Can Lifting Airbags Be Used on Curved Surfaces?

A common field mistake is sliding an air bag under a round pipe or a curved tank body and expecting the nameplate tonnage. Lifting air bags rely on full flat contact between the bag surface and the load to deliver rated lifting capacity. Curved surfaces bring risks of partial contact, stress concentration and slipping. Here is how to handle them.

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Basic principle

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Lifting air bags rely on full flat contact between the bag surface and the load to deliver rated lifting capacity. Curved surfaces bring risks of partial contact, stress concentration and slipping.

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Permitted situation

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• Slight curvature: it can be used with auxiliary flat rigid padding (steel plate, high-strength hard board). The padding converts curved contact into flat contact for the air bag.
• The padding must be larger than the air-bag contact area to avoid edge overhang.

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Strictly forbidden situation

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• Do not place the air bag directly against obvious curved surfaces without flat padding.
• Direct contact with round pipes, tank bodies and arched structures will cause local stress, a sharp capacity drop, air-bag extrusion damage and a sliding/fall-off hazard.
• Do not rely on increasing air pressure to compensate for poor contact.

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Field operation notes

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• Padding material shall have sufficient rigidity; soft flexible materials such as rubber mats are not qualified as transition padding.
• Prevent lateral sliding: take anti-slip measures to stop the load shifting sideways during jacking.
• Reduce single-jacking height, perform multiple-step lifting, and keep observing the contact status at all times.

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Selection reminder

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Rectangular or square air bags themselves have no special adaptability for curved workpieces. The flat transition pad is the key for curved-surface operation — not a special bag.

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