A detailed understanding of failure mechanisms is essential to the practice of forensic engineering, the investigation of failures and other performance problems. Nicastro examines various types of failure mechanisms, including their causes and identifying characteristics, and provides a comprehensive collection of case histories. Diagnosis of building failures, including all aspects of construction, is provided, along with a comparison of failure mechanisms across multiple disciplines. Nicastro emphasizes the performance of engineering investigations, including fieldwork, laboratory testing, research, formulating opinions, generating reports, and providing expert testimony.
Topics include:
- shelf angles;
- deck drains;
- thermal expansion;
- cracking, fatigue, and fractures;
- overstress;
- unstable shoring;
- tempered glass;
- tower distress;
- sealant reversion;
- glazing system leaks;
- masonry/plank construction;
- frame shortening;
- zipper gaskets;
- handrail post deformation;
- sloped glazing slips; and
- floating walls.
This book also includes an index of various failure mechanisms, and an annotated bibliography.
About the Author
David H. Nicastro, P.E., is founder and chief executive officer of Engineering Diagnostics in Austin, Texas. He specializes in forensic engineering, exterior wall systems, materials studies, structural instrumentation, and suspended scaffolding.