Forensic Structural Engineering
Forensic engineering is the analysis of collected data to determine the root cause of a structural deficiency or failure. When a structure fails, it’s important to understand why and how it failed. This allows us to make concise and necessary improvements or in many cases, determine liability for the failure.
Forensic structural engineering provides an in-depth look into the causes of foundation, framing, or other types of structural failures. Nortex Structural has a team of highly trained and experienced professionals to help you with your forensic analysis needs.
Forensic Structural Engineering Investigations
When structures fail or are in the process of failing, a forensic structural inspection is employed to determine the causation of the failure and to help prevent further future failure if possible. These inspections can also apply to the root cause determination of cosmetic distress.
When an incident occurs, which ones receive investigations?
Technically, a forensic structural engineer can be called in to investigate any form of perceived damage to determine the cause. If you are a homeowner, your insurance policy may require a forensic report from a structural engineer to assist in determining liability. This can be common when a structural failure occurs after renovation projects or even during a home’s 10 year structural foundation warranty.
As forensic structural engineers, it’s crucial for us to provide the facts. At Nortex Structural, we neither investigate in favor of the property owner or an insurance company, or any other involved party. Our investigations are conducted in an unbiased manner so that we can determine a true cause of any structural failure.
Structural Incident Investigations
Learning about structural failures is crucial to understanding the underlying cause of the failure, and to further develop and advance the field of structural engineering. These inspections often lead to the development of new technologies or a better understanding of construction techniques and best practices. Below are some of the types of investigations that are conducted by the team of structural forensic engineers at Nortex Structural:
- Partial or full structural collapse
- Structural foundation damage or other issues with the foundation
- Vehicle impacts or collisions with the structure
- Construction, renovation, or other remodel defects
- Fire damage structural incident inspections
- Impacts of severe weather on the structure
- Reviewing the design of a structure’s frame to determine the presence of any design flaws
- Reviewing the design of a structure to ensure that it was built to code and meets minimum construction standards
Call Nortex Structural for Forensic Structural Engineering Analysis
If you have a structural concern or have suffered damage similar to the events listed above, contact the forensic engineers at Nortex Structural. We will thoroughly and independently gather data, evaluate the damage and potential root causes, and provide a detailed report.