Hoist Drum FEA

Case Study:  Addressing Cracks in Hoist Drums

Requirements: Our customer reported that cracks were presenting in their double drum hoist and the customer needed to understand what was causing the cracks and if there were options to address the cracks.

We made a site visit to review the hoist, the drum structure, the existing cracks and to take field measurements.  The field measurements were then used to create an accurate 3D model of the drum for a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) load review.

The results of the FEA allowed us to understand how the structure was loaded which in turn helped us to determine how the cracks in the structure developed.  Additional analysis was completed to see if the existing structure with the cracks was suitable for the existing operational loads.  As previous analysis projects have indicated, it is not out of the ordinary for some cracks in the drum to develop.  It is case by case but sometimes the structure wants to crack to relieve itself and once cracked they do not propagate further.

To confirm the results of the FEA, strain gauge testing was completed on the existing drums.  This allowed us to confirm that the results of the FEA were accurate.

From the testing and analysis, a list of recommendations to address the cracks was presented and reported to site.  Recommendations included practical short-term steps to slow the crack propagation and permanent long term solutions to address the problem.

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