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Cable tensions in multi-insert rigging systems for tilt-up panel lifting

  • Renny Guillén-Rujano has been a faculty member at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Austral University of Chile since 2022. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Guanajuato (Mexico) in 2020. In 2025, he was awarded the ANID Research Grant and is currently leading a three-year project on fracture in fiber-reinforced sandwich composite materials with nanoparticle-reinforced corrugated cores. His publications include studies on fracture mechanics, characterization of composite materials, fatigue in metallic materials, and, more recently, computational mechanics.

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    Simón Vargas-Jara is currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Civil Engineering at the Austral University of Chile, where he is also enrolled in the bridging program leading to the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and Materials. He has participated twice in the Jornadas de Mecánica Computacional. In addition, he is coauthor of a recent research paper on the brittle-to-ductile transition behavior influenced by grain boundaries at the nanometric scale.

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    Milton Muñoz-Cayún is a Mechanical Civil Engineering student at Austral University of Chile (UACH) and is currently entering the Master’s program in Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the same institution. He is starting his research career in the field of mechanics of materials.

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    Wilmer Segundo Velilla-Díaz received the BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2006, the MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2008, and the PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2019, all from Universidad del Norte, Colombia. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad de La Serena, Chile. His research interests include the study of metallic materials at multiple scales, with emphasis on the improvement of mechanical properties through microstructural design, heat treatments, and advanced characterization techniques.

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Published/Copyright: January 23, 2026
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Materials Testing
From the journal Materials Testing Volume 68 Issue 3

Abstract

In tilt-up construction, cable and pulley systems (riggings) are used to lift precast panels from horizontal to vertical positions. Accurate prediction of cable tensions is essential for structural integrity and operational safety. This study develops a generalized nonlinear system of equations to model diverse rigging configurations for tilt-up erection. A dynamic analysis is included to evaluate the influence of crane hook velocity on cable tension. The equations are solved using MATLAB’s symbolic “solve” function, and a dynamic factor is introduced to quantify inertial contributions across operational scenarios. Validation was performed through simulations in Working Model software. Results show that the dynamic factor significantly affects cable tensions at moderate to high lifting velocities, particularly beyond 75° of rotation, while at lower velocities it increases static tensions by 1.33–1.59 times depending on panel height. To mitigate overload risks, the effect of hook inclination was analyzed, identifying a safe range between 85° and 95°. The formulation accommodates both aligned and misaligned inserts, covering multiple rigging layouts with 1–8 rows and 1–8 columns. This approach provides a foundation for more advanced computational tools, enhancing accuracy and safety in tilt-up panel erection.

Keywords: rigging; dynamic factor; cable tension; tilt-up panel; panel rotation; panel lifting
Corresponding author: Wilmer Segundo Velilla-Díaz, Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Coquimbo Region, Chile, E-mail:

About the authors

Renny Guillén-Rujano

Renny Guillén-Rujano has been a faculty member at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Austral University of Chile since 2022. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Guanajuato (Mexico) in 2020. In 2025, he was awarded the ANID Research Grant and is currently leading a three-year project on fracture in fiber-reinforced sandwich composite materials with nanoparticle-reinforced corrugated cores. His publications include studies on fracture mechanics, characterization of composite materials, fatigue in metallic materials, and, more recently, computational mechanics.

Simón Vargas-Jara

Simón Vargas-Jara is currently pursuing a degree in Mechanical Civil Engineering at the Austral University of Chile, where he is also enrolled in the bridging program leading to the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and Materials. He has participated twice in the Jornadas de Mecánica Computacional. In addition, he is coauthor of a recent research paper on the brittle-to-ductile transition behavior influenced by grain boundaries at the nanometric scale.

Milton Muñoz-Cayún

Milton Muñoz-Cayún is a Mechanical Civil Engineering student at Austral University of Chile (UACH) and is currently entering the Master’s program in Mechanical and Materials Engineering at the same institution. He is starting his research career in the field of mechanics of materials.

Wilmer Segundo Velilla-Díaz

Wilmer Segundo Velilla-Díaz received the BSc degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2006, the MSc degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2008, and the PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2019, all from Universidad del Norte, Colombia. He is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad de La Serena, Chile. His research interests include the study of metallic materials at multiple scales, with emphasis on the improvement of mechanical properties through microstructural design, heat treatments, and advanced characterization techniques.

