Data-driven approach to structural analysis of shaft steelwork under corrosion

Abstract

Considering the importance of shaft steelworks for the continuity of mining and personnel safety, they are subject to regular and demanding maintenance inspections and corroded member replacements. However, design procedures disregard many important factors because of the lack of accurate structural analysis models for shaft steelwork constructions and operational conditions. Thus, common industrial practices of overdesigning and corroded member replacement lack objective design criteria, while the available maintenance monitoring data are highly underutilized. In this study, the actual load effects and structural resistance of shaft guide tracks were investigated by conducting field and laboratory tests on the guiding forces, carrying capacity, connection stiffness, and corrosion loss. The findings were augmented using finite element and surrogate model simulations and stochastic modeling. The proposed methodology incorporates guiding forces and corrosion-loss maintenance data and offers an innovative solution for shaft-guide structural analysis, reflecting the semi-rigid connections, actual position of the force application point, dynamic amplification effect, local buckling, material strength uncertainty, and random corrosion loss. This novel methodology is consistent with sustainable engineering principles and provides a foundation for modern reliability analysis of shaft steelwork.