T, Mr. Spies provides consulting services in the areas of vehicle systems analysis, mechanical system and component failure analysis, and industrial/commercial equipment failure analysis. When not on the job, he enjoys fabricating and working on his drag and dirt track racing cars, as well as assisting others with improving their racing programs.

State Licenses

Mr. Spies is a licensed engineer in the following states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Areas of Expertise

Buildings-Specific Facilities
Buildings-Systems
Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals
Construction-Specialty Services
Control Systems
Explosions
Fires
Materials, Testing
Transport and Shipping
Vehicles

Motorsports – Hard work, fun, education or “all of the above”

June 15, 2023

The world of motorsports serves as a captivating laboratory where failures are not only commonplace but also provide invaluable lessons for forensic engineering.

Common Arc Welding Processes

May 18, 2022

Welding is a fabrication process whereby two or more parts are fused together by means of heat, pressure, or both, forming a joint as the parts cool. While it is possible to weld materials other than metal (plastics for example), the process is most often associated with the joining of metal parts...

Centrifugal Compressors – Simultaneously Simple and Complex

December 28, 2021

Centrifugal compressors (aka- turbocompressors) though you may not be familiar with them, we need not look far to find examples in our daily lives. They can be found on planes, trains and automobiles in various sizes and shapes. They are particularly popular on aircraft where they are used to do...

Gensets

February 18, 2021

While the term generator often refers to a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, more often than not what we refer to as generators are actually a combination of an internal combustion engine and an alternator.

Fractures (Part 2)

July 16, 2019

In Part II we discuss how using our Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM/EDS) helps answer important questions as to how a steel part harvested from the tongue of a failed trailer hitch broke, and what was the cause?

Fractures (part 1)

January 9, 2019

Our Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) is capable of 100,000X magnification, allowing a close-up look at material surfaces for defects, inclusions, and fracture characteristics. By using a SEM/EDS to study the surface of the fracture, the question of how the part broke - or the mode of fracture - can be answered. Was the part pulled apart, sheared, twisted or bent? Once this is established, a review of the history of the breakage or failure may assist in answering the questions: Why did it break? or What was the cause?

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