Estudo de fadiga da estrutura principal de um transportador de sucatas

Abstract

Equipment and structures subjected to dynamic loads are subject to fatigue failures, so it is important to apply studies to identify critical regions and identify fatigue life. The application of analyzes during the operation of the equipment brings advantages for studies of modification and improvements, as well as helping in the failure analysis of any cracks that are identified. Additionally, the results of the analyzes can help in the elaboration of inspection plans, which will be optimized and focused on the regions with the highest probability of occurrence of cracks. The application of the study in the design phase can bring even greater advantages, since modifications of the geometry can be applied in advance, in the selected joint detail, in the support and fixation points of components or in the manufacturing methods so to increase component life. In this context, this work presents the analysis of mechanical strength of the main structure of a scrap conveyor, used in the feeding of an electric arc furnace of a large steel mill. Numerical-experimental studies were carried out, with the elaboration of a computational model in finite elements and experimental stress analysis, to identify the stress cycles acting on the structure. Cycles counting was performed by the rainflow method and the linear methodology was applied to calculate the cumulative damage to identify the useful life for the most critical points of the structure. It is concluded that the life of the structure is less than the design objective, requiring improvement studies in order to increase the useful life.