Endurance analysis of Koepe pulleys with peripheral ribs

There are numerous hoisting installations operated in Polish mines that are equipped with winding gear incorporating a Koepe pulley reinforced with peripheral ribs, where the symptoms of fatigue cracking are often revealed. Current repairs of those areas help mitigate for this undesirable phenomenon for a short time only. In order to eliminate this problem, steps have been taken to identify the origins and propagation patterns of fatigue cracks in Koepe pulleys. A numerical model of a Koepe pulley is developed and the endurance analysis is performed by the FEM method, pre­ceded by a dynamic analysis of the normal duty cycle of the hoisting installation. The results of dynamic and endurance analyses are verified through experimental testing on a real object, involving force and stress measurements taken at selected points on the Koepe pulley. Those measurement data provide the background for the fatigue endurance assess­ment and new re-designs of the Koepe pulley structure.