Forklift Truck Research Articles

Finite element analysis and simulation of cargo fork dynamics

The forklift truck, as an industrial transport vehicle, is widely used in stations, workshops, warehouses, ports, and other places. At the same time, with the rapid development of today’s economy and the emergence of express industries, the number of forklifts in China is increasing by the day. At the same time, the accidents caused by forklifts are also increasing. The current research on forklifts mainly focuses on the dynamic and static analysis and structural optimization of the vehicle body and parts, among which there are few studies on a forklift. In order to verify the reliability of the forklift, this paper uses the function of SolidWorks Simulation to conduct finite element analysis on the dynamic characteristics of forklifts and sets the forklift’s mass as 2 tons to increase external irregular vibration. When the damping is 0.7, it is found that the maximum stress is 3333Pa. Based on the completion of the physical modeling, with the help of SolidWorks animation, the load situation of the forklift truck in different scenes is simulated. It is found that within the permissible range of strength, the greater the slope rate, the less the mass of the safe load.

基于有限元分析的危化品包装与叉车碰撞研究

基于有限元分析的危化品包装与叉车碰撞研究

Experimental Investigation of the Forklift Truck Impact on CFS Pallet Racks

Background: Storage pallet racks are commonly formed by Cold-Formed-Steel (CFS) members and are used worldwide to store goods on pallets. The main racking system is denoted as “selective pallet racking”. This racking system is one pallet deep and is separated by aisles, allowing for each pallet, stored on horizontal beams, to be always accessible. Steel racking systems are frequently subjected to accidental impact forces from operating forklift trucks. If international racking design codes provide an arbitrary value of impact force to design members, several impacts can produce damages, which can lead to system failure, highlighting the fundamental role played by monitoring. Methods: Results of an experimental campaign on a full-size selective rack are presented. The investigated rack is subjected to the impact of a forklift truck and hammer test at different points. The propagation of the acceleration among adjacent bracing frames is investigated with the magnitude of the recorded strains in structural members. Results: Results highlight that an accelerometer every two spans can establish whether the monitored racking system is accidentally hit. Compressed diagonal and tensile diagonal work in parallel. Only one diagonal brace, every two spans, can be monitored through a strain gauge to establish the forklift truck impact point and estimate the stress distribution on adjacent members. Conclusion: The study suggests an optimization in the number, type and position of accelerometers and strain gauges in monitoring racking systems to identify forklift truck impact and its effects.

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CONSUMER PRODUCTS Reactions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2022, 100 (43), p 5December 5, 2022Cite this:C&EN 100, 43, 5Letters to the editorMoose adventures in CanadaThe photo of the crash test dummy moose in Newscripts (C&EN, Sept. 19, 2022, page 32) brought back the memory of motoring with my wife on the Trans-Canada Highway north of Lake Superior in about 1980. As we registered in a motel in Wawa, Ontario, the desk clerk asked me if I had noticed a little red sports car in the lot. It and its driver had survived driving under a moose.Incidentally, when I had a summer job in the research lab of Canadian Industries Limited at McMasterville, Quebec, in 1947, the lab had a system of prizes: the One Bell Prize for a helpful bit of lab technique, the Two Bell Prize for finding a new substance of interest, the Three Bell Prize for a major advance, and the No Bell Prize for a conspicuous goof.Robert A. StairsPeterborough, OntarioRegulation of benzene in liquefied petroleum gasThe propane, butane, and isobutane mentioned in the article on benzene in dry shampoo (C&EN, Oct. 24/31, 2022, page 10) are sold as liquefied petroleum gas, known to the consumer as propane. Liquefied petroleum gas is a commodity produced by oil refineries and sold as a fuel for cooking, heating, grain drying, forklift trucks, and even backyard barbecues.The benzene discovery indicates contamination of some of it. As a commodity, it is easily commingled in distribution, as some may be supplied from multiple sources. Benzene in liquefied petroleum gas used as fuel may not be a concern, but caution is required when liquefied petroleum gas is used as a propellant in aerosol consumer products. In addition to cosmetic products, bug sprays and spray paints might be affected.The benzene content of gasoline is regulated. Is benzene regulated in liquefied petroleum gas?Paul E. EcklerWildwood, Missouri ACS 2021 IRS Form 990 availableThe American Chemical Society’s 2021 IRS Form 990 is now available on the ACS website. To access the information, go to www.acs.org/acsirsform990. Please scroll toward the bottom of the page to access the 2021 form and related Guide to Schedule J for explanatory information regarding ACS executive compensation. If you have any access problems, please contact [email protected]

Research on Application of forklift dispatching intelligence in Industrial intelligence

In the modern information technology industry rapid development, forklift truck as an important content in the field of industrial production and transportation, research scholars in view of the traditional forklift control application problems are analyzed in the experiment, on the basis of consideration of work safety and comfort manipulation, forklift scheduling intelligent control system was put forward, both could regulate the working state of the vehicles and personnel, It can also use sensing technology to sense and analyze, effectively control data cost, and truly achieve the development goal of industrial intelligence. On the basis of understanding the development status of intelligent forklift dispatching, this paper analyzes the intelligent control system of forklift trucks combined with state-aware technology, and makes clear the research direction of intelligent forklift trucks in the future from the perspective of industrial intelligence development, which is also an effective measure to improve the level of social and economic growth in the new era.

