Optimizing Surface Texturing for YSZ Thermal-Barrier-Coating on Inconel 718 Substrate to Mitigate High Stresses/Strains; The Bluck Stops Here: City Council’s Chief Building Engineer’s Responsibility for the CTV Building Collapse During the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake

My technical project and STS research project share the common goal of understanding and preventing failure. My technical project focuses on the failure prevention of a coating system through understanding failure mechanisms and designing an improved system to curb those mechanisms. By contrast, my STS research project analyzes organizational aspects that contributed to a building collapse to explore the personal responsibility for the failure. All engineering endeavors have technical and human aspects, neither of which can stand alone successfully. My projects analyze how both these aspects may cause failure.

My technical work investigates thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems on engine turbines to improve thermal performance and adhesion properties. These systems are composed of a substrate (the component), bond-coat, and topcoat ceramic layer. My team developed three texture designs to laser ablate onto the bond-coat to (1) improve adhesion between the bond coat and topcoat layers though mechanical interlocking, and to (2) induce controlled dense vertical cracks (DVCs) within the topcoat to relieve stress created by differential thermal expansion during thermal cycling. These three textures were tested in conjunction with control samples mimicking the industry standard. We subject samples to thermal cycling experiments to capture intermediate steps towards failure within the coating systems. We also conducted adhesion testing to find failure loads and locations within the coating systems. These experiments teased out the causes of failure — including a lack of oxide protection, overdevelopment of DVCs, and lack of vertical surface area opposing axial loading — and showed how texture designs worked to curb these mechanisms.

My STS research project also analyses failure — of the CTV building during Christchurch’s 2011 earthquakes. I use the framework of moral responsibility as defined by Ibo Van de Poel and Lambèr Royakkers to investigate accountability for the building collapse using the criteria of responsibility: wrongdoing, causal contribution, foreseeability, and freedom of action. I demonstrate that the Christchurch City Council (CCC), led by Chief Buildings Engineer Bryan Bluck, was grossly negligent in their approval of the building designs in 1986. Based on investigation testimony, I explain how Bluck created a culture of misplaced trust in designers and skipping independent verification, ignored concerns from subordinates, and valued efficiency at the expense of safety regulations. My analysis also explores the role of regulatory agencies in halting the problem of many hands. I find that because City Councils have an independent mandate to serve the safety interests of the people, they have an elevated responsibility in preventing failure.

Working on both projects deepened my appreciation for careful testing and verification by responsible parties. Analyzing moral responsibility through my STS research project helped me understand the value of mission clarity and the clear division of tasks. Within my technical project team, and working with industry partners (Rolls Royce, CCAM, and Pulsetex), assigning clear responsibility helped prevent mistakes and keep accountability throughout a complex project. These experiences jointly increased my appreciation for detailed design, systematic testing, and the importance of oversight by responsible parties to thoroughly prevent failure.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering

Technical Advisor: James Fitz-Gerald

STS Advisor: Benjamin Laugelli

Technical Team Members: Iris Boateng, Nicolas Fonseca Alva, Alice Pandaleon, and Christopher Recupero