ForensicSpot10 modules
Forensic Engineering
The engineering discipline that investigates why structures, machines, products, and materials fail. Covers failure analysis methodology, fractography, metallurgical and materials failure, structural collapse, fire and electrical failure, explosion and pressure-vessel analysis, product liability, vehicle and transport accident reconstruction, and root-cause analysis standards, from the wreckage to the witness box.
- 60hours
- 32topics
- 10modules
Module 16 hrs3 topics
Foundations and Methodology
What forensic engineering is, where it sits within the engineering and legal professions, and the scientific method that governs every failure investigation from scene preservation through hypothesis testing.
Start module- Scope and Practice of Forensic EngineeringForensic engineering applies engineering science to investigate failures, accidents, and disputed technical matters for legal proceedings, spanning civil litigation, criminal cases, insurance claims, and regulatory inquiries worldwide.14 min
- The Failure Investigation ProcessA forensic engineering failure investigation follows a disciplined sequence from scene preservation through evidence collection, laboratory analysis, and hypothesis testing to a final opinion, mirroring the scientific method while meeting legal standards for evidence integrity.14 min
- Evidence Preservation and DocumentationPhysical engineering evidence must be documented before it is touched, preserved against accidental and deliberate alteration, and examined under agreed protocols so that all parties in litigation have access to the same factual record.15 min
Module 26 hrs3 topics
Fractography and Fracture Mechanics
Reading the fracture surface as a record of how and why a material broke. Covers the mechanics of fracture, the visual language of fatigue and overload, and the laboratory tools that decode fracture origin.
Start module- Fracture Mechanics FundamentalsThe science of how cracks initiate and grow in solid materials, from Griffith's energy balance through Irwin's stress intensity factor to the fracture toughness values used in failure analysis.15 min
- Ductile and Brittle Fracture IdentificationHow to tell ductile from brittle fracture using macroscopic and microscopic features of the fracture surface, with the Alexander Kielland platform collapse as the central case study.14 min
- Fatigue Fracture: Beach Marks and StriationsHow cyclic loading drives crack growth through three stages, leaving macroscopic beach marks and microscopic fatigue striations that allow analysts to reconstruct load history, with the Aloha Airlines Flight 243 fuselage failure as a case study.16 min
Module 36 hrs4 topics
Materials and Metallurgical Failure
How the chemistry, microstructure, and environment of metals and engineering materials combine to cause corrosion, creep, hydrogen damage, and wear failures.
Start module- Corrosion Failure ModesCorrosion is the electrochemical degradation of a metal in its environment, and it kills structures in several distinct ways. This topic maps the main failure modes from uniform attack to stress-corrosion cracking, with the Silver Bridge collapse as a forensic case study.13 min
- Hydrogen Embrittlement and Environmental CrackingHydrogen embrittlement turns tough, ductile steel brittle without any visible corrosion or warning. This topic covers the mechanisms of hydrogen-assisted cracking, the industrial contexts where it kills components, and the fractographic and chemical methods investigators use to prove it.13 min
- Creep and Elevated-Temperature FailureCreep is the slow, time-dependent deformation of metal under sustained stress at elevated temperature, and it ends in rupture when the material can accommodate no more strain. This topic covers the physics, the life-prediction tools, and the forensic interpretation of high-temperature failures from steam turbines to fire-damaged structural steel.12 min
- Weld and Manufacturing Defect AnalysisWelds and castings are where failures hide: porosity, lack of fusion, cold cracking, and inclusions from manufacturing can all remain dormant until stress, environment, or time activates them. This topic covers identification, classification, and forensic significance of weld and manufacturing defects, with the Nimrod XV230 investigation as the central case study.13 min
Module 46 hrs4 topics
Structural and Civil Collapse Investigation
How engineers investigate the failure of buildings, bridges, and infrastructure, from load path reconstruction to code compliance analysis.
Start module- Structural Failure Investigation MethodologyA systematic framework for investigating why a structure collapsed, from preserving the wreckage through load-path analysis and material testing to identifying the root cause.12 min
- Case Studies: Bridge CollapsesThree landmark bridge failures, Tacoma Narrows, Hyatt Regency, and Ponte Morandi, each illustrating a distinct failure mechanism and the investigative lessons that reshaped structural engineering practice.14 min
- Case Studies: Building CollapsesFour landmark building collapses, Ronan Point, L'Ambiance Plaza, Rana Plaza, and Surfside Champlain Towers, examined as forensic engineering case studies in progressive collapse, construction method failure, and long-term deterioration.15 min
- Geotechnical and Foundation FailureHow geotechnical failures, including bearing capacity loss, differential settlement, liquefaction, slope instability, and internal erosion, are investigated, with the Teton Dam piping failure as the primary case study.15 min
Module 56 hrs3 topics
Fire, Electrical, and Explosion Engineering
The engineering lens on fire origin, electrical faults, and explosion mechanics — distinct from the chemistry and scene-investigation focus of fire/arson forensics.
