Most failure or accident investigations begin at the end of the story: after the explosion, after the fire has been extinguished, or after the collapse. In many instances, information about the last event and the starting event is known reasonably well. Information about what occurred between these endpoints, however, is often unclear, confusing, and perhaps contradictory. Scientific Method: Applications in Failure Investigation and Forensic Science explains how scientific investigative methods can best be used to determine why and how a particular event occurred.

While employing examples from forensic engineering, the book uses principles and ideas applicable to most of the forensic sciences. The author examines the role of the failure investigator, describes the fundamental method for investigation, discusses the optimal way to organize evidence, and explores the four most common reasons why some investigations fail. The book provides three case studies that exemplify proper report writing, contains a special chapter profiling a criminal case by noted forensic specialist Jon J. Nordby, and offers a reading list of resources for further study.

Concise and illustrative, this volume demonstrates how the scientific method can be applied to failure investigation in ways that avoid flawed reasoning while delivering convincing reconstruction scenarios. Investigators can pinpoint where things went wrong, providing valuable information that can prevent another catastrophe.

Forensic Engineering Investigation is a compendium of the investigative methodologies used by engineers and scientific investigators to evaluate some of the more common types of failures and catastrophic events. In essence, the book provides analyses and methods for determining how an entity was damaged and when that damage may have legal consequences. The material covers 21 common types of failures, catastrophic events, and losses that forensic engineers routinely assess. The range of topics include wind and blasting damage to structures, vehicular accidents, fires, explosions, hail damage to roofs and exteriors, lighting damage, and industrial guarding accidents.

Additionally, the book offers an extensive discussion of the scientific method as it applies to forensic science and provides tips on organizing and writing an investigative report. The book also supplies the applicable codes and standards that regulate the profession, discusses the role of the forensic engineer in court proceedings, and addresses the role management plays in industrial safety.

Each chapter is self-contained, highly specific, and succinct. Even more important, the analysis in each chapter is tailored to the answering of questions usually posed in the particular circumstances under discussion. The author does not skimp on the mathematical and scientific underpinnings of the subject matter. In that sense, Forensic Engineering Investigation contains the "good stuff" that is typically omitted in less challenging texts.

Engineering Analysis of Fires and Explosions demonstrates how professional forensic engineers apply basic concepts and principles from engineering and scientific disciplines to analyze fires and explosions. It describes how forensic engineers use a "reverse design" process to determine the original cause of a fire or explosion. This guide incorporates practices and lessons learned from the first-hand experiences of the author and his colleagues. It is an exciting introduction to the multidisciplinary subject of fire and explosion analysis and its legal ramifications. The author's straightforward language and style make the concepts easy to understand.

Forensic engineering is generally defined as the application of engineering principles and methodology to answer questions of fact that may have legal ramifications. This new book provides an introduction to the science, methodology, and engineering principles involved in the diagnosis of some common types of accidents and failures, such as fires, explosions, automobile accidents, storm damage, industrial accidents, slips and falls, arson, water pipe damage and more. Each chapter stands alone and can be read without reference to the others. The chapters have been written so that non-technical professionals can easily digest the information and immediately apply it. The book will also be useful to technical professionals who are unfamiliar with particular investigative methodology or technical points of interest. Introduction to Forensic Engineering will benefit lawyers, insurance investigators, engineers, and other professionals who must handle investigative and legal aspects of accidents or failures.

Accident analysis is not like a classroom problem where the equations are selected and solved, and the matter is considered closed. In this line of forensics, engineering skill must be combined with skillful practice for the successful presentation of evidence to a jury.
In this book, the author demonstrates the application of engineering skills, methods, and judgment for analyzing vehicular accidents. A definition of vehicular accident reconstruction and its role in the legal system is provided. General accident statistics are cited, and some general strategies for accident reconstruction are given, along with many examples and case studies. The author includes novel and unusual treatment of the momentum method and coefficient of restitution (which is not yet widespread in accident analysis) and shows how to select the best methods of analysis in a given accident reconstruction.