Fastener upgrade eliminates crane fatigue
A
James Walker Rotabolt product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jun 25, 2007
When EMO dry bulk terminal in Rotterdam to experience fatigue issues on the bolts of its crane grab jaws, it asked RotaBolt to investigate.
EMO dry bulk terminal in Rotterdam, the largest in Europe, has introduced RotaBolt tension control systems on its massive crane grab jaws - the largest in the world.
Each grab has a capacity of over 80 tonnes.
It has also applied tension control technology to a number of other key operations, as part of a process of continual improvement in maintenance and safety regimes.
The site has four cranes used for the bulk unloading and storage of iron ore and coal.
There are a total of 30 grab jaws, each operating on a scissor mechanism, held together by twenty M64 or M72 bolts.
The cranes operate 24 hours a day, moving 35 million tons annually.
Their operational efficiency and safety is central to the terminal's success.
RotaBolt's tension control systems were first introduced at the terminal on the slew rings of the site's stacker reclaimers, which operate a continual conveyor of buckets to transfer coal and ore.
Success in achieving joint integrity on the slew rings then led to further applications on EMO's crane bridges, gear boxes and drive mechanisms.
So, when the company began to experience fatigue issues on the bolts of its crane grab jaws, it asked RotaBolt to investigate.
It was soon established that the traditional bolting and tightening methods being applied were insufficient to achieve the necessary tension across the 20 bolts on each grab jaw, leading to the occasional fatigue failure.
Each time a failure occurred, the grab jaw had to be transported by boat for repair, which led to high repair costs and reduced availability of spare grab jaws for production.
With tension control identified as the solution to the problem, EMO authorised the fitting of RotaBolts to all of its crane grab jaws.
Since RotaBolts have been fitted, there have been no interruptions to production because of fatigue failures, bringing EMO substantial savings through improved production efficiencies and reduced maintenance costs.
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