Start module- Fire Origin Engineering and Heat ReleaseHeat release rate governs how fast a fire grows, whether a compartment flashes over, and where an origin investigation must focus. This topic explains the engineering tools fire investigators use alongside scene reading.15 min
- Electrical Fire Failure AnalysisIdentifying whether an electrical failure ignited a fire requires distinguishing primary arc damage from secondary melting, reading copper conductor markers, and testing fire scenarios against NFPA 921 and IEEE standards.14 min
- Explosion and Pressure-Vessel FailureBLEVEs, vessel fractures, and overpressure patterns give forensic engineers a physical record of how an explosion unfolded. This topic connects the mechanics of deflagration and detonation to investigation methodology and the regulatory frameworks that govern pressure-equipment design.14 min
Module 66 hrs3 topics
Product Liability and Design-Defect Analysis
The engineering framework for evaluating whether a product failed because of a design defect, a manufacturing defect, or inadequate warning — and how that evaluation reaches a jury.
Start module- Product Liability Engineering FrameworkThe three theories of product liability, design defect, manufacturing defect, and failure to warn, and the engineering analysis frameworks courts and practitioners use to evaluate them.14 min
- Design Defect Analysis and Safer Alternative DesignsThe engineering methodology for identifying and evaluating a safer alternative design in a product liability matter, with the Ford Pinto fuel system as a detailed risk-utility case study.13 min
- Manufacturing Defect and Quality System FailureHow engineers distinguish a unit that deviated from its own approved design specification from one built correctly to a flawed design, with quality-management tools and the Therac-25 software defect as a case study.15 min
Module 76 hrs4 topics
Vehicle and Transport Accident Reconstruction
The physics and engineering methods used to reconstruct vehicle collisions, including speed from crush energy, the role of event data recorders, and the biomechanical injury interface.
Start module- Accident Reconstruction PhysicsHow engineers use conservation of momentum, friction coefficients, and kinematic analysis to reconstruct what happened in a vehicle collision before, during, and after impact.13 min
- Crush Energy and Speed from DamageHow engineers measure vehicle crush depth after a collision and convert it to impact speed using the CRASH3 energy-stiffness model, including the methodology's assumptions and limitations.11 min
- Event Data Recorders and Black-Box AnalysisHow automotive event data recorders and aviation flight data recorders capture pre-crash parameters, what data elements are stored, how they are extracted, and the forensic and legal challenges around their use in accident reconstruction.12 min
- Pedestrian and Cyclist Collision AnalysisThe biomechanical and kinematic methods used to reconstruct vehicle collisions with pedestrians and cyclists, including throw-distance equations, impact pattern classification, visibility analysis, and the reconstruction approaches used across different jurisdictions.13 min
Module 86 hrs2 topics
Aviation and Rail Failure Investigation
The engineering methods and institutional frameworks used in aircraft and railway accident investigation, where statutory bodies lead but forensic engineers provide structural, materials, and systems analysis.
Start module- Aviation Accident Investigation: The Engineering RoleHow structural, systems, and human-factors engineers collaborate under the ICAO Annex 13 framework to reconstruct what failed, when, and why after an aviation accident.16 min
- Rail and Infrastructure Failure InvestigationHow forensic engineers investigate derailments, axle fractures, and track-geometry failures, using the 2000 Hatfield crash as the primary case study for rolling contact fatigue and gauge-corner cracking.15 min
Module 96 hrs3 topics
Root-Cause Analysis, Standards, and Codes
The formal systems engineering and quality tools used to move beyond identifying what broke to understanding why it was allowed to break — and the standards framework that defines acceptable engineering practice.
Start module- Root-Cause Analysis MethodsSystematic techniques for tracing engineering failures back to their origins, from the simple 5-Whys to probabilistic fault trees and barrier analysis used in aerospace, process-plant, and infrastructure investigations.13 min
- Engineering Standards and Codes in Failure AnalysisHow ASTM, ASME, NFPA, ISO, Eurocodes, and national standards function as evidence of accepted practice in engineering failure investigations, and the critical legal distinction between mandatory code requirements and voluntary standards.14 min
- Safety Management Systems and Systemic FailureHow Safety Management Systems and systemic failure models explain why organisations produce accidents despite individual competence, using Reason's Swiss Cheese Model, bow-tie analysis, and the Deepwater Horizon disaster as a defining case.17 min
Module 106 hrs3 topics
The Expert Engineer and the Courtroom
How forensic engineering opinion enters litigation, what makes it admissible, and the professional and ethical obligations of the engineer who becomes an expert witness.
Start module- The Forensic Engineer as Expert WitnessForensic engineers occupy a carefully bounded role: they offer independent technical opinions to the court, not advocacy for the party that hired them. This topic covers the duties, ethics, and practical mechanics of that role.14 min
- Admissibility of Engineering Opinions: Daubert and BeyondCourts do not automatically accept everything a qualified engineer says. Admissibility frameworks from Daubert to the Ikarian Reefer determine which engineering opinions reach the fact-finder and which are excluded as unreliable.14 min
- Engineering Ethics and Professional ResponsibilityForensic engineers work inside a web of ethical codes, professional registration requirements, and cognitive hazards that can silently bend even technically sound analysis. This topic covers the NSPE and ASCE codes, the obligation to report unsafe conditions, bias in failure analysis, and how professional accountability works across major jurisdictions.16 min