Various Cranes

As the crane is to be placed in a disaster area, there are various types of crane which we feel will be suitable for this environment.

Below are a few examples:

Mobile crane

A mobile crane can be very basic. It could be a full sized crane, or even a crane with only a telescopic boom on a platform. Crane's are mschine's often used for lifting heavy objects. A standard crane is fitted with a wire rope drum, chains, and a control panel. Another type of a crane can be one with the additonal flexibility to access sites and reach equipment that are otherwise difficult to access. These are known as mobile crane's.

There are six different types of mobile crane:
1. Truck Crane
2. Side Lift Crane
3. All Terrain Crane
4. Crawler Crane
5. Railroad Crane
6. Gantry Cranes

All cranes must be operated by trained staff. Depending on the size of the load and the location of the crane, a spotter may be required to ensure that the load is properly installed.

Truck Crane


Most common type of crane which people are most familiar with, is the truck crane. This is where the actual crane is mounted to the body of a truck. The advantage of a Truck crane is that it is able to travel on main roads and highways. This additional flexibility makes it possible to transport large loads and access a wide range of locations.

Side lift crane

(Click to see enlarged picture)
A side lift crane is another type of mobile crane able to transport materials and hoist large containers. Very large containers are lifted using a pair of side lift cranes. The added benefit of this mobile crane is that it can be used to lift a container from the ground, providing extra flexibility.

All Terrain Crane

All terrain cranes can travel on regular roads as well as over rough terrain. This type of mobile crane has all wheel and crab steering for extra flexibility. The ability to cover different terrains in the same equipment is very important when working on new construction and development projects.

Crawler crane

(Click to see enlarged picture)
The main advantage of a crawler crane is the ability to quickly lift items with very little set up. That can be very helpful as there is very little time in a disaster area and a quick set up crane would be ideal. Crawler crane allows users to avoid the process to stabilize the crane as the size and design of the crane is placed on the undercarriage, along with the tracks. The advantage of a Crawler Crane is that the the sheer weight of the crane, along with the longer contact with the ground eliminates this requirement for all but the heaviest loads.

Gantry Crane

(Click to see enlarged picture)
A gantry crane is a type of overhead crane. With a gantry crane, the supports holding the crane up are fixed in location. They cannot move, and therefore the crane cannot move. For this reason, everything that the crane is going to lift must be brought to the crane. The supports form a large rectangular frame upon which the crane can move forward and back, and left and right. Anything that can be reached by the gantry crane is referred to as being in its operating area.
Gantry cranes are very common in factories, where they are used to move things along the factory floor as the product is slowly assembled. For instance, if one is building a large metal piece of equipment, the metal parts may arrive on a truck. The truck will park within the operating area of the gantry crane, and the gantry crane can then be used to unload the parts. The gantry crane may also be used to move the parts around, typically along the assembly line as the components are assembled. Once the item is complete, the gantry crane can be used to load the finished part back onto a truck so that it can be removed from the factory.

Tower crane

The tower crane is a modern form of balance crane. Fixed to the ground (and sometimes attached to the sides of structures as well), tower cranes often give the best combination of height and lifting capacity and are used in the construction of tall buildings.
The jib and counter-jib are mounted to the turntable, where the slewing bearing and slewing machinery are located. The counter-jib carries a counterweight, usually of concrete blocks, while the jib suspends the load from the trolley. The Hoist motor and transmissions are located on the mechanical deck on the counter-jib, while the trolley motor is located on the jib. The crane operator either sits in a cabin at the top of the tower or controls the crane by radio remote control from the ground. In the first case the operator's cabin is most usually located at the top of the tower attached to the turntable, but can be mounted on the jib, or partway down the tower. The lifting hook is operated by using electric motors to manipulate wire rope cables through a system of sheaves.
Below is a labelled diagram of a tower crane:


To get first hand experience for cranes I went out and looked at how they work first hand. There is a development happening in the West Bromwich area. A tower crane was being used and so I went and took a few pictures and observed how the crane is controlled and also operated.






(Photos taken from a mobile phone)

There is also a development happening at the Aston University campus therefore I also visited this for further inspiration.


The above picture give me an indication of what type of wheels we should put on the design, as the crane will not be transported to the site on flat ground.