The catastrophic failure in the inclined plane boat lift originated from the fracture of a wheel rim. The analysis points to rolling contact fatigue, a phenomenon that generates subsurface cracks under cyclic loads. To reconstruct the incident, a 3D pipeline was used, combining point cloud data from Leica Cyclone with multibody dynamic simulations in Simpack.
3D Pipeline: from point cloud to dynamic simulation 🛠️
The process began with laser scanning of the structure using Leica Cyclone to obtain an accurate point cloud of the track and wheels. This data was imported into Simpack, where the wheel-rail contact was modeled. Historical operating loads were applied to simulate millions of rolling cycles. The results showed stress concentrations in the contact zone exceeding the material's fatigue limit, replicating the crack pattern observed in the fractured rim.
The rim's gossip: when metal gets tired of rolling 😅
The rim, exhausted from spinning tirelessly, decided to take a permanent vacation. The problem wasn't a sudden impact, but the wheel's insistence on rubbing against the rail as if polishing a diamond. Now, engineers are looking for a metal with more endurance, or at least one that gives a warning before breaking. Meanwhile, the boat lift is on sick leave due to work fatigue.