A Few Facts About Jumbo Cranes

A FEW FACTS ABOUT JUMBO CRANES
By Arun Bhimani and Michael A. Jordan

TOC Americas in Panama
December 3, 2003
INTRODUCTION
Jumbo Cranescranes with outreaches of 60 meters or more, lifts above the crane rail of 46 meters,
and capacities of 60, 80, 100, and 120 tonsare already built or being built. Why? Increased traffic
and the economy of size. Larger vessels can deliver more for less, so terminals must deliver more.
Of the many issues created by these cranes, five are discussed in this paper: configuration, size and
weight, stability, operator comfort, and a recent concern, visual impact.
CONFIGURATIONS
Table 1: Typical Container Crane Arrangements and Components
Configuration
Comments
Conventional
A-frame
Simple with a proven track

record. Lowest cost. Lowest
wheel loads.
Articulated
Applicable when there is a

height limit. A slight cost
increase.
A California Corporation 300 Lakeside Dr. 14TH Floor, Oakland CA 94612 510 832-5606 Fax: 510 832-2436 www.liftech.net
2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.
All rights reserved. This material may not be duplicated without the written consent of Liftech Consultants Inc., except in the form of excerpts
or quotations for the purposes of review.
Page 2 of 15
Configuration
Comments
Low Profile
Minimum height used near

airports and possibly for
reduced visual impact. Higher
costs and wheel loads.
Twin Girder /
Rope Trolley
Used for both rope and

machinery trolleys, usually rope
trolleys. Rope driven is lightest.
If self driven, it is a little
heavier. Requires long ropes,
catenary trolleys or continuous
rope supports. Please refer to
our website for detailed
comparisons of machinery and
rope trolleys1.
Monogirder /
Machinery
Trolley
Like twin booms, used for both

styles of trolley. This boom is
lighter than the twin boom.
http://www.liftech.net/LiftechPublications/machtrly.pdf
http://www.liftech.net/LiftechPublications/mot.pdf
Page 3 of 15
Configuration
Comments
Box Beams
Simple with only a few details

controlled by structural fatigue.
The twin box sections were
invented by Liftech for Paceco
in the 1960s. The trapezoidal
section was developed by
Liftech for Paceco, MHI, and
ZPMC. The rectangular section
is Noells standard.
Liftech Standard for many years.
Liftech Design
Trusses
ZPMC-VPA-Liftech
Noell Design
Lighter than box beams but with

many details controlled by
fatigue. The latest design
allows access to all the details
that may develop cracks.
Single Hoist
Simple and most common. Only

one operator is needed. The
single hoist crane production,
i.e. moves/hour is usually
limited by the production on the
wharf.
Dual Hoist
Requires two independent hoist

system and usually two
operators. Used in the USA in
Norfolk and Baltimore. The
results were disappointing
because the yard limited
production and two operators
increased costs. The pictured
cranes in Hamburg, Germany
are new and take advantage of
the latest controls and
automation. Only one operator.

Page 4 of 15
Configuration
Comments
Twin Twenties
Twin twenties handled by the

spreader. The only significant
design change is to the spreader.
Tandem
Forties
Tandem containers are handled

by one head block and two
spreader. The spreaders can
handle 40s or twin 20s.
Jumbo cranes with tandem
spreaders are currently being
designed.
Tandem Twin
Twenties
ZPMC will supply a tandem

40s crane with two independent
head blocks and spreaders to the
Port of Dubai. See Figure 2.
The rope trolley is common. The machinery trolley is less common. The following sketch shows a
typical machinery trolley.
Figure 1: Typical Machinery Trolley

Page 5 of 15
ZPMC Dubai Tandem 40 Crane
41 m
LIFT HEIGHT
The dimensions of the Dubai crane are typical for the current issue of jumbo cranes.
23 m
BACKREACH
30 m
GAGE
68 m
OUTREACH
Figure 2: ZPMC Dubai Tandem 40 Crane

