Most people have heard of forensics and relate it to investigating crime scenes. While forensic engineering includes just as much investigating, it is actually directed toward structural failures instead of crimes. Through forensic engineering, experts can determine the cause of a building or bridge collapse, or even smaller scale structural failures. In order to improve on construction processes, forensic engineers must be able to know exactly why buildings failed, so the same mistake doesn’t happen again in the future.
Determining Why Structures Fail
When any structure fails, a thorough forensic investigation is conducted to determine the exact cause—but what’s really the importance of making this determination? If there were any injuries or property damages as a result of the building or structure collapse, forensic engineering results can be used as evidence in a potential court case. Plus, if a certain type of material was the cause of the failure, it can be studied more in-depth to determine if it was the result of a faulty building material, or if it simply can’t withstand a certain amount of pressure or tension.
No Two Cases Are Exactly The Same
When it comes to forensic engineering, any professional will tell you no two cases are exactly alike. Because of that, it’s critical to do a thorough investigation with a clear slate every time there is a building or structural failure. Different structural forensic investigation services are tasked with analyzing debris, inspecting the site and immediate surroundings and interviewing nearby workers or bystanders to get witness testimony. The amount of detail analyzed in each case is extensive and necessary to tell the story of how and why a particular structure failed.
Forensic Engineers Tell a Story About a Structural Failure
In a forensic investigation, a forensic engineer will look at the broad scope at first and then narrow down the investigation as more details arise. The whole point is to basically conduct reverse engineering to determine exactly what caused the structure to fail. The process of getting together the full story could take weeks, months or even years, depending on the case. However, with the systematic process used in any forensic investigation, there is always a story to be told about exactly what happened.
Between our associates, we operate in 49 states nationwide to provide the best forensic engineering services in the industry. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the importance of or the reasons why we use forensic engineering.