Forensic Engineering is the art and science of professional practice of those qualified to serve as engineering experts in matters before courts of law or arbitration proceedings. (Marvin Specter, founding President of the National Academy of Forensic Engineers (NAFE) 1987)

HARTMAN ENGINEERING has presented evidence as expert witness in numerous cases during the past 30 years. These usually involve structural failure and it is necessary to determine the cause. Evidence utilized in these circumstances is acquired by thorough examination of designs, construction methods, materials and field conditions.

The team of engineers and scientists at HARTMAN ENGINEERING rely on their experience and knowledge of construction methods, geology, chemistry, metallurgy, and soil investigation to build a thorough knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the situation in question.

Some of the cases that have been investigated include:

• Water infiltration in cofferdams.
  
  
• Collapse of cofferdams including one in Puerto Rico.
  
  
• Settlement of a building caused by a roadway embankment constructed next to it.
  
  
• Collapse of a granite retaining wall in Massachusetts.
  
  
• Failure of concrete retaining wall in Massachusetts.
  
  
• Determination of whether the damage to a hardwood factory floor was from wear and tear or from flooding caused by a hurricane.
  
  
• Failure of bulkhead walls in Pennsylvania and Texas