Roof Collapse
In a perfect world of consulting engineering, every investigation would result in a single, concise cause of damage to the product, structure, or system under investigation. In the real world, this rarely happens.
Blog - The Stress Point
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Barge Foundering
Most of the time, damages to marine vessels and structures are straight forward: there’s a collision, allision, or sinking due to mechanical failure, procedural failure, negligence, or an unfortunate concurrence of events. The involved vessels/structures are damaged, the damages are tallied up, and...
It’s Raining Inside My Building!
During rain events, water was intruding into a Church. The Church was concerned that damage had occurred to the roofing of the building, which was allowing rainwater into the facility.
Identifying Damage to Concrete and Clay Roof Tiles
There are different types of damage that can take place on concrete and clay roof tiles (tiles). During a roof inspection, it is important to be able to differentiate the damage to properly reach a conclusion regarding the cause of the observed damage.
Static Ignition of Gasoline
EDT was called to investigate a case where a victim was burned at a gas station due to static ignition of gasoline. Based on the measurements and the unique circumstances, we found that the victim created a static charge when he left the nozzle still pumping gas to return to his driver seat...
How Old is Old?
When working on scope of damage/value of loss files, I am frequently asked how long should electrical equipment last? In this case, I was tasked with a fire origin and cause in a lumber yard. Upon first look, it was obvious that this was not actually a fire - it was something else...
How Do Our Engineers Organize Equipment At A Loss?
Have you ever arrived at a large loss site and wondered, “how are the engineers going to keep all this equipment straight?” Well, as the old adage goes, “one bite at a time.” But what about keeping track of the machinery as it’s moved and repaired/replaced?
Site Feature Measures to Control the Hydrologic Cycle
An amusement park was built along the United States’ east coast. The theme park was designed to be constructed in a location both away from and above the floodplain extents, or floodwater spread. However, six months post-opening, during hurricane season, the amusement park general manager discovered...
Keeping Your Clients in Business While the Repairs Progress
Have you ever arrived at a large loss site and wondered, “how are we going to help this client keep business while repairs progress?” Well, that’s where a scope of damage consulting engineer with a facilities/process/production background helps.
Brick Veneer - Defined in the Code
Even with its long and trusted history, questions can arise regarding the performance of a brick veneer system. When these performance issues arise, the property owner, adjuster, or attorney are often barraged with various terms such as water-resistive barrier, veneer, or exterior wall envelope...
Why Is the AC Vent Wet?
Have you ever walked around in your socks at home, stepped onto the air conditioning (AC) vent and your socks got wet? Have you ever noticed water dripping from a ceiling AC vent? You might say to yourself, my vents are leaking water; do I need to call the plumber?
Turbines and Their Applications (Part I)
When you hear the word “Turbine” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps it is the gas-turbine engine of the last airplane you caught a ride on. The first turbine-powered aircraft wasn’t developed until WW2. That’s when the word “Turbine” entered common usage. Turbines, however, were in...
Creep
One day a homeowner exited his home to find water pouring down the driveway. Closer examination revealed water was coming from the water meter box and the plastic threaded connector attaching the transition pipe from the water meter to the house supply line had fractured due to continuous stress...
Plasma Cutting Machine Explosion
EDT was asked to investigate a computerized numerical control/analysis (CNC) plasma cutting machine which had been involved in an explosion. The purpose of the EDT investigation was to determine the cause of the explosion.
Wasp Disables Tractor-Trailer
A tractor-trailer traveling on an interstate, hauling a load weighing an estimated 50,000 pounds, suddenly catches on fire. The culprit? A single wasp.