When you hear the word “Turbine” what is the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps it is the gas-turbine engine of the last airplane you caught a ride on. The first turbine-powered aircraft wasn’t developed until WW2. That’s when the word “Turbine” entered common usage. Turbines, however, were in...
One day a homeowner exited his home to find water pouring down the driveway. Closer examination revealed water was coming from the water meter box and the plastic threaded connector attaching the transition pipe from the water meter to the house supply line had fractured due to continuous stress...
EDT was asked to investigate a computerized numerical control/analysis (CNC) plasma cutting machine which had been involved in an explosion. The purpose of the EDT investigation was to determine the cause of the explosion.
A tractor-trailer traveling on an interstate, hauling a load weighing an estimated 50,000 pounds, suddenly catches on fire. The culprit? A single wasp.
Many times electrical engineers are confronted with trying to classify damages to electrical and electronic equipment as the result of a lightning strike. More specifically, was the damage the result of a surge or a direct lightning strike? The answer is “maybe neither.” The chances are the damage...
In forensic investigations, engineers may not always have access to all the information they desire. Consider a 70-year old building that was damaged, following a snowfall. In this scenario, the building is one of three attached structures with curved (barrel-style) roofs. So, how did the snow do...
Engineers should never have their heads in the clouds, and a good engineer would never be as subjective as Hamlet and Polonius were when observing the shapes of clouds in Shakespeare's "Hamlet". However, pattern recognition is not just the stuff of playwrights... the ability to see patterns is key...
A portion of a warehouse roof gave way during a snowstorm. Months earlier, solar panels had been installed on the majority of the roof. Concern was raised about the added weight of the solar panels, in conjunction with the snow, on the roof framing. However, that wasn't the case...
In part 1 of this four-part series, we will examine common causes of water damage from mechanical systems. Small, slow leaks—or “stealth” leaks, as well as large floods, cause more obvious and widespread damage. Either of these types of leaks can be caused by many different mechanical systems in...
To anyone that has ever had a water line burst in their house, it is clear, the uncontrolled discharge of water into an occupied space is a problem. To anyone that has ever had a water line burst in their house, it is clear, the uncontrolled discharge of water into an occupied space is a problem...
EDT was called to determine the cause of damage to a building containing a paper machine that had experienced a sudden rupture of one of the paper rolls.
A personal case study of frost-free outdoor faucets and the time a fracture leak was found in a valve of an outdoor faucet due to sub-zero temperatures.
In a more personal Case Study, Tim Himes talks about the time he found an unusual odor that had leaked into his home and had come from his residential HVAC duct(s).
An EDT Case Study on the cause of damage to multiple newly renovated shower installations in an urban-market hotel.
EDT was asked to examine clothing steamers with damaged internal components and determine the cause of the damage.
