Indo-U.S. Forensic Practices: Investigation Techniques and Technology

Proceedings of the First Indo-U.S. Forensic Engineering Workshop, held in Tiruchirappalli, India, December 15-17, 2010. Organized by the Technical Council on Forensic Engineering of ASCE; University of North Carolina at Charlotte; National Institute of Technology at Tiruchirappalli. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation (USA); Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (India); Structural Engineering Research Council (India); ASCE (USA). This collection contains 13 papers exemplifying the international collaboration between India and the United States to improve the quality and safety of constructed facilities. Engineers around the world engage in forensic engineering, yet variations in the legal, educational, and professional licensure practices of individual countries pose a challenge to the exchange of information. Even though cultural and judicial frameworks can differ widely, the needs for professionalism and technical accuracy in forensic engineering investigations remains universal. These papers promote the exchange of technical information and case studies between engineers in the United States and India. Topics include: foundation engineering; geotechnical forensic engineering; construction management education; structural failures; building codes; nondestructive testing technologies; remote sensing and information processing technologies.