Specifications For Ladle Hooks

AISE Technical Report No. 7

May 1991

Published by
ASSOCIATION OF IRON AND STEEL ENGINEERS
Three Gateway Center, Suite 2350, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222-1097 U.S.A.
 DISCLAIMER
This report has been prepared by a committee of steel company representatives and the Association
of Iron and Steel Engineers, and others, who considered the technology available at the time of
preparation. This report does not represent either minimum acceptable standards or mandatory
specifications. In addition, this report is subject to compatibility with all governmental
requirements.
The Association of Iron and Steel Engineers in no way mandates or is responsible for use of this
report, whether voluntary or pursuant to a mandate of others. The Association of Iron and Steel
Engineers and the committee assume and strongly recommend that parties who intend to use this
report will examine it thoroughly and will utilize appropriate professional guidance in adapting
this report to each particular project.
The use of language in this report that might be construed as mandatory is intended only to preserve
the integrity of the report as the committee views it. It is not intended to require strict compliance
where not necessitated by safety or operational needs.

FOREWORD
Increasingly sophisticated analytical tools have become readily accessible to the designer since
the 1976 revision of this Report.
To prevent the loss of potentially superior design through over-regulation, the intent of the Report
has changed. For example, a reliable empirical method of calculating stresses at various sections
of the hook is still specified. However, the design engineer is now given the option of substituting
other appropriate techniques. Similarly, the selection of materials is now left to the designer,
although the Report does note some restrictions and gives examples of materials commonly used
for each component to provide guidance.

COPYRIGHT 1991
Association of Iron and Steel Engineers
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Printed in United States of America

All rights reserved. This book, or any part thereof,
may not be reproduced in any form
without permission of the publishers.
1 SCOPE.
1.1 Intended Coverage.
This Technical Report covers new laminated ladle hooks
which are rectangular in cross-section, and are used
primarily for lifting hot metal ladles. Hooks rigidly at-
tached to a spreader beam are not discussed in this
Technical Report (see the Commentary).
1.2 General.
The primary concern in the design of a ladle hook is that a
sudden, complete failure should not occur.
Use of laminated construction, where the hook is made
up of a number of separate steel plates, is the most impor-
tant factor in insuring that such a mode of failure does not
occur.
2 MATERIALS.
2.1 Hook Lamination Plates.
Various materials have been used for hook lamination
plates, ranging from plain carbon steel to high-strength,
quenched and tempered steel. Any of these materials may
be used successfully, provided that the required design
parameters are given proper consideration. Listed below
are examples of typical steel with their minimum ultimate
tensile strengths at room temperature.
ASTM A 516 Gr. 55 55,000 psi
ASTM A 516 Gr. 60 60,000 psi
ASTM A 516 Gr. 65 65,000 psi
ASTM A 516 Gr. 70 70,000 psi
ASTM A 514 Gr. F 110,000 psi
For hooks that are to be used under very low temperature
conditions (below 0°F), avoid using plates such as ASTM
A 515, which are crack-sensitive at these temperatures.
2.2 Rivets.
Typical grades are:
ASTM A 31, Grade A
ASTM A 502
2.3 Eye Bushing.
The most common practice is to use steel (either hardened
or not hardened) for the eye bushing.
2.4 Trunnion Seat Wear Plate.
Material for the trunnion wear plate shall be selected ac-
cording to the design and the desired life of the trunnion
and/or trunnion wear sleeve. Typical materials are:
Cast Bronze
