Forensic Engineering: Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake Senior Professor

Forensic Engineering
Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake

Senior Professor
Dept. of Civil Engineering
University of Peradeniya
Date: 23rd January 2018 University of Peradeniya

Definition
Forensic Engineering –
Activities related to
failure investigation
• The investigation of
– materials,
– products,
– structures or
– components
that fail or do not operate or function as intended,
causing personal injury or damage to property.
The consequences of failure are dealt with by the
law.
15 JAN 2018 IN INDONESIA
636x382_MP4_4143614805273823235.mp4
17 JAN 2018 IN COLOMBIA
10 DIED
21 JAN 2018 IN PERADENIYA
• One reported dead & 2

others rescued following
an earth bund collapsing
at a construction site in
Peradeniya, Kandy
17 MAY 2017 IN COLLAPSED
WELLAWATTE BUILDING
ONE WAS KILLED
Building Collapse Due to
shoddy construction in
Bangladesh, 2013
The final embrace of a couple that
died after a factory collapsed in
Bangladesh. More 150 died
1780 B. C. E.
• By Hammurabi, the ruler of Babylon
• "If a builder builds a
house and kills its owner,
then that builder shall be
put to death”
Alteration
l s
Fai Site
Why selection
/ o d e
u re m
Design Fail
a m e nt a l
Fund
t ruc ti o nc e/
Co ns i nt e n a
Ma n
n r atio
Ope
c k
Ext L o ad s Lu ate ri al
M
Responsibility?
Cause?
Future…
Responsibility?
Responsibility
N SI C
O R E
COLLAPSE OF A ROOF TRUSS
An auditorium roof, supported on steel

trusses forming a dome type frame
Plan of hexagonal roof
Steel framing of roof
Sequence of construction
Fixed End
STAGE
Fixed End Fixed End
5
1 4
TR6~1 TR4~1 TR6~4
7 8
Fixed End TR5~1 TR5~2 Free End
TR6~3 TR4~2 TR6~2
3 6 2
TR4~1 truss type

Free End Free End
4 co ns t r uc t ion
s equence
Free End
SYSTEM PRIOR TO FAILURE
Reason
• Trusses were wobbling during construction
• but no steps had been taken.
• Cables used to prevent wobbling,

• They had not been very effective.
• When the first TR5 truss was put in place

• wobbling was very noticeable.
• Second TR5 truss was hoisted with the crane
and in order to connect truss to the column,
the crane operator had released the belts
• Belt had snapped and the truss system

collapsed
Failed
Truss System
Poor Workmanship
0f bolt holes
Poor Workmanship
In base plate
Poor Workmanship
Welding connections
Reasons…
• Not enough supports
• Un-symmetric supporting
• Poor workmanship
Consultant’s lapses
No clear instructions
No reports on poor quality
Payments approved
Abandoned
FAILED
TRUSS SYSTEM
Responsible Parties #
Client Politician
Consultant
Contractor
Cause?
SI C
E N
O R
F !
Failure r
of
l te
Aa bridge
n !
o
Collapsed Bridge
1906
• Kala Oya
• Timber deck 1965 1999
• Paragastota • Timber Deck
• Timber Deck • Concrete Deck
Bandaragama, 1999
Forensic
Engineering
1990 deck1965
was concreted
Member 17
el
49.800
PARAGASTOTA STEEL BRIDGE

1999
Findings
Findings
•No
1 assesment cal
l i ti
Po
•Dead load
2
Investigation
Member Applied load Elastic
D+I/ (kN) Capacity (kN)
#17 1950 1870

Critical Member # 17
•Yielding
•Deformation
•Fracture
Future
Research SI C
E N
O R
F
a tio n
e stig
i c I nv g e
e n s B ri d
For co m a
of T a
a tio n
e stig
i c I nv g e
e n s B ri d
For co m a
of T a
INFLUENCED THE DESIGN OF ALL
THE WORLD’S GREAT
LONG-SPAN BRIDGE.
tion s
stiga
c Inve
re n s i
Fo Ronan
Point
L
Collapse -
F AL
E S
N O
IG ILDIN G S London
D
H EST BU
E
D T L
NC E TA L
LU E D ’ S
INF O RL
W
THE
Results @
• Lives • Litigation
• Property • Abandoning
• Delays
e
Failure
t r
of
A l
Dageba !
i on
161 BC
• By King Dutu
Gemunu 1980- 1990-
• 2100 years 1987 1993
• Started • Completed
• Failed
Forensic
Investigation
Investigation
Preliminary
investigation/
Planning
Condition Field Load

