Hans C. Iwand, P.E.

As Principal and Vice President at ESi, Hans Iwand is instrumental in providing technical leadership and oversight, and driving day-to-day business operations with a strong focus on quality, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. With more than 25 years of hands-on engineering experience, Mr. Iwand combines deep industry know-how with a wealth of knowledge about systems and components, and proven expertise in applying mechanical and metallurgical engineering methods. It is this combination of skills that have established his reputation in industries as diverse as rail, automotive, agriculture, manufacturing, and power generation.

Accident Investigation and Failure Analysis

Before joining ESi, Mr. Iwand spent much of his career in leadership, management and technical positions at companies such as RSI Material Engineering/Rail Sciences, Inc, Union Pacific Railroad and Failure Analysis Associates. This broad background provided valuable experience in key areas and industries which he continues to serve today. Mr. Iwand is routinely engaged to investigate rail and vehicle accidents, and analyze failures in automotive components, heavy industrial equipment, and nuclear plant systems. 

Common analyses include evaluations of pumps, shafts and piping, mechanical systems, transmission power poles, high speed rotating equipment, and electrical switch gear.  Frequently, these analyses require more than just a metallurgical failure analysis, but also full scale testing and replication of failure mode(s). 

Laboratory and Industrial Testing

Mr. Iwand has extensive experience designing, fabricating and conducting engineering tests to evaluate the quality, performance, reliability, safety and compliance of materials, systems, and components. His expertise in established methodologies includes instrumented testing and digital data acquisition methods for characteristics such as strain, temperature and acceleration. He also specializes in using Weibull and MonteCarlo analysis to evaluate failure probability of mechanical systems and optimum replacement intervals.

Equipment Design and Fabrication

In addition to evaluating failed equipment, Mr. Iwand also likes to build things. He routinely designs and fabricates equipment, including specialized test beds for investigating industrial component failures, suspension components for amateur road racing vehicles, and mobility equipment for children with disabilities.

Mr. Iwand has an undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering and a master of science in mechanical engineering, with a metallurgical emphasis.