Fitness-for-Service Assessment and Life Extensions of Meltshop Cranes

High-capacity meltshop cranes exposed to harsh service environments can exhibit damages, such as cracking, toward end of code life. These damages can lead to lost production and potential safety risks. In-depth thermal-structural assessments are commonly used to characterize current condition and remaining life of equipment to develop a fundamental understanding of crane condition, informing future operations. This paper will present the modern approaches and benefits from several structural Fitness-for-Service assessments of high-capacity meltshop cranes. The assessment approach will be discussed considering established design-by-rule specifications (i.e., AIST TR6) with resulting insights, life extension recommendations and benefits to operators presented.

Michael Ross | Hatch Africa (Pty) Ltd.
 

Christopher Long | Hatch Africa (Pty) Ltd.
 

Majid Maleki | Hatch Ltd.
 

Lucio Santos | Gerdau S.A.
 

Chad Van der Woude | Hatch Ltd.
 

Robert Busic | Hatch Ltd.
 

Robert MacCrimmon | Hatch Ltd.
 

Rogerio Castro | Gerdau S.A.
 

Hamid Ghorbani | Hatch Ltd.