Design of forks and lifting system of a 10-ton forklift truck by FEM simulation

Subject Areas : Journal of Simulation and Analysis of Novel Technologies in Mechanical Engineering

Mohammad Sajjad Mahdieh ¹ , Farshad Nazari ² , Fadhil Abbas Ghlaim ³

1 - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
2 - Mechanical Engineering Department, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
3 - 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Received: 2023-12-15 Accepted : 2024-11-05 Published : 2024-09-01

Keywords: Machine part design, Forklift truck, Mechanics of materials, Ansys simulation,

Abstract :

A forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. Forklifts have become an indispensable piece of equipment in manufacturing and warehousing. On the other hand, these forklift trucks such as every industrial equipment, need maintenance and repair. The lifting system including forks, chain, and hydraulic actuator, is the key point in forklift trucks and should be designed properly and flawlessly.  Accordingly, in the present study, the lifting system of 10-ton forklift trucks is designed. It is worth mentioning that the forklift truck was an 8-ton truck before, and due to the incapability of its lifting system, it was redesigned in this project. Two materials (St32 and St52) are designated for the forks. Then, the forks are designed in CAD software, and the FEM analysis is performed to designate the dimensions and material of the forks and finally, through FEM software (ANSYS). To validate the FEM results, the analytical method will be applied as well. In addition, other components such as the chain and hydraulic actuator are designed and selected according to analytical calculations. In the end, the designed forks are manufactured and mounted to the forklift, and their function is tested. By comparing the obtained results, the St52 alloy with a safety factor equal to 1 shows better mechanical behavior than St37 with a safety factor equal to 0.8. Therefore, the St37 alloy is not proper for this purpose, moreover, the strength of the St52 alloy should be increased by heat treatment or other methods.

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