Modular And Parametric Design For The Crawler Crane

Crawler crane, as the important mobile hoisting equipment widely used in different kinds of fields, is one of the indispensable large equipment in construction industry. With the development of economy, the demand on the amount and types of the crawler crane has been increasing, and there is higher requirement on reducing product developing time and improving design quality. The topic presented here is Modular and Parametric Design for the Crawler Crane which tries to meet the above requirements.The main contents of the paper are as follows:Firstly, based on the analysis of the crawler crane modularizing design process, the overall program to achieve modular design of the crawler crane is presented. Moreover, based on the structural characteristics of the crawler crane and under principle of modular division, the multi-level structure of the module, specificly parameter block - the basic design elements - high-level design elements, is presented.Secondly, based on the structural characteristics of the crawler crane, the types of variables are divided and connection as well as actuation relation between these variables are established. According to passive variables' features, the problem of passive parameter variation is solved by virtue of single-variable evaluation. Parametric design of the crawler crane based on Solid Edge and the seamless integration of Solid Edge with the design system are achieved by the redevelopment of Solid Edge with the help ActiveX Automation technique. With both parametric design method and feature modeling method, the model database of the crawler crane is established, including 3D models and 2D drawings.The man-machine interface, which can be operated conveniently, was developped by Visual Basic.NET, and operation process accords with design flow. The design system has convenient operation and efficient running process due to object-oriented programming method.For the first time, Modular and Parametric Design for the Crawler Crane realizes the integration of modular design and parametric design. The developed system has been used in a company, and it helps the company respond the market demands rapidly and improve the company's competitions greatly.