Ceiling Failures

At some point during a civil/structural forensic engineer’s career, he/she is likely to receive an assignment asking to determine why a ceiling suddenly collapsed inside a building. The cause of a failed ceiling system can range from the obvious – such as water damage, overloading with stored materials within an attic, and air overpressure from an explosion or wind event; to the “not-so-obvious” – such as long-term “wear and tear” (sometimes referred to as ‘fatigue action’ and ‘embrittlement’) of drywall attachment resulting from cyclical dimensional changes within wood framing combined with aging materials, termite damage to the hidden paper facing of drywall, and delayed separation resulting from installation defects that took years to reach a point of collapse. The purpose of this paper is to discuss various types of ceiling failures, with an emphasis on drywall (gypsum board) and plaster systems commonly found in residential construction. Ceiling construction materials and installation standards will be reviewed, including a discussion on common installation defects and reparability concerns. The authors will present several case studies from their collective experience, and present recommendations for civil/structural engineers evaluating ceiling failures.