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank Design Simulation Technologies (DST) and Mr. Alan Wegienka for kindly authorizing the use of the demo version of Working Model software, as granted by email on June 24, 2025. The software was instrumental in validating the model developed in this study.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission. Renny Jesús Guillén-Rujano: Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Conceptualization, Validation, Visualization, Data curation, Writing original draft, Writing – review & editing. Wilmer Segundo Velilla Díaz: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Resources, Project Administration, Supervision. Simón Vargas Jara: Conceptualization, Visualization, Methodology, Software, Writing – review & editing. Milton Gabriel Muñoz Cayún: Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Investigation, Software.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors states no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: None declared.

  7. Data availability: Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Supplementary Material

This article contains supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2025-0430).

Published Online: 2026-01-23
Published in Print: 2026-03-26

© 2026 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Corrosion and wear performance of powder metallurgical Ti–ZrO2 composites
  3. Crashworthiness analysis of vehicle side door support beams with different materials, thicknesses, and angles using the finite element method
  4. Effects of hydrogen absorption on the mechanical and fatigue strength of high-strength bolts for a propulsion motor
  5. Cable tensions in multi-insert rigging systems for tilt-up panel lifting
  6. Effect of cryogenic treatment on the aging kinetics and properties of CuNiSiCr alloy
  7. Investigation of tin whisker growth behavior in COTS components under thermal vacuum cycling
  8. Effects of strain rate and post processing on mechanical properties of additively manufactured AlSi10Mg alloys
  9. Effect of WC and FeCrC reinforcements on the WAAM repair of stainless steel
  10. Bayesian interactive search algorithm and incorporated improved fly-back approach for optimization of skeletal structures with dynamic constraints
  11. Performance of monoleaf springs with functionally graded materials
  12. Thermal-induced damage and cohesive fracturing characteristics of concrete using a new generation environmentally sustainable cement
  13. Mechanical behavior of resistance spot welded, adhesive bonded, and hybrid joined AA5182
  14. Online monitoring of friction stir welding of dissimilar aluminum alloys
  15. Comparative evaluation of machine learning models for thrust force estimation in aluminum 5083 H111
  16. Wear behavior of sisal fiber reinforced polyester composites with calcium carbonate and kaolin fillers for structural panel applications
  17. Effect of refined boron additives on the microstructure and tribological behavior of automotive brake pads
https://doi.org/10.1515/mt-2025-0430
Keywords for this article
rigging; dynamic factor; cable tension; tilt-up panel; panel rotation; panel lifting

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Corrosion and wear performance of powder metallurgical Ti–ZrO2 composites
  3. Crashworthiness analysis of vehicle side door support beams with different materials, thicknesses, and angles using the finite element method
  4. Effects of hydrogen absorption on the mechanical and fatigue strength of high-strength bolts for a propulsion motor
  5. Cable tensions in multi-insert rigging systems for tilt-up panel lifting
  6. Effect of cryogenic treatment on the aging kinetics and properties of CuNiSiCr alloy
  7. Investigation of tin whisker growth behavior in COTS components under thermal vacuum cycling
  8. Effects of strain rate and post processing on mechanical properties of additively manufactured AlSi10Mg alloys
  9. Effect of WC and FeCrC reinforcements on the WAAM repair of stainless steel
  10. Bayesian interactive search algorithm and incorporated improved fly-back approach for optimization of skeletal structures with dynamic constraints
  11. Performance of monoleaf springs with functionally graded materials
  12. Thermal-induced damage and cohesive fracturing characteristics of concrete using a new generation environmentally sustainable cement
  13. Mechanical behavior of resistance spot welded, adhesive bonded, and hybrid joined AA5182
  14. Online monitoring of friction stir welding of dissimilar aluminum alloys
  15. Comparative evaluation of machine learning models for thrust force estimation in aluminum 5083 H111
  16. Wear behavior of sisal fiber reinforced polyester composites with calcium carbonate and kaolin fillers for structural panel applications
  17. Effect of refined boron additives on the microstructure and tribological behavior of automotive brake pads
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