International Specialized Exhibition of Internal Logistics LogiMAT 2022 in Germany

International exhibition of internal logistics was held in Stuttgart (Germany) after a two-year break due to COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition was a representative review of innovations in logistics and identified future developmental trends for this most important sphere of economics. Digitalization and automation dominated the exhibition with participation of about 1,500 companies. Exhibits reflecting the digitalization of logistic supply networks attracted the greatest interest in the section of digitalization and new information technologies. The displayed software products ensure high-level digitalization of supply chains. New transportation and storage systems and new technologies for picking orders were put on display at the exhibition. New types of hoisting & handling and storage equipment were widely exhibited, for example, electric fork lift trucks, stacker cranes, grabbing devices, etc.

Identification of steering wheel vibration source of internal combustion forklifts based on wavelet coherence analysis

The vibration of the internal combustion balance forklift and other types of construction machinery, especially the vibration at the steering wheel, has a significant impact on drivers’ work efficiency and comfort. Since most of the vibration sources of internal combustion forklifts during the working condition are nonstationary, how to accurately identify the nonstationary vibration sources that cause steering wheel vibration is of importance and challenging. This paper proposed an identification method for steering wheel vibration sources based on wavelet coherence analysis. Wavelet packet energy decomposition was used to determine the distribution of vibration energy at the steering wheel of an inter-combustion engine forklift truck for both idling and wide open throttle (WOT) conditions. Coherence analysis and source contribution analysis for the steering wheel vibration were carried out using FFT (coherence) and CWT (wavelet coherence) methods. The two methods and the results from the two conditions were compared and discussed. Results showed that wavelet coherence analysis can better identify the signal feature at low frequencies and provide global contribution analysis for the whole nonstationary conditions. In addition, it was found that the main vibration sources of the steering wheel vibration under the idling and WOT condition were different. A simple confirmation test was further conducted which proved the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Moving toward Smart Manufacturing with an Autonomous Pallet Racking Inspection System Based on MobileNetV2

Pallet racking is a fundamental component within the manufacturing, storage, and distribution centers of companies around the World. It requires continuous inspection and maintenance to guarantee the protection of stock and the safety of personnel. At present, racking inspection is manually carried out by certified inspectors, leading to operational down-time, inspection costs and missed damage due to human error. As companies transition toward smart manufacturing, we present an autonomous racking inspection mechanism using a MobileNetV2-SSD architecture. We propose a solution that is affixed to the adjustable cage of a forklift truck, enabling adequate coverage of racking in the immediate vicinity. Our proposed approach leads to a classifier that is optimized for deployment onto edge devices, providing real-time alerts of damage to forklift drivers, with a mean average precision of 92.7%.

Semi-Supervised Learning for Forklift Activity Recognition from Controller Area Network (CAN) Signals.

Machine Activity Recognition (MAR) can be used to monitor manufacturing processes and find bottlenecks and potential for improvement in production. Several interesting results on MAR techniques have been produced in the last decade, but mostly on construction equipment. Forklift trucks, which are ubiquitous and highly important industrial machines, have been missing from the MAR research. This paper presents a data-driven method for forklift activity recognition that uses Controller Area Network (CAN) signals and semi-supervised learning (SSL). The SSL enables the utilization of large quantities of unlabeled operation data to build better classifiers; after a two-step post-processing, the recognition results achieve balanced accuracy of 88% for driving activities and 95% for load-handling activities on a hold-out data set. In terms of the Matthews correlation coefficient for five activity classes, the final score is 0.82, which is equal to the recognition results of two non-domain experts who use videos of the activities. A particular success is that context can be used to capture the transport of small weight loads that are not detected by the forklift’s built-in weight sensor.

