Fatigue assessment of a cast component for a timber crane

The fatigue life assessment of a cast slewing system base which is one of the primary load carrying components in log loaders is described. Field measurements were conducted and strain histograms were produced to quantify the required fatigue strength for the next generation of components made of a new material and with larger payload capacities. Finite element analyses of the cast base subjected to the measured external loads provided vital information on the stress and strain distributions for subsequent fatigue life assessment and allowed alternate designs to be simulated rapidly. Recommendations on the geometry of the new component could be made early in the product design cycle when these design integrated approaches were incorporated.