University of Zenica Zenica 2017/18.

Faculty of mechanical engineering

CRANES

Student: Alen Halilović doc.dr Aida Tarabar

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Sadržaj
1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1
2. Cranes ................................................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Basic parts of a crane .......................................................................................................................... 3
3. Mechanical principle of cranes ............................................................................................................. 4
4. Types of cranes ..................................................................................................................................... 5
4.1 Mobile cranes...................................................................................................................................... 5
4.1.1 Truck mounted .............................................................................................................................. 6
4.1.2 Rough terrain ................................................................................................................................ 6
4.1.3 Crawler ......................................................................................................................................... 7
4.1.4 Floating ......................................................................................................................................... 8
4.2 Fixed crains ......................................................................................................................................... 8
4.2.1 Tower cranes ................................................................................................................................. 9
4.2.2 Self-erecting tower cranes .......................................................................................................... 10
4.2.3 Telescopic cranes ........................................................................................................................ 11
4.2.4 Hammerhead crane ..................................................................................................................... 12
4.2.5 Overhead cranes.......................................................................................................................... 13
5. Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 15
Literature .................................................................................................................................................... 16
 1. Introduction
Very large machines that you can see at the construction site and which are often used to move
very heavy loads are called cranes. They are pretty hard to miss and they often rise hundreds of
feet into the air and can reach out just as far. It is used to lift steel, concrete, large tools and a
wide variety of other building materials. Growing up right by the big cities we can see them all
the time.

The first known construction cranes were invented by the Ancient Greeks and were powered by
men or „beasts of burden“ (animals that are trained to carry heavy loads) such as donkeys. These
cranes were used for construction of tall buildings. Larger cranes were developed later and they
were using a human treadwheel or a treadmill to lift heavier weights. For many centuries power
was supplied by the physical exertion of men or animals, although lifting gear in watermills and
windmills could be driven by the exploited natural power. First mechanical power was provided
by steam engines within the steam cranes that were used in the 18th or 19th century.

When you look at one of these cranes what it can do seems nearly impossible.A lot of questions
go through your head such as: „Why doesn't it crash?“ or „How is it able to grow taller as the
building grows taller?“ and many more. They exist in various forms each modified to a specific
use. Sizes range from smallest jib cranes used inside a workshop to the tallest tower cranes used
for constructing high buildings.

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 2. Cranes
A crane is a type of a machine , generally equiped with a hoist rope,wire ropes or chains and a
pulley which can be used both to lift and lower materials as well as to move them horizontally.It
is mainly used for lifting heavy things and transporting them from one place to another. The
device uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads
beyond human capability. They are commonly employed in the transport industry for the loading
and unloading of cargo , in the construction industry for the movement of materials, and in the
manufacturing industry for the assembling of heavy equipment. The simplest crane was the
Roman crane called „trispastos“ or a three pulley crane consisted from a single-beam jib ,a winch
and a rope and a block containing three pulleys. This crane was constructed with wood.

Figure 1.Simplest crane type („trispastos“ or three pulley crane)

The „trispastos“ had a mechanical advantage of 3:1 and it has been calculated that a single man
working the winch could raise 150kg (3 pulleys x 50kg =150 kg).

In the middle ages harbour cranes were introduced to load and unload ships and assist with their
construction and some of them were built into stone towers for extra strength and stability.

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 Figure 2.Middle age harbour crane

These cranes were placed docksides for the loading and unloading of cargo where they replaced
or complemented older lifting methods.Harbour cranes usually featured double treadwheels to
speed up loading and unloading. The two treadwheel whose diameters is estimated to 4 meters or
larger were attached to each side of the axle and rotated together. Their capacity was 2-3 tons
which apparently corresponded to the customary size of marine cargo. The earliest cranes were
made form wood but cast iron, iron and steel took over with the coming of the industrial
revolution.

2.1 Basic parts of a crane

Hoist is a device used for lifting or lowering a load by means of drum or lift-wheel around which
rope or chain wraps.It may be operated manually, electrically or pneumatically drive.It uses
chain or wire rope as its working medium. The most commonly used hoist is an electrically
powered chain or wire rope type.

Wire rope is several strands of metal wire twisted into a helix forming a composite "rope", in a
pattern known as "laid rope".In stricter senses the term "wire rope" refers to diameter larger than
9.5 mm. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire
ropes. Wire ropes are used dynamically for lifting and hoisting in cranes and elevators, and for
transmission of mechanical power. Wire rope is also used to transmit force in mechanisms.

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Chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an
overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but
linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A chain may consist of two or more links. There are
two types of chains: those designed for lifting, such as when used with a hoist and those designed
for transferring power in machines also known as roller chains.

