The objective of this two hours presentation is to assist licensed design structural professionals or general contractors in understanding the most common causes of structural failures and construction defects, The course also addresses various aspects of the forensic structural engineering process with respect to the following; 1) Structural engineering design errors, 2) Defective construction, 3) Material deficiencies, 4) Excessive loadings, 5) Deterioration and degradation “Acts of God”, 6) Documenting the failure, 7) Preservation of evidence as relates to the chain of custody, 8) Conducting investigation and research, 9) Field protocols and tests, 10) Determining causation and responsibility, 11) Learning from structural failures.

Case Studies:

This course will cover the following forensic investigation case studies; a. An LAX jet bridge failure, b. A commercial roof failure due to improper loading of photovoltaic systems, c. A Masonry Block/CMU retaining wall failure, d. A residential roof failure due to improper loading of photovoltaic systems, e. And more.

Learning Objectives

At the successful conclusion of this course, you’ll be able to identify and discuss:

• Exploring common sources of deficiencies and failures in a structure,
• Common legal issues related to structural failures,
• Forensic engineering process, including investigation, research, and determination of causality,
• Building’s general structural engineering issues.