Farm Equipment / Combine Fire Investigations Farm Equipment Fires, NAMIC.… · Newer Implements...
Transcript of Farm Equipment / Combine Fire Investigations Farm Equipment Fires, NAMIC.… · Newer Implements...
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Farm Equipment / CombineFire InvestigationsAugust 25, 2017
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Goals of this program
• Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires.
• Implement Identification.
• Reasons Farm Implements Burn
• Common ignition sources for farm equipment fires.
• Questions that need to be asked of the owner/operator.
• Helpful Websites for Implement Related Research
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Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires?
Economics
Cost of big ticket items that we use everyday…
• Median Home Price of a single family dwelling in the UntiedStates in January 2017: $189,000
• Contents Coverage for that home Average: $142,000
• Total Fire Loss of Median Priced Home: $331,000
• Average cost of brand new Pickup truck: $43,000.00
• Average Cost of brand new passenger car: $32,000.00
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Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires
9RX Series Tractor$510,000
$140,000 for 12-row Corn HeadNew “T” series Harvester$402,759
CP690 Cotton Picker$900,118
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Why Investigate Farm Equipment Fires
CHN Row Crop Tractor$300,000
Case AF-9240 Harvester$503,000
Case Module Express$1,100,000
Case Grain Platform$80,000
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Implement Identification
Over the Road Vehicles Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
Marine Craft Hull Identification Number (HIN)
Heavy Equipment /Farm Implements Product Identification Number (PIN)
Heavy Equipment also have several other identification numbers:
Engine Serial Number ESN
Component Identification Number CIN
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Product Identification Numbers
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How Does A Combine Do what itsSupposed to Do… Harvest a Varity ofCrops in a single Process?
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How does a combine work
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Implement ControlsNewer Implements are fully computerized:
• Advanced Farming Systems Controls every aspect of the unit via a touchpad controller in the Operator’s
compartment
This Technology first became available around 2011
Farmers began to really use this technology around 2015
Ability to transfer the machines diagnostics and all of its operationaldata to a remote computer in real time
• This a Subscription Service
• Auto-Guidance/GPS controlled
• Can adjust platforms, separator sizes, speeds, and type of cropfrom computer.
• Real time crop yield and moisture monitoring
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Combines are not designed to catch fire
but are designed to burn
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Why They Burn…Tremendous Fuel Load.
• Crop Chaff / Debris– Crop debris Build up throughout machine
• Combines are manufactured with Combustible Materials– Majority of the outside skin is plastic
– Most Fuel Tanks are plastic
• Hundreds of gallons of Ignitable liquids are on board• Fuel, tank has around 300 gallon capacity
• Hydraulic Fluid
• Engine oil
• Transmission / Gear case oil
• Coolant
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Why They Catch Fire…What is the competent ignition source?
• Hot Surface Ignition• Bearing Failures
• Engine Surfaces
• Misaligned drive components
• Exhaust System
• Ignitable liquid line failures
• Crop debris comes into contact with a hot component
• Electrical Failures
• Non Electrical Sparks
• Picking up and ingesting Foreign Material into the separator
• Frictional Heating
• Catastrophic Mechanical Failure
• Human Action (Incendiary)
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Maintenance of the Machine
• Farm equipment is operated in a very dry and hostileenvironment.
• Crop debris accumulates on the parts of the implementsduring normal operation and MUST be cleaned regularly.
• Combines are specialized equipment that is only used a fewweeks out of the entire year. They are parked the rest of thetime
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Examples of Poor
Housekeeping Practices
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Rodent Nest Fires
• Usually occur after unit stored for extendedtime.
• Operator just gets in and goes, with noinspection of the engine compartment.
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Rodent Nest Fires
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Evidence of excessive crop chaff accumulation
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Evidence of excessive crop chaff accumulation
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Evidence of Charred debris, build up of Crop Chaff
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Burning debris causing spot fires
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Crop Debris Accumulationas a result of an Oil Leak
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ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE
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ENGINE / FUEL TANK LOCATION
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Burning debris falling on top of the fuel tank
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Burning debris falling on top of the fuel tank
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Engine compartment / fuel tank fire
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SeparatorCompartment
Fires
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Improper Maintenance
• Over Lubrication of the Bearings– Old style bearings were open and designed to have grease pumped
into them until it came out of the bearing housing
– Most of todays Bearings are sealed and designed to go for hundredsof hours between lubrication or replacement
– Sealed Bearings are designed to keep crop debris out of the bearingraces and keepers
– If over lubricated, the seal of the bearing jacket is broken and allowscrop debris to impregnate the bearing, leading to bearing failure.
– If bearings or races can be recovered, examine the metal for cropdebris contamination
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Lightning Strike
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Foreign Material Ingestion into Separator
• Often occur when operator has to run the platform againstthe ground or with the auto-leveler.
• Rock Catchers need to cleaned daily. If rock catcher is full, itallows rocks or other foreign material to enter the separator.
• This is typically a very loud event… Did the operator hearanything before the fire?
• May sound like a shot gun going off in the operator’scompartment.
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Rock Catcher from Combine Full of Debris
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Rock Ingestion Damage to Combine
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Debris (Rock) located in the field
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The Scene Examination
• Obtain the GPS Coordinates of loss site.
• Walk the field behind the implement to look for parts thatmay have fallen off or burnt areas away from the unit thatcould give you a side to start with.
• Use Metal Detector to look for metal bearings / componentsthat may have broken off the unit before fire discovered.
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Questions that need to be asked…
• Any alarms or warnings sounding prior to the fire?
• Any unusual Sounds/vibration?
• What was the weather at the time of the fire?– Winds, Humidify, Temperatures, Dew point…
• What was crop moisture at the time of the fire?
• Where was the first place the fire was discovered?
• When was the last time the machine was cleaned?– How? By Who?
• How long had the unit been operated the day of the fire?
• How many operation hours on the machine this season?
• How Many hours on the engine / Separator?
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Questions that need to be asked….
• Any maintenance or major repairs done on the machine thisseason?
• Where is the implement stored in the off season?
• What was the field condition at the time of the fire?
• How high was the platform off the ground?
• How fast was the unit being operated?
• DID ANYONE TAKE PICTURES/VIDEOS OF THE FIRE AFTER ITWAS DISCOVERED?
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Implement Websites
• http://www.ritchiespecs.com
• http://www.thecombineforum.com
• www.deere.com
• www.caseih.com
• http://www.tractorbynet.com
• www.tractordata.com (Great for getting Specs on the unit.)
• Type MFG, Make, and Model in Search Engine
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Michael Ling, IAAI-CFI, (V), CFEIFire Investigator Team LeadCellphone: 515-450-2342Thank you | Questions