Basic Crane Design and Stress Analysis

Basic Crane Design and Stress Analysis, you'll learn ...

• Allowable design stresses used to design cranes
• Codes used to design cranes with references listed for further study.
• How to perform hand calculations to support any FEA analysis
• When to move to a 3D FEA to justify stress calculations and when hand calculations are sufficient

Overview

Preview a portion of this course before purchasing it.

Credit: 3 PDH

Length: 41 pages

This course demonstrates the use of various stress analysis procedures and methods used to design cranes or other lifting components. The methods used could also be applied to other structures or lifting devices. Note that the some of the problem examples in this course use simplifying assumptions to reduce the procedures to hand calculation methods. The assumptions in this course have been supported by FEA analysis where noted. It’s possible that these assumptions may not apply to all the ranges of applications or types of cranes possible. Hand calculations alone are not always recommended when simplifying assumptions are used and should be backed up by a FEA analysis and code standards (where applicable). On the other hand, FEA’s alone should not be used unless supported by some hand calculations to support any boundary/support assumptions used.

The course goes through the steps required to design components fabricated from aluminum. Further design criteria for aluminum can be found in the Alum association standards and alum design manual. This course is not meant to take the place of these standard design practices. It is a prime example of the use of these practices. Other applications may require a further study of these manuals and design codes. The procedures used here could also be used for steel components along with the AISC standards. The components in these examples are designed to somewhat conservative allowable stresses and standards.

The crane used as an example in this course was designed to SOLAS (safety of life at sea) standards and you will see this referenced in some of the verbiage (see section 1.0) and pictures. A lot of mobile cranes you see are telescopic.

It is assumed that the student is somewhat familiar with design codes such as the AISC and this should not be considered a replacement for these codes.

It is recommended that the figures be opened in the separate pdf file so that both the figures and text can be viewed side by side, as the figures are an integral part of this course.

Specific Knowledge or Skill Obtained

This course teaches the following specific knowledge and skills:

• Allowable design stresses used in crane structural components, including tension, shear, bending, and bearing limits for aluminum, steel, and stainless materials.
• How to apply relevant design codes and standards—including SOLAS, ABS, AISC, and Aluminum Association guidelines—when evaluating crane components.
• How to perform hand calculations to verify and support FEA results, recognizing when simplified analytical methods are sufficient and when a 3D FEA is required due to stress concentrations or complex geometries.
• How to calculate and evaluate mechanical component loads, such as rotational torque, boom cylinder forces, pin stresses, and cable-cylinder loads, and understand how these influence component selection and design.
• How to specify, evaluate, and integrate purchased mechanical components (e.g., cylinders, bearings, pins, actuators) by interpreting manufacturer data and ensuring compliance with allowable stresses and safety factors.

Certificate of Completion

You will be able to immediately print a certificate of completion after passing a multiple-choice quiz consisting of 16 questions. PDH credits are not awarded until the course is completed and quiz is passed.