Forensic engineering as a discipline - where the history starts

This paper traces the growth of the practice of investigating engineering failures from late medieval times to the beginning of the twentieth century. Using several case studies, it traces the desire to prevent repetitions, but also finds practical reasons for apparent failures to learn the lessons of history. These might result from working at the cutting edge, with all the financial and structural risks that entails. Sometimes, however, those reasons were themselves already known and disregarded, especially in matters of maintenance, where the main engineering failure was in separating clients from their money. A more sinister note is struck by some instances of failures to which forensic methods were not applied, apparently because of a positive desire not to know the answer. Considering the history in addition to the current practice of forensic engineering being more than an agreeable hobby, this paper provides a living analogy of that practice and points to paths that lead to continuing improvement.