Corrugated i-beam crane beam

Abstract

This utility model pertains to welded metal structures and is a triangular corrugated web overhead crane runway for general-purpose overhead cranes. The design is intended for use in overhead crane runways of industrial buildings, as well as in floors and roofs where a combination of high load-bearing capacity, rigidity, and resource efficiency under cyclic loading is required. The primary engineering challenge was to increase the stability and shear rigidity of the wall without increasing the metal content or manufacturing labor. The solution consists of constructing the beam web with a triangular corrugation at a constant pitch along the entire span. The corrugation is continuous all the way to the supports, eliminating intermediate transverse ribs along the span. The recommended parameter ratios, confirmed by calculation and experimental studies, include a corrugation pitch of about 0.75 of the wall height and a corrugation depth of about 0.125 of the wall height, which ensures a rational combination of rigidity and weight (for a wall size of 640 mm - a pitch of ≈480 mm, depth of ≈80 mm). The model's innovation lies in the comprehensive optimization of the corrugation geometry for crane loads: a triangular profile with a constant pitch ensures increased wall flexural-shear stiffness and higher critical buckling stresses while maintaining manufacturability. Eliminating intermediate ribs reduces the number of parts and the amount of welding, simplifies assembly and geometry control. The design is compatible with standard rail support and fastening units and allows for mass production using cold bending and semiautomatic welding. The technical result is increased stability of the corrugated wall panel and overall beam rigidity while reducing metal and labor requirements. According to the simulation and bench testing of serial samples, the use of a triangular corrugation of the specified configuration allows (in comparison with beams with a flat wall and / or dense rib set) to reduce the weight by ~4–7%, reduce the labor intensity of production by approximately 20% and the cost by up to ~17% while maintaining or improving the deflection and torsional rigidity. Stable behavior under a single wheel without eccentricity, uniform stress distribution along the panel height, and the absence of dangerous localized buckling modes within the operational range were demonstrated. Industrial applicability is confirmed by the feasibility of serial production at metalworking facilities equipped with cutting, bending, and mechanized welding lines. The model is designed for new construction and the reconstruction of crane runways, ensuring predictability of deformation, increased operational reliability under variable loads, and achieving an optimal balance of "rigidity-stability-weight" for the tasks of modern industrial construction.