Engineering forensics graphics have played a key role in the successful litigation of lawsuits around the world, by providing a visual reconstruction of structures, products, materials, and components that are pertinent to the investigation. From the reenactment of bridge failures to reconciling patent and intellectual property claims to disreputing the cause of injury in product liability lawsuits, engineering forensic graphics continues to play a vital role in civil and criminal lawsuits.
Leveraging technology to streamline the creation of legal graphics to support civil or criminal litigation is a serious endeavour, where millions of dollars and corporate reputations are at stake. Seriously consider an outsourced engineering services provider that can bring multiple sets of expertise to bear, including civil and structural drafters, mechanical and electrical design experts, 3D modeling technicians, product and data analysts, and materials rendering and scene animation experts.
Complicated technical data should be presented with a clear-cut, understandable graphics presentation to support trial testimony of expert witnesses and is often an extremely effective visual method of eliminating reasonable doubt of court panels or jurors. As a project stakeholder in criminal, civil, or insurance claim litigation, using engineering forensics graphics to illustrate analytical data can be a crucial strategy in winning at trial.
Detailed forensics analysis will study, apply and illustrate well-researched parameters concerning precise chemical, mechanical, and/or biological characteristics, along with the expected behavior patterns of structures, materials, objects, people, and animals. The abstract analytical data is then recreated into concrete visual illustrations by highly skilled engineering forensic graphics service providers.
INDBIM is an accomplished service provider of engineering forensics graphics which feature technically sophisticated graphics and/or digital animations that have the ability to accomplish what crime scene photographs and verbal litigation cannot do.
Engineering Forensics in Built Environments and Manufactured Components
The field of forensic technology uses scientific analysis to recreate or illustrate properties, performance, events and behaviors. These can include the application of physics, biology, psychology, motion studies such as trajectory, or a detailed analysis of engineered systems and manufactured components as a means of determining cause and effect.
Here we examine the use of graphics to determine causal or incidental events as related to structures and mechanical components of built environments. Determining catastrophic failure of structures using graphics can be accomplished with 3D models, along with materials rendering, environmental conditions visualization and animation techniques to serve as expert testimony for both defendants and plaintiffs. Engineering graphics are useful in simulation of the following built environments:
- Determining origin of failure in components and systems
- Clarify accidents from misuse of products or negligent behavior
- Concrete and structural steel integrity studies
- Building code compliance and mediation
- Extreme weather damage assessments for insurance
- Roof evaluations leading to catastrophic failure
- Building envelope calculations and other systems installations
- Seawall, dock, and pier damage study
- Seismic and other stress loading assessments
- Wind and vibration induced failure analysis
Building systems analysis and product failure reenactments are common applications for engineering forensics graphics to determine and illustrate the loss of load-carrying capacity of a built system – or a possibly defective product design. Engineering forensics graphics are not only used for the plaintiff’s proof of injury, but is a most effective offensive strategy to repudiate claims of property owner or manufacturer neglect.
Careful analysis of a catastrophic failure can lead to a single defective bolt or weld. An analytical study such as this, when clearly illustrated, can effectively transfer the burden of liability from a property owner to unskilled workers hired by the construction contractor or to the bolt fastener manufacturer itself. Engineering forensics graphics can be used to exhibit the progression of a localized failure’s effect on an entire system through 3D modeling, computer simulations, mechanical animations or scaled diagrams.
The life-cycle and safety of consumer products are affected by many forces. Some of these stresses can be highly abrupt and forceful impacts, such as occurs when a product is dropped or used improperly. Many product liability claims are dismantled by proving negligent behavior by the end-user. Catastrophic structural failures may result from accumulated degradation and is often hidden. Many insurance claims depend upon a clear determination of the origin and cause of failure which may result from long-term exposure to climatic events, shifting topographic conditions, and even the weight of the structure itself.
Engineering forensics graphics are used to develop strategic trial approaches to settle business disputes, as an aide in construction contract litigation, trade secret infringements, personal injury lawsuits and other situations where complicated technical and/or structural evidence needs to be clearly communicated.
Choosing the Right Type of Engineering Forensic Graphic
Forensic 3D Modeling – most crime scene reenactments or structural failure presentations will require an accurate depiction of the built environment to clearly illustrate events to courtroom viewers. Engineering firms are the perfect solution to quickly document three-dimensional interiors or complete structural replications using sophisticated software, such as Tekla Steel. The resulting model can serve not only as a crime scene duplication, but also a finite analysis model to simulate loads, stresses, thermal conditions, structural deflection and ultimate failure.
A 3D model when combined with analytical data is effective to prove innocence rather than guilt, proving that a certain structural design or material specification was appropriate and fit for the intended application. The burden of proof is then shifted and the negligence of other culpable parties can be offered as a defensive strategy.
Computer Simulations are used to precisely depict the behavior of real-world materials and components as they respond to the laws of physics. Heat, motion, acceleration, trajectories, degradation, velocity, displacement, sound, pressure, and force can all be visually simulated. This includes the application of collaborating or opposing forces that would have been present, walking the entire courtroom through an intricate explanation to disprove opposing logic.
Computer simulations should be graphically simplified to avoid distraction from the underlying technical explanations, yet detailed enough to clearly emulate the scene, structure, or product being examined. Various graphical techniques can be employed from resolving vectors of physical forces to simulating the path of invisible sound waves. When the laws of physics are crucial to a case, computer simulations offer the best visual presentation.
Mechanical Animations are commonly used in product demonstrations or depictions of mechanized machinery. On the job accidents and consumer product liability issues are clearly disputed with an animated reenactment of the plaintiffs claim against the manufacturer or employee. Full-motion computer graphics can recapture the collapse of a building or the proper operation of equipment from different perspectives.
To ensure an accurate and verifiable animation, dependable data must be gathered from multiple sources because these animations are not cartoon depictions of events, but are precise representations of time, components, materials, environments, and systems. Motion tracking, artificial intelligence, 3D digital technology, and forensic computing of predictability and probability are combine to animate real-life scenarios with computer graphics.
Scaled Diagrams and Timelines are the traditional legal graphics used to emulate the progression of time in relation to events. The key to these graphic elements are clarity, layout, and readability. Many options are available depending on the data to be represented and the best solution – timelines, Gantt charts, graphs, flowcharts, activity diagrams, organization charts, and process flow diagrams are the more typical options available.