Forensic Engineering, Diagnosing Failures and Solving Problems

Forensic Engineering contains papers prepared for the Institution of Civil Engineers' Third International Conference on Forensic Engineering, which focussed on diagnosing failures of the built environment with a view to solving problems for the future.

Constructed facilities are important assets that need to be managed in ways that minimise the risk of failure. Such failures may range from serviceability failures, which may not immediately affect useage, through to catastrophic failures, rendering facilities unuseable and causing serious safety issues. The papers, written by leading practitioners, include case studies from around the world featuring structures and buildings built for different purposes, in a variety of working environments and a range of climates.

Topics are grouped according to the type of incident investigation and include collapses; performance risk management; durability and assessment; failures of building envelopes; ground and marine; legal and professional care considerations and educating for the future, where the positive learning outcomes are developed with direct application for facilities, development of technical codes and standards, and also for developing applied diagnostic and other techniques following research.

Brian S. Neale is consultant and Chair of the Conference Organising Committee of the Institute of Civil Engineers' Structural and Building Board.