Influence of cylindrical slotted holes on the fatigue performance of overhead crane wheels

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Amir Hessam Feizi
Danyal Foroughniya
Msc, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/stme.2026.557450.1185
Abstract
Overhead cranes are widely used in industrial applications, and among their components, wheels exhibit the highest failure rates due to severe operating conditions. These wheels are subjected to dynamic and cyclic loading, making fatigue the dominant failure mechanism governing their service life. This study investigates the influence of adding cylindrical slotted holes to the wheel wall on static stress distribution and fatigue performance, with the aim of reducing material consumption while ensuring structural safety. A 60-ton nominal capacity overhead crane wheel was selected as the case study. Static loading conditions were simulated using the finite element method (FEM) to determine stress levels and static safety factors in the regions surrounding the holes. The numerical results were validated through experimental load testing. Based on the static analysis results, fatigue behavior was evaluated numerically using the Dang Van multiaxial fatigue criterion. Cylindrical slotted holes with diameters ranging from 10 to 70 mm were investigated, while relevant international design standards were taken into account. The results indicate that for an AISI 1045 steel wheel under the specified loading conditions, a maximum hole diameter of 33 mm can be adopted, leading to a material reduction of approximately 9.8% without compromising static strength or fatigue safety.

Highlights

[1] P. E. Dunaiski, H. Barnard, G. Krige, and R. Mackenzie, “Review of provision of loads to structures supporting overhead travelling cranes,” in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation, A. Zingoni, Ed. Oxford, U.K.: Elsevier, 2001, pp. 1321–1328.

[2] P. Villaggio, “Karl-Eugen Kurrer: The history of the theory of structures. From arc analysis to computational mechanics,” Meccanica, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 131–134, 2010, DOI: 10.1007/s11012-009-9217-z.

[3] M. Demirsoy, “The effects of oblique running and ideal motion on stress analysis of bridge crane wheels,” Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol. 128, No. 6, pp. 1361–1365, 2006, DOI: 10.1115/1.2218886.

[4] J. Kulka, M. Mantic, G. Fedorko, and V. Molnar, “Failure analysis concerning causes of wear for bridge crane rails and wheels,” Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 110, Art. no. 104441, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2020.104441.

[5] A. Antipov and S. Krasnova, “Robust control for overhead crane trolley considering the dynamics of the actuator and design constraints,” Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 1–11, 2025, DOI: 10.1007/s40430-024-05316-9.

[6] F. Alobaid, K. Alghanim, and K. Alhazza, “Robust input shaping for residual vibration suppression in overhead crane systems with suspended beams,” Acta Mechanica, Vol. 236, No. 12, pp. 6937–6956, 2025, DOI: 10.1007/s00707-025-04468-6.

[7] M. Starykov and E. Kokoshko, “Approach for measuring a ship to shore crane actual wheel load,” European Journal of Maritime Research, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 25–28, 2022, DOI: 10.24018/maritime.2022.1.1.12.

[8] M. Ebrahimi, H. Mirzaei, M. Ghiour, and M. B. Bayat, “Modeling and control of overhead crane drives with the aim of solving the problem of wheel and rail wear,” Amirkabir Journal of Science and Research, Vol. 31, No. 2, p. 9, 2004. (in Persian)

[9] H. Saeedi, M. Naraqi, and A. A. Raei, “Design and implementation of a neural network controller for anti-sway load control of overhead cranes,” Iranian Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 74–94, 2012. (in Persian)

[10] M. Kettler, P. R. Zauchner, and H. Unterweger, “Determination of wheel loads from runway cranes based on rail strain measurement,” Engineering Structures, Vol. 213, Art. no. 110546, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110546.

[11] M. Euler and C. Taylor, “Fatigue action on crane runway beams,” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 181, Art. no. 106476, 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.jcsr.2020.106476.

[12] F. Q. Wu, J. Zhang, and W. Q. Yao, “Crane wheel-rail contact stresses research based on experimental test and finite element analysis,” Applied Mechanics and Materials, Vol. 496–500, pp. 662–665, 2014, DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.496-500.662.

[13] Q. Y. Xiong, S. T. Yu, and J. S. Ju, “Fatigue analysis on wheel considering contact effect using FEM method,” Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Vol. 2015, pp. 1–8, 2015, DOI: 10.1155/2015/314634.

[14] Y. Shen, W. Zhang, J. Wang, C. Feng, Y. Qiao, and C. Sun, “A boom damage prediction framework of wheeled cranes combining hybrid features of acceleration and Gaussian process regression,” Measurement, Vol. 221, Art. no. 113401, 2023, DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2023.113401.

[15] P. Romanowicz, “Numerical assessment of fatigue load capacity of cylindrical crane wheel using multiaxial high-cycle fatigue criteria,” Archive of Applied Mechanics, Vol. 87, No. 10, pp. 1707–1726, 2017, DOI: 10.1007/s00419-017-1281-6.

