W.S.G. Isaac Newton

Public abstract of Mats Olde Dubbelink on his internship at TSA Engineering in Albergen.

At Thijs Staal Advies (TSA), custom steel constructions are delivered through years of experience. With extensive expertise in both practical and theoretical aspects, calculations are meticulously tailored to practical execution. Beyond ensuring that the designed structure complies with all applicable European standards, practical feasibility is also prioritized to provide customized advice to the client. One aspect of these constructions involves overhead cranes in workshops, crucial for lifting and moving loads. The lifting and movement of the crane result in various stresses in the structure, depending on the mass being moved.

The fluctuating loads associated with crane operations can lead to metal fatigue in the crane runway structure, a common cause of failure in steel constructions. Therefore, providing sound advice in this regard is crucial. This internship assignment aims to assess the number of load cycles for a combination of a crane runway bracket welded to a column. One load cycle is defined as lifting and moving a maximum load. The lifespan of the welds between the column and the bracket is crucial, as European codes have established the maximum allowable stress in welds in crane runway constructions due to stress concentrations, potentially accelerating the fatigue process. By determining the forces resulting from lifting various loads, the stresses in the welds between the bracket and the column could be assessed for different combinations of profiles for both the column and the beam. Following applicable Eurocodes, a quantitative analysis was conducted to evaluate the lifespan of a crane runway structure by considering a fatigue assessment for steel construction. This provided a comprehensive understanding of the level of metal fatigue in the examined welds.

TSA is a young and expanding consulting firm that focuses on the fabrication of steel constructions.

Because there have been UT interns before, the supervisor knows how to guide an internship well, and other colleagues are always ready to help with questions. There's also a lot of room for personal growth and doing things your way with a task by having a lot of freedom, which mimics real work situations nicely. These aspects create a mix of ample space and freedom with short communication lines that make it a pleasant company for an internship.