Forensic Engineering

1. Forensic Engineering By: Jacob Carter and Elemuel Coleman

2. What is Forensic Engineering? • Forensic Engineering is the investigation of materials, products, structures or do not operate as intended. • Usually a matter of Civil Law. • Purpose: locate cause of failure to improve performance or to assist a court in determining the facts of whether it was an accident or not.

3. Important Methods Used • Reverse Engineering • Fractography • Corrosion • Fire Investigation

4. Reverse Engineering- “Troubleshooting” • The process of understanding the technological principles of a device, through analysis of its structure, function and operation. • Usually includes taking something apart and analyzing and detail to make a new device without failure. • Examples: Jerry Cans and Smart Card

5. Fractography • Is the study of fractured surfaces of materials • Many types of fracture such as: stress, fatigue, corrosion cracking, and brittle. • Main method is to find the origin of cracking using a optical microscopy or “light microscope” • Most cases fractography requires examination at a more intense scale and that is carried out by a Scanning electron microscope (SEM)

6. Corrosion • Is the breaking down of essential properties in a material due to chemical reactions with the environment. • Usually by electrochemical corrosion (oxidation) which causes rust or exposure to moist air. • Can occur in biology by chemoautotrophs in which sulfide is released corroding the material. (Sulfide Stress Cracking)

7. Fire Investigation • Is very important to forensic engineering as it relates to arson, however it is also important to vehicular accidents where there is a faulty line. • Requires all engineers because fire destroys evidence. You are literally piecing together evidence that MAY have led to the crime.

8. Actual Case Study

9. Actual Case Study (Cont.)

10. Interviews: Charles Coonel What is the most enriching aspect of your daily job? Two things, You basically are solving puzzles. Everyday there’s an accomplishment you are figuring why things fail. Also, people come to you with problems and are looking for someone to help them. Forensic engineering is not as tedious as crime scene investigation. It is rapid fire and anti climactic. What is reverse engineering? The most important aspects of forensic engineering. It is literally taking a complex object and literally breaking it down to its simplest components on blank paper. What is the most important methods of forensic engineering? The guideline applications are common sense and physics. The answers are usually simple answers once reduced to its components. You approach your investigation and spiral in. Start on the perimeter and work your way in collecting all the evidence.

11. Conclusion • Forensic Engineer may not do the glamorous jobs that other forensic specialist do, however they are just as important and are not nearly recognized as much. One of the biggest national tragedies was solved and analyzed by forensic engineers.