As container cranes become bigger and faster, new types of fatigue problems emerge. Fatigue cracking of pin plates in equalizer beams has occurred in many cranes, made by different manufacturers, at various locations.
Liftech has been involved in numerous equalizer beam repairs. We have investigated the cause of the fatigue cracking, performed structural analyses, provided modification concepts, assessed the effectiveness of the modifications, and helped develop new equalizer beam designs.
Liftech’s fatigue studies indicate that the modifications and new designs will significantly improve the fatigue performance of the equalizer beams.