Cu 88%; Sn 10%; Pb 2%
Steel
AISI1045 —Flame hardened
ASTM A 514 — Quenched and tempered
ASTM A 668 K and L — Quenched and tempered
2.5 Wear Plates (Bumper Plates).
Wear plate material shall be selected on the basis of impact
resistance, to withstand service impacts between the hook
and the trunnion.
3 FABRICATION.
3.1 Lamination Plates.
Hooks conforming to this specification will normally have
four or more laminations. The recommended thickness of
laminated plates is 3/4 in. to 1V4 in. Plates used for making
the hook laminations shall be rolled within the thickness,
flatness, size and surface finish specified in ASTM A 6,
"General Requirements for Rolled Steel Plates, Shapes,
Sheet Piling and Bars for Structural Use."
If straightening is necessary, it can be done by mechani-
cal means or by the application of a limited amount of
localized heat. The temperature of the heated area, as
measured by approved methods, shall not exceed the lesser
of 50° F below the tempering temperature, or 1100° F.
3.2 Cutting to Size.
Within the limitations listed below, lamination plates shall
be cut to the design contour using a machine guided cutting
device. Finishing of plates will not be required unless
specifically called for on the drawing or included in a
stipulated edge preparation for welding.
The underside of the cut plate shall be free of slag and
the cut surface shall be smooth and square with the plate
surface. Corner imperfections can be removed by grinding,
provided the ground corners are smooth and free from
stress raisers and do not create more than a Vfc in. bevel or
corner radius. Burnt surface imperfections, if they occur,
shall be immediately corrected. Imperfect cut surfaces shall
be conditioned by grinding to render the surface free from
injurious gouges or serrations. Deep gouges (deeper than
Vfe in.) or blow holes shall be corrected as follows:
(1) Remove all slag, oxide, dirt and impurities to
form a prequalified joint configuration.
(2) Check area of repair by magnetic particle
inspection to insure freedom from cracks or
other defects.
(3) Preheat the repair area according to the proper
temperature dictated by the material and the
thickness of the repaired lamination plate.
(4) Fill the repair area with a low hydrogen filler
metal, compatible with and no less in strength
than the hook lamination plate material. The
welding process shall result in a fine-grain
deposited weld metal.
(5) Grind the weld flush to the surface.
(6) Check weld with magnetic particle inspection to
insure freedom from cracks.
3.3 Riveting.
The purpose of riveting is: to hold the laminations together,
to distribute the load to all laminations so that each of the
cross-sections of the hook and the shank work as an in-
tegrated section, and to insure the resistance to longitudinal
shear between the laminations.
3.3.1 General. The most common practice is to use
hot rivets as follows: Holes for rivets shall be Vi6 in. greater
in diameter than the nominal diameter of the rivet.
Laminations shall be clamped rigidly and then stack-
drilled to simplify alignment of the rivet holes. Care shall
be taken to clamp the laminations so that the two outside
surfaces of the stack are flat.
All parts of riveted members shall be aligned and rigidly
held together while riveting.
The rivet length shall be properly selected to avoid
over-forming or under-forming of the rivet head.
of the hook, it is preferred not to locate rivets above a
horizontal line whose distance below the centerline of the
supporting pin is 1 Vi times the diameter of the machined
support-pin hole in the hook, as shown in Fig. 1. NOTE:
Any welding on the hook laminations above this line shall
be made using low hydrogen electrodes. Transverse welds
shall not be used. Riveting shall normally be completed
prior to any welding of the hook laminations.
3. 4 Welding.
The workmanship and quality of welds shall be in accord-
ance with AWS Dl.l Section 9.25.
MINIMUM r =

