MAD3 Engineering (formerly Deacon Engineers) measured and assessed the remaining life of the slewing gear ring segments and explored the potential of replacing individual segments of the ring.
Scope of Work
Site Visit
- 2 Engineers attended in March 2021, and again in December 2024
- Visually assessed and documented the condition and wear profile of a range of slew gear segments
- Segments assigned into categories based on wear severity and individual teeth marked and documented to allow traceability
- Marked gear teeth measured both manually, and with 3D scanning technology to determine their profile
- This with 3D scanning enabled us to track wear inconsistencies along with the overall concentricity and evaluate out-of-round variances accelerating the observed wear.
Remaining Life Assessment
- Analysis and determine the remaining life based on the category system of wear severity.
Segment Replacement Investigation
- Evaluate the feasibility of replacing individual sections and the transition between old and new segments.
Project Challenges
- The scan needed to be conducted during a shutdown within a limited time frame
- Very limited space for the scan, and a high degree of accuracy required to capture the slew gear wear.
How We Managed This
- MAD3 was responsive and able to get a scanning technician to site in the required timeframe
- A specialized handheld scanner was selected to ensure an accurate scan could be conducted within the limited space around the slew gear.
Value Engineering
Using the obtained measurements and scan data, MAD3 was able to show that the ring gear was incorrectly manufactured, but the wear was even, and that all the slew gear sections were serviceable.
