Engineering approach
Understand the machine.
Resolve the engineering problem.
Connect machine behaviour, design calculations and site information to practical design, repair and assessment recommendations.
01 · Establish the basis
Understand the machine and the proposed work.
Identify the design requirements, proposed modification, observed damage or service conditions being assessed. Use these to select the relevant information and engineering checks.
For a new machine, establish the loads, intended duty, supports and interfaces. For an operating asset, compare the documented basis with its current condition, configuration and operation.
- What work or machine issue needs to be addressed, and by when?
- Which design and operating records are available?
- Has duty, mass, restraint or support behaviour changed?
- Which inputs are measured, supplied, assumed or still unknown?
What this gives you
A documented design or assessment basis, with missing information identified.
02 · Assess the behaviour
Check the model against the machine.
The model, loads and boundary conditions need to represent the machine and the engineering requirements being assessed. A colour contour alone does not establish a damage mechanism or an acceptable condition.
ACE considers structural behaviour, mechanical component loads and the interfaces relevant to the agreed scope. For an operating machine, suitable luff trends, SCADA records and site measurements help test whether the model represents its current configuration.
Compare equivalent loading and test conditions, investigate differences and support any input adjustments with evidence. Record the measurements used, remaining uncertainty and the range checked. Matching measured behaviour supports the assessment; it does not replace the required strength, fatigue, stability or other design checks.
Explore machine assessment and FEAWhat the assessment needs to explain
- The loads, operating conditions and assumptions used.
- The response of the structure or component being assessed.
- The checks against applicable requirements and the agreed design basis.
- The findings, limitations and further work required.
03 · Weigh the options
Choose an action that fits the issue and the site.
The appropriate response may involve design changes, a repair, further investigation, targeted inspection or monitoring. Fabrication, access and shutdown constraints inform the recommendation.
Monitoring is appropriate only where the relevant behaviour and exposure are understood, acceptance criteria are defined and a response to change is established.
Verification addresses the applicable requirements and agreed design basis. Reliability also depends on fabrication, condition, duty and maintenance. Uncertainty that affects the recommendation and incomplete checks remain visible in the findings.
- Compare the proposed change with the governing issue.
- Consider effects on adjacent members and connections.
- Identify further checks or inputs before implementation.
- Define acceptance criteria and a response if monitoring is proposed.
What this gives you
A recommended course of action with its basis, practical constraints and remaining conditions stated clearly.
04 · Report the findings
Document recommendations and remaining actions.
The report should explain what your team can act on and what still needs to be checked.
The handover identifies the assessed configuration, input revisions, intended use of each deliverable, findings and remaining actions. Your team can use it to plan the agreed design, repair or verification work.
If information or checks are missing, the report records the limits of the conclusion and the work still required.
- What has been established.
- What matters to the decision and why.
- What action is recommended.
- What remains unresolved or outside the agreed scope.
Start a conversation
Discuss your project.
Describe the work you are planning or the issue you need to resolve. ACE will review the available information and discuss the design, assessment or investigation required.