Crane Failure, Hook Failure, Wire rope failure

Crane Failure | Hook Failure | Wire Rope Failure

Lifting Equipment Failures

Lifting equipment like cranes, fork lift trucks, elevators, hydraulic platforms, heavy earth moving machines are an integral part of many industrial segments. Breakdown of any of these can seriously jeopardize the progress of a project and project workers. Sudden failure of these equipment can lead to fatal accidents or property damage. Failure of shafts, gears, sheaves, wire ropes, and hooks fail generally take place by wear, fatigue, corrosion and overload. ITS perosnel has the experience and expertise in performing independent failure analysis of such cases for technical as well as legal/ insurance purposes.

Typical protocol to such failure analysis may include:

  • Analysis of the material of construction and processing of the material heat treatment.
  • Process by which equipment was made i.e. forging , casting etc.
  • Study of component history
  • Visual examination/ fractography
  • Dimensional measurements
  • Microscopic examination of material samples
  • Mechanical Tests
  • Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (EDS)

Based on all observations and analysis, the client is provided with the detailed report that is conclusive, accurate and well illustrated for technical and non technical readers.

Some of the lifting equipment failures conducted in the recently include:

  • Failure of a four- high parking lift wire rope that failed by fatigue
  • A pull down gym machine rope that failed by corrosion
  • A boom heel of an excavator broken due to a sub-standard weld.


Crane Failure, Hook Failure, Wire rope failure

A wire rope that failed prematurely by fatigue.