Lifting and crane specialist Offshore Crane Engineering Ltd (OCE) has become UK distributor for the BoltSafe system produced by the Norwegian research and development company Scan-Sense AS.
BoltSafe is a load sensing washer that can measure residual bolt pre-tension, from initial assembly and then continually through the operating life of the bolted connection.
By constantly monitoring the tension within the bolts on the slewbearing on cranes, BoltSafe can identify any undue stress or overloading and determine the need for replacement of the bolts within the connection. The measurement can either be taken in units of force directly from the washer by means of a probe and handheld reader or continuously through a PC link.
OCE has signed a two-year distribution agreement with Scan-Sense. Scott Glatley, managing director of OCE, said: ‘We believe the system is an important safety improvement as it enables a better understanding of when a slew bearing or bolt changeout is actually required.
‘Being able to produce evidence of the stresses a bearing has undergone is a far more accurate way of assessing exactly when the bearing needs replacing than the traditional method of calculation which is based on theory and some guesswork.’
