Antone Fatigue Investigation and Development of Structural Maintenance Program

This barge-mounted Liebherr 998 hydraulic excavator experienced significant fatigue cracking during normal operations.

Liftech provided the following engineering services to mitigate the failure problem:

  1. Reviewed the existing structural details and then monitored the manufacturer’s modification of unacceptable fatigue details.
  2. Developed a testing program to determine the magnitude of the problem.
  3. Developed a structural maintenance program that included inspection and repair guidelines as well as a permanent monitoring system to track the fatigue damage occurring within the structure.

The Dutra Group
San Rafael, California, USA