scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis of a Fatal Trailer Wheel-Separation Failure

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Batzer
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Front Wheel ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Passenger Compartment ◽  
Traffic Lane ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Cantilever Bending ◽  
Winter Time ◽  
Separation Failure ◽  
Left Front

A forensic analysis of a fatal trailer wheel-separation failure is presented in this paper. An older three-axle trailer carrying snowmobiles was being driven at highway speed during winter time in Michigan. The left front wheel detached due to the catastrophic failure of all six lug studs. The wheel traveled into the on-coming traffic lane and struck the roof of a sedan driven by a local student. The driver of this vehicle was killed instantly due to passenger compartment intrusion. One possibility was that the lug nuts were improp-erly tightened during a recently performed service — and that this looseness diminished clamping forces and led to cantilever bending of the studs and fatigue fracture. An analysis of the defendant’s narrative and of the failure were performed.

scholarly journals Forensic Analysis Of Tilting File Cabinets

2002 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilbur T. Yaxley
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Back Injuries ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
File Cabinet

This Case Involved A File Clerk Inserting Files Into An Office 4 Drawer File Cabinet. The File Cabinet Did Not Have Latching Devices For The Drawers. The File Drawers Were Designed To Be Stabilized With A Small Indent In The Suspension Track To Prevent The Drawers From Unexpectedly Opening. The File Cabinet Unexpectedly Tilted And Opened All The Drawers With A Force Sufficient To Knock The Clerk To The Floor With The File Cabinet On Her Back. The Clerk Sustained Substantial Back Injuries. The Jury Agreed With The Forensic Engineering Analysis And Were Shocked At The Ease Of The Drawers Opening, The Cabinet Falling, And The Force Of Overturning Of The File Cabinet. The Jury Awarded The Verdict To The Plaintiff With A Surprising Twist.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Failed Roller Bearings

1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olof H. Jacobson
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Rolling Element Bearings ◽  
Bearing Failure ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Operating Characteristics ◽  
Bearing Failures ◽  
Rolling Element ◽  
Forensic Engineering

Failure Of Rolling Element Bearings Often Results In Damage To The Bearing Elements And Adjacent Components Such As Axles, Shafts, Gearboxes, Wheels, Etc. Forensic Analysis Of Rolling Contact Bearings Is Discussed In This Paper. A Review Of Bearing Types And Typical Operating Characteristics Is Presented. A Procedure For Systematic Examination And Analysis Of Bearing Failure Evidence Is Suggested, And Several Case Studies Are Presented Which Demonstrate The Types Of Evidence Typically Remaining And The Logic Which Leads To Engineering Conclusions Concerning The Cause Of Bearing Failures.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Investigation Of The Hurricane Rita Motorcoach Fire

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwight Pfenning
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Living ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Passenger Compartment ◽  
Texas Coast ◽  
Hurricane Rita ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Engineering Investigation ◽  
Houston Area

A Forensic Engineering Analysis Was Performed Of The Motorcoach Fire That Took The Lives Of3 Houston Area Assisted Living Home Patients As They Were Being Evacuated To The Dallas Area Asurricane Rita Was Approaching The Texas Coast In 2005. The Motorcoach Was Engulfed In Flames Andmoke After A Tag Axle Tire Caught Fire On A Freeway Near Dallas. Our Analysis Included Testing With Extensive Instrumentation On An Exemplar Motorcoach In Order To Determine How The Fire Developed And Entered The Passenger Compartment. Included In The Analysis Was The Contribution To The Fire From The Patients Onboard Oxygen Bottles. The Use Of Alternate Materials Was Tested For Their Effect On The Time For Safe Egress.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Vapor Transmission During Re-Roofing Project

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Swanson
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Construction Process ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Building Environment ◽  
Materials Used

Roof Replacement Projects Are Routinely Conducted When A Building Is Occupied. Normal Safety Protocols That Control The Execution Of The Work And The Materials Used Are Specified In The Project Manual To Protect The Building Environment From Adverse Effects During The Course Of The Work. This Is A Case Where The Normal Protocols Were Insufficient To Protect The Building Occupants From Exposure To Vapors Present During The Construction Process. The Resulting Forensic Analysis Revealed That Elements Of The Building Construction Provided The Mechanism For Vapor Transmission That Together With Standard Preventive Measures Actually Created A Condition That Could Increase The Concentration Of Vapors Within The Building.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Reliance On Standards In A Multi-Defendant Cross Claim Case

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Leffler ◽  
Schlender Erich
Keyword(s):  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Safety Standard ◽  
Student Death ◽  
Civil Suit ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
General Topic

