Materials, Chemistry & Biology

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Our diverse range of skills and expertise spans across material failures, chemistry and contamination to plant pathology.

We can identify why a material failed, how an incident occurred and determine root cause such as human error, a design or manufacturing flaw, poor material specifications or process implementation.

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OUR EXPERTS

Our Materials, Chemistry & Biology expertise

Chemistry

Chemistry is an integral part of modern life, both in the commercial and domestic

Composites

A composite material is any multicomponent material that contains two or more distinct constituents or phases, i.e. it is made from a combination of two or more different types of constituent material. Perhaps the most familiar

Contamination & Pollution

Fires, explosions, floods, water and chemical leaks, building collapses and other calamities can give rise to issues of contamination. It is not uncommon for machinery, building structures, stock etc. to become contaminated

Glass & Ceramics

Ceramics are familiar materials in everyday life and typically fall into one of the following groups: glasses, structural clays, whiteware, abrasives, cements and advanced ceramics. These are easily recognised all around us, from

Metallurgy

Losses involving metallurgical failures occur in a wide range of industrial and domestic environments and can lead to high value claims or even loss of

Plant Pathology

Plant pathology is the study of any factors that cause a plant to express symptoms that are abnormal for the plant in the environment in which it is growing. These symptoms could be leaf spots, tissue discolouration, blight,

Plastics/Polymers

Polymers, or plastics as they are more commonly known, are used in all aspects of modern-day life: from pipework to paint coatings, textile fibres to automotive components and adhesives to hot water bottles. Plastics are imbedded

Why Hawkins?

Hawkins is an industry leader with proven expertise and practical experience, married with a real awareness of our clients’ needs.  

Rapid Response

  • 24/7 availability
  • Early site visit
  • Prompt reporting

Quality Service

  • A specialist team of forensic engineers and scientists
  • Proven expertise and practical experience together with a rigorous peer review system

Breadth & Depth

  • Over 100 impartial experts across an international network of offices
  • Over 50 different areas of specialism

Commercial Awareness

  • A range of services to suit your needs
  • Combining successful outcomes with cost sensitivity

Our process

“Clients come back to Hawkins because of our honesty and integrity.  Our subject matter experts have sound technical knowledge and expertise, married with a real commercial awareness of what our clients need.  Hawkins provides a rapid response, giving quick accurate advice and communication of the evidence in a way our clients can act upon.”

Dr Andrew Prickett, Managing Director, Hawkins

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