Forensic Engineering: Learning from Failures

This module introduces the concept of Forensic Engineering, its importance, and basic concepts such as lifecycles of constructed facilities, failure, and damage. Students will gain a foundational understanding of the field and its relevance in various engineering disciplines.

This module covers the basic steps of a Forensic Engineering process and introduces the TU Delft mind-set for performing these steps in a factual, reliable, and systematic way. Students will learn the structured approach to investigating engineering failures.

This module focuses on various structural failure mechanisms in civil engineering. Students will learn about different types of structural failures and practice setting hypotheses for these failures, applying forensic engineering principles to real-world civil engineering cases.

This module examines the failure mechanism of fatigue in airplanes. Students will learn about this specific type of failure in aerospace engineering and how to test for its occurrence, applying forensic engineering principles to the field of aviation.

This module explores contamination issues in medical instruments, focusing on how technical and procedural aspects contribute to these problems. Students will apply forensic engineering principles to the field of biomechanical engineering and medical device safety.

This concluding module reveals the outcomes of the different cases from Modules 3-5. It discusses best practices and tips for future forensic engineering applications. The module also highlights results and contributions from participants, synthesizing the course's key learnings.