Journal of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers

Forensic Engineering Analysis of a Residential Fire Caused by An Open Neutral

Yoandi Interian — 2025-01-13

An open neutral or floating neutral is a condition that occurs when the electrical current passing through the neutral conductor in a multiwire circuit is not balanced. This condition can occur when there is a break in the neutral wire, resulting in a loss of continuity in the neutral. As a result, an imbalance in electrical voltage is created in the electrical system. This paper will discuss the forensic engineering analysis of a residential fire caused by an open neutral. It will discuss in detail how a large tree fell on power lines near the house, fractured a nearby residential utility pole, caused a failure of the neutral service splice, and resulted in the separation of the neutral portion of the service line. It will further discuss how the open neutral resulted in a power strip overheating and caused the fire.

Beyond the Building Code: A Forensic Approach to Construction Defect Evaluation Utilizing the Construction Variance Evaluation Methodology

Brian Eubanks — 2025-01-13

The applicable building code provides prescriptive specifications that allow construction of the built environment without the need for design professionals to dictate every aspect of every project; however, the building code does not consider all available materials, designs, and/or methods of construction — nor does it consider possible alternatives or construction variances. Since there is more than one way to accomplish a goal, a forensic investigation should consider the intent and purpose of a prescriptive specification (i.e., the desired performance) in order to determine whether an as-built construction variance is capable of accomplishing the same without adversely affecting a structure. This paper will explore the installation of cement plaster veneer and manufactured window assemblies to demonstrate how construction variances can still meet the intent and purpose of applicable prescriptive specifications. As a result, a true forensic approach to construction defect evaluation should not blindly follow prescriptive specifications. Instead, it should employ engineering analysis and a practical method such as the construction variance evaluation methodology (CVEM) to consider the performance aspects of construction variances before concluding that such variances are construction defects.

Forensic Environmental Assessment and Hydrology in Louisiana’s First Oil Field: A 100-Year Recreation of Historical Land Use

Tonja Koob Marking — 2025-01-13

Approximately 110 years after the discovery of oil in Louisiana, fourth- and fifth-generation landowners filed a legacy lawsuit to recover damages resulting from alleged environmental contamination of family property from oil exploration, extraction, and storage. As part of the complaint, the descendants claimed that, due to the new technology of the oil industry, their uneducated ancestor could not have had reasonable knowledge and business relationships to fully understand the contracts he signed with oil companies to lease his land for oil exploration. Forensic environmental assessment and hydrology enabled the recreation of the site’s historical land use and its potential for environmental impacts. Forensic analyses utilizing records and sources from disciplines typically not consulted in engineering studies provided essential insight into the origins of drainage alterations and contaminant transport across the site, including family records that demonstrated the plaintiffs’ ancestors had knowledge of (and contributed to) the site’s purported deteriorated conditions.

The Ethical Responsibility: When the Forensic Engineer is Faced with Notifying Occupants to Vacate

Gregory Boso — 2025-01-13

Holding the obligation to protect life, safety and welfare paramount required the forensic engineer in this case to notify the homeowner to vacate her new home constructed in an active landslide. The forensic engineering evaluation of a four-year-old home revealed extensive damages caused by active soil mass flow in glacial lake deposit soils and a natural spring that imposed excessive hydrostatic pressure on the front foundation wall. The homeowner remained in the home for nearly four years during the investigations while insurers and their engineers argued over coverage. The structural analysis revealed significant probability of imminent collapse, threatening the safety and welfare of occupants and creating both a compelling necessity and an ethical obligation to notify the homeowner of grave peril to the occupants and their need to vacate and abandon the premises.