PALLETIZATION AND TIE-DOWN

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PALLETIZATION AND TIE-DOWN
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What is a ULD?

• The term ULD or Unit Load Device shall mean any
  type of aircraft container or pallet.
• Aircraft units are ULDs which interface directly
  with the aircraft loading and restraint system
  and meet all restraint requirements without the
  use of supplementary equipment. As such they are
  an integral part of the aircraft

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What is a ULD?

• The term ULD or Unit Load Device shall mean any
  type of aircraft container or pallet.
• Non aircraft ULDs are those that do not meet the
  requirements mentioned and will not fit in the
  aircraft restraint system independently.

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An aircraft certified container
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An aircraft certified pallet
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A non certified container
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ULD serviceability

• When fitted in an aircraft, the ULD forms part of
  the aircraft structure and for this reason is a
  certified piece of equipment
• Un serviceable ULDs should never find their way
  on to the aircraft and should therefore never be
  given out to agents or out-stations
• A high amount of damage to ULDs is caused by poor
  or un-safe handling practices

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ULD serviceability question

• You are about to build a ULD. Your colleagues
  seem to have different ideas about what you
  should do first. Which of their comments do you
  agree with?
• Lets start building right away
• Lets check the ULD is serviceable
• No, all the ULDs Ive built today have been fine
• Lets check theyre ok while were building
  saves time
• This ULD only arrived this morning, so it should
  be serviceable

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ULD serviceability the risks

• If you build cargo into an unserviceable ULD,
  like the one below, you might find yourself
  responsible for causing
• An infringement of flight safety
• Injury to personnel
• Damage to aircraft
• Damage to cargo
• Dispatch delays

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ULD serviceability the risks

• To prevent any of these risks you must check for
  ULD serviceability. A ULD is considered to be
  unserviceable if it presents any of the
  following
• One missing or broken corner
• A damaged seat track
• More than one cut in the matrix of a net
• Missing corner ropes

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Key areas to check on a pallet

• Rivets must not be missing
• The base sheet must not have holes, kinks or
  cracks (note drainage holes are acceptable)
• Pallet bow (dishing) must not exceed 2ins/5cm
  when unladen
• The edge rail must be fully attached to the base
  plate.
• Corners must be present and undamaged

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Key areas to check on a net assembly

• There must be no more than 1 damaged or missing
  hook per net quarter panel.
• Corner ties must be present
• The net matrix must have no more than 1 broken
  cord per quarter panel
• No more than 1 missing or damaged ring-bolt per
  quarter panel
• Should not have 2 damaged or missing ring-bolts
  at adjacent corners
• The TSO (Technical Service Order) plate must be
  present

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Key areas to check on a container

• The roof must have no holes and tears, it must be
  watertight
• Frames must not be broken, cracked or
  disconnected
• The base must have no holes (except drainage
  holes)
• The TSO plate must be present and readable on all
  ULDs
• All locks must be fully functional
• Securing straps must be fully functional

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Key areas to check on straps.

• Straps are considered serviceable when the damage
  is superficial and has no effect on strength and
  performance i.e.
• Chips
• Superficial wear and tear
• Lightly soiled webbing
• Minor corrosion on the metals surface

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Key areas to check on straps.

• Unacceptable damage to straps includes
• Webbing badly soiled with oil
• Cuts longer than 2 mm
• Frayed, furred or distorted webbing
• Damaged stitch pattern and tread
• Missing manufacturers data label

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ULD serviceability question

• You have identified an unserviceable ULD. Decide
  what you are going to do with it.
• Commence the build
• Attach a completed unserviceable label to the ULD
• Register it as unserviceable, as per local
  procedures
• Make a note of the damage on the build card
• Put plastic tie on it to make it serviceable
• Not use it

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ULD serviceability

• Never use unserviceable ULDs. Always indicate
  that the ULD is damaged with an unserviceable
  label and follow your local procedures. This
  ensures it will not be used again until it is
  repaired.
• It is important to understand that if you are not
  sure that the ULD is fully serviceable then, in
  the interest of safety, it must be considered
  unserviceable and must not be used.

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Load spreading

• Cargo often requires spreading during the build
  process. But what do spreaders actually do?
• Distribute the weight of the cargo across a
  greater area
• Make the cargo less heavy
• Prevent too much cargo going on the aircraft.

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Load spreading

• If a heavy piece of cargo is not spread
  correctly, it can damage the loading systems
  and/or the area of the aircraft that the ULD is
  in contact with. We use spreader boards to make
  sure that the weight of cargo is evenly
  distributed.
• A spreader board is a length of timber that when
  placed beneath a package will distribute the
  weight over a large area

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Hoe does spreading work?
Box 1 Unspread
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How does spreading work?
Box 2 Spread
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How does spreading work?

• Box 1 which does not have spreaders, imposes a
  concentrated weight on a smaller contact area
  than Box 2 which has been correctly spread.
• Spreading the weight of the cargo over a greater
  area reduces the risk of damage to the ULD and/or
  aircraft.

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Load spreading

• Not all cargo needs spreading. It depends on the
  weight and the contact area of the individual
  piece and the aircrafts floor intensity level.
• The floor intensity level tells you how much
  weight you can place on a square foot of the
  aircrafts hold floor, without posing a threat to
  the integrity of its structure.

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Load spreading

• Effective use of spreaders enables you to
• Distribute the weight of the cargo across a
  greater area
• Protect the aircrafts structure
• Prevent damage to in-plane systems and ground
  handling equipment.
• REMEMBER, any package that exceeds the floor
  intensity level in a square foot, must be spread.

