Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fatigue life prediction of planet carrier in slewing reducer for tower crane based on model validation and field test

  • Regular Paper
  • Published:
International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Tower cranes are used to handle heavy weights, and are typically operated at considerable heights; their slewing reducer has to support both the variable wind loads at those heights and the load resulting from inertia of the system. The analysis of such transmitted loads is extremely important in crane design, to estimate the life expectancy of the slewing reducers. If the input load was measured, the load applied to the carrier of the slewing reducer could be analyzed, its weak parts determined, and the cumulative damage rate calculated; the expected life of the carrier could then be predicted more accurately. Therefore, this study estimated the fatigue life of the reducer’s carrier, using the input load measured during normal operating conditions of the tower crane. The analysis model of the slewing reducer was verified with a static load test, and the stress profile applied to the carrier was calculated using the peak-valley load extracted from the measured input; the verified slewing reducer analysis model, the rain-flow counting method, and Miner’s rule were then used to estimate the expected life of the carrier. As a result, the rates of cumulative damage of the two weakest spots were estimated to be 22.63% and 44.95%.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

Ug :

Maximum interference fit

DP, max :

Pin maximum dimensions

DC, min :

Carrier minimum dimensions

Uk :

Minimum interference fit

DP, min :

Pin minimum dimensions

DC, max :

Carrier maximum dimensions

U:

Maximum or minimum interference fit

Uw :

Interference fit considering surface roughness

RzA :

Averaged roughness depth of carrier pin-hole

RzI :

Averaged roughness depth of pin

SF:

Safety factor

YS:

Yield strength of material

ST:

Calculated von-Mises stress

Seq :

Equivalent stress amplitude

Sa :

Stress amplitude

Sm :

Mean stress

Su :

Tensile stress

Ni :

Target life

Nf :

Life with respect to S-N curve

References

  1. Cho, S.-J., Han, J.-W., Park, Y.-J., and Lee, G.-H., “Structural Analysis of a Planetary Gear Carrier in the Slewing Reducer for Tower Crane,” Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers, Vol. 13, No. 5, pp. 1–7, 2014. (in Korean)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Cho, S.-J., Park, Y.-J., Han, J.-W., and Lee, G.-H., “Fatigue Life Prediction of the Carrier of Slewing Reducer for Tower Crane,” Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Process Engineers, Vol. 14, No. 3, pp. 131–140, 2015. (in Korean)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Patel, M. M., Joshi, M. N. B., Patel, M. M., and Joshi, N. B., “Design and Fatigue Analysis of Epicyclic Gearbox Carrier,” International Journal for Innovative Research in Science & Technology, Vol. 1, No. 12, pp. 329–333.

  4. Heege, A., Betran, J., and Radovcic, Y., “Fatigue Load Computation of Wind Turbine Gearboxes by Coupled Finite Element, Multi-Body System and Aerodynamic Analysis,” Wind Energy, Vol. 10, No. 5, pp. 395–413, 2007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hao, D. and Wang, D., “Finite-Element Modeling of the Failure of Interference-Fit Planet Carrier and Shaft Assembly,” Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 33, pp. 184–196, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Nigam, A. and Jain, S., “Modelling and Structural Analysis of Planetary Geared Winch,” International Journal of Science and Research, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 330–333, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Xing, Y. and Moan, T., “Multi-Body Modelling and Analysis of a Planet Carrier in a Wind Turbine Gearbox,” Wind Energy, Vol. 16, No. 7, pp. 1067–1089, 2013.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, “System of Limits and Fits,” KS B 0401, 2014.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Deutsches Institüt fur Normung, “Interference Fits-Calculation and Design Rules,” DIN 7190, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Wind Energy Committee and Germanischer Lloyd, “Guideline for the Certification of Wind Turbines,” 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Romax Technology Ltd., “RomaxDesigner Software Manual,” 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  12. ANSYS, Inc., “Workbench User's Guide,” 2013.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biosystems and Biometerials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea

    Young-Jun Park

  2. Research Institute for Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 08826, South Korea

    Young-Jun Park & Seung-Je Cho

  3. Department of System Reliability, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, 156, Gajeongbuk-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34103, South Korea

    Jeong-Woo Han

  4. Upland-field Machinery Research Center, Kyungpook National University, 80, Daehak-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu, 41566, South Korea

    Sung-Bo Shim

Authors
  1. Young-Jun Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seung-Je Cho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jeong-Woo Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Sung-Bo Shim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sung-Bo Shim.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Park, YJ., Cho, SJ., Han, JW. et al. Fatigue life prediction of planet carrier in slewing reducer for tower crane based on model validation and field test. Int. J. Precis. Eng. Manuf. 18, 435–444 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-017-0052-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12541-017-0052-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation