Forensic Engineering. By Trey Berney and Martin Garza.

Transcription

1 Forensic Engineering By Trey Berney and Martin Garza

2 What is Forensic Engineering? Forensic Engineering is to the forensic field to diagnose structural failings of buildings and products. Attempts to learn how and why the incident occurred through Engineering techniques include.

3 Possible Applications of Forensics Engineering

4 History of Forensic Engineering Forensic engineering dates back to Modern Forensic Engineering developed during org/wikipedia/commons/d/d 8/Dee_bridge_disaster.jpg 1987 article The Emerging Role of Forensic Engineers outlines the duty of forensic engineers and the requirements of the job.

5 Applications in Forensic Science: General Forensic engineering is mainly used at the sites of disasters, such as Forensic engineers are

6 Applications in Forensic Science: Structural Failure Whenever an aircraft goes down, a building or structure collapses, or a product or vehicles fails, forensic engineers are some of the first to examine the evidence at hand The findings of forensics engineers can allow for

7 Applications in Forensic Science: Fires/Arson Forensics engineering is especially prevalent in the investigation of fires Forensic Engineers are able to identify burn patterns, accelerants, make-up of the fire, and the effect of the fire on the surrounding area Accelerant: Flash Ignition Temperature (FIT):

8 Arson: Flame and Burn Patterns Each fire is unique, but there are common traits between each one that allow investigators to identify the cause and characteristics of the fire Patterns include:

9 Burn Pattern Examples

10 Arson: Accelerants The majority of accelerants are liquids Still leave behind residue which can be recovered after the blaze Common accelerants used in arson include:

11 Technology Used in Forensic Engineering Much of the technology used by forensic engineers is mostly used to prevent failures Simulating possible problems, vigorous testing through simulations, researching different materials Fault tree analysis The analysis of a problem through determining potential problems (from problem down) Radiography Using X-rays to view any internal defects in something Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) A microscope that uses a beam of highly focused electrons to produce high-resolution pictures

12 Case Study 1: The World Trade Center (9/11/2001) There has been one instance of a fire on the floors of the WTC In 1975, a large fire engulfed a portion of WTC 1, but did not result in collapse The NIST conducted four standard fire resistance tests that concluded that floor assemblies of the WTC should not collapse even when heated to 600 degrees Celsius and under twice the load of the Twin Towers However, the NIST was also able to determine that the impacts of the aircraft led to the dislodging of much of the thermal insulation that allowed for the steel beams to endure the previously mentioned tests The NIST therefore concluded that had the aircraft not dislodge the thermal insulation of the floor assemblies, the Twin Towers would have not collapsed despite the multi-story fires and impact of the aircraft themselves

13 Case Study 2: The Station Nightclub Fire (2/20/2003) The Station Nightclub was a nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island On February 20, 2003, a fire started during the beginning of a performance of a band, engulfing the club within five minutes and resulting in the deaths of one hundred people The NIST was able to determine the cause of the fire based on physical and video evidence The fire was determined to be caused by polyurethane ignited by pyrotechnics on the stage; its severity was due to a lack of sprinklers in the building The findings of the NIST resulted in new regulations that required sprinklers in all new nightclubs and limited the use of indoor pyrotechnics

14 Works cited Used in the Presentation Brown, J. F., Obenski, K. S., & Osborn, T. R. (2002). Forensic engineering reconstruction of accidents. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Boyell, R. L. (1987). The emerging role of the forensic engineer. IEEE Trans. Profess. Commun. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, PC-30(1), Retrieved from WBDG Secure / Safe Committee. (2015, October 19). Secure / Safe. Retrieved February, 2015, from NIST Engineering Laboratory. (n.d.). About Disaster and Failure Studies. Retrieved February, 2016, from Knox, M. A. (2012, June 6). A Philosophy of Crime Scene Reconstruction. Retrieved February, 2016, from Forensic Engineering. (n.d.). Retrieved February, 2016, from Corry, R. A. (n.d.). InterFIRE. Retrieved February, 2016, from Stern, W., PhD. (n.d.). MODERN METHODS OF ACCELERANT ANALYSIS. Retrieved February, 2016, from The Station Nightclub Fire, Rhode Island, (2005, June). Retrieved February, 2016, from World Trade Center Disaster Study. (2005, September). Retrieved February, 2016, from (page 199)