Decoding Disasters: An Engineering Approach to Understanding Technical Failures and Natural Catastrophes

Understanding failures and disasters using case studies and simple engineering techniques

Decoding Disasters provides illustrated failure case histories on a multitude of technologies and shows how engineering analysis can explain and help professionals understand them. For each case, the analysis technique is included so that the reader can adapt and apply it to their own situation. Different techniques are developed to show how the methods can be applied in various disciplines. This book guides readers to determine what likely occurred in each case with a minimum amount of data and without speculating.

Each example in this book states the problem, theorizes a conceptual cause, verifies the cause by analysis (i.e. a mathematical model) and actual data, shows the use of the various engineering equations, and documents a solution.

In this comprehensive guide, readers will learn about:

• Viewing disasters not solely as a matter of emergency response, but also more holistically as social constructs between natural extremes, human populations, and the built environment
• Economic, environmental, and human impacts of disasters
• How growth calculations can evaluate the past and present and be applied to likely future events
• Disasters stemming from shortcuts in the design process to meet the demands and needs of society

This book is an excellent learning resource not only for practicing engineers, but also government and regulatory officials who can enact changes to prevent future repeat failures.