Jib is long horizontal portion of the crain that carries the load also known as the working arm.
trolley runs along the jib to move the load in and out from the crane's center.

Winch is a mechanical device used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope
or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form it consists of a spool and
attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow
trucks, steam shovels, cranes and elevators. The spool can also be called the winch drum. More
elaborate designs have gear assemblies and can be powered by electric, hydraulic, pneumatic or
internal combustion drives.

Pulley is a wheel on an axle or shaft that is designed to support movement and change of
direction of a taut cable or belt, or transfer of power between the shaft and cable or belt. The
drive element of a pulley system can be a rope, cable, belt, or chain. Pulleys are assembled to
form a block and tackle in order to provide mechanical advantage to apply large forces. Pulleys
are also assembled as part of belt and chain drives in order to transmit power from one rotating
shaft to another.

3. Mechanical principle of cranes

There are three major considerations in the design of cranes. First, the crane must be able to lift
the weight of the load; second, the crane must not topple; third, the crane must not rupture.

Cranes, like all machines, obey the principle of conservation of energy. This means that the
energy delivered to the load cannot exceed the energy put into the machine. For example, if a
pulley system multiplies the applied force by ten, then the load moves only one tenth as far as the
applied force. Since energy is proportional to force multiplied by distance, the output energy is
kept roughly equal to the input energy (in practice slightly less, because some energy is lost to

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friction and other inefficiencies). The same principle can operate in reverse. In case of some
problem, the combination of heavy load and great height can accelerate small objects to
tremendous speed. Such projectiles can result in severe damage to nearby structures and people.
Cranes can also get in chain reactions; the rupture of one crane may in turn take out nearby
cranes. Cranes need to be watched carefully.

For stability, the sum of all moments about the base of the crane must be close to zero so that the
crane does not overturn.In practice, the magnitude of load that is permitted to be lifted is some
value less than the load that will cause the crane to tip, thus providing a safety margin. The
stability rated load is usually 75% of the tipping load.

The base is bolted to a large concrete pad that supports the crane.The base connects to the mast
(or tower), which gives the crane its height.Attached to the top of the mast is the slewing unit the
gear and motor that allows the crane to rotate.

4. Types of cranes
The cranes are divided into two large groups:

1. Mobile cranes
2. Fixed cranes

4.1 Mobile cranes

A mobile crane is a cable-controlled crane mounted on crawlers or rubber-tired carriers or a
hydraulic-powered crane with a telescoping boom mounted on truck-type carriers or as self-
propelled models.[1] They are designed to easily transport to a site and use with different types
of load and cargo with little or no setup or assembly. There are four principal types of mobile
cranes:

1. Truck mounted
2. Rough – terrain
3. Crawler
4. Floating

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 4.1.1 Truck mounted
A truck-mounted crane has two parts: the carrier, often referred to as the lower, and the lifting
component which includes the boom, referred to as the upper. These are mated together through
a turntable, allowing the upper to swing from side to side. These modern hydraulic truck cranes
are usually single-engine machines, with the same engine powering the undercarriage and the
crane.

Figure 3. Truck mounted crane

Generally, these cranes are able to travel on highways, eliminating the need for special
equipment to transport the crane unless weight or other size constrictions are in place such as
local laws. If this is the case, most larger cranes are equipped with either special trailers to help
spread the load over more axles or are able to disassemble to meet requirements. Many truck
mounted cranes have slow-travelling capability (a few miles per hour) while suspending a load.
Great care must be taken not to swing the load sideways from the direction of travel, as most
anti-tipping stability then lies in the stiffness of the chassis suspension. Most cranes of this type
also have moving counterweights for stabilization beyond that provided by the outriggers.Most
of these cranes can rotate up to 180 degrees, but the ones that are more expensive can rotate the
full 360 degrees.

4.1.2 Rough terrain

A rough terrain crane has a boom mounted on an undercarriage atop four rubber tires that is
designed for off-road pick-and-carry operations. Outriggers are used to level and stabilize the
crane for hoisting.

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These telescopic cranes are single-engine machines, with the same engine powering the
undercarriage and the crane, similar to a crawler crane. The engine is usually mounted in the
undercarriage rather than in the upper, as with crawler crane. Most have 4 wheel drive and 4
wheel steering for traversing tighter and slicker terrain than a standard truck crane.

