Importance of Airfield FOD Sweepers
On airfields, FOD poses a significant safety risk to aircraft and personnel. Below, we discuss what FOD is, how to prevent it, and what types of FOD sweepers are available. Keeping airfields clean is critical to maintaining a safe environment for employees and travellers at airports. Bluestreak’s Airfield FOD Magnetic and Friction Sweepers make cleaning easy.
What is FOD?
FOD is an acronym for foreign object debris. The Federal Aviation Administration defines it in advisory circular 150/5210-24, Airport Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Management as any object—living or not—located in an inappropriate location with a possibility of damaging aircraft or injuring personnel. Due to the health and safety risk FOD poses, it is essential to keep it in check.
Best Ways to Prevent FOD
There are many ways to prevent FOD accumulation in airports. Some of the most recommended include:
- Replacing/Repairing Worn Out or Damaged Equipment. The presence of damaged or worn equipment increases the risk of materials or parts breaking off, being left behind, and collecting in and around various areas of the airfield. Replacing or repairing at-risk equipment reduces the likelihood of FOD accumulating in the first place and potentially causing damage to equipment or injury to personnel.
- Keeping Parts and Tools in Check. FOD encompasses more than scrap or waste material. It also includes functional parts and products that are somewhere they should not be. Keeping tools and machine parts in check during repair operations ensures they are not left behind after the work they are used in is completed.
- Using FOD Sweeping Equipment. While replacing/repairing worn out and damaged equipment and keeping parts/tools in check can decrease the amount of FOD that accumulates within an airfield, eliminating airport FOD is near-impossible. For this reason, many airports invest in FOD sweeping equipment to collect any FOD that slips through the cracks. However, it is important to ensure enough equipment is available to cover all the critical areas in the airfield.
Types of Airfield FOD Sweepers
There are three main types of sweepers used to clear FOD from runways and other airport areas:
Magnetic FOD Sweepers
Magnetic FOD sweepers are characterized by their relatively simple operation and low operating costs. Rather than utilizing motors or other complex machinery, they rely on external vehicles to move them to and across different areas of the airport. They are available in numerous designs and configurations to suit different applications. Optional design elements include larger magnets for quicker and more effective removal, onboard storage bins for easier collection and disposal of metal debris, and varying sweeping widths to suit different cleaning area sizes. These FOD magnets can be pushed by hand, mounted under vehicles, mounted on the front of trucks, or most commonly, towed behind vehicles. Magnetic FOD sweepers are essential for cleaning up any ferrous materials that may be in any area of an airfield.
Airport FOD Magnets
Friction FOD Sweepers
Friction FOD sweepers utilize the movement of a vehicle towing a trailer to draw nonferrous FOD off the ground and into storage bins or areas. A friction FOD sweeper fills in the gaps where magnetic FOD sweepers won’t be effective. While metal debris is hazardous, non-metallic debris can also cause major problems. Friction FOD sweepers are great for getting small stones, stainless steel parts, aluminum parts, zip ties, and anything else that may have been dropped, off airfields and into the garbage where it should be. Combining a tow behind magnet trailer FOD sweeper and a friction based FOD sweeper can keep areas perfectly clear of FOD for optimal safety on an airfield.
Vacuum Truck FOD Sweepers
As suggested by the name, vacuum truck sweepers use truck-mounted vacuum equipment to remove debris. Compared to other FOD sweeper options, they have lower maneuverability and higher purchasing and operating costs. However, they are highly efficient at cleaning FOD from larger areas and more comfortable for extended FOD sweeping operations (8+ hours). Vacuum truck sweepers can also be outfitted with airport FOD magnets. Generally, these use hanging type magnets, and they’re offered with quick clean-off features, different levels of magnet strength, and wheeled or non-wheeled magnets.
Keep it Clean Keep it Safe
Airfield FOD sweepers play a critical role in keeping runways and other areas of airports safe for aircraft and personnel. If you need airfield FOD cleaning solutions to keep FOD under control, Bluestreak has got you covered.
Combined Magnetic and Friction Sweeping, Seeker FOD Management System
Our magnetic and friction FOD sweepers allow for faster and effective control of airport FOD. Bluestreak Airfield FOD sweepers can be utilised to clean any area of an airfield. Ranging from large tow behind and front mounted magnets to clean runways and aprons, to smaller trailers and hanging magnets that are easy to get into tight spaces to clean around gates. Friction Based FOD Sweepers can clean nonferrous FOD from around aprons, gates and runways as well to ensure a perfectly clean and safe area for travellers and employees.
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