Dry bulk materials such as petroleum coke are common export commodities at ports on the Texas Gulf coast. At one port, petroleum coke is loaded onto moored vessels using a radial shiploader operating on a turntable. The primary structure of the shiploader is two structural steel plate girders, which are 11.5 ft (3.5 m) deep and have an overall length of approximately 211 ft (64.3 m). A shuttle and boom assembly moves along rails on the girders to extend and retract the boom during vessel loading. During a rail replacement project in early 2022, corrosion-induced section loss was observed on the top flanges of both girders, raising questions regarding the possibility of increased stresses in the girders and reduced fatigue life. Due to a lack of record documentation on girder demands due to bulk material loading operations, a structural evaluation approach was developed involving instrumentation of the girders to measure the distribution of stress amplitudes and cycles during vessel loading events. The sensor data were compared to structural models and used to calculate the remaining fatigue life of the girders accounting for the measured section loss. The findings enabled the port to continue to use the structure and develop an inspection and maintenance plan to manage the future structural condition of the shiploader.


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    Title :

    Bulk Material Shiploader Structure Inspection and Fatigue Analysis


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    17th Triennial International Conference ; 2025 ; Providence, Rhode Island


    Published in:

    Ports 2025 ; 158-170


    Publication date :

    2025-05-29




    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



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