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Using spreaders

• Which dimension should preferably be placed in
  the direction of travel?
• The longest edge, which is the length
• The shortest edge, which is the width

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Using spreaders (final reminder)

• Ensure the overhang is equal at both ends
• Note that the effective length is only 30 cm
• Ensure that the distance between spreaders is no
  more than the width of a spreader.

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• If you do not spread the package correctly, you
  cause damage to both the ULD and the aircraft. It
  may also cause difficulties when loading into the
  aircraft.

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Restraining of cargo

• Stationary objects will remain at rest and moving
  objects will continue to move in the same
  direction and with the same velocity unless an
  external force is applied to alter the condition.
• It is for this very reason that restraining of
  cargo is key in aviation safety.

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Restraining of cargo

• Cargo can move in four different directions
  during transport
• Backwards at take off
• Upwards if there is turbulence and the plane
  loses altitude rapidly
• Sideways while making turns
• Forwards after landing when the brakes are
  applied.

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Restraining of cargo

• Unrestrained cargo can cause DAMAGE to
• Cargo
• ULDs
• Aircraft
• Ground handling equipment
• And it also increases the risk of injuring
  personnel

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Restraining of cargo

• Unrestrained cargo can cause DELAYS to aircraft
  departures and delivery to our customers. For
  example we may experience
• Difficulties with aircraft loading caused by load
  movement
• Offload of cargo at aircraft side due to load
  shifting in transit
• Cargo missing flight connection and not delivery
  as promised

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Restraining of cargo

• All items of cargo fall into 3 weight classes
• Class 1 items weighing 250kg or more. These must
  be individually restrained
• Class 2 items weighing between 75kg and 250kg.
  These must be restrained if loaded in a container
  less than 75 volumetrically full
• Class 3 items weighing 75kg or less. These
  should be restrained if the cargo could be
  unsafe, get damaged or caused damage

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Restraining of cargo

• As well as restraining items due to their weight,
  there are also other considerations.
• Dangerous goods
• These must always be restrained
• To prevent movement during transportation and
  causing damage or being damaged AND
• To maintain segregation

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Restraining of cargo

• As well as restraining items due to their weight,
  there are also other considerations.
• Live animals
• Never load in enclosed ULDs (except for sealed
  boxes of fish)
• Always individually restrain large boxes
• Always allow adequate ventilation
• Do not obstruct ventilation or watering points
  with straps
• Do not stow on other packages or place other
  packages on top.

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Restraining of cargo

• As well as restraining items due to their weight,
  there are also other considerations.
• Miscellaneous shapes
• Take extra care with items such as
• Cylindrical shapes e.g. drums, pipes, carpets,
  rolls of textiles
• Human remains
• Penetrating cargo
• Out of gauge BIG
• Tall and unstable items with a low centre of
  gravity
• Overhanging cargo

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Approved tie-down materials

• Single stud ringbolts with minimum breaking
  strength of 900kg
• Double stud ringbolts with minimum breaking
  strength of 2270kg
• Ropes with a minimum breaking strength of 907kg
• Straps with a minimum breaking strength of 2270kg
  (these must be used with double stud ringbolts)

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The restraint guide
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Restraining of cargo

• Which of the following statements is true?
• Never restrain class 3 cargo
• Shrink wrap is a method of restraint
• Prioritize restraint in the direction of travel
• Cargo weighing 3001 4000kg needs 7 straps.

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Building a ULD

• Before you start building make sure you
• Check the ULD serviceability
• Know what aircraft type it is going into
• Know the weight and height restrictions
• To prepare for building plan to
• Place a polythene sheet on the base
• Distribute packages over the base
• Place heavy items on the base first

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Building a ULD

• Always ensure that you
• Pack cargo tightly together leaving as few gaps
  as possible
• Interlock packages so the whole load is stable
• Maintain centre of gravity
• Never load class 1 freight on top of classes 2
  and 3
• Obey orientation arrows and handling labels

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Building a ULD

• Ensure safety of the ULD by
• Loading dangerous goods securely and correctly
• Spreading and restraining all heavy, special,
  dense or unusually shaped items
• Not loading damaged cargo
• Maintaining a minimum clearance of 5cm from the
  cargo compartments ceiling and sidewalls.
• Always take note of package labeling

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Building a ULD

• After the ULD has been loaded, it must be weighed
• Weighing must be done on calibrated weighing
  scales
• Actual gross weight must be recorded on the ULD
  label
• On completion of weighing, the ULD label must be
  signed the person responsible for the build

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Dos and donts

• Before use, always
• Ensure that all foreign matter is removed, giving
  special attention to the roof area when
  containers have been stowed in the open
• Ensure that all wood sprinters, dirt etc. have
  been removed, paying special attention to the
  tie-down ring fitments

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Dos and donts

• Never
• Forklift a full container, unless its properly
  supported and secured on a roller topped slave
  pallet
• Move a loaded or partly loaded container unless
  both doors have been properly closed and latched
• Use crowbars or similar devices to free a
  container that has jammed on a conveyor system
• Drop containers from dollies on the ground

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Dos and donts

• Always
• Store ULDs under cover whenever possible
• Close and latch doors when stored in the open
• Never
• Store a container on the ground unless it is on a
  suitable base support e.g. dolly
• Stack one container on top of another
• Place any load on a containers roof
• Load empty containers onto an aircraft with doors
  open

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Dos and donts

• At completion of the build a competently trained
  person will need to confirm that the ULD has been
  built to the standard requirements.

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Any questions????