Reducing Crane Wheel Failures at the Midwest Plant of U. S. Steel

摘要

Most crane maintenance organizations are striving for continuous improvement in their work. The goal is to make the crane even more reliable than it is today. This effort involves reducing wear in components so they last longer, reducing the man-hours required to maintain the equipment, reducing the operating delays on process lines by preventing breakdowns, and reducing the overall costs of maintenance. Whenever these objecives are effectively achieved in an area, it allows precious maintenance resources, particularly manpower, to be focused in another area to continuously improve. This is a goal that is always forward-looking. Much success has been achieved at U. S. Steel's Midwest plant in the area of reducing wheel assembly failures due to flange wear. Reducing the need for wheel replacement activities allows more time to protect more cranes with the wheel flange/crane rail lubricant system. It extends the wheel's life cycle on the crane and reduces the number of wheel blanks to be purchased. It lowers the cost of rebuilding the wheel assemblies in the shop because there are fewer to do, creating additional maintenance man-hour savings. It also allows maintenance personnel the time to focus on the next area of continuous improvement. The dry lubricant system is not free, but the cost of purchasing and installing the system on the five initial cranes was less than the cost of rebuilding one wheel assembly. The payback makes this a very good investment.