How Forensic Engineers Help with Building Diagnostics?
In today’s ever-evolving world, Civil and Structural Industries have seen a drastic change due to the growth of new designs, materials, and technologies. As globalization increases, industries, factories, offices, houses, and several other structures keep increasing in number, since everybody wants a roof over their heads to complete the required work efficiently. The element which all these structures have in common is Concrete, which is the most widely used substance on the planet after water. However, these concrete structures can be subject to a wide range of accidental damage throughout their service life.
These tall buildings require rigorous construction work and hours of hard work to get built. A small mistake during the construction process can lead to a massive mishap or accident in the future.
Therefore, whenever you plan to build such a structure, whether residential or commercial, a thorough analysis and inspection are required to detect any underlying faults or damages. From the earliest stage, a Forensic Engineer can make your work smooth and easy by identifying and resolving any risk at each step of the way.
Throughout the construction process, a Forensic Engineer’s role is as crucial as that of a Civil Engineer to assemble your dream structure.
Who is a Forensic Engineer?
A Forensic Engineer specializes in applying Engineering knowledge to determine why a machine or structure eventually failed to deliver, i.e.,a forensic engineer finds out what exactly went wrong. They use the method of “Reverse Engineering” to deconstruct the structure’s design and retrace back to reach the problem’s crux. This Forensic Science can subsequently help the Architect, disaster recovery specialists, and even the city planners. In simple words, Forensic Engineering is all about trying to find out what went wrong and how to resolve it. Therefore, Forensic Engineers play a significant role in not only the Diagnosis of the Defect but also in Resolving the Issue. This factor has led to an upsurge in demand for a Forensic Engineer all around the world.
Diagnosing the Defect
Forensic Engineers specialize in detecting and identifying any minor or catastrophic failure by thoroughly investigating the materials, products, and elements used in constructing the residential or commercial structure. The primary step of solving any problem is to identify and detect it. This process is extremely meticulous and highly-detailed because multiple experiments get carried out on the various components used during construction to figure out the magnitude of the damage. All the evidence collected from multiple tests is further studied to determine whether the loss will get blamed on the design of the structure or the fact that Termites might have settled in your composition, causing the depletion. Sometimes, a simple problem as a Termite can cause permanent damage and slowly deteriorate your entire concrete structure.
For a person belonging to a Non-Engineering background, this process might seem too lengthy or too exhausting. But, for Forensic Engineers, the collection of abundant evidence, performing different experiments, and taking all the exact measurements is highly necessary to draw out an accurate and reliable conclusion. For Forensic Experts, there is virtually no room for any mistakes or inaccuracy.
The process of identifying the defect might take some time. Still, this assessment carried out by the Forensic Engineers can help the Architect in developing a more effective design of the building. This whole process of Reverse Engineering applied by the Forensic Engineers helps find the root of the problem.
Resolving the Issue
Civil Engineering and Forensic Science go hand in hand. Therefore, any lapse in judgment caused by a Civil Engineer can be recovered or resolved by a Forensic Engineer. Apart from identifying the mistake, the Forensic Engineer can also aid in the reconstruction of existing buildings. Once the entire analysis is carried out by the Forensic Team, all the faults and failings can easily get identified. All Forensic experiments can help in identifying and replacing damaged materials, elements, and design. Additionally, the Forensic Engineer can suggest any issues related to the foundation of your building. It doesn’t matter how tall or luxurious your building is from the outside; if not built on a strong base and foundation from the inside, it is of no use.
This Forensic Analysis can even help the construction team in their future projects because they can completely redo and remodel their traditional structural designs and make changes, thus preventing any subsequent hazards. In this way, a Forensic Engineer can immensely improve the present and future work of a Civil Engineer.
Diagnosing the Defect, Resolving the Issue, and improving the overall team’s overall work, all these factors highlight how crucial a Forensic Engineer is for the recovery, reconstruction, and rebuilding of your concrete structure.
About The SALK Group
The SALK Group is a team of specialized engineers and consultants. They provide comprehensive soil stabilization, testing, boring, and monitoring services in NYC, The Boroughs, Manhattan, Suffolk County, Nassau County, New Jersey, and Long Island.
They even provide a variety of special inspection services for both small and large projects. They work hard to ensure that your structure gets built on a strong base, from inspecting the design to investigating all the individual components used by the construction team.
Conclusion
If we think deeply, Science is NOT perfect. In Science, the degree of accuracy varies from one field to another. At one end of the spectrum, there are some fields where the design needs to be just good enough to work- like a simple study table or a bookshelf. However, on the other side of the spectrum, there are some fields where a small error in design can cost human lives, like buildings and factories. A Forensic Engineer and latest forensic engineering technologies can help in making this ‘imperfect’ Science, a little perfect. It is better to hire a Forensic Engineering Team from the start of construction to test all the materials, design, elements, and products used throughout the journey. It is far easier to prevent an incident from happening in the first place than repair the damage after it has happened.
About the Author
William Hayleigh is a Geotechnical Engineer at the Salk Group, a leading New York Geological consulting and contractor service serving NYC, Manhattan, The Boroughs, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey.