Experience
Leonard Phelps joined WJE as a chemist in 1984. He often serves as lead chemist on various project teams whose task is the resolution of construction-related materials problems. Mr. Phelps’ work experience includes a variety of coating projects, such as failure analysis, condition assessment, corrosion protection, specification development, remedial coating recommendations, coating characterization, performance evaluation, and long-term durability assessment.
Mr. Phelps routinely consults with clients regarding material acceptability and selection, surface preparation, coating application, specification explication, resolution ofdisputes, and litigation. He has been principal investigator in determining the cause of the failure of coatings applied to a variety of substrates of various commercial, governmental, and industrial structures. Mr. Phelps has been a key member of project teams responsible for determining the causeof failure of other construction materials, such as adhesives, sealants, and roofing. His experience over the past forty years includes inspections in a variety of settings and industries.
REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS
Durability Studies
- Anheuser Busch - St. Louis, MO: Long-term performance study of roofing membranes
- Federal Highway Administration: Long-term performance study of rebar coatings
- Westmoreland County Courthouse Dome - Greensburg, PA: Long-term performance study of coatings on cast aluminum dome
Failure Investigation
- Aloha Stadium - Honolulu, HI: Pinpoint corrosion of coated galvanized steel
- Eiffel Tower II - Las Vegas, NV: Cracking of coating system
- German Embassy - Washington, D.C.: Blistered intumescent coating on structural steel
Coating Condition Assessment
- Aloha Stadium - Honolulu, HI: Coated weathering steel
- San Diego Padres Petco Park - CA: Coated structural steel
- Seattle Mariners Safeco Field - Seattle, WA: Coated structural steel
- Bridge of the Americas - Panama City, Panama: Coated structural steel
- Chicago Skyway - IL: Coated structural steel
- Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel - Honolulu, HI: Coated cementitious surfaces
Construction Documents and Specifications
- Aloha Stadium - Honolulu, HI: Specifications for coating salt-contaminated structural weathering steel
- Boulder Recreation Center - Boulder, CO: Coating specification for galvanized steel pool features
- Sports Authority Field - Denver, CO: Specifications for coating weathering steel seating bowl stairs
- Reeds Island Bridge - Hilo, HI: Specifications for coating new galvanized steel and existing structural steel in damp, wet environment
- Capehart Elevated Water Tank - Whidbey Island, WA: Coating specification interior/exterior steel water tank
- One Market Renovation - San Francisco, CA: Peer review of coating specifications for exterior aluminum and structural steel
- Carlsbad Caverns - Carlsbad, NM: Specifications for coating 800-foot-deep elevator shaft structural support steel in damp, seepage environment
Professional Affiliations
American Coatings Association
Society for Protective Coatings
Registrations
AAMP Certified Protective Coatings Specialist
Education
University of Illinois
Bachelor of Science, Biology, 1979
Bachelor of Arts, Chemistry, 1979
DePaul University
Master of Science, Chemistry, 1991
RELATED INFORMATION
-
Learn how we determine the amount of stress a coating can withstand before it fails. MORE >Videos | Solving for Why: Pull-Off Adhesion Testing of Coatings
-
Our materials scientists provide comprehensive consulting services for the evaluation and... MORE >Services | Materials Evaluation and Testing
-
We offer in-house expertise for a full range of investigation, analysis, and design services... MORE >Services | Architectural Finishes and Materials
-
Thousands of clients have relied on us to accurately determine the cause and extent of damage... MORE >Services | Failure and Damage Investigation