Aerial Part
A Field Note: Allowing
That There May Be Topics Of Greater Interest To Your
Investigation Of Aerial Part - The Following Is Provided Because There Exists Interaction On Making Lift
Bucket Repairs And Upgrades Within The Reach Of Any
Organization
If case this applies
to your
needs,
we will take you down a
pretty serious and sometimes neglected path
for this type of
overhaul.
(We hope you
find this pertinent, even in your search for
Aerial Part.
No? Then we would ask that you find the most appropriate person in your organization to give this information to.)
First, There is a need to establish the very basic
requirements the for evaluating boom insulators, and what can, in effect, potentially degrade or impede the capability to protect the operator/user/worker. There is a basic but
established specification that must be consulted.
Second, we move to the physical strength of the entire
insulator structure -both upper and lower sections-
since the primary function of the device is to lift
and control aerial loads. Loads that we need to
remember are special human cargo. Specifically, how much
stress and strain they can withstand over time without
breaking down. And the bucket
itself, and how it can be important to maintain a high
level of electrical separation, is still a
large part of the safety equation against personal shock.
It then becomes even more critical that a three-stage [inspection-repair-inspection] process must also
be included. The idea of having a conductive
bucket in situations where power line exposure is a
potential is not wise, and - in fact - that is using a non-conductive personnel enclosure versus a wire or
other metalized platform may be an alternative or at the very
least an alternate choice. There are many cases where
there is no
expectation of actually coming in contact with an
unprotected or exposed electrical
hazard, but this can unintentionally
happen over the course of the use of the
equipment.
Third, a point of common wear, are the
mountings that create
a secure Gibralter-like linkage from the bucket to the boom. There must be a rigorous method of checking
-including monitoring under load- of this important
functional aspect. (Again, if you were brought here by
researching Aerial Part, and this does not apply directly to
your area of responsibility, please pass it
along to the correct person in your organization.)
Looking at the situation , these are some of the
issues:
The requirements for insulating
capabilities of upper booms and lower boom insulators and what affects the performance of those
insulating capabilities in the environments through
which the boom must operate optimally.
The structural strength requirements for
fiberglass upper booms and lower boom insulators .
Sometimes
the final line of defense in preventing electrocution is
the bucket itself. And,
this critical, baseline ability must be checked
during any refurbishment.
Specifications must be
strictly followed for the reliable union of the bucket
to the lifting
boom.
If You Are Already
Thinking About Aerial Part, Now
How About An Effective Evaluation Of Vendor Capabilities
The following questions should be asked
of any company that claims authority for aerial manlift
fiberglass work:
Does the product liability insurance carrier
used by this group know that it is doing repair or
replacement work on aerial manlift components?
For those who
actually do the work, they should have the proper
training and carry the proper certifications. A
notable source for this type of accreditation is known as
the CCT certification of
the American Composites Manufacturing Association.
In addition
to the above, points to also review
include:
Aerial man lifts are a very
specialized subset of the fiberglass products industry.
Are those who are doing the repair specialists
or very familiar with this application?
In addition to maintaining
physical integrity, after a repair has been made, a final
electrical insulation test should be performed to ensure
that the refurbishment process has not also created a potential for dangerous
circuit completion that could effect the operator. (For
situations relating specifically to Aerial Part, a consultation
with those in your organization who purchased your aerial lift products are a
good idea to gain their perspective.)
Further Than Aerial Part: Repair Scenarios And The Right Way
To Deal With Them
Here are some real world situations that occur. They
are instructive because they illustrate the steps a
qualified repair facility would typically undergo in
order to ensure safe and proper repair of the bucket and
boom parts under question. While the situations
they represent may seem a bit one dimensional, by
broadly interpreting them, you can get a grasp of the
best practices of repair.
We have seen
all of these situations come into being.
Sometimes You Have
To Look A Bit Deeper Because ,
There Is Often Not Much That Is Apparent
Your local fiberglass rehab
supplier is contacted. They are sent an
upper boom for surface
refinishing and rehabilitation. Here are the
steps:
1. Start to visually examine the boom for any evidence
of damage. Any such evidence should be compared with
boom damage criteria shown in the OEM manual.
2. If the boom is dirty inside, the shop should
ask permission to pressure wash
the inside. should
then be dielectrically tested to make sure that it is
still dielectrically sound. If there is a dielectric
problem, the boom should be analyzed with a conductivity
meter to identify the problem. If the
analysis reveals a problem, the company should call the
ownerand discuss the steps needed to solve it.
3. If there are no additional problems, the boom
should be cosmetically repaired and refinished as needed.
4. Then, the boom should be dielectrically tested
again and structurally tested -at a load of more than
double its rating. If it passes, the boom should be waxed properly to help
shed water and dirt, to ensure its insulating effect,
and shipped back to the owner. The final phase is
creating some type of secure package in which it is
placed along with certificates showing the results of
the dielectric and structural strength tests.
A Package Arrives
With An Obvious Cause For Concern
The top most section of a telescoping lift arm that has clearly sustained some damage is brought in for evaluation.
1. The cracks should be reviewed using the repair manual guidelines of the manufacturer. It will probably be necessary to sand the
coating off the boom to evaluate the cracks. If the
cracks are judged to be repairable, the repairer
should quote the cost of the repair .
2. If approved, the repair company
should complete the structural repairs using the proper reinforcement and resin, let the repairs cure, then do a structural test on the boom checking for any problems.
3. The boom should then be cosmetically
refinished and dielectrically tested.
Using An Instructive
Example To Illustrate The Dangers Of Proceeding With
Improper Repair And Returning A Component To Full Field
Use
There are not a lot of backup
systems with a bucket style lift mechanism, especially when it concerns the
attachment of the boom to the bucket itself. In this case:
The main attachment
was accomplished through threaded rods that are in
effect integrated into the side of the bucket.
It was clear
that there were fissures in the fiberglass
that supported
these mounting rods.
Without even checking
further it is apparent that no amount of
reinforcement would likely return this
conveyance to a safe operating condition for the
operator.
When The Basic Bonding Gives Way
While the
owner ultimately makes the call as to repair, they
need good advice. In effect the risk management falls on whoever
at the customer is managing this function. So here is
a piece of advice we gave.
First we noted that the
fiberglass lift platforms can sometimes be attached by
creating an assembly out of the actual fiberglass. It is possible that layers of resin and the glass strands gaps or stress lines where material has pulled apart can form weakness in critical areas. And finally, under
this scenario, it is often pretty difficult to
ensure that the further damage won't occur. Therefore, the competent consultant would
recommend replacement.
We don't want to make it sound like nothing
should ever be done. In fact there are many cases
where good refurbishment practices can save an operator a
lot of money over using an OEM or aftermarket
replacement lift replacement part as long as the
above mentioned safeguards are
enacted.So, there are cases where competent skills can be applied on an aftermarket basis with good results:
Bucket displays no damage on the actual physical connection side of the
bucket
Yet you can see fissures, cracks or
other issues elsewhere.
Yes, this can be
saved. Question: Does the person in authority want to have something that merely works , or do they wish to go further and have a cosmetically appealing effect as well?
So it is very appropriate for the repair
group to essentially ascertain it is safe to restore this component
Tags: Aerial Part
