Using Models in Forensic Engineering: All Models Are Wrong, but Some Are Useful

Abstract

Computer models are useful for both structural design and forensic analysis. In the process of design, loads and materials must be assumed. In contrast, when investigating a failure, it is possible to know the materials and structural configuration and the loads applied at the time of collapse. The necessary modeling is thus very different from the design process. Nonlinear models provide a powerful tool for forensic investigation, if they are used correctly. Many examples have been published in the American Society of Civil Engineers Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities (ASCE JPCF) or presented at the eight ASCE Forensics Congresses, held approximately every three years since 1997. This overview paper will review case studies of modeling applied to forensic investigations and examine some of the issues associated with the use of such models.