Page 6 of 15
Typical Jumbo Crane Particulars
Some recent large crane data is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Recent Jumbo Cranes
Trolley Weight (t)

46.0
35
3.0
A-frame
Twin box
RT
81.5
89.6
90
240
63
30.48
24
41.0
1165
40.0
30
4.0
VPA
A-frame
Twin box
RT
66.2
80.0
90
244
71
30.48
23
40.0
1590
35.0
21
2.0
2003
YICT
A-frame
Twin box
RT
61.1
70.0
70
240
65
30.00
22
42.2
1440
26.8
18
4.0
Liftech
Concept
Design
POLA
Low
Profile
Twin box
RT
61.1
100.0
75
244
62
30.48
23
36.6/
42.8
1850
37.0
18
4.0
Noell
2001
POLAPier 400
A-frame
Single
box
MT
61.1
84.0
90
240
64
30.48
23
40/
47.5
1280
74.4
17
2.0
IMPSA
Design
ZPMC
2004
ZPMC
Design Duty Cycles (millions)
Crane Weight (t)

1440
Lift System Weight (t)
Lift Height Above Rail (m)

41.0
Backreach (m)
23
Gage (m)
30.48
Waterside Outreach (m)
Lifted Load Under Cargo Beam (t)
68
Trolley Speed (mpm)
Rated Load Under Spreader (t)
250
Main Hoist w/ Load (mpm)
Machinery or Rope Trolley
90
Girder Type
100.0
Dubai
Description
80.0
2004
Location
RT
Delivered Date
Twin box
Manufacturer
A-frame
ZPMC

All rights reserved. This material may not be duplicated without the written consent of Liftech Consultants Inc., except in the form of excerpts or quotations for the purposes of review.
Page 7 of 15
STABILITY
Historically dockside container cranes have not had stability problems except during hurricane winds or
collisions. Hurricane winds have caused dramatic catastrophes. For example, the recent Pusan cranes
collapsed due to failure of the tie-down systems during Typhoon Maemi.
Figure 3: Collapsed Pusan Cranes
Establishing appropriate stability criteria for operating conditions is problematic. Outreach-to-gage

ratios are typically 2 to 1 and in a few cases nearly 3 to 1, so unexpected loads at the maximum
outreach position must be considered.
One approach is to use the same load factors that are used for buildings; e.g. 1.4 times all the tipping
moments and 0.9 for all the righting moments. These factors are suitable for buildings that may be
overloaded due to excessive dead loads or variable loads. These factors require excessive ballast and
are, therefore, unworkable for jumbo cranes.
We are unaware of a container crane tipping during operations or testing. A ship unloader in Louisiana
did tip during testing. The cause to this accident was gross underestimation of both the boom weight
and the trolley weight. Although the unloader errors were extreme, we found that the measured weights
of container cranes and trolleys are often an estimation error of as much as 20%. Usually, if the weight
is underestimated, the entire crane is heavyboth the righting moments and tipping moments are
heavy. So only the rail reactions are increased and stability is not a problem, although the potential
problem is there.
Typical operating stability combinations are shown in Table 3.

Page 8 of 15
Table 3: Operating Stability Combinations

Loads Case
Dead Load1
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
Lifting System
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
1.00
Lifted Load
1.50
1.00
1.00
Trolley Load Lateral
1.00
1.00
Trolley Load1
1
Gantry Load Lateral2

Operating Wind Load
1.50
1.00
1.50
1.0
Stall Torque Load
1.0
1.50
1.15
Collision Load
Number of Legs Allowed to
Lift Off3
1.00
1.15
1
1. These loads must be verified by measurements with an error of less than 3%.
2. The minimum lateral acceleration for this calculation must be at least 5% g, providing 7.5% factored g.
3. One leg allowed to lift off means one leg may lift off while the other three legs remain in contact with the
gantry rail. Zero legs allowed to lift off means no legs may lift. All wheels shall remain in contact with the
gantry rail.
Stability blocks
For Jumbo Cranes, the distance between the main equalizer pins is reduced so nearly the entire distance
from bumper to bumper is filled with wheels. This not only reduces the wheel loads but also reduces
the stability. Liftech developed the concept of stability blocks.
Stability blocks are supports, in effect outriggers, between the sill beam and the sub-equalizer that
increase the stability arm and increase the righting moment. Under normal conditions there is a 10 mm
gap between the support on the sill and the block on the sub-equalizer. If the crane tends to tip in the
gantry travel direction, the gap is closed and the stability base is increased. The vertical reaction is
moved from the equalizer pin to the outermost sub-equalizer. The result is significantly more stability
and significantly less ballast.

