Review of Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook, Second Edition, by Robert T. Ratay, Editor: McGraw-Hill, New York, 2010; ISBN 978-0-07-149884-5; 688 pp. Price: $125.00.

The first edition of the Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook, published in 2000, has been updated and expanded to reflect changes in codes and standards, new investigative tools and techniques, and the evolving role of the expert witness in dispute resolution. If your practice includes forensic engineering, this revised volume deserves a prominent place in your library.

The Forensic Structural Engineering Handbook is a multi-authored text that assembles contributions by 26 leading authorities in the field. The contributions are skillfully organized and well coordinated by the editor, Robert Ratay, who is both a respected academician and a practitioner of forensic structural engineering. The comprehensive nature of the book is seen in its five major section titles:

While this book will definitely appeal to engineers who are entering the field of forensic practice, it will also be useful to experienced forensic engineering experts. The most extensive sections—Section 3: “Causes of Failures” and Section 4: “Material Specific Forensic Analysis”—will be especially useful to more experienced readers. In Section 3, normal and unusual loads and hazards are presented, along with design errors, construction problems, miscommunications, material defects, and special considerations for temporary structures. Section 4 includes a comprehensive discussion of failure investigations specific to steel, concrete, masonry, timber, building envelopes, and foundations.

Included in the presentations are a number of failure case histories. These interesting and instructive examples may, in some cases, be seen as incomplete by knowledgeable readers, and even misleading by others. However, this is a common and unavoidable problem when brief descriptions of complicated cases are presented by individual authors. The cases included are necessary to the presentation, and they are very well illustrated with clear, legible figures and photographs. For a more thorough understanding of specific cases, the reader must consult multiple references. In particular, the original reports and writings of the frontline forensic experts involved with the cases should be reviewed.

In addition to practicing forensic engineers, engineering students and any design professional who seeks an understanding of the true nature of materials and construction systems as they perform over the life of a facility will benefit from reading this book. Through enhanced understanding of how materials, systems, and structural assemblies fail, engineers and architects can select more appropriate materials, detail their designs more competently, and communicate them more effectively to other members of the project delivery team. These practices will provide their future projects with greater opportunity for successful performance.