FAILURE MECHANISMS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
by David Nicastro, P.E., Author and Editor, 1998, ASCE

• Comprehensive catalog of failure mechanisms, with causes and characteristics, and a tabular index.

• Case histories on everything from structural collapses to water infiltration.

• Annotated bibliography on forensic engineering, including sources for further information on each of the failure mechanisms discussed.

• Glossary of forensic engineering terms.

The fifth volume in this series provides recent technological advances and developments on sealants, waterproofing, and cognate systems. 18 peer-reviewed papers in 6 categories cover:

• Joint Design and Sealant Selection

• Joint Sealant Failures: Case Studies and Methods of Evaluation

• Structural Silicone Glazing (SSG):Design, Evaluations, and Applications

• Aesthetic Performance of Sealants

• Advances in Adhesion Testing and Adhesive Promoters

• and Studies Related to the Long-Term Performance and Aging of Sealants and Gaskets.

• “Structural Defect Discovered During Roof Replacement", James McCue and David Nicastro, Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities, ASCE, May 2003; www.asce.org

• "Evaluation and Repair of Post-Tensioned Concrete Structures", David Nicastro and Terry Campion, The Construction Specifier, November 1999; www.csinet.org

• "Sealing Horizontal Joints Subject to Water and Foot Traffic", David Nicastro, The Construction Specifier, September 1999; www.csinet.org

• "The Engineer's Role", Foundations Column, David Nicastro, The Construction Specifier, October 1997; www.csinet.org

• "Monitoring and Incentive Payments", David Nicastro, The Construction Specifier, June 1997; www.csinet.org

• "Premature Sealant Failure", David Nicastro, The Construction Specifier, April 1997; www.csinet.org

• "Difficult Sealant Joints", David Nicastro, in ASTM STP No. 1200, 1992; www.astm.org

• "Water Vapor Transmission", The Construction Specifier, June 1991; www.csinet.org

• "A Scientific Approach to Water Infiltration Studies", The Construction Specifier, January 1991; www.csinet.org

• "Common Problems in Masonry Detailing", The Construction Specifier, September 1989; www.csinet.org

• "Parameters for Comparing High Performance Sealants", The Construction Specifier, April 1989; www.csinet.org

• "Uncovering the Reasons for Curtain Wall Failure", Exteriors Magazine, Summer 1988; [NOT IN PRINT]

• "Can Engineers Cut Curtain Wall Failures?", Civil Engineering Magazine, November 1993; www.asce.org

MONTHLY "FAILURES" COLUMNS
From January 1994 through August 1997, David Nicastro published the monthly column "Failures" in The Construction Specifier. Single copies of each column may be purchased from www.csinet.org.

For a list of these columns, click here.