AW609 nacelle lift
Engineering the first sling lift of a 900 kg tiltrotor nacelle, then leading its installation onto the wing.
Install time cut from 2 to 3 weeks to under one.
- Role
- Manufacturing engineering co-op
- Tools
- CATIA V5, FARO laser tracker
- Team
- Led a 4-person install crew
A 900 kg nacelle had only moved on dedicated tooling
The AW609 is a tiltrotor: it takes off like a helicopter and cruises like an airplane. Each wingtip carries a nacelle housing the engine, gearbox and three-bladed proprotor, and the whole unit tilts between flight modes.
The nacelle moved was a 900 kg, estimated $4M+ assembly that had only ever been moved on dedicated tooling. Lifting one on slings had never been done at the site.
Rig it around the center of gravity
A sling lift is only as good as your knowledge of where the weight is. I modeled the assembly's center of gravity in CATIA V5 and laid out the rig around it and the nacelle's usable lift points.
To set sling lengths, I treated the basket hitch as two lines running from either side of the nacelle to meet in a specified plane. I then calculated the sling loads under stated assumptions, sized each sling to its load, and applied a 5:1 safety factor.
Lift it, then hang it on the wing
I executed the lift, then led the installation of two nacelles onto the wing, directing a 4-person crew.
I calculated the offsets from FARO laser tracker data so the alignment was right the first time.
Under a week, right the first time
An install that used to take 2 to 3 weeks took under one.
The sling lift also gave the site a way to move a nacelle without dedicated tooling.
