Modular Lifting Sling System with Universal Master Link
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lifting sling systems are inefficient and pose safety risks due to heavy manual handling, incorrect Working Load Limit (WLL) information, and suboptimal crane utilization, especially with multi-leg slings, leading to potential overloading and accidents.
Innovation Solution
A lifting sling system with a reduced number of interchangeable units, each with different chain sizes, allowing for flexible combinations of single and dual leg configurations, and an information carrier system providing clear WLL data for various permissible combinations, ensuring optimal crane capacity utilization and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If separate lifting sling units with one, two, three and four legs are equipped for different loads, then proper and secure lifting can be achieved for different kinds of loads, but the device complexity and quantity of equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting sling unit is designed with a master link that can accommodate coupling members for different numbers of legs (1, 2, 3, or 4 legs) through a universal interface. This allows a single sling unit to perform multiple functions by simply changing the number of coupling members attached, eliminating the need for separate sling units for each leg configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting sling unit is divided into separable components: a master link, multiple coupling members, and chain legs. These parts can be assembled and disassembled independently, allowing the operator to configure the sling with the appropriate number of legs for each specific lifting task, thereby reducing the need to store multiple complete sling units.
2Force
If multi-leg lifting sling units are used, then lifting capacity is increased, but the weight of the equipment increases making manual handling difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The sling unit is designed with dynamic configurability, allowing the number of legs to be adjusted based on the lifting task requirements. Operators can assemble only the necessary number of legs and coupling members needed for each specific lift, rather than always deploying a heavy multi-leg configuration, thereby reducing the weight that must be manually handled while maintaining high lifting capacity when needed.
3Device complexity
If all legs are assumed to carry equal load, then WLL calculation is simplified, but safety risks arise when legs do not carry equal load
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates an information carrier (such as a tag or label) attached to the master link that provides WLL information based on the actual number of legs being used and their configuration. This feedback mechanism ensures that the WLL displayed reflects the real loading conditions, alerting operators to adjust the load or configuration if equal load distribution cannot be achieved, thereby maintaining safety without overly complicating the calculation method.
4Device complexity
If a reduced number of interchangeable sling units are used, then equipment quantity and handling complexity is reduced, but flexibility for different load configurations may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting sling unit is divided into separable components: a master link, multiple coupling members, and chain legs. These parts can be assembled and disassembled independently, allowing the operator to configure the sling with the appropriate number of legs for each specific lifting task, thereby reducing the need to store multiple complete sling units.
Solution Approach 2:
The lifting sling unit is designed with a master link that can accommodate coupling members for different numbers of legs (1, 2, 3, or 4 legs) through a universal interface. This allows a single sling unit to perform multiple functions by simply changing the number of coupling members attached, eliminating the need for separate sling units for each leg configuration.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~2a
Figure 3
AI summary
There is disclosed a lifting sling system for connecting various loads to a lifting apparatus with a lifting hook (1), comprising a limited number of combinable lifting sling units (10, 20), each consisting of a number of pre-assembled parts (11, 12, 13; 21, 22, 23), with at least two and no more than four different sling sizes in certain combinations, so as to fully utilize the load capacity of the lifting apparatus.