Modeling and simulation analysis of electric forklift energy prediction management

In recent years, the effective utilization of energy for electric forklift has been the focus of research. However, the load of forklift change markedly and frequently, leading to a great challenge in the performance of the composite energy system. To solve this problem, this paper presents the power system structure of electric forklift and the battery–supercapacitor hybrid energy management method of electric forklift truck. The working conditions and energy flow of electric forklift are analyzed and the power demand forecasting model of electric forklift power system is indispensable. Two predictive control based on Markov chain and neural network are developed, considering the performance of predictive control. The predictive model is applied to the stochastic model predictive (SMPC) energy management strategy. Simulations are carried out on the representative driving cycles of an electric forklift. As an auxiliary power supply on the energy management of composite power, the influence of the development depth of supercapacitor is discussed. Simulation results show that short-term Markov chain model is closer to the actual working condition. Fuzzy neural network model can give full play to the charging and discharging characteristics of supercapacitors. The state of charge of supercapacitor is stable between 0.5 and 1, which effectively stabilizes the rate of the charge and discharge of the battery.

A metal hydride system for a forklift: Feasibility study on on-board chemical storage of hydrogen using numerical simulation

This paper describes a technical feasibility study of on-board metal hydride storage systems. The main advantages of these systems would be that of being able to replace counterweights with the weight of the storage system and using the heat emissions of fuel cells for energy, making forklifts a perfect use case. The main challenge is designing a system that supplies the required energy for a sufficiently long period. A first draft was set up and analyzed to provide a forklift based on a fuel cell with hydrogen from HydralloyC5 or FeTiMn. The primary design parameter was the required amount of stored hydrogen, which should provide energy equal to the energy capacity of a battery in an electric vehicle. To account for highly dynamic system requirements, the reactor design was optimized such that the storage was charged in a short time. Additionally, we investigated a system in which a fixed amount of hydrogen energy was required. For this purpose, we used a validated simulation model for the design concepts of metal hydride storage systems. The model includes all relevant terms and parameters to describe processes inside the system's particular reactions and the thermal conduction due to heat exchangers. We introduce an embedded fuel cell model to calculate the demand for hydrogen for a given power level. The resulting calculations provide the required time for charging or a full charge depending on the tank's diameter and, therefore, the necessary number of tanks. We conclude that the desired hydrogen supply times are given for some of the use cases. Accordingly, the simulated results suggest that using a metal hydride system could be highly practical in forklifts. • Feasibility study on metal hydrides storages in forklift trucks. • Performance comparison between HydralloyC5 and a FeTiMn alloy. • Optimization of the system design. • Detailed description of the simulation model (metal hydride storage, fuel cell).

Anti-Rollover Control of a Counterbalance Forklift Based on Roll Energy Classification

This study proposes an energy stability index suitable for a counterbalance forklift, aiming to solve the problem that the traditional vehicle stability index load transfer rate is difficult to accurately judge the stability state of such a forklift. The analysis of the structure of the counterbalance forklift and contact relationship between the body and rear axle are used as bases to establish a two-stage dynamic model and derive real-time instability energy of a forklift truck in the rollover process under different conditions. Additionally, this research proposes an anti-rollover control strategy of the counterbalance forklift based on roll energy classification. The corresponding calculation formula of the forklift energy stability index is selected according to different stability conditions to perform roll energy classification. An anti-rollover oil cylinder and active rear wheel steering are used as an anti-rollover control actuator, and an anti-rollover control is implemented based on model predictive control. Last, a simulation based on European standard operating conditions and real vehicle test verification is conducted. Results show that the anti-rollover control strategy based on roll energy classification can effectively reduce the risk of forklift rollover and improve the stability and active safety of a counterbalance forklift.

Research on performance of liquid drive fan cooling system for hydrogen fuel cell forklift

Due to the large energy consumption as well as poor controllability and other problems, the traditional cooling system has not been able to adapt to the development needs of construction machinery with the continuous upgrading of emission regulations. This paper introduces a hydraulic driven fan cooling system based on pilot operated electro-hydraulic proportional valve. In order to make the whole machine quickly reach the temperature required in the best working condition when the construction machinery starts working, controlling the fan at a lower speed can reduce the heat dissipation and save energy. The electronic control system will adjust the motor speed in time when the temperature of the fluid rises, and control the temperature in the best temperature range required. A one-dimensional simulation model of this stepless speed control system is established to predict the parameter sensitivity of the electro-hydraulic proportional valve and the dynamic performance of the system. The simulation shows that the fan speed of the system can reach the required speed in only 5s at the extreme high temperature of 40 °C; the fan input power of the system accounts for 65% of the system input power at −30 °C and reaches 80% at 40 °C. Three-dimensional simulation shows that the fan-front temperature-controlled cooling system for forklift truck has high heat dissipation efficiency and can be applied to other heavy machinery products.

