All images and information used with permission of Delta Air Lines.

Hoist Adapter for Cleaning Basket

The cleaning shop needs an adapter to safely lift the 6’ x 6’ stainless steel chemical cleaning baskets when they are outside of the cleaning line. Currently, only the crane within the cleaning line can lift and lower the baskets into the chemical baths and onto rolling carts.

Final CAD model of hoist adapter.

Detail view of hooks that hold the cleaning basket.

• Using Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, I designed parts in SolidWorks that could be welded, formed, or machined with available equipment.
• I verified my initial design choices for the welded frame and hardware with hand calculations for bending and shear.
• With SolidWorks Simulation, I conducted structural FEA to verify that the welded tube frame and hooks will resist yielding with a safety factor of at least 1.5 under the maximum total load of 2500 lbs.

When loaded to 3750 lb. for a safety factor of 1.5, the maximum Von Mises stress of 37,500 psi is below the yield strength of the mild steel rectangular tubing.

SolidWorks Simulation plot of the Von Mises stress of the welded hoist adapter frame subjected to the validation load.

When loaded to 3750 lb. for a safety factor of 1.5, the maximum vertical displacement is only about 0.30 inches.

SolidWorks Simulation plot of the vertical displacement of the welded hoist adapter frame subjected to the validation load.

In the worst case when a single hook is experiencing the entire validation load of 3750 lb., the maximum Von Mises stress of ~40,000 psi is below the yield strength of the steel used.

SolidWorks Simulation plots of the Von Mises stress (top) and displacement (bottom) of a single hook subjected to the validation load.

The hoist adapter is currently being manufactured in house at Delta Air Lines using the manufacturing drawing package I created from the CAD model.