A crane operator died yesterday morning in Gouderak, near Gouda, the Netherlands, after the boom of a telescopic crawler crane broke away from the superstructure.
The boom twisted sideways and crashed down onto the operators cab crushing the operator.
The crane was working on a gas project and working on the Kattendijk that runs alongside the Hollandse Ijssel river and was moving equipment for Volker group
SANY America’s new 550 U.S. ton crawler crane will satisfy a niche between 440- and 660-ton machines and is ideally suited for construction of wind energy towers, fossil fuel plants, nuclear facilities, petrochemical installations and a variety of infrastructure projects. The SANY SCC8500 has a host of exclusive and in-demand features to meet the needs of customers in a range of applications. It was first displayed at the Bauma China trade show in late November.
“Customers told us the 500-ton machine is badly needed to fill a niche between existing machine sizes,” said John Lanning, global director of research and development for SANY crawler cranes. “The 400-ton-class machines are too small to handle bigger nacelles in wind construction, and the 600-ton cranes require a back mast and luffing jib to make these lifts. The SCC8500 is the perfect solution.”
The SCC8500 is especially well-suited for construction of 330-foot (100 m) wind towers and placing 2.5-megawatt nacelles. The SCC8500 can do these lifts with a straight boom and an offset wind tip, with no need for a back mast. With a full complement of attachments and options, including fixed jib, luffing jib and the SANY UltraLift package, the SCC8500 is a great solution for construction of nuclear, petrochemical and wind power; and on infrastructure projects such as bridges, waterways, dams and sewage-treatment plants.
“The SCC8500 has lighter overall weight, transports like a 400-ton machine and can be quickly assembled and mobilized on the job site,” Lanning said. “These features, along with the lift of a 500 ton machine put the SCC8500 in a class by itself.”
ACE System Delivers Auto Counterbalance
The SANY-exclusive ACE (auto counterbalance equalization) System senses the boom angle and uses hydraulic cylinders to automatically adjust the position of the movable upperworks counterweight. The standard ACE System has one upperworks tray with hanging brackets and 20 upper sideblocks for 478,404 pounds (217 000 kg) of counterweight. The ACE System design avoids an inefficient carbody counterweight and keeps overall crane weight down. The base machine transports on 21 trucks, the same as a standard 440-ton crane. With the ACE System, the SCC8500 doesn’t need a counterweight wagon, making it much more mobile on the job site.
The optional UltraLift package includes a second counterweight tray with hanging brackets and 36 upper sideblocks for 868,621 pounds (394 000 kg) of counterweight. A second pair of hydraulic cylinders extends the counterweight beam to 52 feet 6 inches (16 m). The counterweight beam is supported by a back mast in the UltraLift configuration.
“The beauty of this design is you get more than 500-ton performance in a machine that transports as easily as a 400-ton crane,” Lanning said. “Contractors will value the quick set up and mobilization of the SANY SCC8500.”
Sleek UltraCab Puts the Operator First
The SANY-exclusive UltraCab puts a premium on operator performance and comfort. The sleek lines of the cab’s exterior reflect the operator-friendly features inside. Styled by the Porsche Design Studios, the cab has a wide field of reinforced glass for commanding views of the load and the job site. The cab’s steel frame has overhead structural plates for added security. Cab air-conditioning and heating is powered by an auxiliary diesel generator. The UltraCab tilts up 20 degrees for optimum visibility. The large, high-resolution display shows crane gravity and many other monitoring statistics in real time.
“During long wait periods on the job site, the operator can shut down the crane engine and maintain a comfortable cab thanks to the dedicated diesel generator,” Lanning said. “For extra versatility, the generator can also power the engine and reservoir heaters during overnight cold-weather shutdown.”
The proprietary SANY load moment indicator automatically detects lifting capacity, boom angle, top height and radius to ensure reliable operation. A closed-circuit television system gives the operator views of all winches, the counterweight and job-site surroundings. An anemometer on the boom tip monitors wind speed and transmits the data to the in-cab monitor. An electronic level indicator displays data on levelness of the crane. Ground pressure can also be displayed on the control panel.
Pressure-compensated drive motors on each end of the tracks can be independently operated for forward and reverse travel, pivot steering and counter-rotation. The hydraulically driven system offers better gradeability in adverse ground conditions.
