Forensic engineering of construction materials: lessons learnt from disputes

Construction materials are an essential part of the built environment, whose manufacture and supply is an important global industry. Forensic engineering of construction materials is required when disputes arise relating to perceived failures, either during construction or in service. Concentrating on geomaterials, this paper discusses lessons learnt from a review of in excess of 100 forensic engineering investigations of defects and failures involving construction materials used in the built environment. Failures were observed to result either from deficient design, inadequate workmanship or defective materials and, frequently, from a combination of issues. Examples based on the case studies are presented with the aim of improving future design and construction practice.