Structural failure can often produce catastrophic results. In many cases, the damage seen after the accident is not indicative of the cause of the initial failure. Fortunately, based on physical evidence, an investigator can frequently determine how and why a structure failed. The most common reasons for a failure include defective materials, defective design, improper assembly, excessive or improper loading or a combination of these. Through testing and structural analysis, it is possible to determine the root cause of the failure and propose solutions to prevent such failures from reoccurring.
Expertise
We have some 50 years of varied experience in many aspects of structural analysis including:
Structural and mechanical properties testing
Bending, fracture and fatigue analysis
Finite element computer modeling
Teaching structural dynamics at Columbia University, NYU & NASA
Welcome to the third and final post in our multipart series of blog posts about a young boy's fall and serious injury at a public playground. In our first post we gave a brief overview of the incident and our investigation. In the second post we discussed some of the safety standards applicable to public playgrounds. In this post, we will examine some of the impact-absorbing playground surfaces available to protect children at playgrounds from injury. If you would like to read the first two posts, they are available here and here.
There are approximately 180,000 lawnmower accidents per year. In this introductory presentation, we undertake to describe the various ways in which these accidents occur.
Forklifts, industrial trucks, skid steer loaders, bobcats and other similar material-handling machines are often difficult to maneuver and susceptible to a wide range of accidents. Their nature exposes operators and nearby co-workers to falling loads, crushing hazards and lading dock falls.
Structural failure can often produce catastrophic results. In many cases, the damage seen after the accident is not indicative of the cause of the initial failure. Fortunately, based on physical evidence, an investigator can frequently determine how and why a structure failed. The most common reasons for a failure include defective materials, defective design, improper assembly, excessive or improper loading or a combination of these. Through testing and structural analysis, it is possible to determine the root cause of the failure and propose solutions to prevent such failures from reoccurring.
