BlueScope Steel (Port Kembla, New South Wales, Australia)
BlueScope Steel required thermal-structural assessment of a proposed base design modification for a 300 t steel transfer ladle. The existing ladles were subjected to repeated fatigue cracking and were to be modified with a new base design to alleviate base stiffener stress concentrations and to extend service life.
What we did:
- Performed thermal-structural FEA of revised ladle design incorporating existing ladle shell and trunnions, new base assembly and refractory and considering liquid steel (ferro-static) pressure loads with varying boundary conditions (representing different operating states).
- Completed ladle base design review in accordance with standard AISE No. 9 to validate proposed ladle design revisions and confirm design compliance.
Outcome:
Avesta Consulting verified structural integrity of the revised ladle base design and confirmed design compliance of the proposed ladle design revisions with standard AISE No. 9 requirements.
