Forensic Engineering

WHAT CAUSES PROBLEMS WITH A STRUCTURE?

Structural problems are normally the result of 3 main factors:
1) Poor design
2) Poor quality control in construction
3) Bldg. Age & Poor maintenance by the property owner

Poor Design
Many foundations are not designed to fit the soil conditions of the site. Common reasons for design failure may include inadequate subsurface investigation or lack of knowledge about the soil characteristics. There are also situations where the foundation type was chosen by the purchaser of the structure and the engineer's design could not overcome site conditions.

Poor Construction Quality Control
Insufficient inspection during construction and/or the engineer's design can cause the structure to suffer.  Some problems caused by lack of quality control may include: poor concrete quality, poor density compaction of sub-grade soils, faulty piers, negative drainage, framing problems, and improper placement of reinforcing (pt or rebar).

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Poor Maintenance by the Owner

Some problems associated with poor maintenance include spalled concrete, which is typically due to moisture sources to the concrete.  The moisture causes the rebar to rust, which then expands and if not treated, more spalling ensues.  And when left untreated, the problem progresses to the point of a diminution of structural integrity.  This is also true for moisture intrusion-related issues in general.

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---Previous Experience---

Forensically speaking, we cut our teeth observing foundation movements in the DFW area.  These movements were usually related to differential movements of the foundation due to moisture content changes of the supporting clay soils.  We have looked at many foundations in the DFW area, as this was, and still is, a very costly problem.

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We also investigated roof collapses.  At one roof collapse, the tilt panel concrete walls, along with the roof, collapsed due to ponding water on the roof when the scuppers clogged with debris after a hailstorm.  This building was over a quarter of a mile long and 3/4 of the walls and roof progressively collapsed in a "zipper" fashion, only stopping when the collapse reached a demising wall.

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At another roof collapse we were involved with, due to high storm winds, a large wood-framed roof located at a gun range had a catastrophic collapse (open web, metal plate connected wood trusses that separated due improper bracing).

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Over the course of time, we worked on multiple wall and floor failures, as well.  Usually when a floor fails, the walls follow and vice-versa.  We've seen walls subjected to high winds fail, and when the wall failed, the floor gave way.

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Many metal assemblies we have investigated have failed from overloading or impact loads.  When heavy gage shelving (think Home Depot or Lowe's) is hit by a forklift, usually the forklift wins.

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Water intrusion was a recent focus of our work.  It is extremely detrimental to not only the cosmetic veneer and covering of a building, but can be very damaging to the supporting structure, also.  You have to keep the outside outside.

A few years ago we were recognized by the Texas Department of Insurance to be a registered windstorm inspector.  We also spent time working at an Engineering firm on storm investigations.  There we took multiple courses to become certified as a roof inspector for both residential and commercial structures and received steep roof rope training.

References are available upon request.