scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Investigation Of A Cruise Ship Fire

2001 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Shefchick
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Cruise Ship ◽  
Financial Loss ◽  
Engine Room ◽  
Fire Insurance ◽  
Room Fires ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Engineering Investigation

Each Year There Are Approximately 50 Major Fires Aboard Ships, Which Result In Financial Loss, Personal Injury And Death. Financial Loss At Sea Instigated The Formation Of Insurance Companies Such As Lloyds Of London, Which Now Provide Fire Insurance For Most Assets. Over A Nine-Year Period From 1977 To 1986, The Liverpool Underwriters Association Reported That 33 Percent Of The Fires Originated In Machinery Spaces, 3.6 Percent Originated In Electrical Installations And 0.5 Percent Originated In Stores. Between 1991 And 1993, 54 Percent Of The Fires Originated In Engine Rooms. The Engine Room Fires Were Often Initiated By An Explosion Or The Result From An Uncontrolled Release Of Flammable Vapors Or Fuel Into The Engine Room. 40 Percent Of All Fires In Engine Rooms Are Extinguished Using Portable Appliances While 18 Percent Are Extinguished By Fixed Carbon Dioxide Systems. Portable Appliances Are Most Effective In The First 15 Minutes And Carbon Dioxide In The First 30 Minutes...A Case Study Of The Investigation Of A Fatal Passenger Cruise Ship Fire Will Be Utilized To Show How The Burn Patterns Differ, How To Determine A Fires Area Of Origin And Possible Causes Of The Fire.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Investigation Of Dezincification In A Major Corrosion Litigation

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert N. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Zinc Content ◽  
Building Code ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Urban Location ◽  
Home Owner ◽  
Plumbing Systems ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Low Strength ◽  
Engineering Investigation

Zinc-Rich Brasses With The Zinc Content Above 30% Can Be Involved In Corrosion Processes With Catastrophic Results. The Dezincification Results In A Low Strength Copper With A Porous Sponge Like Structure. The Case, Where Dezincification Occurred With Massive Impact, Involved 34,000 New Homes In An Urban Location In Nevada. These Homes Were Constructed Using Building Code Approved Plastic Pex Tubing For Plumbing With Brass Fittings. Leaks Developed In The Home Plumbing Systems After Approximately 3-6 Years. This Failure Resulted In Lawsuits Involving Home Owner Associations, Insurance Companies, Contractors, Plumbers, Architects, Manufacturers, And Suppliers.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis of Projectile Thrown from Phantom Vehicle

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Ziernicki ◽  
William Pierce ◽  
Angelos Leiloglou
Keyword(s):  
Lead Author ◽  
Dump Truck ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Probable Source ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Testing Case ◽  
Engineering Investigation

This paper presents a case study involving an 8-lb “projectile” piece of concrete thrown from a phantom vehicle into the windshield of a semi-tractor truck, subsequently striking the driver’s (plaintiff’s) head. A witness told the investigating officer that the phantom vehicle was a white-rear dump truck similar to the trucks he’d seen coming in and out of a construction entrance at a nearby park. However, no follow-up investigation was conducted by investigative officers. The lead author was retained by the plaintiff’s attorney to follow up and investigate the witness’ observation of the phantom white-rear dump truck in an attempt to identify the probable source of the concrete projectile, locate the phantom vehicle, reconstruct the incident, and determine the probable cause of the incident. Several forensic engineering techniques were used during the forensic engineering investigation, including evidence analysis, photography, high-definition scanning, photogrammetry, evaluation of the accident timeline, physical testing, case study analysis, projectile analysis, and application of the process of elimination methodology. Through the forensic engineering analysis, the probable source of the projectile concrete was identified, the white-rear dump truck and driver were identified, the accident was reconstructed, and the probable cause of the accident was determined.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Investigation Of Pyrites Expansive Forces And Impact On Long-Term Building Failure

2008 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul G. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Geology ◽  
Geotechnical Engineering ◽  
Pyrite Oxidation ◽  
Foundation Design ◽  
Highway Engineering ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Engineering Investigation

There Is A Dearth Of Information Available In The Literature And Published Engineering Texts Addressing The Impacts Of Pyrite Expansion In Buildings (Mitchell And Soga 2005). The Texts Have Largely Been Silent, And The Intersection Of Engineering Geology, Geotechnical Engineering And Foundation Design Has Been Lacking, With The Exception Of Limited Investigations Related To Highway Engineering. Typically Pyrite Has Been Associated With Shale Materials When Used As Fill. Granite, As Well As Other Rocks And Soil Can Also Contain Sufficient Pyrite To Initiate The Destructive Forces Associated With Pyrite Oxidation. In This Case Study Paper, The Insidious And Destructive Forces Of Pyrite Expansion Are Presented. The Long-Term Implications And Strategies For Remediation Are Considered.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Geotechnical Analysis Of Florida Sinkholes

