4100 Shovel Car Body

Composite reinforcements have been successfully installed on the vertical diaphragm and roof beneath the slew bearing – a site that typically exhibits regular fatigue cracking and extended crack lengths between major shutdowns..

The steel plates at this welded intersection are up to 75mm thick, highlighting the application of composites on substantially thick substrates.

Examples of the carbon fibre reinforcements are shown below, note the wires associated with the in-built sensors.