A Personnel Lift Was Rented By A Film School Student For Use In Filming A Student Movie. The Hired Operator Caused The Lift To Contact Powerlines, Resulting In A Student Death And A Civil Suit. One Defendant, The Lift Rental Agency, Lodged A Cross-Claim Against Another Defendant, The Renter. This Forensic Analysis Examines The Ansi/Sia A92 Safety Standard For These Lifts, The Rental Agency Varied Levels Of Reliance On (And Compliance With) That Standard, And The General Topic Of Providing Reasonable Notice Of Both Responsibilities And Potential Hazards.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis Of A Car Vs. Car Vs. Pedestrian Accident

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey D. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Energy Analysis ◽  
Forensic Analysis ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Interstate Highway ◽  
Emergency Personnel ◽  
Vehicle Crash ◽  
Pedestrian Accident ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Concrete Barrier

This Paper Summarizes The Forensic Engineering Analysis And Reconstruction Of A Nighttime Vehicle Crash. The Crash Occurred On The Inside Shoulder Of A Divided Interstate Highway Separated By A Concrete Barrier. A Driver Had Stopped His Vehicle On The Inside Shoulder Of The Westbound Section Of The Highway, Presumably Due To Car Troubles. His Car Was Struck In The Rear By Another Vehicle. When Emergency Personnel Arrived At The Scene, The Owner Of The Disabled Vehicle Was Found Deceased On The Inside Lane Of The Opposing Eastbound Roadway. As The Crash Was Being Investigated, A Vehicle Returned To The Scene Where The Driver Indicated That He Thought He Had Run Over Something As He Was Traveling Eastbound On The Freeway. The Forensic Engineer Was Retained To Reconstruct The Accident, And To Determine How The Driver Of The Disabled Vehicle Came To Be In The Opposing Roadway. The Reconstruction Involved Photogrammetry, Momentum Analysis, Crush Energy Analysis, Proper Use Of Pedestrian Throw Formulae, And A Forensic Analysis Of Evidence On The Disabled Vehicle.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Alleged Property Damage From Construction Vibrations

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.S. Sax Saxena ◽  
Saxena Anu
Keyword(s):  
Case History ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Pile Driving ◽  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Existing Buildings ◽  
Construction Methods ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Eye Examination ◽  
Florida Panhandle ◽  
Subsurface Treatment

The Influence Of Construction And Pile Driving Vibrations On Surrounding Buildings, Including Hospitals And Eye Examination Facilities, Sensitive Devices Such As Computers And Surgical Microscopes Or Electronic Machines, And People In The Urban Environment Is A Significant Consideration In Obtaining Project Approvals From Appropriate Agencies And Authorities. Implementation Of Construction Projects In Areas Adjacent To Existing Buildings (Aged, Historical, Residential, Commercial, Industrial, Medical Services, Or Electronic Services) Creates Additional Difficulties. Specialized Case History Is Presented Where Damage To Sensitive Structures From A Variety Of Vibratory Construction Methods Ranging From Pile Driving, Highway Construction, Rock Excavation And/Or Blasting, Was Considered. Twenty Homeowners From A Residential Subdivision In The Florida Panhandle, Claimed Damage Including Cracking To Their Properties During Construction Of Various Portions Of City Storm Water Treatment/Enhancement Project. It Was Also Alleged That During Excavation And Construction Of Drainage Structures, Especially Four Subsurface Treatment Vaults That Required Installation And Extraction Of Sheet Piles Using Vibratory Hammer, Stability Of The Nearby Residential Structures Was Endangered And Resulted In Movement/Cracking. Forensic Engineering Analysis Was Effectively Utilized To Identify, Investigate, And Remediate The Concerns As Well As Assist In Litigation And In Some Cases Avoidance. This Technical Paper Presents Some Legal Issues Related To Litigation, Mediation, And Resolution Involving Jurisprudence System And Introduces A Case History That Includes All Elements Of Forensic Engineering.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analysis Of Lightning Strikes And Surge Related Losses

2013 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis E. Falany
Keyword(s):  
Engineering Analysis ◽  
Electronic Circuits ◽  
Lightning Strikes ◽  
Structure Damage ◽  
Significant Damage ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Living Organisms

Lightning Is A Powerful And Dangerous Natural Force. It Is Capable Of Inflicting Significant Damage To Our Environment And Causing Injury Or Death In Living Organisms. Electrical And Electronic Circuits Are Particularly Susceptible To Lightning, Both From Direct Strikes And From Lightning Induced Electrical Surges. Fires Often Result From Lightning Strikes. Injury And Death Can Result From Both Direct Strikes, Lightning Induced Electrical Surges, And Indirectly From Structure Damage And Fires. The Insurance In-Dustry Offers Coverage For Lighting Related Losses And A Forensic Engineer Is Often Consulted To Assist In Adjusting The Claim.

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