Briefing: Activities by IABSE WG8 (Forensic Structural Engineering)

Abstract

A working group on forensic engineering (WG8) was established within the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) in 2011. This working group aims to mitigate structural failures and improve forensic engineering practices. To accomplish this goal, several activities were organised such as an international survey among 48 countries to compare forensic engineering practices. Furthermore, several interesting forensic engineering sessions were organised at IABSE conferences with various presentations. Moreover, a pre-conference short course focusing on various types of failures and the process of forensic investigation was well received. It appears that there is great interest in forensic structural engineering both from practitioners and from researchers. This briefing article describes the activities of WG8 in detail. Within the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), a working group on Forensic Structural Engineering (WG8) was established in 2011.'The ultimate objective of WG 8 is to mitigate structural failures and improve forensic engineering practices. To those ends it endeavours to (i) report on the engineering investigation of structural failures;(ii) encourage improvements of design and construction practices based on the lessons learned from failures; (iii) publicise techniques of field and analytical investigation of failures; (iv) promote ethical forensic engineering practices; (v) inform of effective dispute resolution procedures; and (vi) through publications and seminars increase the awareness of students and practicing engineers of the causes, prevention and consequences of failures, thereby increasing the safety and reliability of structures ' (Ratay, 2013).