[16] M. Euler, “New test-based detail categories for fatigue design of crane runway beams,” Procedia Structural Integrity, Vol. 57, pp. 298–306, 2024, DOI: 10.1016/j.prostr.2024.03.032.

[17] M. Kettler, F. Kiem, and H. Unterweger, “Local stresses in retrofitted crane runway girders with boxed upper flange due to eccentric wheel loading,” Structures, Vol. 25, pp. 646–659, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.istruc.2020.03.024.

[18] N. H. Ngan and P. Bocher, “Finite element analysis simulation of the effect of induction hardening on rolling contact fatigue,” Journal of Tribology, Vol. 140, No. 6, Art. no. 061404, 2018, DOI: 10.1115/1.4040305.

[19] A. R. Toleuova, A. M. Dostayeva, and A. N. Belov, “Optimization of crane wheels operation,” Engineering Journal of Satbayev University, Vol. 143, No. 6, pp. 58–63, 2021, DOI: 10.51301/vest.su.2021.i6.08.

[20] M. Moshkbar Bakhshayesh, A. Farzadi, R. Kalantarian, and A. Zargarzadeh, “Evaluation of crane wheels restored by hardfacing two distinct 13Cr-4Ni martensitic stainless steels,” Journal of Materials Research and Technology, Vol. 26, pp. 6067–6083, 2023, DOI: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.08.292. (in Persian)

[21] X. Zhao, N. Jin, X. Liu, and Z. Shi, “Fatigue failure analysis of steel crane beams with variable-section supports,” Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 136, Art. no. 106217, 2022, DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2022.106217.

[22] M. M. Padzi, S. Abdullah, and M. Z. Nuawi, “On the need to decompose fatigue strain signals associated to fatigue life assessment of the AISI 1045 carbon steel,” Materials & Design, Vol. 57, pp. 405–415, 2014, DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2013.12.043.

[23] R. Masoudi Nejad, M. Shariati, and K. Farhangdoost, “Prediction of fatigue crack propagation and fractography of rail steel,” Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 101, pp. 320–331, 2019, DOI: 10.1016/j.tafmec.2019.03.016. (in Persian)

[24] Crane Manufacturers Association of America, CMAA Specification No. 70: Specifications for Top Running Bridge & Gantry Type Multiple Girder Electric Overhead Traveling Cranes, 2020 ed. Charlotte, NC, USA: Crane Manufacturers Association of America, 2020.

[25] E. Santecchia et al., “A review on fatigue life prediction methods for metals,” Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 2016, Art. ID 9573524, pp. 1–26, 2016, DOI: 10.1155/2016/9573524.

[26] D. F. Socie and G. B. Marquis, Multiaxial Fatigue. Warrendale, PA, USA: SAE International, 1999, DOI: 10.4271/R-234.

[27] R. G. Budynas and J. K. Nisbett, Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design, 9th ed. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

