MTEN3015: Learning from Catastrophic Failure

Several engineering disasters throughout history have triggered investigations into the cause of failure that resulted in catastrophic losses. Understanding this root cause provides the means to modify how things are done so that such disasters could be avoided in the future. This course will review the anatomy of several such catastrophes that primarily stem from materials related failures such as the sinking of Titanic or the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle. We will review materials science concepts that are relevant to each event, discuss pertinent societal, ethical, and economic issues, and highlight the technological development that resulted in the aftermath.

This course is a strong example of what will develop students into global citizen scholars who will lead innovative efforts toward solving the world’s complex problems. To become global citizen scholars, students have to familiarize themselves with history, the various aspects of societal, ethical, and economic impacts different historical events can have, and learn from mistakes made in the past. That’s what this course is all about in the frame of reference of engineering disasters. As engineers we are trained to analyze and solve problems and the multi-faceted effects and aftermath of the materials related disasters discussed in this course demonstrate just what complex problems they are. Each was not addressed earlier due to a lack of understanding or awareness of the problem initially, but only confronted in hindsight because of a catastrophic event. By researching the solutions that others devised to mitigate or eliminate the issues caused by the materials failures discussed, it should help students look at the world around them with a lens of how they can potentially find solutions to these problems by not just looking forward, but by looking back and reflecting on our mistakes in the past.