In various complex working conditions for excavators, the use of long booms is a relatively common application. Any scenario that requires “extended reach” or “deep excavation” while the equipment needs to remain on safe and stable ground is where long-boom excavators come into play. Key application scenarios include: river and hydraulic engineering, deep pits and mining, demolition sectors, ports and terminals, disaster rescue, as well as land reclamation and landscape shaping.
So, what should be done when a long boom cracks? Let’s analyze a real case from a customer:
The customer used a 50-ton class excavator equipped with a 20m boom and 20m arm long reach configuration. To extend the service life, the customer operated with great care and proactively performed maintenance as it approached 10,000 hours. However, due to the addition of a breaker and a scarifier, issues still arose unavoidably.
After carefully examining the crack, we reached the following conclusions regarding the causes of the long boom fracture: it’s difficult to establish clear evaluation criteria, making this hard to define. Regarding these extended booms, their actual service life depends on several factors:
- Firstly, the material quality;
- Secondly, working conditions;
- Last and most crucially, the operator’s expertise. This makes assessment challenging.
If we’re examining cracks, we can analyze the fracture pattern.
- A straight fracture might indicate material issues or reaching fatigue limits,
- While a torn fracture likely suggests operational factors.
Minor cracks can be repaired with steel plate reinforcement.
All our booms are designed with specific proportions, and our technical team conducts simulations. We rarely make boom and stick segments with identical length ratios. Even if proportionality were questionable, the client has already operated this over 10,000 hours. Service life shouldn’t be judged by a single factor – it’s like vehicle usage: lifespan varies with different drivers’ habits and maintenance practices.”
Minor cracks can be repaired with steel plate reinforcement. While big cracks, you might need a new long boom.
