Abdur Rahman, Shabbir Ahmed R.M, Dr. Mohamed Haneef
Link Design plays important role in lifting machines. Links connected with pins will extend and contract during operation. So operation length is an important parameter in the design of Link mechanisms. Due to the advances in computer based Finite Element softwares, multi-body simulation provides good flexibility for the designer to choose better link mechanism satisfying. This type of simulation eliminates the need of prototype modelling and testing by which production cost will be less and design cycle time also reduces due to the flexibility of easier testing of number of mechanisms with in short time. In the present work, a single lever Grab tong is designed and analysed for structural strength. Initially theoretical calculations are carried out to check the minimum dimensions required for the problem. Later three dimensional cad modelling is carried out and structure is meshed with two dimensional and three dimensional elements. Design optimization is carried out to reduce the weight of the structure using computer simulation. Design optimizer a tool in ANSYS helps in fast optimization satisfying the functional requirements. Totally 26 sets are obtained which satisfy the functional requirements. The results are obtained for the best set also along with the graphical plots showing influence of design parameters on the structural weight of the single lever tong. Finally all the results are represented with necessary pictorial plots.