Archives: Case studies

In early June 2014, strong storms in the Midwest U.S. produced intense rain resulting in flooding, tornadoes, and hail.  On June 18, 2014 a tornado touched ground in the heart of Wessington Springs South Dakota. Overwhelmed, the City turned to EFI Global to help with the first wave of structural safety assessments; a triage of sorts, to determine if the remaining structures were safe to be entered and/or occupied. EFI responded by calling upon our national network of structural engineers to mobilize, conduct inspections, and, using color coded placards to communicate, posted results on the front door of the structures. 

Evaluation of tire inflation product performance when used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. 

EFI Global (EFI) was hired by a legal team representing a tire product manufacturer to replicate the use of a tire inflation product in an off-road tire.  Litigation was prompted when the tire inflation product was used in an off-road tire that exploded and resulted in a fatality. Our team was asked to evaluate the product when used when used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions as written on the products label; when used in concert with pure oxygen, and when used in concert with compressed air.

After developing the test protocol and safety procedures, EFI’s team of chemists and investigators conducted a field test at our testing facility. Elaborate safety measures and measuring equipment were used to ensure the safety of personnel and accuracy of the results.  This included performing the testing in a concrete bunker, covering the bunker roof with wood framing secured with more than 3,500 lbs of sandbags, installing electronic sensors to record temperature and pressure of the tire, and remotely injecting compressed air, or oxygen into the tire.

Following the set-up procedures, three test iterations were conducted: use of the product as specified on the label, use of the product with compressed air added, and use of the product with oxygen gas added. Each test was video recorded and the resulting test data was digitally recorded.

The field testing confirmed that when the product is used as specified on the label, even in the presence of an ignition source, no explosion occurred.  However, when oxygen gas was combined with the inflation product and an ignition source introduced, an extremely violent explosion occurred. The damage included shredding of the tire, mangling the tire cage and pulling the anchor bolts from concrete floor, destroying the wood framed and sandbagged roof, and cracking the concrete bunker walls. As a result of our efforts, EFI’s field testing and analysis supported the basis for the client’s litigation and resulted in a successful settlement without trial.

Mechanical Engineering and Financial Analysis in Bangkok and Ayuttaya, Thailand

In the months following the Thailand monsoon floods in October 2011, one of our senior forensic mechanical engineers was hired to conduct damage evaluations for a number of manufacturing plants, whose operations ranged from solid state components to food processing.  In each case, our engineer inspected the flood-damaged machinery to evaluate damage and determine economic feasibility of repair.  When the evaluation phase was completed, economic analysis involving replacement value, depreciation and actual cash value was required. 

While this process was previously completed by hand on a machine-by-machine basis, our forensic engineer developed a customized analysis software allowing data from insured parties to be entered as received.  This analysis provided the data that could then be used to determine insurance settlements.

An international appliance manufacturer contacted EFI Global after experiencing multiple failures of their product in the European market. One of our senior engineers responded quickly to the site in Taiwan and performed a complete analysis of the product design. After conducting confirmation testing on site, our engineer identified the defect causing the failure. The identification of the failure helped the client determine the best course of action with respect to European Union regulations, thereby ensuring its continued presence in that market.

A large resort in Japan planned an extensive $5 million rehabilitation project requiring project oversight services. We performed property condition assessment services for the hotel and golf facilities prior to remodeling activities, and assisted in defining and establishing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the ongoing operations of the resort’s improvements. Our experts helped establish a formal program for ongoing resort operations and helped maximize the cost benefit of the Japanese resort’s rehabilitation and remodeling project.

During an inspection of an existing multi-family housing structure, several buildings were observed to have undulating first floors with noticeable deflection under load. The first floor structural design included open web wood joists bearing on concrete perimeter beams, creating a crawl space. The open web wood joists were observed to be spanning too great a distance and designed interior piers were observed to be missing. Our structural engineers performed the necessary inspections and designed a remedial structural system to provide structural integrity to the floor framing system.

Our mechanical engineers performed indoor air quality surveys at six buildings on the campus of a major research facility in the Southeast U.S. The areas included commercial office space, research laboratories, internal combustion engine test bays, and specialized product-testing areas. Occupants of the buildings raised concerns of objectionable odors, inadequate air movement and building pressurization problems. As a result, we conducted IAQ surveys at the six buildings including mechanical HVAC system review, observations of occupied areas, and indoor air sampling. Our reports included air sampling results and recommendations to improve HVAC system operation, indoor air quality, and building pressurization control.

Prior to a property real estate transaction, the prospective investors were initially concerned about the general condition of the exterior stucco wall finish at a three-story apartment building complex. Our engineers were hired to perform the expedited visual inspection and an infrared survey of the apartment complex to evaluate the potential for water infiltration through the stucco exterior finishes. To address the client’s concerns, management was initially interviewed for known ongoing conditions, as well as to establish a complete history of water intrusion events and remedial efforts. From this information, a detailed non-destructive examination of the exterior stucco and select windows was performed for evidence of water infiltration. An infrared camera and moisture meter were employed to supplement the visual examination at areas exhibiting openings, distress or deterioration in the stucco finish and adjoining the windows. In order to meet the timeline of the real estate transaction, the client’s lender also requested our engineers to conduct an expedited structural engineering assessment of the multi-story parking garages. Results for both the exterior wall evaluation and the structural assessment were provided verbally within 24 hours to meet the client’s needs and allow the transaction to proceed successfully.

Our team delivered cost-effective, accurate engineering information necessary to meet the specific needs of the client and his lender. Minor deficiencies in the exterior walls and parking structures were identified, which easily enabled the client and lender to make sound business decisions about the property.

Following recent tropical storm activities in the Texas Gulf Coast area, our environmental experts were hired to evaluate our client’s property and perform consulting during a reconstruction project. Our team performed a property condition assessment to include a 15-year capital needs estimate for a 256-unit, 12-building apartment complex. We also conducted a construction document review, contractor progress evaluation and payment approvals during reconstruction of the damaged apartments. Our efforts resulted in successfully fulfilling expedited project schedules from evaluation phases to completion of reconstruction activities complicated from the recent storm. In addition, our timely response and project completion created much needed, low income housing solutions to the Texas Gulf Coast area.