Dr. Mac Louthan
Consulting Scientist, Savannah River National Laboratory (Retired)
Why Stuff Falls Apart
This humorous, motivational lecture discusses the six fundamental causes of failure of large engineered systems: deficiency in design, improper material selection, defects in materials, improper processing, errors in assembly, and improper service. The discussion demonstrates that these fundamental causes of failures in engineered systems can also be associated with human failures such as divorce, child abuse and managerial ineptitude. The similarities among failures in engineering systems and failures in modern society are also discussed. Frequently, the failures are associated with a compromise of personal ethics and morals brought on by greed and other societal influences.
