FORENSIC ENGINEERING AND ENGINEERING FICTION

Group FIliana Gamboa Saul Mejia

Miriam Garcia Daniel PerezRicardo Felix Andrea Rios

Alexander L. KiellandA Pentagon-type semi-submersible drilling

It was supporting the Edda rig, acting as a so-called ‘flotel’ for workers who travelled between the two rigs via a bridge

Around 1830 hours on 27 March 1980, one of the main horizontal braces supporting one of the five legs failed

http://www.kulturminne-ekofisk.no/ImageArchive/172/Kielland.jpg

Alexander L. Kielland Accident

It was designed for much worse conditions, conditions expected once in every one hundred years

One leg broke off with “an almighty crack.”

123 victims and only 89 survivors

http://www.exponent.com/files/RepresentativeExperience/0a9896a4-9537-493a-a689-002ad3faea97/Presentation/ceExperienceThumbImage/AlexanderKielland_BKsmall.jpg

Causes of the accident

Speculations to what caused it were from collision with Edda, with a submarine, or basic design flaws

Parts were taken to Stavanger, Norway where the fracture surfaces were examined

Telltale signs of uncontrollable growth of a large crack that had developed unbeknownst to the rig’s operators

Causes of the accident (Cont.)

Cracks developed due to fatigue cracks

When it was new it must have cracked 3 inches

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Kielland_wreck

Havilland Comet aircraft

On May 2, 1953 a Comet was destroyed on take off from Dum-Dum Airport in Calcutta, India

Debris scattered over large area suggested plane disintegrated in the air

Structural failure due to too much force of the storm or pilot over control due to storm were said to be the causes of the incident

Havilland Comet aircraft (Cont.)In January 10, 1954, a second Comet

taking off from Rome exploded at 27,000 feet

No conclusion could be reached on the cause

http://varifrank.com/images/314028020_29d914723f_o.jpg reached

Havilland Comet aircraft (Cont.)

On April 8, 1954, a third and final mid-air explosion occurred during a flight en route from London to Cairo and Johannesburg

Cabin exploded but no explanation why.Testing of the Comet was done in a

simulationFindingsWhat caused itWhat was done

Neville Shute Norway

Aeronautical Engineer graduated fro Oxford

Also wrote many novels including “On the Beach” and “Like Alice”

Former member of the Royal Aeronautical Society (1934).

Neville Shute Norway Curiously foreshadowed the elusive fatigue

problem of the de Havilland Comets Failed due to undesirable aerodynamic

phenomenon of flutter (according to “Honey a fictional character from his novel)

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/jetliner/comet/comet_11.jpg

Neville Shute Norway Cont.

Stephen Barlay was a well know “Aircrash Detective” who analyzed the crash of de Havilland Comets

Barlay during his investigation claims that at the attitude the plane was flying at the wax might have cooled and become brittle

It flew six years before crashing

Failure

Incalculable value to the engineer

Need to prepare for failure

What complicates the design game is that the engineer does not always foresee the implications that he is making

Failure Cont. No matter how tragic a failure might be,

it could have been anticipated and prevented

“Failure analysis is as easy as Monday-morning quarterbacking; design is more akin to coaching. However, the design engineer must do better than any coach, for he is expected to win every game he plays..”

Work Cited

To Engineer is Human by Henry Petroski. First Vintage Books Edition, 1992.