Modulift and their in-house engineering team have designed and manufactured a bespoke lifting beam that was capable of recovering a micro tunnelling machine from the depths of the sea. In just 8 weeks, the Modulift team designed, produced and delivered a 50t custom beam that was compliant with DNV-ST-N001 standards.

At the request of their customer, a specialist in tunnelling and micro-tunnelling, Modulift delivered a bespoke solution to meet the stringent DNV industry standards and with a Dynamic Amplification Factor of 2.0.

The beam had to be designed for use above and below the water, taking into account the differences in the centre of gravity location and weight of the micro tunnelling machine due to the buoyancy force. Nevertheless, thanks to the expertise of Modulift’s in-house team, they were able to achieve the correct tilt and balance to ensure a safe and effective lift.

Modulift engineered the lifting beam with 8 lifting points, together with turnbuckles to connect the lifting beam to the tunnelling machine. The 6.7m long beam featured 2 top lugs and 4 bottom lugs, and tugger points were installed for manoeuvring the beam into the right orientation before lifting.

Modulift’s engineering team used 3D structural analysis in STAAD Pro. Finite Element Analysis was conducted on the lifting lugs and welds using ANSYS software.

At the customer’s request, Modulift engaged DNV to perform a third-party design review and certify the beam in compliance with DNV-ST-N001. The design was successfully approved in the first round of reviews, allowing Modulift to complete the project within 8 weeks; from design and drawings, to fabrication, painting, and procurement of rigging.

Modulift is proud to have delivered an efficient, safe and reliable solution, reaffirming their commitment to delivering the highest quality engineering, design and manufacturing standards to their customers.

For more information visit: https://www.modulift.com/