Crane runway fatigue prevention and remedy

Well-designed and maintained crane runways ensure efficient crane operation, increase productivity, and guarantee safety. They play a vital role in ensuring operational continuity.

Iv has over 75 years of specialised knowledge in complex movable steel structures and extensive experience in asset management, surveying, and monitoring. This enables us to gain insight into fatigue damage and provide advice on how to continue operations safely. Iv offers a complete package to ensure the optimum performance of crane runways over their entire life.

Crane runway analysis and inspection

Iv has extensive experience in analysing crane runways, both for new construction and renovation projects. The aim is to create a reliable design during the design phase consistent with the required life while extending the service life of cranes and crane runways by designing sophisticated improvement solutions. State-of-the-art computational models are used for this purpose. These models can represent both damaged and intact structures, allowing the remaining service life to be determined. Based on these calculations, improvements are proposed to reduce fatigue damage and ensure safety.

Crane runways become worn and must be inspected regularly according to a fixed inspection protocol. This protocol specifies the frequency and focus of the inspections based on the original calculations of the crane runway. Iv also conducts these inspections and prepares the associated reports.

Wireless monitoring

Sometimes, it is not possible to repair fatigue damage immediately, especially when a crane is in continuous operation. In such cases, the development of the damage is carefully monitored and theoretical knowledge from computational models is used to determine how long it will be safe to work with the damaged crane runway. In collaboration with Villari, Iv offers wireless monitoring of crack growth in steel structures, which helps to plan maintenance and repairs.

We also take time-dependent measurements to see how the crane runway behaves when cranes move along it. These measurements, conducted at various positions, allow for a thorough analysis of the crane runway’s behaviour and can be compared with theoretical computational models, identifying any deviant behaviour.

Crane runway renovation

Renovation or upgrading a crane runway may be necessary for various reasons, such as extending the calculated service life, recurring fatigue damage, or installing new cranes with greater capacity. Iv offers advice on cost-effective renovation solutions whereby optimum use is made of the existing structural capacity. The crane runway is given a new lease of life and extended service life by accurately mapping and adjusting critical fatigue details locally.