Material Testing
Survey Testing
Analysis
No
Validation
Yes
Conclusion
Date: 17th July 2014
Findings
• No assesment
• Tension -dead
load
Failure of
a Highway
Bridge
Forensic
Engineering
26th May 2007
Completed Structure
Colombo End Matara end

Completed in April
2009.
Filed December Filed April
2008 2009
Structure Deformed

Wing Wall & Ring Beam Separated
Due to the movement of Metal
Crack Appeared in the
Structure Cracks Appeared on Side
Colombo the Embankment
Ring Beam
To Rectify started the removal in Colombo end
in April 2009
Excavated Only
the Colombo End

Excavated
The Colombo End

Soil is heaped at Mathara Side
Excavated Material Placed on top of the

Structure
Excavated the Colombo End

Collapse
26th May 2009

Reasons
Findings
Improper
Construction
Retrofitting
i tr
A r b
n
G ED E
AM A T UR
X : D RU C
I M L ST
CL A E TA
M
International Arbitration
Collapse of water tank in Ampara
Cylindrical tank
with conical bottom
and conical dome,
Supported on
cylindrical shaft
Diameter = 25 m
Height = 30 m
Capacity = 1125 m3
Shaft Dia. = 6 m
Construction Sequence
Tower
Tank
Lifting
Expected procedure
1 Cylindrical shaft
2 Tank at ground level
3 Lift the tank to position while conical top is
propped
4 Support the conical bottom inner edge on ring
beam built into the cylinder
5 Connect conical dome inner edge to the cylinder
6 Remove dome props
Deviated from this Procedure
The tank was lifted after removing dome props
Cracks
wall
eave
WHAT
HAPPENED
?
Circumferential cracks appeared in the Dome outer edge
Cracks
Construction failure
wall
eave
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS
Dome top edge
Cylindrical tank wall bottom edge - Fixed

MERIDIONAL MOMENTS – Top Supported
Moment at dome outer edge = 18.6 kN m/m

(hogging)
Top Free MERIDIONAL MOMENTS – Top Free
Moment at dome outer edge = 33.3 kN m/m (hogging)

Reason for the failure
Excessive meridional hogging

moments generated at the
dome outer edge due to the
removal of shuttering
Contractor’s laps
Not following the given

construction procedure
Consultant’s lapses
Not giving clear instructions procedure
Not reviewing Contractor’s work
Not supervising the work properly

Swimming Pool UOP
• Started -1978 Failed
Reason- Leakages 22 years
Tiling pool before testing (BS 8007 9.2)
• Restarted – 2000
• Finished - 2002
Civil Engin. Disasters in Korea
– Collapse of Sungsoo Bridge
– Collapse of Sampoong Dept. Store
– Reconstruction of Dangsan Steel Bridge
Sungsoo Sampoong DangsanProblems Our Duties

Sungsoo Bridge before collapse

Sungsoo Bridge when collapsed
New Sungsoo Bridge

Summary of
Sungsoo Bridge Collapse
• Built in 1979
– 1160.8 m long(120m span)
– a truss gerber bridge
• Collapsed in Oct 21, 1994
– only 15 years after construction
• mistake in fabrication and poor inspection
– the dead : 32
– the injured : 17
• A new bridge was built.
– August 15, 1997

Collapse of
Sampoong Department Store

Summary of
Sampoong Dept. Store
• Date : 1995. 6. 29
• Building
– Luxury Dept. Store in downtown of Seoul
– 5 stories high & 4 stories under the ground
– reinforced concrete structure
• The dead & injured
– the dead & missing : 501
– the injured : over 900

Building Collapse in
Shanghai
Soil is heaped at Mathara Side
Excavated Material Placed on top of the

