Forensic Engineers and Consultants

Blog Posts by: John Phillips

Author John Phillips

Expertise Includes:

  • Aerial Work Platforms
  • Cranes & RIgging
  • Failure Analysis
  • Fires & Explosions
  • Heavy Machinery
  • HVAC Systems
  • Machinery Damage & Assessment
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Forklift Falls off Loading Dock

Author

A forklift fell off the loading dock of a warehouse as it was in the process of entering a semi-trailer that was being loaded.  The forklift fell because the semi-trailer and the connected truck rolled away from the edge of the loading dock as the forklift passed over the dock leveler into the trailer.  The repeated braking forces of the forklift as it carried loads onto the trailer caused the trailer to move away from the loading dock. The semi-trailer wheels were not chocked to prevent movement away from the loading dock. Read More

Crane Pile Driving: Who Owns This Loss?

Author

The boom of a hydraulic crane was bent while removing temporary sheet piles at a construction site.  A vibratory hammer had been placed at the top of the sheet piles to both drive and remove the piles. The vibratory pile driving placed no significant loads on the crane boom, as that operation relied on the weight of the sheet piles and the vibration of the hammer to sink the piles into the soil.  The vibration of the hammer and the lifting force of the crane boom were needed to remove the sheet piles from the soil. Read More

Frozen Tankless Water Heater Losses

Author

Recently, we have seen a number of water damage losses stemming from gas-fired and electric tankless water heaters exposed to freezing temperatures. Tankless hot water heaters have been growing in popularity and use due to their energy savings over traditional water heaters. These units are typically installed on the exterior of a home or business in areas of the country where prolonged freezing or extremely low temperatures are not common. Read More

Improper Piping Installation Leads to Costly Repair

Author

A newly constructed house was flooded when a plumbing pipe ruptured in the attic during unusually cold weather well below the freezing point.  This was a very large house and had been constructed with the most visually appealing and expensive finish materials in the construction industry. Read More

Mobile Crane Ground Support

Author

Mobile cranes depend on stability through their outriggers. These are the four “legs” that are deployed onto soil or other working surfaces adjacent to the crane.  When a mobile crane is set up at a site, the outriggers are deployed by a hydraulic mechanism that extends the four outriggers beyond the crane body and then jack the crane free of its wheels so that it is supported by the outriggers only. Read More

Engineering Determines Cause in Cargo Loss Dispute

Author

Losses can be contentious — especially when two parties believe the other is at fault. In these cases, engineering principles and third-party objectivity can reveal how and why an incident occurred and who bears responsibility.

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Crane Balancing Act

Author

The operation of many cranes is a balancing act — one very similar to the childhood experience of using a playground seesaw. When the equipment isn’t properly balanced, the crane may succumb to the tipping force and fall to one side. Such a tipover is more common in mobile cranes rather than fixed-tower cranes.
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