Loads and stresses—the real cause of failures in surface mining machinery

Abstract

On large mining machines, most failures are initiated by fatigue. In many failures the material properties are considered satisfactory, and the root cause of the failure lies in the loads, stresses, and high number of cycles. Final failure occurs when the combination of nominal, dynamic, and residual stress exceeds the capacity of the component. Determining all the possible loads and resulting stresses in the component or structure, if necessary by measurement, is fundamental to the failure investigation process. Similarly, engineers designing solutions need to understand the interaction between stresses and material properties in order to achieve successful outcomes.