Case Study: a pair of large public transit operations facilities identify the cause of rooftop busway explosions with Envista Forensics

Two Large Public Transit Operations Facilities resolve two rooftop busway explosions with Envista Forensics

Envista Forensics was engaged by two large public transit operations facilities following separate catastrophic explosions in their newly constructed rooftop electrical busway systems. The facility, part of a major infrastructure initiative for electric bus charging, faced significant power losses and safety risks. The challenge was to determine the root cause of the failures, which involved evaluating whether the issues stemmed from manufacturing defects in the ABB ReliaGear busway, installation practices, environmental exposure, or design conditions.

Envista's forensic engineers conducted a comprehensive investigation, which included site inspections and component examinations. They identified that water intrusion into the busway elbow joints was the root cause, resulting from improperly tightened bolts and inadequate sealing. As a result of Envista Forensics' findings, the project team abandoned the rooftop busway concept entirely in favor of a redesigned power distribution approach. This provided the client with a clear path to restoring reliable and safe electrical infrastructure for their critical operations.