Investigation of swings caused by sudden wind loads during operation of an aerial ladder

Abstract

In Hungary, as in other countries around the world, intervention firefighting units often use a mechanically operated aerial ladder for high-altitude rescue tasks. The safe operation of the equipment is only possible under strict safety regulations and requires a high level of expertise from the operating staff. During each intervention, extraordinary events such as sudden wind gusts can occur, which can cause extreme overload of the structural members of aerial ladders and have adverse effects on the equipment that can lead to malfunctions and - even worse - to accidents. Therefore it is important to study the consequences of external influences on aerial ladders during operation. The examination was performed on a widely used Magirus M32-L aerial ladder. The reason for choosing this type of aerial ladder is because it has a wide operating range, therefore test results can be a good starting point for other similar equipment as well. In this paper the development of our beam model and the performed finite element simulations are presented. The aim of the research is to develop a model based on geometrical measurement data that is suitable for studying the effects of wind gusts on the ladder structure. With our research, we aim to contribute to the safe operation of aerial ladders and to prevent possible accidents.

Keywords

• aerial ladder
• beam model
• wind gust
• finite element simulation