Load Testing- From a Repairer’s point of view!
By: Bruce MacPherson Certified Boom Repair Service, Northeast
ASME B30.5-2011 5-2.2.2 guides decision making for Rated Load Testing “…… all cranes in which load-sustaining parts have been altered, replaced or repaired should be load tested by, or under the direction of qualified person.” We all know who a “qualified person” is because the description of a qualified person can be found in the definition section of the code. The question that comes to mind is how does OSHA or ASME define repairs to load-sustaining parts or structural repairs as it relates to load testing requirements?
Consider the following scenarios below. It is your customer and you are aware repairs have been made. How would you proceed?
If a picture frame lattice gets dented when the boom is being assembled and is then replaced in the field, is that a structural repair? Is the lattice a load sustaining part?
Equipment Manager notices a crater crack in an improper weld termination on an outrigger beam; the crack does not seem to be propagating. It is a small deficiency but he decides to repair it; you are doing the inspection. Is a load test required?
3. If (9) of the top lattice in a 20’ boom extension section are replaced because of wire rope wear, is this a structural repair?
4. What about a documented splice in a tubular chord done by a competent repair facility? Load Test?
5. A boom extension swings hard into the stow bracket of the base section of a truck crane causing a dent in the side plate. The deflection gets corrected using hydraulics with no heat applied? Do you load test?
6. Wire rope jumps a sheave at the boom point and saws into the axle shaft. The shaft and the rope get replaced. Is the shaft a load-sustaining part?
7. An operator doing an inspection of his machine finds (6) lattice have corrosion exceeding the OEM Manufacturer’s tolerance limit. There is 180’ of boom in the crane. The corroded lattice are dispersed over the length of the boom. The lattice are replaced. Do you require the owner to do a load test?
A crowd cylinder has leaking seals. The boom is disassembled, extend/ retract cables are inspected, the cylinder gets inspected, resealed and bench tested. The boom is reassembled. The machine is ready to go to work. Has the owner completed repairs to load sustaining components?
If you consider all (8) scenarios and strictly adhere to the Load Testing requirement as described in B30.5-2011, then you must say “YES” to load testing all of the above, BUT really…….are you going to require your customer to load test because he just replaced a Picture Frame lattice? OEM Manufacturers have procedures for lattice replacement. I have not seen an OEM requirement for Load Testing after one lattice has been replaced but it really is a structural repair. How do you feel about the (6) lattice in 180’ of boom, the (9) lattice in a single plane of a 20’ extension, a documented chord splice or the crowd cylinder work? If repairs are completed by an independent firm as opposed to OEM employees or through the OEM’s distributor network, would your Load Testing recommendations be any different?
An inspection with a Load Test is only a “snap shot” of a machine’s serviceability at one point in time. Load Testing after repairs, if done properly, is “cheap Insurance” for Crane Owners, Repairers, Insurance Companies, General Contractors and for any project that employs the machine; however there should be a common sense approach in the decision making process for Load Testing.
When the CCAA was in Baltimore many years ago, I had the opportunity to ask Paul Rossi of OSHA how he or his employer might define structural repair as it relates to Load Testing. His answer was, “We don’t define it. We leave it to the comfort level of the Certifier”. So there you have it…….”The ball is in your court”.
If a picture frame lattice gets dented when the boom is being assembled and is then replaced in the field, is that a structural repair? Is the lattice a load sustaining part?
Equipment Manager notices a crater crack in an improper weld termination on an outrigger beam; the crack does not seem to be propagating. It is a small deficiency but he decides to repair it; you are doing the inspection. Is a load test required?
3. If (9) of the top lattice in a 20’ boom extension section are replaced because of wire rope wear, is this a structural repair?
4. What about a documented splice in a tubular chord done by a competent repair facility? Load Test?
5. A boom extension swings hard into the stow bracket of the base section of a truck crane causing a dent in the side plate. The deflection gets corrected using hydraulics with no heat applied? Do you load test?
6. Wire rope jumps a sheave at the boom point and saws into the axle shaft. The shaft and the rope get replaced. Is the shaft a load-sustaining part?
7. An operator doing an inspection of his machine finds (6) lattice have corrosion exceeding the OEM Manufacturer’s tolerance limit. There is 180’ of boom in the crane. The corroded lattice are dispersed over the length of the boom. The lattice are replaced. Do you require the owner to do a load test?
A crowd cylinder has leaking seals. The boom is disassembled, extend/ retract cables are inspected, the cylinder gets inspected, resealed and bench tested. The boom is reassembled. The machine is ready to go to work. Has the owner completed repairs to load sustaining components?
If you consider all (8) scenarios and strictly adhere to the Load Testing requirement as described in B30.5-2011, then you must say “YES” to load testing all of the above, BUT really…….are you going to require your customer to load test because he just replaced a Picture Frame lattice? OEM Manufacturers have procedures for lattice replacement. I have not seen an OEM requirement for Load Testing after one lattice has been replaced but it really is a structural repair. How do you feel about the (6) lattice in 180’ of boom, the (9) lattice in a single plane of a 20’ extension, a documented chord splice or the crowd cylinder work? If repairs are completed by an independent firm as opposed to OEM employees or through the OEM’s distributor network, would your Load Testing recommendations be any different?
An inspection with a Load Test is only a “snap shot” of a machine’s serviceability at one point in time. Load Testing after repairs, if done properly, is “cheap Insurance” for Crane Owners, Repairers, Insurance Companies, General Contractors and for any project that employs the machine; however there should be a common sense approach in the decision making process for Load Testing.
When the CCAA was in Baltimore many years ago, I had the opportunity to ask Paul Rossi of OSHA how he or his employer might define structural repair as it relates to Load Testing. His answer was, “We don’t define it. We leave it to the comfort level of the Certifier”. So there you have it…….”The ball is in your court”.