Hot-driven rivets shall be heated uniformly to a tempera-

ture not exceeding 1950° F; they shall not be driven after
NOTE:-NO RIVETS
their temperature has fallen below 1000° F. ABOVE THIS LINE.

Alternate methods of holding the laminations together

are acceptable provided that: -SHANK

• The hook cross-section will still function as an

integral unit.
NOTE:-NO RIVETS IN
• The design does not provide a path for a crack to THIS AREA b = ^
propagate from one plate (lamination) to another. UP TO MAXIMUM OF 6"

• Stitch welds and tack welds not incorporated into

final weld are not allowed.
3.3.2 Gaps Between Laminations. The gaps be-
tween laminations shall be minimal for proper riveting. It
is good practice to clamp the laminations in locations
adjacent to the hole in which a rivet is to be driven. The
gaps between laminations of a new hook in the vicinity of
a rivet shall not exceed 0.002 in., nor shall the gaps between
laminations of a new hook at the pitch center between two
rivets exceed 0.020 in.
3.3.3 Types of Rivets Used. Wherever possible, TYPICAL STRESS DISTRIBUTION
countersunk rivets shall be used. The head of the driven ACROSS CRITICAL SECTION OF
HOOK DUE TO VERTICAL BENDING.
rivet shall fill the countersunk hole and shall be flush with,
or no higher than Vfc in. above, the surface of the outer
lamination. Buttonhead rivets are not normally used be-
cause of the possibility of shearing the rivet heads on the Fig. 1 — Nomenclature for Stress Formulae and
ladle. Limiting Dimensions for Ladle Hooks
3.3.4 Rivet Spacing. For design purposes, the total
cross-sectional area of the rivets shall be sufficient to take 4 WEARING PLATES.
the full rated hook load in shear. Shear stress is not to
exceed 12,000 psi. No rivets shall be closer than one-third The inner surface of the hook that comes in contact with
of the width of the plate (or 6 in. if the width exceeds 18 the ladle trunnion and outside tip of the hook may be
in.) to the inside surface of the wear plate at,the point of protected by a steel wearing plate not less than 3/4 in. thick.
maximum stress, as shown in Fig. 1, Area b. The edge The trunnion seat wearing plates shall be made of material
distance for rivets, other than those at the critical sections specified in Section 2.4, machined to fit the laminations
in the bight, shall be not less than 2Vi in. from the center and secured in place by bolting, riveting or welding. The
of the rivet hole to the edge of the hook. In the eye section edges of the trunnion,seat wear plate and bumper plates
shall, in the case of welded design, be joined to the outer KtMc (Eq 2)
hook plates by continuous welds. Wearing plates attached
by welds in the bight area shall be continuous through the
high stress area of the bight of the hook. No transverse Where:
welds shall be used on the laminations. Values for Kt for a rectangular section are given in
If so specified by the purchaser, the wearing plates may Table 1.
be omitted. In this case, the designer will clearly define for = 2 - a (R/c - 1) (Eq3)
the owner the limits of wear and damage that are acceptable ' ~ 3 (R a/c - 2) (fl/c - 1)
in these areas before the hook has to be replaced. The
designer will insure that these hooks comply with the rivet Where:
spacing limitations specified in Section 3.3.4 and the (Rlc + 1)
design stresses in Sections 6 and 7 until the agreed wear a = loge
(Rlc - 1)
allowances are exceeded.
R = Distance of centroidal axis of section to
line of application of load, in. (See Fig. 1)
= Distance from centroidal axis to extreme
5 SUPPORT BUSHINGS. fiber of the surface of the beam at the inside
5.1 Fitting. of the hook, in.
The eye end of laminated hooks shall be provided with a = Static moment of inertia of the
steel bushing. A press fit shall be used to insert the bushing cross-sectional area about the centroidal
into the eye of the hook. If the bushing is welded, the welds axis, in.4
shall be continuous to the outer laminations. M = Applied bending moment about centroidal
5.2 Minimum Thickness. axis, in.-lb
The bushing thickness shall be one-eighth of the pin = Bending stress due to moment about short
diameter, but must not be less than Vi in. and need not centroidal axis, psi
exceed 1 in. in thickness.

6 DESIGN STRESSES. Table 1

6.1 Load Combinations. Curved Beam Correction Factor
For Rectangular Sections
Hooks shall be designed for the sum of the stresses due to
the loads as discussed in Sections 6.1.1, 6.1.2 and 6.1.3. R/c Kt R/c Kt
Areas, moments of inertia and other applicable values will
1.2 2.89 1.8 1.63
correspond to the section for which the stress is being
computed. 1.3 2.39 1.9 1.57
1.4 2.10 2.0 1.52
6.1.1 Direct Load (Vertical). 1.5 1.92 2.1 1.48
(Eq1) 1.6 1.79 2.2 1.45
Sw = "7 1.7 1.70 2.3 1.42

Where:
A = Net cross-sectional area at section being
considered (square inches). The net
cross-sectional area at each section is the
gross area minus the area of the rivet holes. 6.1.3 Maximum Stress Due to Lateral or Sideways
P = Vertical load on hook, Ib Bending About the Long Axis of the Hook. This will be
computed from the simple beam formula, with the rated load
Sd - Direct stress on the hook in the bight area, applied 1 in. from the outside edge of the hook (see the
psi Commentary).
6.1.2 Maximum Stress Due to Bending in the Plane (Eq4)
of the Hook About the Major Axis. This will occur at the
inside fiber of the bight section. It will be computed from
the Winkler-Bach theory for curved beams.
 Where: by the method of elastic analysis of the hook. These stresses
11 = The lateral moment of inertia of the cross- are based on the use of materials that meet the requirements
sectional area about the long centroidal of this Technical Report. Also see the Commentary.
axis, in.
t = Thickness of hook, in.
7.2 Bight.
S/ = Bending stress about the long centroidal The allowable stress in the bight shall not be exceeded by
axis, psi the sum of the primary general membrane (direct stress),
bending stress in the plane of the hook, and the lateral
6.2 Bight. bending stress. The allowable stress shall be determined by
The stresses in the bight will be the sum of the three stresses Eq 8 or Eq 9, whichever is lower.
from Eqs 1 through 4 or:
<JM (Eq 8)
'l ill (Eq5) (SF)U
2 2
'/ (Eq9)

