Engineering failures are the mistakes engineers make when constructing projects, leading to destruction and often causing human life losses. Indeed, there have been many historical events exemplifying the situations of engineering failure. The investigation of such failures is commonly approached with failure analysis, which allows for identifying the causes of the failure to eliminate the risks of similar mistakes in the future. This paper will address the sinking of the Titanic, North Atlantic, 1912, and the collapse of the Hyatt Hotel, Kansas City, 1981, from the perspective of failure analysis application.
Firstly, the sinking of the Titanic might be analyzed using the failure analysis approach to identify how might have averted the disaster. The imaging and simulation of the collision of the ship with an iceberg might be a beneficial way to illustrate the character of the damage (Coules et al., 2019). In addition, the engineering analysis of the materials that were used to build the ship with a precise focus on its strength alteration under different external influences might show the drawbacks that might have been avoided (Hagen, 2013). As for the collapse of the Hyatt Hotel, the failure of the engineering in this example might be addressed using the calculation and imaging of the weight distribution among the skywalk panels (Bernhardt, 2018). The structural engineering mistakes might be detected using the analysis of the qualities of steel used for the walkways (Bernhardt, 2018). Overall, the investigation of the project plan and its calculations might provide clarity on the causes of the failure.
In summation, the use of engineering failure analysis is valuable when investigating the causes of engineering mistakes. In particular, when applied to the episode of the Titanic’s sinking and the collapse of the Hyatt Hotel, the methods of failure analysis, including imaging, simulation, laboratory examinations, and project plan reviews, serve as valuable tools. The identification of drawbacks in engineering decision-making is essential in preventing failure and eliminating the risk of human death.
References
Bernhardt, R. (2018). Hyatt Regency Skywalk collapse: Evaluation of the box beam design. In Forensic Engineering 2018: Forging Forensic Frontiers (pp. 447-456). American Society of Civil Engineers.
Coules, H. E., Orrock, P. J., & Seow, C. E. (2019). Reflectance transformation imaging as a tool for engineering failure analysis. Engineering Failure Analysis, 105, 1006-1017.
Hagen K. D. (2013). Introduction to engineering analysis. (4th ed). Prentice Hall.