Ladle Walkway Handrail Rebonding

The challenge

On a steel-mill ladle walkway, the handrail stanchions had corroded at the base where they meet the deck. The fastenings rusted out and the metal around the anchor points thinned, so the stanchions worked loose and the handrail moved under hand load. A handrail that flexes is a fall hazard over a hot, active part of the plant, and the walkway surface itself had worn slick. The owner needed the handrail made fast and the footing made safe, but the walkway sits in live structure where welding sparks and a hot-work permit were not workable.

The Belzona approach

This is handled as a cold repair so no welding goes near the live structure. The corroded stanchion bases and the deck around each anchor point are cleaned back to sound metal. A Belzona 1000 Series composite rebuilds the lost metal and the worn anchor seats, then the stanchions are rebonded and set so they are held fast without rewelding. Once the fixtures are anchored, an anti-slip surfacing goes across the walkway with a 4000 Series system so the footing matches the repair. The walkway is worked in sections so the rest of the route stays usable.

1. Assess and mapEach stanchion and its anchor point is inspected to find the loose fixtures, the corroded bases, and the worn deck around them.
2. Surface prepThe stanchion bases and the surrounding deck are cleaned back to sound, profiled metal so the composite bonds.
3. Rebuild and rebondA 1000 Series composite rebuilds the lost metal and worn anchor seats, then the stanchions are rebonded and set fast with no welding.
4. Lay anti-slip footingA 4000 Series anti-slip surfacing is applied across the walkway so the footing is made safe along with the handrail.
5. Return to serviceThe systems cure, the stanchions are checked solid under load, and the walkway goes back to the crews.