Page 9 of 15
Stability block
Figure 4: Stability Block

OPERATOR COMFORT
Big Is Slower
Just as an elephant moves slowly compared to a mouse, large structures vibrate more slowly than small
structures. The increased motions of jumbo cranes affect operator comfort.
The Latest Problem: Sway in the Gantry Travel Direction
The latest motion problem is sway in the gantry travel direction. The earlier problem of sway in the
trolley travel direction has been controlled by limiting the modal period in the trolley travel direction to
1.5 seconds.
Sway in the gantry travel direction has been a problem for some large cranes. It is impractical to limit
the period to a low enough value to control gantry sway. A more sophisticated solution is needed.
Liftech developed a solution and verified the solution during field tests on an operating jumbo crane.
Primary Mode
Primary Mo
Shape
Shape
Undeflected
Shape
Undeflected
Shape
Figure 5: Response to Gantry Acceleration
Page 10 of 15
The Liftech Study
Two motions are important: motions in the trolley travel direction and motions in the gantry travel
direction. The motions in the trolley travel direction usually affect production but not comfort. Those
in the gantry direction affect both. Motions in the trolley travel direction can be controlled by limiting
the maximum natural period of the crane in this direction to 1.5 seconds. This is practical and achieved
on most cranes being built now. The motions in the gantry travel direction are more difficult to
evaluate and to control.
To further complicate matters, operator comfort depends on the operators opinion. For identical
cranes, some operators are comfortable and some are not. If the operator thinks he is uncomfortable, he
is, and his concerns must be addressed.
Liftech studied the problem both analytically and experimentally. Our findings verify the comfort
levels conform to the acceptance criteria in ISO 2631/1 and generally accepted human threshold
perceptibility standard. These criteria are shown in Table 4. Data from the properly tuned Oakland
cranes is shown in Figure 6.
Table 4: Human Perceptibility Threshold, Table I.1 Vibration Problems in Structures:
Practical Guidelines, by Hugo Backman et al, Birkhauser, 1995
Description
Frequency Range 1 to 10 Hz
Peak Acceleration (g)
Just Perceptible
0.004
Clearly Perceptible
0.010
Disturbing / Unpleasant
0.056
Intolerable
0.18
Data combined from various sources. There is scatter by a factor of

up to two on the values given.

Page 11 of 15
Bounds on Vibration for Fatigue-Decreased Proficiency ISO 2631/1

and Measured Vibration During two hours of Normal Operations
Crane XC 17 Port of Oakland
0.1
ISO Extended
Effective Acceleration = RMS of Acceleration Over Time (g)
0.09
ISO
1 hr
0.08
Single peak acceleration
during 2 hours of normal
operation
0.07
0.06
2.5 hr
0.05
0.04
4 hr
Average during 5 minutes of
gantrying (minutes 40-45)
0.03
8 hr
Average over 2 hours or
normal operation
0.02
24 hr
0.01
0
0
0.25
0.5
0.75
1.25
1.5
1.75
2.25
2.5
Frequency (hertz)
Figure 6: Measured Boom Tip Vibration at Port of Oakland versus

