Case study on an historical Civil Engineering failure

Project description
Essay format requirements
Assessed coursework essays must be presented in word-processed form according to the following requirements:
Paper sizeA4
MarginsAt least 2.5 cm on all four sides
Main text11 or 12 point font, 1.15 or 1.5 line-spacing
TitleBold face in 12 or 14 point font
HeadingsBold face in 12 or 14 point font
EmphasisEmphasised text can use bold and/or italic
QuotationsQuotation mark around the quoted text. Quotations exceeding four lines must be single spaced and indented as a separate block.
Student identityName, ID number and tutor name must be provided in the header of the document or at least must be clearly provided first thing on the first page.
Page numbersBottom of each page centred or on the right. This is best placed in the footer
FootnotesNOT ALLOWED
Referencing styleHarvard style (Alphabetic)
(numeric styles or footnotes are not allowed)
Bibliography10 point font, single line spacing, with entries hanging indented (Ctrl-T in Word) or separated by an extra line.
Word limitAs directed +/- 50 words. The bibliography is excluded from the word count.
Word count declarationThe essay must include a word count statement as the last paragraph (e.g. word count: xxxx words). Incorrect word count declaration will be treated as an act of cheating. Penalties will apply in accordance with the assessment guidelines.

Essay2 brief: Case study on an historical Civil Engineering failure
Aims
To develop technical writing and literature search skills
To develop an understanding of the causes of a Civil Engineering failure
To identify lessons learnt from an historical failure and how they have influenced engineering practice
Submission Requirements
You are required to submit a 1500 word essay that includes:
An overview of the chosen project and its context
A description of the failure event
A description of the investigations into the failure
A description of the main causes of the failure and the lessons learnt
Your essay can cover further points and make comparison with other similar projects.
This submission is worth 15% of a 20 credit module. It is due on 27 March and in two forms:
a hardcopy submitted with the appropriate cover to the General Office. Word count must be stated clearly at the end of the essay. The count excludes the bibliography.
an electronic copy submitted through Moodle (this will be checked for plagiarism)
The essay is to be submitted together with your notes from the tutorial sessions.

Guidance on Preparing the Submission
Choice of Failure Event
You can choose any historical Civil Engineering failure (historic means occurred more than 50 years ago), which could be either a physical failure or a project failure. You can choose a project from any discipline in Civil Engineering. Make sure that there is sufficient information available before you finalise your choice.
Research on the Failure
Find out as much as you can about the failure. Research the background to the project why was it built and when. Try to find out what contributed to the failure lack of engineering knowledge, poor management decisions, extreme loading, change in use. Was a public enquiry held? What was found? Did the failure lead to major research studies? How has understanding that failure changed engineering practice? This is a technical exercise so you should include technical details, figures, charts, photos as appropriate.
Information Review
Once you have gathered information on the failure it is important to review it. Are there contradictory explanations? Is someone being used as a scapegoat? Use the information you have to prepare an outline structure for the essay. Identify where you need further information, then go and find it.
Draft Essay
Make sure you are clear about plagiarism, referencing, tutor involvement, and word-count penalties. Prepare a draft of your essay, using notes to start with and then building them together to form a coherent document.
Final Version
Always review a draft document, preferably several days after writing it. Check the content is appropriate and complete. Check the language is accurate. Check that you have correctly cited references. Check that the length is within 1450-1550 words.

Examples of projects and project areas

historicalContemporary
Design and construction of the Fosse Way Dualling of the A46
Nottingham flood defences after 1947Improvements to flood defences at Beeston and Attenborough
The original Nottingham tram systemNET lines one and two
The M1The M1 Widening
The Trent BuildingThe Sir Colin Campbell Building
Nottingham Midland StationEast Midlands Parkway
Bridges
There are a wide range of bridges different types and different ages.
There are numerous road and rail crossings of the Trent.
Both Great Central and Great Northern lines had viaducts close to Broadmarsh that could be compared with the recent NET bridge.
Transportation
Plenty of historical transport infrastructure to consider (roads, canals, railways) and compare with the latest developments (e.g. A453, A46, A 50 and M1 improvements).
Earthworks and Tunnels
Lots of these associated with the above!
There are several historic tunnels and deep excavations in Nottingham City Centre (e.g. Victoria Station and Carrington Station).
Hydraulics, drainage, water supply
Both rivers Leen and Trent have been extensively modified and exploited over the years with a correspondingly wide range of control structures to consider (from weirs to siphons and from sluices to hydro power plants).
Carsington water and Papplewick pumping station highlight feature of water supply.

Examples of projects employing sustainable design
Mason Lane Farm Operations Facility, Goshen, Kentucky
Melbourne Convention Centre Development, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
French Embassy, Tokyo, Japan
Highbury Grove school, Highbury New Park, Islington, London, UK
Solar Office Doxford International, UK
Basilica, Basildon, Essex, UK
ECOS Millennium Centre, Ballymena, NI
Canon HQ, Reigate, UK

It should not be difficult to find a case study. Most major buildings nowadays adopt the sustainability agenda. Take your time to find a case-study that it is supported with adequate and sufficient information.

Examples of failures
Bridges
Tay Bridge
Menai Bridge
Dee river bridge
Quebec Bridge
Tacoma Narrows
Westgate Bridge, Melbourne
King Street Bridge, Melbourne
Cleddau Bridge, Milford Haven
Ness River Bridge, Inverness
Ynys-y-Gwas Bridge
Earthworks and Tunnels
Carsington Dam
Dale Dyke Dam
Please note that there are many examples of land slips, some are engineering failures (such as cuttings and embankments) whereas some are naturally occurring.
Hydraulics, drainage, water supply
Cholera epidemic and the big stink in Victorian London
Failure of flood defences at …. (so many to choose from)
Failure of coastal defences during North Sea storm surge in 1953
Building and other Structures
Listowel Arena
Camden School
Ferrybridge cooling towers
Embley Moor tower
Web site of interest
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/virtualarchive/
http://greensource.construction.com/green_building_projects/default.asp
http://www.environmentcentre.com/

References
The University of Nottingham (2006). Academic Integrity. Plagiarism Tutorial. [online] Available at www.nottingham.ac.uk/csc/academic-integrity/student/tutorial/plagiarism/ [Accessed 17 September 2011]
The University of Nottingham (2011a). Assessment Handbook. The School of Humanities. 2011-2012.
The University of Nottingham (2011b). Pathway website. [online] Available at www.nottingham.ac.uk/pathways/ [Accessed 17 September 2011]
The University of Nottingham (2011c). Quality Manual. Academic Offences. Definition of an Academic Offence. [online] Available at www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/assessment/academicoffences.aspx [Accessed 17 September 2011]
The University of Nottingham (2011d). Quality Manual. Academic Offences. Procedural steps. [online] Available at www.nottingham.ac.uk/academicservices/qualitymanual/assessment/academicoffe