Lifting the Navy’s New Triton Drone

Presented by Tom Eicher The Caldwell Group April, 2017

Presentation Outline

• Project:

• Background

• Unique Application

• Drone

• Testing Environment & Constraints

• Introduction of Composites

• Engineering Process & Lift

• Outcome

I am…• Tom Eicher, Director of Engineering with The Caldwell Group.

• Caldwell manufactures Below The Hook Lifting equipment in the U.S.

• Renfroe manufactures plate clamps and other Below The Hook items in the U.S.

• Chair of the BTH committee for AWRF (Associated Wire Rope Fabricators) in the U.S.

• Member of the ASME B30.20 subcommittee. Currently working on a new chapter 6 Clamp section in the B30.20 Specification.

• Chair the BTH committee for CMAA (Crane Manufacturer’s Association

of America) in the U.S. Currently working on a new CMAA 80

Operation of Below The Hook Lifting Equipment.

What’s Interesting About this Project?

• Drone for the Military

• Unique Lifting Application & Environment

• Different Testing Constraints

• Newer Material Technology

Project Background

• Contacted by one of our partners, Certex in Houston, TX.

• Lifting a new multi-million dollar drone developed by the Navy.

• New electromagnetic testing process for the Navy.

• The drone will be suspended for periods of time in a special testing facility.

• Due to the types of testing to be performed, an alternative to steel had to be identified.

• Drone usage is increasing worldwide using ISR

(Intelligence surveillance and Reconnaissance) System

Technology.

• The Triton Drone has improved capabilities such as

endurance, range, altitude, and stability to the Navy’s

already existing technology.

• The Triton Drone is a UAV (Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle).

Current UAV systems are the size of an insect to the size

of a 737 aircraft.

• The Triton Drone UAV is capable of collecting data and

loiter over a specific area for long periods of time to

collect this data.

Project Background

Drone Facts• MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS)

Drone facts

• Triton based on the Army’s Global Hawk drone

• Designed primarily for maritime and coastal reconnaissance

• Range of approximately 9,500 miles.

• Weight equals 32,000 lbs.

• Can operate at an altitude of 56,000 ft.

• Advanced radar system allows it to survey 2.7 million square miles in 1,000,000 square miles a single mission

• Size of the Amazon rain forest

• Malaysian Airlines

• Can fly for up to 24 hours continuously

• The Navy’s Triton Drone is based on the current Global Hawk

Drone with stiffer wings for improved maneuverability in

adverse weather conditions.

• The Triton Drone is almost the size of a 757 aircraft.

• The Triton Drone has a wing span of 130 feet.

• It has the capabilities of 360 degree scanning using multi

function array sensor systems.

Drone facts

• The Triton can fly up to speeds of 357 miles per hour.

• The Rolls Royce engine develops 8,500 pounds of thrust.

• The Triton has special protection from lightening and has deicing

capabilities for adverse weather conditions. It also has hail and

bird strike resistance.

• 68 Triton Drones are currently being manufactured for delivery by

the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018.

Drone facts

Testing Environment

• Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent, MD

• Anechoic Chamber for electromagnetic testing

• Chamber absorbs sounds, electromagnetic waves

• Testing for 8 weeks

• Subsystems won’t interfere with each other

• Drone needs to be suspended for testing

Global Hawk Testing

Composite Technology• What are composites?

• Popular composites – Fiberglass, Kevlar, Carbon Fiber

• Composites have been used for decades in

• Automotive

• Aerospace

• Construction

• No welding means industrial adhesives

• Automotive, Aviation, Marine

• Challenges of Composite

Engineering and Testing

• Temperature Testing from -40 degrees up to 150 degrees

• Fatigue/cycle testing

• Adhesive testing

• Design formulas

• Manufacturing Processes

• Chemical testing

• Proof testing

Dura-Lite Destruction Test video

Planning for the Lift

Composite Spreader Beams

Lifting Arrangement

Prep for Lift

Lifting Arrangement

Lifting Arrangement

Prep for Lift

Prep for Lift

Ready, Set …. Wait

The $29M Washer Question

Triton Drone Video

Thank you

Questions