Porter R. Ritchie

Mr. Porter Ritchie is a licensed metallurgical engineer with over eleven years of experience in failure analysis, metallurgy, and materials characterization. He has investigated material performance and failure issues across a wide range of industries, including oil and gas, automotive, HVAC, home appliances, wind energy, plumbing, and fire sprinkler systems.

Mr. Ritchie specializes in determining why materials fail, whether due to design flaws, manufacturing defects, improper installation, or service-related conditions. He regularly performs detailed inspections and laboratory analyses to identify the root cause of failures in metals and welded components. His analytical toolkit includes magnetic particle inspection, fractography, metallography, optical microscopy, electrochemical testing, and hardness mapping. His work often involves assessing whether corrosion, cracking, or mechanical overload played a role.

Mr. Ritchie earned his Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering from The Ohio State University, where his graduate research focused on materials degradation and weld metallurgy. His work contributed to a deeper understanding of selective seam weld corrosion (SSWC) in pipelines—a critical issue in pipeline integrity management.

Areas of Expertise

Professional Associations

• ASM International
• Failure Analysis Society
• American Society for Testing & Materials
• The Minerals, Materials & Metals Society
• Association for Materials Protection and Performance