Runway beam verification

Runways are widely used in industry to provide a track upon which a lifting appliance is fitted to allow loads to be raised, lowered and travelled along the path of the runway.

LEEA’s document offers guidance with regards to the technical requirements for the design, manufacture and verification of runway beams. Should a runway beam fail in service, this will be the technical file to scrutinised, with guidance on the information that should appear in the technical file is given in ‘Section 3’. The aim is to provide a clear path to compliance.

Runway beams were previously designed and verified using a single standard: BS 2853:1957. This standard was a simple, clear and concise guide to the design and verification of runways. 

However, following the introduction of the Eurocodes a large proportion of this standard had to be withdrawn leaving only a guide to the thorough examination following installation.

There are a total of 10 Eurocodes, each of which are split into numerous sub parts covering a huge range of structures and structural elements. This has resulted in a mass of information for the runway designer to sift through, which is proving problematic for SMEs that do not have the resources available to enable them to adopt the changes.

This guide has therefore been produced as a means of directing the runway design and tester to those parts of the Eurocodes relevant to them.

The verification
Eurocode verification of runways is carried out through calculation, although in some cases the design may be assisted by testing. Guidance is also given for testing, installation and manufacture. This includes a method for testing and inspecting the installation is included, together with recommendations on how to draft the report following installation, and recommendations to the manufacturer on the design criteria of connecting components.

Relevant calculations are featured, as well as an example for the verification of a runway beam with a fitted hoist block annexed.