Bounds on Vibration for Fatigue Decreased ProficiencyISO 2631/1
The primary exciters of motion in the gantry travel direction are both the magnitude of the acceleration
at the rails and the duration of the acceleration. The response depends on the structural stiffness and the
structural modes and periods of vibration.
The structural stiffness may be increased by increasing member sizes and, in twin girder booms, using
horizontal bracing. But structural changes, within practical limits, are not enough. A much more
effective way to control motions is to control the duration of gantry acceleration. The duration of
gantry acceleration should be a multiple of the structural period. The worst case occurs when the
acceleration duration is a multiple of one and one half times the structural period. This explains why
the problem is more noticeable on jumbo cranes. For years the specified acceleration duration was 6
seconds and the period to the crane was about 3 seconds, a favorable relationship. Now jumbo cranes
have periods of about 4 seconds and the acceleration duration is still specified at 6 seconds, the most
unfavorable relationship. An eight second duration is much more desirable.
Figure 7 shows the response of a well-tuned gantry drive, and Figure 8 shows the response of a poorlytuned drive. Figure 9 shows the field measurement of one crane for both a well-tuned drive and a
poorly-tuned drive.

Page 12 of 15
Upper
Works
No additional vibration after

acceleration ends.
=2 s
Sill
..
1T
s g = Gantry
Acceleration
time
2T
Acceleration ends
.
when =0, and =0.
.
1T
=Relative displacement between upper works and sill.
, =0
2T
=Relative speed of upper works and sill.
time
T = 2p [ M/K ] 2
..
Upper
works
s g, Speed
relative to
the ground
s = sg M
K
..
s g = Gantry acceleration
M = Mass of upper works
K = Structural stiffness
Sill
2T
1T
time
Figure 7: Smallest ResponseAcceleration Time is a Multiple of Crane Period, nT

Upper
Works
Vibration continues after

acceleration ends.
=2 s
Sill
1T
..
1.5T
s g = Gantry
Acceleration
2T
time
2.5T
Acceleration ends
.
when =2, and =0.
time
1T
1.5T
2T
2.5T
=Relative displacement between upper works and sill.

=Relative speed of upper works and sill.
sg, speed
relative to
ground
T = 2p [ M/K ] 2
Upper
works
..
s = sg M
K
..
s g = Gantry acceleration
M = Mass of upper works
K = Structural stiffness
Sill
1T
1.5T
2T
2.5T
time
Figure 8: Greatest ResponseAcceleration Ends at a Half Period, (n +0.5)T

Page 13 of 15
Boom Tip Acceleration in Gantry T ravel Direction

0.05
6 s Gantry Acceleration and Deceleration Period
Notice the lateral acceleration on

the boom is reduced by a factor
of 4 when the gantry acceleration
is increased from 6 s to 8 s, ie,
two times the boom period.
0.04
0.03
8 s Gantry Acceleration and Deceleration Period
Acceleration (g)
0.02
0.01
0.00
-0.01
-0.02
-0.03
-0.04
Acceleration starts at 0.
Decceleration starts at 40.
-0.05
0
12
16
20
24
28
32
36
40
44
48
52
56
60
64
68
72
76
80
84
88
Test Time (seconds)
Figure 9 : Measured Crane Response for Acceleration Times of 1.5 and 2 Times the Boom Period
Notice that the appropriate tuning for gantry acceleration is out of phase for the appropriate tuning to
trolley acceleration. Both issues are discussed in detail on our website2.
Recommendations
The gantry acceleration duration should be a multiple of the structural period. Fine acceleration control,
inching motion, should be available to the operator for fine positioning to avoid delays while
servicing the vessel.
VISUAL IMPACT
Jumbo cranes tower above the wharves and may dominate the skyline at the waterfront. In Los
Angeles, the new China Shipping Terminal cranes block the local residents view of the Vincent
Thomas Bridge. The Port is addressing peoples concerns, in hopes of improving the residents view.
Meanwhile, the China Shipping cranes are ready to operate but cannot operate until the concerns of the
people are satisfied.
One alternative to the A-frame cranes is the low profile cranes. Another alternative is the use of more
subtle colors. Generally, lighter colors reduce the visual impact.
Studies are underway to determine what can be done to reduce the visual impact of the new jumbo
cranes in the Port of Los Angeles. The following figures, taken from these studies, show the rendered
images of the China Shipping Terminal and the nearby Evergreen Terminal3.
http://www.liftech.net/LiftechPublications/holdingsway.pdf

