VibrationData · Aviation HistoryT. Irvine · 11 Jul 1926 + 100 The “Tin Goose” convinced America that flying was safe. Nobody said anything about comfortable — a case study in excitation, transmission, and radiation. TypeFord 5-AT Engines3 × P&W Wasp R-1340, 420 hp DriveDirect —… Read more
Ryanair FR1879 — Fault Tree Analysis | VibrationData VIBRATIONDATA · INCIDENT ANALYSIS T. IRVINE · 11 JUL 2026 A fault tree for the July 10 uncontained engine failure over North Macedonia — and why one seatbelt turned a repeat of Southwest 1380 into an injury… Read more
Introduction The Convair F2Y Sea Dart was one of the boldest experiments of the early jet age: a delta-wing, supersonic seaplane fighter that took off and landed on retractable hydro-skis in San Diego Bay. It remains the only seaplane ever to exceed the speed of… Read more
The photo above, taken looking up at the elevated steelwork of Shibuya Station in Tokyo, is a one-frame history of steel construction. Dome-headed rivets, high-strength bolted splices, welded gussets, and retrofit bracing all share the same few square meters of structure — and every train… Read more
On the evening of 24 June 2026, northern Venezuela was struck by two major earthquakes 39 seconds apart — a rare “doublet” that became the country’s deadliest natural disaster in a generation. For the structural dynamics community, the event is a case study in nearly… Read more
The carbon fiber automotive part in the photo above shows two composite engineering choices worth examining before it ever sees the road: the woven fabric architecture visible through the surface, and the glossy clear coat protecting it. Composite structures rarely fail in the fiber direction… Read more
Updated August 10, 2026. The original post was written two days after the incident. This revision adds the investigation developments through early August, including the project engineer’s assertion that specified column reinforcement was never installed, and a new section on what that reinforcement would have… Read more
Pointed Gothic arches framing the choir, Notre-Dame de Paris. Smooth and Pointed Arches: Loads, Stress, Fracture, and Fatigue Introduction The accompanying photograph shows the interior of Notre-Dame de Paris, where every opening is spanned by a pointed arch. Stand in a Roman basilica instead and… Read more
Introduction Some of the best structural engineering field trips are unplanned. While passing through St Pancras International station in London, I photographed three artifacts that together tell a 159-year story of structural engineering: the great Barlow train shed roof, a foundry plate cast in 1867,… Read more