Forensic Engineering | Mining
One night on a bagasse stockpile, a wheeled loader caught fire, burning extensively. The fire suppression system did not activate resulting in complete loss of the loader, and the location of the fire prevented normal access to the stockpiles. A major transportation insurer contacted FIELD Engineers, needing a time-critical assessment of how the incident happened.
Being close to the site, FIELD’s forensic engineers quickly attended the scene to gather key data, essential for accurate findings. The extent of damage made identifying the cause difficult, but our engineers made a rapid assessment of fuel, heat and oxygen sources, and identified the ignition point: a high-temperature impeller casing, which showed the most intense damage. They found the most likely cause of the fire was a hydraulic fluid hose, which had failed and sprayed an oil mist on the casing. The fire then spread from this location and damaged the engine bay, cabin and most hydraulic hoses. Inadequacies in fire suppression system contributed to the total loss.
FIELD Engineers were able to investigate and determine the cause of the incident in a short time frame and provide written findings to the insurer. This resulted in minimal downtime for the site and ability to remove the loader before environmental damage occurred. In this case, our expertise in forensic work and knowledge of both the site impacts and insurer needs returned a fast clean-up, cost savings and future prevention from this potentially dangerous incident.
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