Industry

Heavy lifting / Industrial handling

Country

Germany

Software

ANSYS Mechanical · IIW Recommendations 2016

Duration

4 weeks

Weld fatigue assessment for lifting component — 20-year service life

The situation

A manufacturer of custom lifting components produced a heavy lifting yoke for a demanding industrial application. The component had been designed and load-rated for its intended capacity, but the site operator and the insurer both required formal fatigue life documentation before the yoke could be placed into service. Without a weld fatigue assessment conducted to a recognised standard, the component could not leave the manufacturer’s facility. The target service life was 20 years at rated capacity.

What GFE did

GFE performed structural FEM of the lifting yoke using the IIW hot-spot stress method per IIW Recommendations 2016. All critical weld details were identified and assigned fatigue classes based on their geometry and loading direction. Fatigue life was calculated at rated capacity for each weld detail, and the governing detail was confirmed to meet the 20-year target. An inspection interval schedule was produced for the site operator based on the fatigue calculation results. The documentation was submitted to the insurer and accepted without requests for additional information.

Results

20-year life

validated at rated load

IIW hot-spot

all welds assessed

Inspection

scheduled for operator

Insurance

accepted without revision

Without this calculation the component would have stayed in storage. Now it is in service.

Why GFE for FEM and strength analysis

GFE works in ANSYS, Dlubal RFEM, SolidWorks Simulation, and LS-DYNA — matched to the analysis type and client environment.

GFE has resolved field failures where standard corrective measures had already been exhausted — identified through simulation.

Analysis reports are structured for CE technical files, insurance submissions, and TÜV review — not internal calculation notes.

All team members are fluent in English, with additional language skills in German, Italian, Spanish, and more.

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Phone: +48 798 763 604

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Our customers

Our company produces safety-relevant welding assemblies for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry.

Due to the fact that it has become increasingly difficult to find good engineers and designers for our design department at our location in rural Münsterland, we set out at the end of 2018 to look for new external solutions in the service market.

 

Christian Menke

CEO V. KRANZ GmbH, Dülmen

I really appreciate GFE’s flexibility and openness for new challenges. They are not afraid to start a new journey.
If I think about the external circumstances of the project we started together, we reached a learning curve and relating results that I did personally not expect.

Daniel Ilge

Head of Technology & Product Management at WALDRICH COBURG GmbH

We required additional capacity and professional support for our R&D Team especially for a new product development.

And GFE Solutions offers capable support by very well-educated engineers. High professionalism. On time delivery and great communication (native German speakers).

Frank Pfister

CEO of CVS engineering GmbH

We are the company in constant need for plants for research or pilot projects of our clients. Last year we were working over the order in the field of medical technologies, which we succeeded to realize, including thanks to efforts of GFE Solutions team.

Dr. Thomas Bauer

Chief operating officer and member of the Board of DIENES Apparatebau GmbH

We were in need of help with our design department ressources and we had to move fast, internal ressources were not available and GFE was able to help quickly and competent. GFE works with dedication to the very needs of its customers, has a variety of specialists and has offered a fair price on a transparent basis.

Sebastian Schuelke

Managing Director at SICON GmbH

We were looking for additional engineers to expand our construction capacity. You seemed to be a young, motivated Team and except your professional expertise, your personal commitment made me confident to work with you. The cooperation has been seamless and very productive from the start. We are happy with the results.

Lukas Jochimek

Technical Manager at Schauenburg Maschinen- und Anlagen-Bau GmbH

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