Engineering News – Perseverance Rover Mars Sample (0:50) This week’s engineering failure is the US Interstate Highway System (4:05). After receiving a funding and design boost through the US Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 (14:15), the interstate system was born with a more deliberate layout (18:25) than may seem. Despite it’s success, the interstate system is not without issue (30:40). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Source...
May 07, 2023•35 min
Engineering News – FLEX Rover (1:40) This week’s engineering failure is the SwissAir Flight 111 (4:15). A crash off the coast of Peggy’s Cove (9:10) is believed to be caused by a fire in the ceiling at the front of the plane (15:15). As an outcome of the crash investigation, a number of additional safety risks were identified and corrected (26:00). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://w...
Apr 23, 2023•32 min
Engineering News – SmartWatches for Dolphins (1:00) This week’s engineering failure is the 2021 Texas Power Outage (6:10). Deregulation (10:30), amongst many other issues led to blackouts (18:25) throughout Texas during winter storm Uri; having a huge impact on residents (24:05). Despite experiencing similar storms in 1989 & 2011 (30:25), Texas did not learn its lesson. Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary fro...
Apr 09, 2023•35 min
Engineering News – Moving Objects with Ultrasound Waves (3:45) This week’s engineering failure is the Mount Polley Tailings Pond Breach (6:05). After years of ad hoc embankment expansion (9:30), the tailing pond breached on August 4, 2014. Following an independent investigation panel review (17:10) geoscientists and engineers were found liable for the failure (28:35). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this...
Mar 26, 2023•36 min
Engineering News – Counterfeit Part Detection (0:40) This week’s engineering failure is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (4:15). Designed by some of the same engineers (10:50) as the Golden Gate Bridge we talked about last episode, this bridge only stood for 3 months before collapsing (18:55). A full inquiry (21:00) discovered flaws in the lightweight design and a new, stronger bridge was built that’s still standing today (26:05). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www...
Mar 12, 2023•36 min
Engineering News – Microplastic Magnets in Water (1:10) This week’s engineering marvel is the Golden Gate Bridge (3:20). After decades of design considerations (6:10) the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 (16:40). 86 years later, San Francisco is working hard to maintain (21:00) the iconic bridge. Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter - ht...
Feb 26, 2023•28 min
Engineering News – Harvesting Freshwater from the Ocean’s Surface (1:10) This week’s engineering failure is the Fernie Arena Ammonia Accident (4:00). Built over 50 years ago, the arena (9:15) and its ice making equipment (11:10) were in need of repair. After ignoring warning signs for years that the plant was failing (15:35) in October 2017, a tragic accident occurred (22:35) sparking an investigation into what went wrong in Fernie (27:55). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episo...
Feb 12, 2023•35 min
Engineering News – Gelatinous Animals Inspiring Underwater Vehicle Design (3:30). This week’s engineering failure is the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Power Plant Failure (7:05). The power plant dam had significant water pressure and other issues (15:15), which ultimately led to the failure of turbine 2 in 2009 (24:20). The formal investigation (30:15) created more questions than answers, but the turbine hall was eventually rebuilt (36:10) and the power plant is still operating today. Check ...
Jan 29, 2023•43 min
Engineering News – Water on an Exoplanet (3:45) This week’s engineering failure is the Algo Centre Mall Collapse (7:15). In 2012 the mall’s rooftop parking deck collapsed (16:15), revealing decades of neglectful maintenance (29:25). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter - https://twitter.com/failurology Email - thefailurologypodcast@gmail....
Jan 15, 2023•35 min
Engineering News – LIFTbuild Technology on the Exchanger Tower in Detroit, MI. (2:10) This week’s Mini Failure is about the Johnstown Flood AKA that Great Flood of 1889 (7:20). After heavy rainfall, the poorly maintained South Fork Dam failed, greatly impacting the unsuspecting residents downstream. Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter - ...
Jan 01, 2023•32 min
Engineering News – Engineering is a Regulated Profession (in Canada) For a Reason (2:10) This week’s engineering failure is the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ) Loss of Self Regulation. (10:30). After covering a brief history of engineering in Canada, and Alberta (16:10) we talk about how and why the OIQ lost their ability to self regulate the engineering profession in 2016 (24:20). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Source...
Dec 18, 2022•37 min
Failurology is turning 2! We’re recapping all of the cool things we’ve gotten up to over the last year! This week’s engineering failure is the Station Nightclub (13:25). There were many contributing factors (20:45) that led to the tragic fire. In the aftermath, the band manager and building owners pled guilty to their part in the fire (29:50) and regulators made significant and necessary changes to rules around upgrading life safety systems in existing buildings (35:00). Check out our Patreon pa...
Dec 04, 2022•42 min
Engineering News – World’s First Electric Passenger Plane (1:45) This week’s engineering failure is the Boeing 737 Max (9:00). A poorly executed flight stabilization software called MCAS (15:20) caused two catastrophic crashes (25:30) putting Boeing in hot water (30:25). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter - https://twitter.com/failurolo...
Nov 20, 2022•36 min
This week’s engineering failure is the Wind Turbine Failures Pt 2 (7:35). There was so much great engineering failure content that we’ve split this episode up into two parts. In this second part, we talk about other common causes of wind turbine failures; generator failure (2:40), gearbox failure (16:30), and foundation/structure failure (27:45). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www...
Nov 06, 2022•35 min
Engineering News – Optimizing Wind Farms (4:45) This week’s engineering failure is the Wind Turbine Failures Pt 1 (7:35). There was so much great engineering failure content that we’ve split this episode up into two parts. In this first part, we talk about the most common cause of wind turbine failure, blade failure (20:00). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways ...