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Keywords
Overhead Crane
Fatigue Analysis
FEM
Optimization
Dang Van Method
Subjects
[1] P. E. Dunaiski, H. Barnard, G. Krige, and R. Mackenzie, “Review of provision of loads to structures supporting overhead travelling cranes,” in Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Computation, A. Zingoni, Ed. Oxford, U.K.: Elsevier, 2001, pp. 1321–1328.
[2] P. Villaggio, “Karl-Eugen Kurrer: The history of the theory of structures. From arc analysis to computational mechanics,” Meccanica, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 131–134, 2010, DOI: 10.1007/s11012-009-9217-z.
[3] M. Demirsoy, “The effects of oblique running and ideal motion on stress analysis of bridge crane wheels,” Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol. 128, No. 6, pp. 1361–1365, 2006, DOI: 10.1115/1.2218886.
[4] J. Kulka, M. Mantic, G. Fedorko, and V. Molnar, “Failure analysis concerning causes of wear for bridge crane rails and wheels,” Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 110, Art. no. 104441, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2020.104441.
[5] A. Antipov and S. Krasnova, “Robust control for overhead crane trolley considering the dynamics of the actuator and design constraints,” Journal of the Brazilian Society of Mechanical Sciences and Engineering, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 1–11, 2025, DOI: 10.1007/s40430-024-05316-9.
[6] F. Alobaid, K. Alghanim, and K. Alhazza, “Robust input shaping for residual vibration suppression in overhead crane systems with suspended beams,” Acta Mechanica, Vol. 236, No. 12, pp. 6937–6956, 2025, DOI: 10.1007/s00707-025-04468-6.
[7] M. Starykov and E. Kokoshko, “Approach for measuring a ship to shore crane actual wheel load,” European Journal of Maritime Research, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 25–28, 2022, DOI: 10.24018/maritime.2022.1.1.12.
[8] M. Ebrahimi, H. Mirzaei, M. Ghiour, and M. B. Bayat, “Modeling and control of overhead crane drives with the aim of solving the problem of wheel and rail wear,” Amirkabir Journal of Science and Research, Vol. 31, No. 2, p. 9, 2004. (in Persian)
[9] H. Saeedi, M. Naraqi, and A. A. Raei, “Design and implementation of a neural network controller for anti-sway load control of overhead cranes,” Iranian Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 74–94, 2012. (in Persian)
[10] M. Kettler, P. R. Zauchner, and H. Unterweger, “Determination of wheel loads from runway cranes based on rail strain measurement,” Engineering Structures, Vol. 213, Art. no. 110546, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.engstruct.2020.110546.
[11] M. Euler and C. Taylor, “Fatigue action on crane runway beams,” Journal of Constructional Steel Research, Vol. 181, Art. no. 106476, 2021, DOI: 10.1016/j.jcsr.2020.106476.
[12] F. Q. Wu, J. Zhang, and W. Q. Yao, “Crane wheel-rail contact stresses research based on experimental test and finite element analysis,” Applied Mechanics and Materials, Vol. 496–500, pp. 662–665, 2014, DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.496-500.662.
[13] Q. Y. Xiong, S. T. Yu, and J. S. Ju, “Fatigue analysis on wheel considering contact effect using FEM method,” Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Vol. 2015, pp. 1–8, 2015, DOI: 10.1155/2015/314634.
[14] Y. Shen, W. Zhang, J. Wang, C. Feng, Y. Qiao, and C. Sun, “A boom damage prediction framework of wheeled cranes combining hybrid features of acceleration and Gaussian process regression,” Measurement, Vol. 221, Art. no. 113401, 2023, DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2023.113401.
[15] P. Romanowicz, “Numerical assessment of fatigue load capacity of cylindrical crane wheel using multiaxial high-cycle fatigue criteria,” Archive of Applied Mechanics, Vol. 87, No. 10, pp. 1707–1726, 2017, DOI: 10.1007/s00419-017-1281-6.
[16] M. Euler, “New test-based detail categories for fatigue design of crane runway beams,” Procedia Structural Integrity, Vol. 57, pp. 298–306, 2024, DOI: 10.1016/j.prostr.2024.03.032.
[17] M. Kettler, F. Kiem, and H. Unterweger, “Local stresses in retrofitted crane runway girders with boxed upper flange due to eccentric wheel loading,” Structures, Vol. 25, pp. 646–659, 2020, DOI: 10.1016/j.istruc.2020.03.024.
[18] N. H. Ngan and P. Bocher, “Finite element analysis simulation of the effect of induction hardening on rolling contact fatigue,” Journal of Tribology, Vol. 140, No. 6, Art. no. 061404, 2018, DOI: 10.1115/1.4040305.
[19] A. R. Toleuova, A. M. Dostayeva, and A. N. Belov, “Optimization of crane wheels operation,” Engineering Journal of Satbayev University, Vol. 143, No. 6, pp. 58–63, 2021, DOI: 10.51301/vest.su.2021.i6.08.
[20] M. Moshkbar Bakhshayesh, A. Farzadi, R. Kalantarian, and A. Zargarzadeh, “Evaluation of crane wheels restored by hardfacing two distinct 13Cr-4Ni martensitic stainless steels,” Journal of Materials Research and Technology, Vol. 26, pp. 6067–6083, 2023, DOI: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2023.08.292. (in Persian)
[21] X. Zhao, N. Jin, X. Liu, and Z. Shi, “Fatigue failure analysis of steel crane beams with variable-section supports,” Engineering Failure Analysis, Vol. 136, Art. no. 106217, 2022, DOI: 10.1016/j.engfailanal.2022.106217.
[22] M. M. Padzi, S. Abdullah, and M. Z. Nuawi, “On the need to decompose fatigue strain signals associated to fatigue life assessment of the AISI 1045 carbon steel,” Materials & Design, Vol. 57, pp. 405–415, 2014, DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2013.12.043.
[23] R. Masoudi Nejad, M. Shariati, and K. Farhangdoost, “Prediction of fatigue crack propagation and fractography of rail steel,” Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 101, pp. 320–331, 2019, DOI: 10.1016/j.tafmec.2019.03.016. (in Persian)
[24] Crane Manufacturers Association of America, CMAA Specification No. 70: Specifications for Top Running Bridge & Gantry Type Multiple Girder Electric Overhead Traveling Cranes, 2020 ed. Charlotte, NC, USA: Crane Manufacturers Association of America, 2020.
[25] E. Santecchia et al., “A review on fatigue life prediction methods for metals,” Advances in Materials Science and Engineering, Vol. 2016, Art. ID 9573524, pp. 1–26, 2016, DOI: 10.1155/2016/9573524.
[26] D. F. Socie and G. B. Marquis, Multiaxial Fatigue. Warrendale, PA, USA: SAE International, 1999, DOI: 10.4271/R-234.
[27] R. G. Budynas and J. K. Nisbett, Shigley’s Mechanical Engineering Design, 9th ed. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill, 2011.
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  • Receive Date 04 November 2025
  • Revise Date 16 December 2025
  • Accept Date 08 February 2026
  • First Publish Date 08 February 2026
  • Publish Date 23 July 2026