Publisher Description

A Practical Guide to Engineering Failure Investigation has been written with the specific purpose of helping those involved in serious engineering failures. When mechanical plant fails, the technical, legal and contractual issues become very involved and complicated, and deciding causation can be difficult and prolonged. The principles and methodologies explained here will help engineers to link their technical knowledge to the commercial realities of working with insurers, loss adjusters and their representatives. This book is essential reading for consultants, expert witnesses and all engineers who may become involved in commercial failure investigations. CONTENTS INCLUDE:

• How to use this book
• Professional roles and responsibilities
• Strategy and tactics of failure investigation
• The inspection visit
• Doing a design and operation appraisal
• Mechanisms of failure
• Deciding causation
• How to present your conclusions
• Insurance investigations – deferring failure 'events' and proximate cause – subrogation.

Author Biography

Clifford Matthews has worked throughout the world on IJV projects in business sectors as diverse as engineering, food distribution and project management.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix Preface xi PART I Chapter 1 About this book 3 Failure investigations - for what purpose? 4 An effective approach 5 Using the book 6 A reminder - your product 7 Chapter 2 Important concepts 9 Types of investigation 9 Core content 11 The damage/causation framework 'model' 12 Key point summary 25 Chapter 3 Roles 27 Investigation - opposing roles 28 A closer look - offence and defence 29 Professional responsibilities 31 The role of money 35 Victory and defeat 36 Key point summary 39 Chapter 4: Strategy and tactics 41 Strategy 42 Tactics 44 Basic skills 54 Key point summary 67 Part I Rewind 69 PART II Introduction 75 Chapter 5 Getting started - The inspection visit 77 Preliminaries - preparing for the visit 77 First contact - asking and listening 83 Some early ideas 86 Next step - the investigation plan 87 Summary - before you leave 90 Key point summary 93 Chapter 6 Design and operation assessment 95 Design assessment 97 The operation assessment 121 Key point summary 131 Chapter 7 Categorization 133 Categorization -v- causation: the difference 133 Paradox: the role of materials science 134 Failure categories 136 The next step 165 Key point summary 167 Chapter 8 Deciding causation 169 About causation 169 Decisions 170 Causation statements - structure 171 Proximate cause 187 Key point summary 195 Chapter 9 Presenting your conclusions 197 The written report 199 The verbal presentation 206 The dispute 208 Basic skill blocks 212 The dispute 'routine' 214 The radial fan case study dispute 219 Key point summary 225 Chapter 10 Insurance investigations 227 The principles of insurance 228 The insurance investigation 236 Back to the case study 244 Key point summary 249 Conclusion 251 Meanwhile, back in the office 253 References 255 Bibliography 256 Index 257

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