Chapter 4 - Construction failures due to improper materials, manufacturing, and design

Abstract

Various engineering components and equipment are used in the construction industry, be it large scale or small scale. The construction industry generally includes buildings, structures, roads, dams, bridges, and other industrial constructions like power generation, mills, manufacturing, and chemical plants. Several kinds of equipment like earth moving, material handling, and construction vehicle are used for different operations that are involved in any construction project, that is, excavation and digging of massive quantities of earth, compacting and leveling, transfer of materials and heavy loads, and placement of construction materials. Failure of these components or equipment in the construction industry causes fatalities, property loss, degrading of the company image or loss of credibility, and many legal issues; therefore, it is of great concern to the construction industry. The causes of failures can be categorized mainly as design deficiencies, material and manufacturing deficiencies, maintenance deficiencies, service abuse, and aggressive environment. Failure of some engineering components as well as accessories used in various construction industries, such as, beams, wire rods, foundation bolts, chains and hooks, wire ropes, conveyors, excavators, and cranes have been investigated to find out its root cause of failure. This chapter includes description of the different failures, visual details of the failed component, testing and characterization, root cause analysis, and recommendations to prevent recurrence of such failures in the future.