Effectively Responding to Structural Engineering Failure: Expertise and Cognitive Entrenchment
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 28, Issue 5
Abstract
Forensic structural engineering plays a critical role in identifying the cause of failure, providing advice in the immediate aftermath of catastrophic failures, and in some cases providing expert opinion in the event of legal disputes. Although many authors have addressed the challenges involved in training the next generation of forensic engineers and further developing the specialty of forensics, this paper examines how the fundamental nature of an engineer’s existing expertise can lead to cognitive entrenchment, and limit an investigator’s ability to respond to failure effectively. The paper argues that an experienced engineer’s design expertise must be substituted with forensic expertise to effectively investigate and respond to failure. The paper concludes by arguing that knowledge of, and experience in, the implementation of the scientific method should become a critical focus for experienced engineers wishing to make the transition to forensic investigation.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 28 • Issue 5 • October 2014
Copyright
© 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 17, 2012
Accepted: Mar 11, 2013
Published online: Mar 13, 2013
Published in print: Oct 1, 2014
Discussion open until: Oct 30, 2014
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