Engineering Catastrophes, Causes and Effects of major accidents

by John Lancaster, J.F. Lancaster

The records of accidents in industry and transport not only indicate trends in the incidence of loss or casualties, but also serve as a measure of human behavior. Covering catastrophes and supercatastrophes from the Titanic to the Eastonia ferry disaster right through to modern oil rig disasters such as the Piper Alpha, Engineering Catastrophes, Second Edition provides a broad survey of accidents involving structures and vehicles. It also considers natural disasters with special attention to earthquake resistant buildings.
New in the Second Edition
New chapter - 'The Human Factor' reviews loss and fatality rates together with their relationship to large-scale events such as war and the trade cycle
New information - Historical data on casualties and loss in road and rail accidents
Case histories - Updated case histories illustrate how human frailty, the unexpected weakness of materials, or a combination of both lead to tragic circumstances
Written by an international authority in the field of metallurgy and welding, this revised and updated reference analyzes historical records to determine how loss and fatality rates vary with time. Building on the foundation created in the first edition, Engineering Catastrophes, Second gives you the information you need to make educated decisions about quality assurance, quality control, and loss prevention.

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997