K&R Fabrications (South32 Illawarra Coal – Illawarra, New South Wales, Australia)
K&R Fabrications required structural assessment and design verification of an LHD bucket for an underground mining application (South32 Illawarra Coal). Structural analysis and fatigue assessment of the LHD bucket was required in accordance with standard AS 4100 to verify design compliance considering permanent, imposed (bulk material) and QDS attachment/forklift lifting loads as per standard AS/NZS 1170.0 and design parameters provided by K&R Fabrications.
What we did:
- Performed structural FEA of LHD bucket considering applied permanent and imposed (bulk material) loads applying RAS and forklift lifting boundary conditions.
- Determined peak stresses, verified strength and calculated fatigue life in accordance with standard AS 4100 (applying FEA fatigue assessment practices from standard BS 7608).
- Implemented appropriate design modifications (i.e. stiffeners) to achieve minimum service life requirements.
Outcome:
Avesta Consulting verified strength and fatigue life of the LHD bucket design and determined appropriate design modifications to achieve minimum service life requirements.
