Padeyes

Large lifting padeyes are robust, heavy-duty steel attachments fabricated in small shipyard-oriented shops to provide safe, engineered lifting points on massive structures, modules, vessels, or equipment weighing tens to hundreds of tons. Typically made from high-strength plate steel (such as A36, A572, or marine-grade alloys), these padeyes feature a thick, triangular or trapezoidal body with a precisely machined or burned pin hole (often reamed for a snug fit with shackles up to several inches in diameter) to accommodate heavy rigging. Fabrication involves plasma or oxy-fuel cutting the profile from thick plate, beveling edges for full-penetration welds, machining the bore for smoothness and tolerance, and welding the padeye directly to the structure (or onto a doubler plate for load distribution) using multi-pass fillet or groove welds qualified to ABS, DNV, or AWS standards. Critical design considerations include calculating bending, shear, bearing, and weld stresses per ASME BTH-1 or equivalent codes, often with finite element analysis for custom applications, followed by proof testing, magnetic particle inspection of welds, and sometimes load testing. In shipyard contexts, large padeyes enable safe handling of engine rooms, deck modules, hull sections, or outfitting skids, with corrosion protection via galvanizing, epoxy coatings, or stainless construction for saltwater durability, ensuring reliable performance during crane lifts, transportation, or installation.