FORENSIC STRUCTURL ENGINEERING

Review of significant failures, civil/structural engineering design and construction practices, ethical standards and the legal positions as necessary background to forensic engineering. Discussion of standard-of-care. Study of the process of engineering evaluation of structural defects and failures in construction and in service. Examination of the roles, activities, conduct and ethics of the forensic consultant and expert witness. Students are assigned projects of actual cases of non-performance or failure of steel, concrete, masonry, geotechnical and temporary structures, in order to perform, discuss and report their own investigations under the guidance of the instructor.