Oct 23, 2022•42 min
Engineering News – Manitou Incline (2:15) It’s episode 60! This week we’re talking about an engineering marvel, the Kicking Horse Spiral Tunnels (9:40). After looking at multiple locations for the railway across the mountains (13:10), engineers landed on a path across the Big Hill (18:10). Due to the steep grade, accidents were unavoidable and the tunnels were built to make the route less steep (22:50). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurol...
Oct 09, 2022•32 min
Engineering News – Electric Vehicle Remote Road Test (2:00) This week’s engineering failure is the FedEx Express Flight 80 (8:50). A fatal crash in 2009 (16:00) was not an isolated incident with the MD-11 aircraft (23:00). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter - https://twitter.com/failurology Email - thefailurologypodcast@gmail.com Linked...
Sep 25, 2022•35 min
Engineering News – Imaging Technology for Autonomous Cars (3:20) This week’s engineering failure is the Chalk River Nuclear Accidents (11:05). The Chalk River Nuclear Facility north of Ottawa suffered two nuclear accidents in the 1950s. The first with the NRX reactor in 1952 (17:00) and the second with the NRU reactor in 1958 (27:35). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology...
Sep 11, 2022•35 min
Engineering News – Non Invasive Ultrasound Therapy (1:05) This week’s engineering failure is the I-35W Bridge Collapse (5:05). Designed and constructed (10:55) in the 60s, the bridge had been inspected (16:40) regularly over the years. But unfortunately, after 40 years it collapsed (30:30) and the City of Minneapolis rushed to replace the bridge (38:45). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - htt...
Aug 28, 2022•47 min
This week's engineering failures are from our mini failure library. We’re talking about the Boston Molasses Flood (1:50) and the London Beer Floods (18:30). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter - https://twitter.com/failurology Email - thefailurologypodcast@gmail.com Linked In - https://www.linkedin.com/company/failurology-podcast YouTube...
Aug 14, 2022•31 min
Engineering News – Regenerative Bone Tissue (0:50) This week’s engineering failure is PIP Breast Implants (3:05); our first medical engineering failure. In an effort to cut costs, PIP cut corners on the silicone (8:10) in their implants that led to severe problems for recipients starting in 2003 (20:15). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitt...
Jul 31, 2022•36 min
Engineering News – Safer Helmets (1:50) This week’s engineering failure is the Big Bayou Canot Rail Accident (4:35). Big Bayou Canot became the second worst US rail disaster (9:50) after a towboat hit a bridge resulting in extensive damage (22:55). The ensuing investigation offered a number of important lessons learned (26:35) and recommendations. Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://ww...
Jul 17, 2022•36 min
This week we’re taking a much needed break and featuring one of our mini failure episodes from last fall; the Gimli Glider. Unit are hard, but important. An incorrect conversion led to the plane taking off with only 45% of its required fuel. Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch with us Twitter - https://twitter.com/failurology Email - thefailurol...
Jul 03, 2022•35 min
Engineering News – Robot Bugs (1:55) This week’s engineering failure is the Luna Park Ghost Ride Fire (5:40). 43 years ago, the Luna Park Ghost Ride (10:15) suffered a catastrophic fire (14:30). Even though it was inspected two years earlier, in 1977 (16:45), the recommended upgrades weren’t complete and the fire investigation (20:00) found many other safety flaws. Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this ep...
Jun 19, 2022•36 min
Engineering News – CO2 Capture Membrane (0:50) This week’s engineering failure is the Teton Dam Failure (6:15). The dam catastrophically failed during its initial fill (17:15) leading to assessments of other similar dams (40:00). Check out our Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter - https://twitter.com/failurology Email - thefailurologypodcast@gmail.com...
Jun 05, 2022•44 min
Engineering News – Improved Solar Electricity Performance (1:35) It’s episode 50! This week we’re talking about an engineering marvel, the James Webb Space Telescope (7:30). The telescope took decades to build (14:00), but it was worth it because it has a lot of really interesting features (25:05) Check out our new Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twitter ...
May 22, 2022•36 min
Engineering News – Florida Condo Laws (0:51) This week’s engineering failure is the Florida Pedestrian Bridge (5:50). The bridge collapsed (15:15) during construction with traffic on the roadway underneath. The collapse led to investigations (20:44) by the National Transportation Safety Board and the US Department of Labor. Miami Herald Summary of Champlain Towers Collapse - https://www.miamiherald.com/news/special-reports/surfside-investigation/article256633336.html Nicole’s going to Dublin, co...
May 08, 2022•38 min
Engineering News – Morphing Metal (4:25) This week’s engineering failure is the L’Ambiance Plaza (6:35). There is not a consensus on the probable cause of this failure. While the National Bureau of Standards thought the failure was related to the method of construction (14:10), other investigators found flaws in the engineered design (18:00). Nicole’s going to Dublin, come see her in person at ShipItCon - https://ti.to/shipitcon/shipitcon-2022 See Brian debate the Metaverse at North 51 - https:/...
Apr 24, 2022•38 min
This week we have a very special guest. Alonzo joins us to talk about Piper Alpha. A deep sea oil rig (5:35) exploded and sank over the course of 80 minutes (7:50). There were alot of failures that led to the explosion (28:00), some of which we may still be learning. Check out our new Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Alonzo’s LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/geomatics1/ Ni...
Apr 10, 2022•37 min
Engineering News – 2D Polymers (2:00) This week’s engineering failure is the Second Narrows Bridge (5:00). The cantilever bridge (7:50) collapsed during construction (12:30), with an unexpected cause (14:00). Decades later the bridge was renamed the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing (26:30). Check out our new Patreon page for Mini Failure bonus episodes - https://www.patreon.com/failurology Photos/Sources/Summary from this episode - https://www.failurology.ca/ Ways to get in touch Twi...
Mar 27, 2022•29 min