Structure
Excavated the Colombo End

ter
A l !
on
Findings
No
construction
commonsense
Failure of
Telecom Tower
Forensic
Engineering
70 m Tower
Four legged
angled–iron
Analysis (Two)
Final
Collapse
At Design Stage
Before Collapse
Findings
O K
• Slendeness ratio?
:
s ig n
l De O K
• FNo a
in Bracings l s :
e r ia i n g
a t
M l Bu c k l
o
• Unfixed c a
top and bolts
L
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
A great example that goes “beyond” the definition
• Height is 56.7m; foundation outer

diameter is 19.6m. Its weight is about
14,200 tons.
• It was built over a span of about 200
years.
• The evidence tilt of the tower was first
noticed during the initial phase of
construction which began in 1173 AD.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa
• The tower was built on
top of very soft soils…
uniform settlements
were expected…
wasn’t the case!
• Possible primary cause
of tilt attributed to the
fluctuating water table
which was perched
higher on one side of
the tower.
i l ure
k y Fa
Lu c
Extraordinary Loading
Materials
& S tu d y
C a s e
Retrofitting
Roller Press Building
Photos
First Observation
Shear cracks
Bending cracks
SI C
E N
on major beams due to self
R
weight of the structure
O
F
• Design is incorrect
1
• Effective depth and r/f are

2 not sufficient
• Low strength concrete is not

3 the reason for the failure
Retrofitting
Additional columns
Strengthening by
concrete/Steel / FRP.
Check the pile design
Suggestions for FRP Design
Pull-off test
Tensile test
Strengthening
Work
• Reinforced
concrete shear
walls
Steel and FRP Strengthening
Steel
FRP
FRP
FRP
FRP Strengthening
FRP
Steel
FRP
FRP
Steel
FRP
Monitoring the Structure
During & After
Construction
Roller Press (156 tons)
Location of roller press (13.20 m level)
Gauge Locations
FEM up to 13.20 m level
Cracks observed on new shear wall
FEM of shear wall
CONCLUDING
Concluding Remarks
• Review…
• Any alterations must
be re-analyzed
• Engineering
Commonsense
Final Remarks
•Take
Care
Acknoledgement
• Prof. M. P.
Ranaweera
• Dr. Siriwardane
• Dr. Bandara
• Dr. Kushan ……
Ranjith Dissanayake
Senior Professor
Dept. of Civil Engineering
[email protected]
Date: 4th January 2018

Forensic Engineering: Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake Senior Professor

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Forensic Engineering: Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake Senior Professor

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Forensic Engineering: Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake Senior Professor

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What are the main causes of structural failures discussed in the document?

What are the main causes of structural failures discussed in the document?

What are some examples of structural failures mentioned?

What are some examples of structural failures mentioned?

Forensic Engineering

Prof. Ranjith Dissanayake

Date: 23rd January 2018 University of Peradeniya

• One reported dead & 2

An auditorium roof, supported on steel

TR6~1 TR4~1 TR6~4

TR6~3 TR4~2 TR6~2

TR4~1 truss type

• Cables used to prevent wobbling,

• When the first TR5 truss was put in place

• Belt had snapped and the truss system

No reports on poor quality

PARAGASTOTA STEEL BRIDGE

#17 1950 1870

Condition Field Load

Colombo End Matara end

Colombo End Matara end

Colombo End Matara end

Colombo End Matara end

Excavated Material Placed on top of the

Excavated the Colombo End

Colombo End Matara end

Dome top edge

Cylindrical tank wall bottom edge - Fixed

Moment at dome outer edge = 18.6 kN m/m

Moment at dome outer edge = 33.3 kN m/m (hogging)

Excessive meridional hogging

Not following the given

Not giving clear instructions procedure

Not reviewing Contractor’s work

Not supervising the work properly

Sungsoo Sampoong DangsanProblems Our Duties

Sungsoo Sampoong DangsanProblems Our Duties

Sungsoo Sampoong DangsanProblems Our Duties

Sungsoo Sampoong DangsanProblems Our Duties

Sungsoo Sampoong DangsanProblems Our Duties

Sungsoo Sampoong DangsanProblems Our Duties

Excavated Material Placed on top of the

Excavated the Colombo End

• Height is 56.7m; foundation outer

• Effective depth and r/f are

• Low strength concrete is not

Date: 4th January 2018

You might also like