THE PROBLEM
Many large-scale industrial processes require scheduled
maintenance and repairs. Industrial repair is costly and can often
be dangerous due to environmental hazards such as height. The
application of modern computational methods such as Finite
Element Analysis can reduce the costs and dangers of scheduled
maintenance. United States Steel Corporation (U. S. Steel) has
asked CIVS to apply these methods to an essential piece of
equipment: an overhead charging crane. By using numerical
analysis, future inspections can be made safer and more efficient.
This research was partially supported by U.S. Department of Energy Grant DE-NA000741 under the administration of the National Nuclear Security Administration.
THE PROJECT Using drawings provided by U. S. Steel, 3D models of the crane assembly were created. Additional models were created by including the damage discovered and repaired during previous inspections, such as cracking. By applying real-world conditions to the numerical model, the distribution of stresses throughout the equipment could be observed. With these results, the life of the equipment was calculated using Fatigue Analysis Life Prediction methods. The Fatigue Analysis uses knowledge of material properties, how frequent the stresses are applied, and the magnitude of the stresses to determine the remaining life of the equipment. The model was validated by comparing the results of the undamaged model with the known damage from future cases.
Methodology for Equipment Longevity
Extrapolation Based on Finite Element Analysis
THE OUTCOME This project allowed for the isolation of key areas within the entire crane assembly, all of which featured high stress concentration or low predicted life. A Virtual Reality visualization of the simulations was used by U. S. Steel to provide a more intuitive understanding of the simulation results and location of the key areas. The project allowed U. S. Steel to improve the efficiency and safety of future inspections and
to determine the necessity of the redesign of specific parts of the crane assembly. The methodology developed during this project can now be applied to other equipment at any U. S. Steel facility. The project provided direct economic impact through annual cost avoidances for recurring structural repairs, downtime and lost production.
Fig.2. Simulation results showing distribution of stress.
CENTER FOR INNOVATION THROUGH VISUALIZATION AND SIMULATION
Purdue University Calumet 2200 169th Street, Hammond, IN 46323
219-989-2765
Fig.1. View of overhead crane from below.
www.purduecal.edu/civs [email protected]
Fig.3. Integration of cracking and comparison of
resulting stress distribution.
Sponsor: United States Steel Corporation
Industrial Collaborator: George Cingle III, Director-
Engineering Project Development
Students: Nick Walla, Phil Mann
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