6.3 Shanks. Where:

The shank shall be designed for the sum of the stresses: = Allowable stress, based on minimum
ultimate strength, psi
(Eq6)
'ay = Allowable stress, based on minimum yield
strength, psi
cu = Minimum ultimate strength at room
temperature, psi
6.4 Hook Eye Section. a,, = Minimum yield strength at room
The stress at the section through the eye shall be computed temperature, psi
as follows: F{ = Impact factor
(Eq7) (SF)U = Safety factor against ultimate strength
(SF) = Safety factor against yielding
s.
In this Technical Report, the following values shall be
used:
In the vertical plane, the section will have a minimum • Impact factor F± =1.2
height which is equal to one-half of the net section width • Safety factor against ultimate strength
across the eye plus one-fourth of the hole diameter. (SF)U = 3.15
• Safety factor against yielding (SF) = 1.75
6.5 Hook Configuration.
To allow for clearance, the thickness of the hook shall be
1 Vz in. less than the length of the trunnion pin bearing on 7.3 Shank.
the ladles between the flange and shoulder. See the Com- The allowable stress in the shank shall not be exceeded by
mentary for discussion on design stresses. the sum of the primary general membrane (direct stress),
bending stress in the plane of the hook, and the lateral
bending stress; and shall be determined by Eq 8.

7 ALLOWABLE STRESSES.
7.1 General.
The allowable stresses in various categories discussed in
Sections 7.2 through 7.4 shall not be exceeded in the design
7.4 Eye.
The allowable stress in the eye shall not be exceeded by the
sum of peak membrane and the lateral bending stress; and
shall be determined by Eq 8.
 COMMENTARY

The purpose of this Commentary is to provide additional
information about topics addressed in the Technical
Report.
Section 1.1: If the hooks are rigidly attached to a
spreader beam, consideration must be given to all of the
additional loadings that can be introduced into the hook at
that connection. Sources of these additional loadings in-
clude:
• Deflection of the spreader beam due to the center
lines of the ladle hooks and the lower sheave
assemblies being offset.
• When the assembly is subjected to side loads, it will
tend to lozenge; there will be a moment at the rigid
connection between the spreader beam and the
hook resisting this.
Section 2.2: Riveted connections are used less fre-
quently than in the past. Consequently, some of the rivet
materials specified in previous editions of this Technical
Report are no longer generally available. The materials in
this edition are examples of acceptable materials. Substitu-
tions may be made provided that they offer at least equal
physical properties.
Section 4: The design of the wear plates, and their
attachment to the hook, should recognize the owner's need
to be able to inspect the individual laminations as part of a
preventative maintenance program.
Section 6.1.2: The Report calls for the use of the
Winkler-Bach method of analysis for stresses in the curved
section of the hook. This was considered to be the most
appropriate of the empirically derived methods based on
accuracy and ease of use.
Analytical methods, such as finite element, may be sub-
stituted at the design engineer's discretion.
Section 6.1.3: The analysis assumes that the plates
are held firmly together and may be considered as a single
body for lateral bending.
Section 6.5: The design of the ladle hook should
consider the hook and trunnion width with respect to trun-
nion and bearing surface wear. A 'thin' hook may be
subject to premature wear of the bearing surfaces, even
though it is otherwise a successful design.
The trend to thinner hooks has become more obvious
with the adoption of higher strength materials.
Section 7.2: The previous revision to this Technical
Report included a temperature derating factor to decrease
the allowable stress. Based on current information and
steelmaking practices, it was concluded that this factor is
no longer needed. It has been found that hook temperatures
seldom exceed 200° F. No loss of strength will occur at this
temperature. Higher surface temperatures can be reached
on the ladle side of the shank, but these do not significantly
affect the strength or stresses in the section.
Where hooks are to be used in an application that will
lead to greater heating of the hooks, temperature derating
factors appropriate for the hook material should be applied
to the design.
The application of heat shields has been deleted from
this edition. If the owner or designer should opt to fit heat
shields, care must be taken to insure that the attachment to
the hook body does not compromise the design by intro-
ducing uncompensated stress risers.

APPENDIX A
RECOMMENDED HOOK MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION PROCEDURES,
AND HOOK REPLACEMENT CRITERIA

Laminated ladle hooks should be visually inspected weekly for any indication of cracked plates and
welds, for loose rivets, and for wear in wearing plates or bushings. Wear plates and bushings shall be
replaced before wear occurs on the laminated plates of the hook body. For hooks not fitted with wear
plates, it is the owner's responsibility to insure that wear and damage do not exceed the limits specified
by the designer. Alteration or rerating of a ladle hook shall not be made without consulting either the
supplier or other qualified person.