Failure & Damage Investigations

Determining the cause of a failure and identifying the resulting damage can be challenging. Identifying the root cause requires the investigator to essentially assemble a puzzle, and only when all the pieces fit together perfectly can the investigator state with confidence that they have identified the root cause. Generally, the pieces that must align are the physical evidence, eyewitness accounts, mathematical analysis, and materials analysis. Once the source of the failure is identified, the next step often includes identifying the party at fault and the resulting damages. YA Group’s highly credentialed engineers are experienced at evaluating all manner of structural failures and collapses, no matter how complex. Our team includes architects, engineers, and consultants across multiple disciplines including structural, mechanical, electrical, materials science, meteorologists, geologists, and non-destructive testing specialists.

Failure investigations typically begin with hands-on inspections to thoroughly document conditions, take detailed measurements and collect evidence. Timing of on-site inspections is critical and should generally be performed as soon as possible after the incident to prevent loss of evidence or spoliation.

Once the source of a failure is identified, the cause, or root cause, generally comes down to one or more of four basic types:

• Overload
• Material weakness or deterioration
• Construction defect
• Design defect

In complex losses, determining the root cause often involves a combination of careful examination and documentation of site conditions; material sampling and testing; mathematical analysis of loads, deflections and stresses often relying on detailed finite element modeling; and review of design and construction documents, codes, and witness statements.

Once the root cause of a failure has been identified, YA provides a detailed summary of resulting damages. If requested, YA can provide a conceptual scope of repairs or full-on repair design documents including code-required upgrades.