Ladder held with magnets
Ladder held with magnets
(OP)
I am scheduled to inspect fabrication of wind generator towers next week, height; 80 metres.
I haven't received any drawings yet but have been told the (internal?) ladder is held on by magnets, presumably to avoid any adverse effects due to welding.
Has anyone any experience with this form of fixing? I am thinking the magnets are possibly for lateral restraint only, vertical support is provided at the top and/or bottom of the ladder.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I haven't received any drawings yet but have been told the (internal?) ladder is held on by magnets, presumably to avoid any adverse effects due to welding.
Has anyone any experience with this form of fixing? I am thinking the magnets are possibly for lateral restraint only, vertical support is provided at the top and/or bottom of the ladder.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.






RE: Ladder held with magnets
Take this with a huge grain of salt, as I'm not someone who inspects things like that, and have no familiarity with using magnets, but I'd require a bolted/welded connection at the top and bottom for vertical and lateral support. It's boring, but boring is safe. Maybe you could ask them for the design drawings, or to speak with the manufacturer of the ladder. If they're worried about having a slip joint because of expansion/contraction of the ladder, I'd recommend a slotted hole and bolt(s).
My general inspection rule is, if it doesn't look right, it probably isnt, and an 80' ladder supported by magnets seems very not right.
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
Oh yeah, and if they specced the magnets out right.
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
You're putting a moment on the ladder as you climb it. if the magnets fail, you bend the ladder stringers. I'd be pretty afraid unless they provided upfront documentation from the installer.
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
AggieYank said; "if it doesn't look right, it probably isn't". I was sceptical but now that I've seen it, it doesn't look wrong.
Vertical load is taken by bolted connections at the top of each +/- 25 m ladder segment. There are pairs of magnets attached to the wall every few metres providing horizontal restraint. Each magnet is about 250 x 50 x 50 mm, with a reported holding power of 300 kg (TBC).
This ladder system has been used in similar towers around the world and will be certified by the supplier. We still have to decide on the form of documentation we require (if any) showing the adequacy of the magnets.
RE: Ladder held with magnets
the magnets are only there to stop the ladder swaying
RE: Ladder held with magnets
RE: Ladder held with magnets
Mike
RE: Ladder held with magnets
My thought on evaluation is, will the ladder work with only half of the magnets? I trust that these are assemblies of permanent magnets with steel pole pieces, and that the shape of the poles matches the shape of the steel surface.
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