Page 14 of 15
Figure 10: Existing Cranes at the China Shipping Terminal,

POLA
Figure 11: Rendered Low Profile Cranes at the China

Shipping Terminal, POLA
Figure 12: Existing Cranes at the Evergreen Terminal,

POLA
Figure 13: Rendered Low Profile Cranes at the Evergreen

Terminal, POLA
Visual impact is a serious concern and may need

to be addressed at other ports. Current
technology allows the planners to create realistic
images that help the community understand the
visual impact of the cranes. Many find low
profile cranes less obtrusive than A-frame
cranes.
Low profile cranes cost more than A-frame
cranes and create higher wheel loads. Moves
per hour are not affected by the configuration.
Figure 14: 16-Wide Low Profile Crane at Port Everglades
Courtesy of JWD Group, and Jones and Stokes.

Page 15 of 15
The Future
Whether you are buying a Panamax or jumbo crane, you should consider future. A critical component
of the crane system is the wharf. Wharves should have viable lives of at least 50 years. In ports where
jumbo vessels may have access someday, the wharves should be designed to support the largest crane
needed to service those vessels.
Figure 15: Design the Wharf for the Future Crane4
Email:
Mjordan@liftech.net
Abhimani@liftech.net
http://www.liftech.net/LiftechPublications/mj_futureproofcrane.pdf


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A FEW FACTS ABOUT JUMBO CRANES

By Arun Bhimani and Michael A. Jordan

Simple with a proven track

Applicable when there is a

Minimum height used near

Used for both rope and

Like twin booms, used for both

Simple with only a few details

Liftech Standard for many years.

Lighter than box beams but with

Simple and most common. Only

Requires two independent hoist

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

Twin twenties handled by the

Tandem containers are handled

ZPMC will supply a tandem

Figure 1: Typical Machinery Trolley

ZPMC Dubai Tandem 40 Crane

Figure 2: ZPMC Dubai Tandem 40 Crane

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

Typical Jumbo Crane Particulars

Some recent large crane data is shown in Table 2.

Trolley Weight (t)

Design Duty Cycles (millions)

Crane Weight (t)

Lift System Weight (t)

Lift Height Above Rail (m)

Waterside Outreach (m)

Lifted Load Under Cargo Beam (t)

Trolley Speed (mpm)

Rated Load Under Spreader (t)

Main Hoist w/ Load (mpm)

Machinery or Rope Trolley

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

Figure 3: Collapsed Pusan Cranes

Establishing appropriate stability criteria for operating conditions is problematic. Outreach-to-gage

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

Table 3: Operating Stability Combinations

Trolley Load Lateral

Gantry Load Lateral2

Stall Torque Load

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

Figure 4: Stability Block

The Liftech Study

Data combined from various sources. There is scatter by a factor of

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

Bounds on Vibration for Fatigue-Decreased Proficiency ISO 2631/1

Effective Acceleration = RMS of Acceleration Over Time (g)

Figure 6: Measured Boom Tip Vibration at Port of Oakland versus

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

No additional vibration after

Figure 7: Smallest ResponseAcceleration Time is a Multiple of Crane Period, nT

Vibration continues after

=Relative displacement between upper works and sill.

Figure 8: Greatest ResponseAcceleration Ends at a Half Period, (n +0.5)T

Boom Tip Acceleration in Gantry T ravel Direction

Notice the lateral acceleration on

8 s Gantry Acceleration and Deceleration Period

Decceleration starts at 40.

Test Time (seconds)

2003 by Liftech Consultants Inc.

Figure 10: Existing Cranes at the China Shipping Terminal,

Figure 11: Rendered Low Profile Cranes at the China

Figure 12: Existing Cranes at the Evergreen Terminal,