The SCC8500 has 10 available configurations for main boom, fixed jib and luffing jib. Maximum main boom length is 354.3 feet (108 m) on the basic machine and 393.7 feet (121.1 m) with the UltraLift configuration. The fixed jib has a maximum length of 137.8 feet (42 m) in both basic machine and UltraLift. The maximum luffing jib length is 236.2 feet (72 m) for the basic machine and 275.6 feet (84 m) in the UltraLift configuration.
The crane is powered by a 600-horsepower (447.4 kW) Cummins diesel engine with 1,845 foot pounds of torque. Hydraulically driven planetary gears raise and lower the load. Maximum line speed is 568 feet (173 m) per minute. The swing system uses dual drives and planetary gear reduction to automatically center the load and precisely regulate swing speed up to 1.8 rpm. The track roller system is maintenance free. A centralized system automatically lubricates the slewing bearing and other grease points on the crane.
The Beijing International Construction Machinery Exhibition and Seminar (BICES 2013) opened on Oct. 15, 2013 at the Beijing Jiuhua International Exhibition Center.
Zoomlion exhibited 13 products at the exhibition. Under the theme of “Honesty & Service,” the company highlighted its focus on post-sales and aftermarket services. These services, which will be offered in the Chinese market from Oct. 15 to Dec. 31, 2013, include free equipment checks, product training and operator certification.
“Nowadays the construction machinery has entered the era of service competition. The competition in the market of construction machineries is not only for product quality, but also for the after-sales service,” said Sun Changjun, vice president of Zoomlion. “Honesty & Service refers to the efforts of providing honest service, giving the same treatment to all products, providing service for the whole lifecycle, constantly improving service quality and creating the new service models. We make commitment to our customers by ensuring the normal operation of our products and consolidating the customers’ benefits with timely and efficient service. This also represents our pursuit of service.”
Zoomlion, the sixth-largest construction machinery manufacturer in the world, reported a 138 percent increase in revenue and a 290 percent increase in net profits in second-quarter 2013.
XCMG cranes have been used across a range of wind turbine erection jobs in China this summer.
An XGC16000 1000t crawler crane was used at Zhangjiakou Wind Farm in Hebei Province to install heavy 5MW wind turbine components.
One of firm’s QUY400 crawler cranes worked on the construction of China Power Investment Corporation’s Xinjiang Kumul 10m watt wind farm project. The crane was set up with a 72m main boom with a 12m extended jib, which the manufacturer said could lift up to 79t.
Five XCMG cranes were used in the construction of a wind farm in Guangdong. Amongst these XCMG cranes was an XCMG QAY1200 used to lift and install 21 2.0MW wind turbines.
An XCMG QUY500W crawler crane was also used in the Xinjiang wind turbine project. The Chinese company described the QUY500W crawler crane as a dedicated wind power crane with a capacity of 105t and lifting height of over 90m. To meet short-distance transport needs XCMG said that the QUY500W is equipped with optional telescopic caterpillar tracks.
Chinese crane manufacturer XCMG says that it has successfully lifted a 4,500 tonne test load with its 88,000 tonne/metre XGC88000 crawler crane.
The crane, which can also be configured as a 2,000 tonne class crane is similar in concept to the Terex CC8800 Twin and has previously lifted 2,500 tonnes with a 96 metre main boom. The company now claims to have set a new world record with the 4,500 tonne load lifted on a 60 metre main boom at which the load moment was 79,800 tonne/metres making the radius roughly 17.5 metres.
The construction wing of Sinopec which worked with XCMG to develop the crane and has ordered the first unit to work on new petrochemical construction activities.
Manitowoc’s largest ever crane has completed its largest ever lift, hauling a 650-tonne cold box.
The Manitowoc 31000, a 2,300-tonne (2,535-ton) capacity crawler crane, performed the pick-and-carry lift at a liquefied natural gas plant in Gwangyang, South Korea.
The Manitowoc 31000 lifted the 55 m tall cold box, which measures 9 m by 9 m, off a flatbed trailer in tandem with a 600-tonne capacity Manitowoc 18000. Once airborne and upright, the 31000 took over and carried the load to its final location. The entire operation took less than two hours.
The recent took place in September at the Posco E&C plant where the crane, which is the first 31000 in the field, has been working since March.
Even heavier lifts are in the pipeline, with a 900-tonne lift scheduled for this month and two 1,000-tonne lifts slated for December and February.
The 31000’s design means it can be disassembled, moved and re-assembled in just four weeks. As a result, it has a busy schedule.
Crane rental firm Chunjo Construction of South Korea owns both the Manitowoc 31000 and the 18000.
