The Effect of Periodic Inspection and Safety Criteria on the Service Life of Steel Construction Conveyors

Abstract

Steel construction structures are seen in many different applications in our country and in the world. However, the periodic maintenance of these steel construction products is explained by national and international laws and regulations. According to the relevant regulation in our country, it is obligatory to carry out periodic inspections of these constructive structures, which are referred to as machinery and equipment, once a year. As in many facilities, it is obvious that these structures are the main elements of the facility and will be used throughout the life of the facility. It is not clear under which conditions these structures, which are generally produced using structural steels and which are connected by welding or bolts, will be examined in the periodic inspections. As a result of the research on the lifetime of general structural steels, it has been proved by many researchers that these structures have an infinite life if they reach the number of million repetitions. However, the life of welding or bolts, which are the connecting elements of the structure, remains uncertain. In this study, accident breaking studies were carried out by detailing the damage due to a tragic accident in a steel construction that has served for about 36 years. By keeping company and personal information confidential, the steel structure and bolt connections of the construction were examined in terms of strength, hardness and microstructure, and the results were detailed.