How do you assemble rings for a tower? Sometimes the scale of jobs for welding or assembly require massive jigs to support the manufacturing process.
We had to analyze and refine the design of this ring lifter. There needs to be enough strength to lift separate sections of rings.
This ring lifter’s capacity is 10 tons. You can see the challenge of the design with an overhung load. It has stacked plates to keep it balanced and different grooves in the top part to balance the load being lifted.
Our challenge was to ensure there was enough load support to enable the assembly process to move separate rings into place and be welded for wind turbine towers.
The analysis supported the manufacturing process goals, and we were able to confirm that the geometry was adequate to support the load. The design verification problem we were presented with allowed us to advise on the reinforcements needed to support, 30,000 pound loads, which met the customer’s safety factor.
Ever had to confirm your designs to ensure they will support the job?