ABSTRACT
Conveyor support structures are often under a corrosive environment with the accumulation of dust from the conveyor. The corrosive damage may cause severe safety problems. Specifically, the minimum cross-section thickness of each bottom chord member, which determines the ultimate tensile capacity, is important in the safety assessment of the structure. This study develops a strategy for evaluating the minimum cross-section thickness of the member based on the cross-sectional modes (CSMs). Firstly, the member is divided into 10 sections and the average thickness of each section is estimated using a Bayesian model updating method; subsequently, a regression model presenting the relationship between the average cross-section thickness and the minimum cross-section thickness is approximated using real members’ thickness distributions; finally, the minimum cross-section thickness is evaluated based on the estimated average thickness and the regression model. The proposed strategy is validated through hammer tests on a real damaged specimen.
