Non-destructive testing of welded fatigue specimens of a bucket wheel excavator
A Maropoulos3, S Papanikolaou1, 2, D Fasnakis1, D Giagopoulos1, S Maropoulos2 and T Theodoulidis1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Western Macedonia, Kozani, Greece
2Department of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design, Technological Institute of West Macedonia, Kozani, Greece
3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Non-destructive tests were conducted in welded fatigue specimens prepared using the same steel material and welding method as the one used in the manufacture and repair procedures of a KRUPP SchRs 600 bucket wheel excavator to reveal any defects present. The chemical composition, the mechanical properties, the tendency to cracks and the microstructure of the bucket wheel material were determined using appropriate tests.
The initiation of cracks and their subsequent growth during fatigue testing of the welded specimens was studied using ultrasound testing (UT) and a metallographic examination in order to investigate the causes of failure during service and predict fatigue life of the bucket wheel welded parts. It was found that the welding method used produces welds with numerous discontinuities that can only be detected using ultrasound techniques.
Keywords: bucket wheel, welding, fatigue, non-destructive testing.
The initiation of cracks and their subsequent growth during fatigue testing of the welded specimens was studied using ultrasound testing (UT) and a metallographic examination in order to investigate the causes of failure during service and predict fatigue life of the bucket wheel welded parts. It was found that the welding method used produces welds with numerous discontinuities that can only be detected using ultrasound techniques.
Keywords: bucket wheel, welding, fatigue, non-destructive testing.
