Identification of the effective crane hook's cross-section by incorporating finite element method and programming language

Abstract

The crane hook is a widely utilized component in several industries for the purpose of lifting things. The crane hook must possess the capacity to withstand the intended load without encountering any complications, hence ensuring the safety of both personnel and the objects being lifted. The process of analysis is crucial for the effective utilization of a crane hook. The primary aim of this study was to determine the most efficient cross-sectional crane hook among five distinct geometric profiles. This was achieved through the application of finite element analysis using Solidworks software. Subsequently, the identified cross-sectional profile was further examined using the Python programming language, taking into account the classical equation of a curved beam. The five cross-sectional shapes seen in the study were circular, rectangular, trapezoidal, I-shaped, and T-shaped. For the purposes of this investigation, the chosen material for each cross-sectional crane hook model was 34CrMo4 steel. Despite the identical boundary constraints imposed on all the chosen cross-sectional crane hook profiles, it was observed that the trapezoidal cross-sectional crane hook exhibited superior performance compared to the others. The trapezoidal cross-sectional crane hook model exhibited a Von Mises stress of 203 MPa, with a corresponding factor of safety of 3.20. Further experimentation was conducted using Python to examine the trapezoidal profile. The results indicated that an increased level of parallelism in the inner side of the trapezoidal shape corresponded to a higher factor of safety. Hence, it is advisable to maintain the trapezoidal cross-sectional profile of the crane hook, with due consideration given to maximizing the length of the inner parallel side. The enhancement of design leads to a decrease in the likelihood of failure and the occurrence of undesirable accidents.

Keywords

• Crane hook
• Cross-section optimization
• Finite element analysis
• Curved beam
• Numerical stress analysis
• Simulation