Supplier selection in sustainable supply chains: Using the integrated BWM, fuzzy Shannon entropy, and fuzzy MULTIMOORA methods

With the increasing awareness of environmental protection and social responsibility, sustainable supplier selection (SSS) has been receiving more and more attention. However, traditional methods for selecting sustainable suppliers suffer from three main drawbacks: (i) Few existing studies have considered criteria weightings that have been determined both subjectively and objectively, reasonably and simultaneously. Moreover, among these limited studies, existing methods for combining weightings that have been calculated both subjectively and objectively provide only a poor degree of differentiation. (ii) Although MULTIMOORA method has high potential to solve the complex SSS problem, few researchers have given it much attention. (iii) The current Reference Point Approach within MULTIMOORA is not comprehensive as it only considers the distance between the alternative and the positive ideal point. Together, these drawbacks result in both inefficiency and ineffectiveness in SSS. This paper proposes a novel fuzzy MULTIMOORA-based method for SSS. The proposed method, firstly, obtains weights by both group Best Worst Method (subjective method) and fuzzy Shannon Entropy Method (objective method), respectively. Then the two types of weights are combined by Deviation Maximization method, reasonably and effectively. Finally, the paper introduces an improved fuzzy MULTIMOORA method to rank alternative suppliers, which considers both the minimum distance from the positive ideal point and the maximum distance from the negative ideal point. The practicability and effectiveness of the proposed method is verified in an illustrative application in Company L, a well-known international forklift truck manufacturer in China.

Anti-rollover Control of Counterbalanced Forklift Truck Based on Stable Zone Partition

Anti-rollover Control of Counterbalanced Forklift Truck Based on Stable Zone Partition

Analytical Method for Assessing Stability of a Counterbalanced Forklift Truck Assembled with Interchangeable Equipment

Analytical Method for Assessing Stability of a Counterbalanced Forklift Truck Assembled with Interchangeable Equipment

Egy játékelemgyár tervezésének története

LEGO FACTORY, NYÍREGYHÁZA, HUNGARY; ARCHITECTS: MARINA ANNUS and GÁBOR HORVÁTH When designing an industrial building, finance is typically leading factor. It is a rare moment when the construction cost is only one aspect among many, here other layers needed to be considered, aesthetics, operation, and environmental responsibility. A toy factory leads to questions of how to reflect the product in the design of the building, constructed from bright colours, accessibility to all and safe operation. Separation of automated functions, pedestrian access, and forklift truck routes. The building itself functions somewhat like the toy bricks manufactured within, systematic, safe and reusable.

Green Warehousing: Exploration of Organisational Variables Fostering the Adoption of Energy-Efficient Material Handling Equipment

The lithium-ion battery (LIB) represents a useful lever for reducing material handling equipment’s (MHE) environmental impact. The exploitation of opportunity charging might improve LIB adoption, which is still prevented by the high investment cost. Since opportunity charging is affected by the system organization, the relationship between LIB and organizational variables is a meaningful work direction to reduce warehouses’ environmental impact, which is underrepresented by the current literature. The present paper aims at filling this gap by investigating the implications of organisational variables on LIB adoption in warehouses where handling activities are performed with forklift trucks. Based on an in-depth review of the literature and semi-structured interviews, the research presents an input-process-output model linking organisational variables and LIB forklift related costs with an application to a real case. This paper is original as it extends findings from the research fields of production and mobility to the warehouse arena, and it opens room for further research on warehouse sustainability. The paper also offers insights to warehouse managers making decisions about LIB adoption for their electric forklift fleets. This is particularly meaningful to reduce warehouse environmental impact, since MHE power source significantly contributes to greenhouse gases emissions.

Anti-Rollover Control Based on Stable Zone Partition of Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks

Anti-Rollover Control Based on Stable Zone Partition of Counterbalanced Forklift Trucks

Forklift-related lower limb injuries: a retrospective case series study with patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

Forklift trucks can cause serious lower limb trauma with long-lasting sequelae to patients. The aim of this study was to analyse a case series of patients with forklift-related injuries over 7 years at a level 1 major trauma centre in the UK and present their patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) with long-term follow-up. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the largest case series study in the UK describing forklift injuries. Retrospective case note analysis of 19 patients over 7 years. Data including demographics, injury mechanism, pattern of injury, management, length of hospital stay, number of operations and complications were extracted from the notes. We used 'Enneking score' as a validated tool for PROMs. Seventeen men and two women with mean age of 47 years; 20% had bilateral injuries and 34% had multi-level fractures. The mean number of theatre sessions was 5.21, while the mean length of hospital stay was 30.10 days. There was one mortality. Twelve patients (63%) required reconstruction with free tissue transfer, with one flap failure. The mean long-term Enneking percentage score was 57.33%. The mean Enneking score for patients in this study is lower than our institute's score for Gustilo 3B, highlighting the gravity of these injuries. Forklifts can cause grave injuries with massive energy transfer. This study highlights the seriousness of those injuries, thus guiding patient counselling and optimising planning of management.