Posted Wed, 03/27/2019 - 14:15 by L. Robert McEwen
2018 was a busy year for our company and, with no signs of slowing down, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to recognize the talent, enthusiasm, dedication and professionalism all our staff have displayed in performing their duties. THANK YOU !
We offer expertise to the public in four fields of consulting engineering services (forensic, structural, environmental, and project management) and, while we have increased the capacity of our forensic group, we need to expand the team once again.Read more
Posted Sat, 04/25/2015 - 14:04 by L. Robert McEwen
This past winter we have noticed an increase in foundation damage and, in particular, more than usual damage to some foundations of unheated structures such as residential garages. You may have heard the term “frost heave” and are aware that it can damage the foundation of a structure. The following is a brief discussion of the cause and effect of the science behind this phenomenon.
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Posted Fri, 10/26/2012 - 06:44 by L. Robert McEwen
I inspected a wood framed dwelling with a crawl space that did not meet building code requirements. As a result, problems had occurred in the building. Moisture had migrated into the wood framing above the crawl space and accelerated wood decay and mould were evident. The Code and Construction Guide for Housing, published in 1999, provides a good illustration of how an unheated crawl space should be constructed. Although the code references are outdated with respect to the current code, the concepts are still applicable.
Posted Mon, 08/13/2012 - 10:10 by L. Robert McEwen
The Oxford Dictionary defines forensic science as relating to, or denoting, the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime. Forensic engineering involves the application of a variety of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or, in our work, civil litigation.
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Posted Fri, 06/22/2012 - 05:26 by L. Robert McEwen
The gathering of evidence as part of a forensic investigation is often a challenge due to post loss alterations which have occurred before you attend the loss scene. Such alterations can be due to fire suppression activities, investigation by authorities, or emergency repairs by contractors. Talking to the persons who have altered the condition or state of evidence in combination with reconstruction of the scene can often correct the alteration of evidence and provide the key to the riddle of what caused the loss.
Posted Fri, 05/25/2012 - 06:36 by L. Robert McEwen
A building sprinkler is either a wet or dry system or a combination of both and is a major component of life safety in a building. In a wet system, water in the sprinkler pipes is released when a sprinkler discharges.Read more
Posted Wed, 05/16/2012 - 09:44 by L. Robert McEwen
An interesting aspect of investigating a known cause of an electrical failure or malfunction is defining the resulting damage. When an electrical element within a dedicated component sustains damage and must be replaced, is it necessary to replace the complete component or just the damaged element? The issues of warrantee, extended business interruption and interpretation of like kind and quality all must be considered.
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Posted Wed, 05/09/2012 - 08:55 by L. Robert McEwen
I attended a fire scene yesterday, the morning after the fire, to find that critical evidence had been removed from the fire scene such that a forensic investigation could not be carried out.. Just goes to show that fire scene security is as important as the chain of custody of evidence. This does not happen often but when it does, it can have a most unsatisfactory result.
Posted Wed, 05/02/2012 - 21:31 by L. Robert McEwen
Several weeks ago I was asked to conduct a forensic investigation of 260 feet of collapsed seawall. At a cost of $900,000 to replace, I was intrigued at the construction characteristic of the seawall. Constructed in the 1920s, it was comprised of 3 rows of wood piles capped with a 6 foot wide by 6 feet deep concrete cope. The wood piles had been completely submerged from the day they were installed, and were still in good condition. The concrete cap, however, was in a severly deteriorated condition. In the 1920s they did not know aboutRead more
Posted Wed, 05/02/2012 - 21:09 by L. Robert McEwen
I carried out an interesting structural assessment yesterday of an industrial roof on which a corner had lifted, crashing onto the the adjacent roof (apparently due to high winds). The roof was comprised of a 25,000 sq.Read more