tower crane Archives | Page 2 of 5

Crane into the void in France

A self-erecting mobile tower crane overturned onto the roof of a famous hotel/restaurant in France on Monday, after one of its outriggers punched through the tarmac drive into an underground void.

Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident and the crane operator was well away from the crane at the time, operating it via the remote controls, which is just as well, as it looks as though the elevating operators cab took most of the impact and was buried in the roof.

We do not know if mats were used to spread the load on what are clearly uncertain ground conditions, with a strong likelihood of voids. The other photos we have seen suggest that some basic cribbing was employed.

The crane a Liebherr MK owned by local crane company S.E Levage, was working on the refurbishment of the historic Abbaye de Talloires on Lake Annency, in the Haute Savoie region of France. The establishment has been closed since November for a major refurbishment which included work on the roof which had only recently been completed.

When the crane’s fall was stopped suddenly, the tower buckled and crashed into the roof, while the jib came down into the car park. The crane company quickly arrived on the scene and using an integrated loader crane platform to reach the jib cut it free from the tower, before tackling the tower.

Schwing to offer tower cranes

In a bid to diversify its product base, concrete pump manufacturer Schwing Stetter (India) has decided to enter the tower crane market.

The company will start with two models, a 35 metre high five tonne model – the XGT63YD (5013-5) and the 50 metre six tonne XGT100YD. The cranes will be supplied by Chinese equipment manufacturer XCMG, which holds a 60 percent stake in Schwing Stetter’s German parent, the Schwing Group.

The cranes will be branded Schwing-XCMG and will initially be imported complete from China, but the intention is to manufacture an increasing proportion of them in India to a point within the year or so where around 80 percent of the crane will be built locally. The company will take a decision within the next six months regarding the need for an additional facility to build cranes.

Schwing Stetter (India) managing director Anand Sundaresan said: “the launch marks the diversification of the product base for the Indian subsidiary. In line with the anticipated growth in infrastructure development and construction industry here, the company had decided on launching two models of tower cranes. The five tonne capacity tower crane is the most in demand in the domestic market, followed by the six-tonne crane”.

The company has said that the five tonne unit, XGT63YD (5013-5), will be priced at about R6 million ($96,000) while the six tonne XGT100YD at R9 million ($145,000).

Liebherr supplies tower cranes to Kingdom Tower

Liebherr has won the contract to supply four HC-L series tower cranes to the Kingdom Tower project in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Three 280 HC-L 16/28 cranes and one 357 HC-L 18/32 Litronic will be supplied to the project, with jib lengths of 40 – 45 m and lifting capacities of 11 – 12 tonnes at a radius of 35 m. The 280 HC‑L luffing cranes will be used to build the side wings of the Kingdom Tower, with hook heights reaching some 400 m. The 357 HC-L will be on the main tower, with a hook height of some 1,000 m.

To reach these heights the cranes will move upwards in several climbing stages. They will be positioned on the sky terrace of the building or on various cantilever platforms mounted on the outside of the building.

According to Liebherr, the positive experience contractor Saudi Bin Laden Group has had with its cranes on other projects were one of the main reasons for their use on the Kingdom Tower. For example, two 280 HC‑L cranes were used on the CMA Tower in the King Abdullah Financial District project in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The Kingdom Tower will be the first structure in the world to be over 1,000 m high. It will also have the highest ever visitor viewing platform at a height of 630 m. The skyscraper with 170 storeys is part of the “Kingdom City” urban development project in the north of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Gammon meets requirements with Liebherr cranes

Gammon Construction has purchased two Liebherr 380 EC-B 16 Litronic flat-top cranes to assist construction of the Midfield Concourse project at Hong Kong International Airport.
The 16t cranes are being used as part of the HKD6.2bn ($800m) contract awarded to Gammon by Airport Authority Hong Kong, and were delivered to Gammon by Liebherr’s Hong Kong distributor Shriro Machinery Co.

The project involves the construction of a new passenger concourse, to increase the number of passenger aircraft stands and meet future demand at the airport.

The cranes are based on the 355/380 IC tower system, suited for very narrow sites and for floor-climbing, says Liebherr.

William Tang, sales manager at Shriro, said: “This is the Hong Kong debut for the EC-B. The cranes are being used mainly for lifting steel structural frame elements and beams. The loads will weigh up to 12 t or more, and the specifications for the 380 EC B 16 Litronic are such that the two cranes will be handling all the primary lift requirements on the steel structure.”

The building is due to be finished in September 2015 and will feature 19 aircraft stands, fixed link bridges and aircraft loading bridges, as well as an extension of the APM tunnel from Terminal 1 to the concourse, an extension of the South Runway Road, and a new taxiway.

Wolffkran building bridges in German vineyards

Porr is using two 12t Wolffkran cranes to assist construction of a bridge on a new national motorway in Germany.

The High Mosel Bridge is part of the Bundesstrasse 50, a project established by the German state that will connect the Benelux countries with the Rhine-Main region of Germany.

The bridge, which is 1.7km long and 158m high, is being constructed over vineyards in the Mosel Valley region. The project required contractor Porr Deutschland to expand its fleet with the two Wolff 6031.12 flattop trolley jib cranes, and to commission Wolffkran to provide associated services at the site over the next four years.

The cranes, which are operating at heights of 113.6m and 131.6m with a jib length of 40m, are being used to erect four pairs of bridge pylons and are currently working on the second pair. For the higher pylons, the cranes will rise to a hook height of 163m.

The cranes will be relocated several times throughout the project, including climbing and tie-ins — with the windy conditions in the region making the operations particularly challenging, said Wolffkran.

The cranes are set to work on the bridge until 2016, before the bridge is opened to traffic in 2018.

Liebherr upgrades flat-top crane

Liebherr has introduced its 172 EC-B 8 Litronic flat-top crane, based on the established 160 EC-B model.

Lifting capacity has been increased by 15%, with the 172 EC-B 8 capable of hoisting 2,100kg at the jib head at a radius of 60m, and an 8t maximum capacity.

The new model also features a new jib erection concept. The load hook and trolley remain on the jib pivot section during transport, eliminating erection work for the trolley.

The hoist and trolley travelling ropes can also be easily reeved, a particular benefit when erecting the jib in the air, says Liebherr.