Warehouse Racking Collapses – Cause and Origin Investigation
There are a number of different factors that could result in a racking collapse. The cause might not be a single factor, but can be a number of combined factors which ultimately weaken the structure to a point where it collapses.
Self-Heating of Rags Soaked in Drying Oil; How Long Until They Can Ignite?
Hawkins has investigated numerous fires where the most probable cause has been the self-heating of rags, cloths or other similar materials that were impregnated with drying oils, such as linseed oil.
The Cost of Stress Corrosion Cracking
Broad estimates put the cost of corrosion to 1 to 4 % of GNP in the USA. Whilst an accurate figure would be elusive to even the most rigorous rational, it is fair to say that repairing the consequences of corrosion is a costly business. Brass and austenitic stainless steel are widely used in engineering applications to convey liquids, such as water, or for pressurised applications, such as heat exchangers, steam generating equipment and pipework. As such, stress corrosion cracking can result in catastrophic, and costly, failures of this equipment.
Losses In Power Generation Equipment – Seeing Past the Smoke & Mirrors
The power generation market is complex and frequently changing. There is a wide variety of generating assets ranging from very traditional (steam turbines powered by burning coal), similar turbines powered by nuclear reactors, gas turbines that directly drive generators and may also provide their waste heat to boilers (to drive a steam turbine), reciprocating (piston) engines, hydro turbines, through to more recent (and immature) technologies such as wind turbines and solar (usually in the form of photovoltaics, known as ‘PV’ or ‘solar panels’).
Event Data Recorders in Passenger Vehicles
An Event Data Recorder or EDR is a function or device installed in a vehicle that records technical vehicle and occupant information for a brief period of time (seconds, not minutes) before, during and after a collision, for the purpose of monitoring and assessing vehicle safety system performance.