Forensic engineering
Main article: Forensic engineering
Forensic engineering is the investigation of materials,
products, structures or components that fail or do not operate or function as
intended, causing personal injury or damage to property. The consequences of
failure are dealt with by the law of product liability. The field also deals
with retracing processes and procedures leading to accidents in operation of
vehicles or machinery. The subject is applied most commonly in civil law cases,
although it may be of use in criminal law cases. Generally the purpose of a
Forensic engineering investigation is to locate cause or causes of failure with
a view to improve performance or life of a component, or to assist a court in
determining the facts of an accident. It can also involve investigation of
intellectual property claims, especially patents.
Geotechnical engineering
Geotechnical engineering studies rock and soil supporting
civil engineering systems. Knowledge from the field of soil science, materials
science, mechanics, and hydraulics is applied to safely and economically design
foundations, retaining walls, and other structures. Environmental efforts to
protect groundwater and safely maintain landfills have spawned a new area of
research called geoenvironmental engineering.
Identification of soil properties presents challenges to
geotechnical engineers. Boundary conditions are often well defined in other
branches of civil engineering, but unlike steel or concrete, the material
properties and behavior of soil are difficult to predict due to its variability
and limitation on investigation. Furthermore, soil exhibits nonlinear
(stress-dependent) strength, stiffness, and dilatancy (volume change associated
with application of shear stress), making studying soil mechanics all the more
difficult.
Materials science and engineering
Main article: Materials science
Materials science is closely related to civil engineering.
It studies fundamental characteristics of materials, and deals with ceramics
such as concrete and mix asphalt concrete, strong metals such as aluminum and
steel, and thermosetting polymers including polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and
carbon fibers.
Materials engineering involves protection and prevention
(paints and finishes). Alloying combines two types of metals to produce another
metal with desired properties. It incorporates elements of applied physics and
chemistry. With recent media attention on nanoscience and nanotechnology,
materials engineering has been at the forefront of academic research. It is
also an important part of forensic engineering and failure analysis.
Outside plant engineering
Main article: Outside plant engineering
"Outside plant engineering" or OSP engineering is
related to both Civil engineering and Telecommunications engineering. It is
concerned with the design of the aerial and underground structures that
interconnect communications nodes. Some of the typical components of outside
plant are cables, poles, messenger wire, down guys, pole anchors, underground
vaults, service boxes/hand-holes, and conduit.
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