TROLLEY BEAMS SIMULATIONS
OBJECTIVE
Generate safety ratings for trolley beams in mud pump houses on oil rigs through running finite element analysis.
DESIGN
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Pump House #1: Beams are 320" long. Supports are spaced 106" and the last 26" sticks out.
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Pump House #2: Beams are 294" long. Supports are spaced the same as #1, but nothing sticking out.
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Trolley Supporting Beam: This beam is 96". Supports are spaced 4 5/8 " on each end of the beams.
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Simulations are run in Solidworks. The remote load was used to most accurately simulate the load by the wheels on the trolley. The split line was used to create the area of load on the beams.
RESULTS
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Pump #1: maximum stress: 4.333E4 psi, safety factor of 1.18. Thus, the safety rating is 6000 lbs or 3 tons.
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Pump #2: maximum stress: 3.538E4 psi, safety factor of 1.43. Thus, the safety rating is 6000 lbs or 3 tons.
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Trolley Support Beam: maximum stress: 7.740E3 psi, safety factor of 6.59. Thus, the safety rating is 6000 lbs or 3 tons.