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.S. Sax Saxena
Keyword(s):  
Value Engineering ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Legal Professionals ◽  
Engineering Approach ◽  
Future Performance ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Property Owners ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Project Delay

Sinkholes And Forensic Geo-Technical Engineering Are Synonymous In Florida. Since These Sinkhole Activity Related Investigations Are Generally Commissioned By Property Owners, Legal Professionals, Insurance Companies, Or Public Adjusters And Because Of The Extensive Liability Exposure They Command It Is Necessary That They Be Thorough, Detailed, And Conclusive Within The Context Of The Mandated Protocol They Are Performed. These Retrospective Investigations Seek To Explain, What Happened? And Why Did It Happen?, Rather Than To Predict Future Performance. Of Course, These Are Often Followed By, How Can It Be Fixed? And All Too Often, Whose Fault Is It? And Who Is Going To Pay?. Technological Advances And Sophistication In Detection, Mitigation, And Repair Methodologies Of Karstic Sinkholes Require That Professionals Involved In These Specialties Continually Upgrade Their Knowledge. A Case Study Is Considered Where Updated And Current Methods Were Used To Detect, Mitigate, And Repair Karstic Sinkhole Condition. Additionally, A Proactive Value Engineering Approach Was Instrumental In Eliminating Any Unnecessary Project Delay Claim Investigation And Assisted In An Early Resolution Of The Matter For The Owner/Developer.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Investigation Of Distressed Residential Foundations From Plumbing Leaks

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshi Nobe
Keyword(s):  
Clay Soil ◽  
Expansive Soils ◽  
Expansive Soil ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Foundation Design ◽  
Swelling Soils ◽  
Insurance Agent ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Engineering Investigation

The Distress To A Home Caused By A Plumbing Leak Under A Residential Foundation In Expansive Soils Can Be A Great Risk To Homeowners And Insurance Companies. It Was Estimated That Annual Damages In 1983 Due To Shrinking And Swelling Soils Averaged $9 Billion Nationwide, Causing Staggering Economic Loss.1 A Property Claim Resulting From A Purported Underground Plumbing Leak Affecting Moisture Content In Expansive Soils May Involve A Number Of Interested Parties Including: Homeowners, An Insurance Agent, An Insurance Claims Adjuster, A Plumbing Contractor, A Forensic Engineering Investigator, A Public Adjuster, A Foundation Contractor, A Foundation Design Engineer, And Attorneys... This Paper Describes A Step-By-Step Protocol For A Typical Residential Foundation Investigation That May Involve A Potential Legal Challenge As The Result Of The Investigatory Findings As Schematically Shown In Figures 1 And 2. This Paper Discusses The Areas Of Contention Based On Current Technology Involving Expansive Soil Foundations. Expansive Soils Are Clay Soils That Swell Volumetrically When The Soils Are Exposed To Moist Conditions.3 Clay Soil Shrinks When It Dries; Those Soils That Shrink And Swell To Extremes Are Known As Expansive Soils.

scholarly journals The Problem of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Closed Coal Mine Shafts – The Overview and the Case Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-600
Author(s):  
Paweł Wrona ◽  
Józef Sułkowski ◽  
Zenon Różański ◽  
Grzegorz Pach
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emission ◽  
Mining Area ◽  
Emission Point ◽  
Water Pumping ◽  
Gas Hazard ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Reporting Procedures

Abstract Greenhouse gas emissions are a common problem noticed in every mining area just after mine closures. However, there could be a significant local gas hazard for people with continuous (but variable) emission of these gases into the atmosphere. In the Upper Silesia area, there are 24 shafts left for water pumping purposes and gases can flow through them hydraulically. One of them – Gliwice II shaft – was selected for inspection. Carbon dioxide emission with no methane was detected here. Changes in emission and concentration of carbon dioxide around the shaft was the aim of research carried out. It was stated that a selected shaft can create two kinds of gas problems. The first relates to CO2 emission into the atmosphere. Possible emission of that gas during one minute was estimated at 5,11 kg CO2/min. The second problem refers to the local hazard at the surface. The emission was detected within a radius of 8m from the emission point at the level 1m above the ground. These kinds of matters should be subject to regular gas monitoring and reporting procedures.

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