Aspec Engineering (ASPEC) was engaged to provide engineering support to a client that was upgrading part of their wharf-based rail infrastructure. By leveraging an automated CAD process, the project engineering was completed on time with no errors.
Mobile cranes are widely used in the engineering industry for the construction and assembly of heavy machinery, infrastructure and other large payloads. ASPEC has developed modelling and calculation tools to easily assess the suitability of cranes early in the design process.
Inspection of industrial structures utilises a condition rating system to track the degradation level of steel and concrete over time, using a 1 to 5 scale rating (pristine to unserviceable). The system allows for a consistent rating from any inspecting engineers. The paper gives background on the condition rating from the inspection system developed by ASPEC’s engineers.
This article describes design considerations for offshore marine bulk loading terminals. A form of construction using prefabricated steel jackets like those used in the offshore industry for drilling platforms is looked at in detail including design and construction requirements for application to large offshore dry bulk materials handling berths.
At many existing bulk material handling facilities, equipment such as stackers, reclaimers and ore car dumpers are nearing the end of their design lives. Owners are faced with the decision on whether to refurbish existing or procure replacement machines. ASPEC’s program called FULS (Fatigue Useful Life Simulation) helps determine when to carry out machine replacement or major refurbishment.
Innovative strategies were required when presented with a variety of challenges for this large scale building foundation design. These include future proofing the foundation design for changes in design loading, as well as implementing efficient constructability solutions due to the challenging site environment.
The design of modular buildings for process plants involves complex loading scenarios that are not covered by Australian Standards, and requires the use of advanced structural analysis tools and techniques. This is illustrated by the case study of a furnace building discussed in this paper.
Marine fendering systems are necessary to absorb the energy of the moving ship as it berths at the wharf and thus protects the supporting wharf structure from damage. Mooring systems hold the vessel securely at the berth. If a ship undergoes excessive movements on its mooring lines, the fenders are required to prevent damage to both the ship and the wharf.
Chutes for loading and unloading conveyors are of critical importance to bulk material handling industries. Although seemingly simple, if a comparatively blasé approach is followed in the design of a chute, there is a high risk that, just as with other – more complex – equipment in a given plant, the chute could become a bottleneck by not efficiently passing material from one system to the next.