Upon inspection of the Arden Clamp grab on site there were various holes that had evident excessive wear. Various brackets had extensive cracks at varying severity. The client requested improvements to the strength and longevity of the brackets. Due to poor current lifespan the grab repair was necessary.
Grab Repair Procedure
To begin with we removed the grab blades, cleaned and rotated the unit around. Both hydraulic cylinders were removed and tested, one was found to be defective and subsequently refurbished by our hydraulics team.
We closed the grab to measure the capabilities of closure with the grab in the closed position, as this was one of the reported issues which was causing heavy product loss on site. Once the clamp was in a satisfactory position the Client was called for authorisation before clamps were welded on to keep the unit in the correct and desired position.
Fabrication
The top half of the grab was then removed using the workshop overhead crane. With this done we were then able to prepare engineering drawings to enable the manufacture of new and improved brackets. New pins were manufactured for all housings and all worn brackets were burnt off and ground back to the shaft.
With the use of a laser level we lined the top of the grab with the new brackets and tack welded into position, the brackets were then welded by a coded Welder. All holes were then bored out to the new pin size and the grab was then reassembled.
Testing the Arden Clamp
With the use of the in house forklift truck and overhead crane we can then test the functionality of the grab, with video footage taken to then be sent to the Client. With the client being ultimately happy with the finished works the grab is then transported back to site.