Figure 4. Rough terrain crane

4.1.3 Crawler
A crawler crane has its boom mounted on an undercarriage fitted with a set of crawler tracks that
provide both stability and mobility. The main advantage of a crawler crane is its ready mobility
and use, since the crane is able to operate on sites with minimal improvement and stable on its
tracks without outriggers. Wide tracks spread the weight out over a great area and are far better
than wheels at traversing soft ground without sinking in. A crawler crane is also capable of
traveling with a load. Its main disadvantage is its weight, making it difficult and expensive to
transport. Typically a large crawler must be disassembled at least into boom and cab and moved
by trucks, rail cars or ships to its next location.

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 Figure 5. Crawler crane
4.1.4 Floating
Floating cranes are used mainly in bridge building and port construction, but they are also used
for occasional loading and unloading of especially heavy or awkward loads on and off ships.
Floating cranes have also been used to salvage sunken ships.They are also known as crane
vessels. Crane vessels are often used in offshore construction.

Figure 6. Floating crane

4.2 Fixed crains

Exchanging mobility for the ability to carry greater loads and reach greater heights due to
increased stability, these types of cranes are characterised by the fact that their main structure
does not move during the period of use. However, many can still be assembled and
disassembled. The structures basically are fixed in one place. There are five principal types of
mobile cranes:

1. Tower cranes
2. Self-erecting tower cranes
3. Telescopic cranes
4. Hammerhead crane
5. Overhead cranes

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 4.2.1 Tower cranes

Tower cranes are a common fixture at any major construction site. Tower cranes are a modern
form of balance crane that consist of the same basic parts. Fixed to the ground on a concrete slab
(and sometimes attached to the sides of structures), tower cranes often give the best combination
of height and lifting capacity and are used in the construction of tall buildings. The base is then
attached to the mast which gives the crane its height. Further, the mast is attached to the slewing
unit (gear and motor) that allows the crane to rotate. On top of the slewing unit there are three
main parts which are: the long horizontal jib (working arm), shorter counter-jib, and the
operator's cab.The long horizontal jib is the part of the crane that carries the load. The counter-jib
carries a counterweight, usually of concrete blocks, while the jib suspends the load to and from
the center of the crane. The crane operator either sits in a cab at the top of the tower or controls
the crane by radio remote control from the ground. In the first case the operator's cab 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 the crane operator using electric motors
to manipulate wire rope cables through a system of sheaves. The hook is located on the long
horizontal arm to lift the load which also contains its motor.A tower crane rotates on its axis
before lowering the lifting hook.In order to hook and unhook the loads, the operator usually
works in conjunction with a signaller.They are most often in radio contact, and always use hand
signals. The rigger or dogger directs the schedule of lifts for the crane, and is responsible for the
safety of the rigging and loads.

Figure 7. Tower crane

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Tower cranes are used extensively in construction and other industry to hoist and move
materials. There are many types of tower cranes. Although they are different in type, the main
parts are the same, as follows:

 Mast: the main supporting tower of the crane. It is made of steel trussed sections that are
connected together during installation.

 Slewing unit: the slewing unit sits at the top of the mast. This is the engine that enables
the crane to rotate.
 Operating cabin: on most tower cranes the operating cabin sits just above the slewing
unit. It contains the operating controls, LMI, scale, anemometer, etc.
 Jib: the jib, or operating arm, extends horizontally from the crane. A "luffing" jib is able
to move up and down; a fixed jib has a rolling trolley that runs along the underside to
move goods horizontally.

 Counter jib: holds counterweights, hoist motor, hoist drum and the electronics
 Hoist winch: the hoist winch assembly consists of the hoist winch itself (motor, gearbox,
hoist drum, hoist rope, and brakes), the hoist motor controller, and supporting
components such as the platform. Many tower cranes have transmissions with two or
more speeds.
 Hook: the hook (or hooks) is used to connect the material to the crane. It is suspended
from the hoist rope either at the tip, for luffing jib cranes, or in the hoist rope belly
underneath the trolley for hammerhead cranes.

 Weights: Large concrete counterweights are mounted toward the rear of the counterdeck,
to compensate for the weight of the goods lifted.

4.2.2 Self-erecting tower cranes

Generally a type of pedestrian operated tower crane. Self erecting tower cranes are transported as
a single unit and can be assembled by a qualified technician without the assistance of a larger
mobile crane. They are bottom slewing cranes that stand on outriggers, have no counter jib, have

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their counter weights and ballast at the base of the mast, can not climb themselves, have a
reduced capacity to standard tower cranes, and seldom have an operator's cabin.In some cases,
smaller self-erecting tower cranes may have axles permanently fitted to the tower section to
make maneuvering the crane onsite easier.

Figure 8. Self-erecting tower crane

4.2.3 Telescopic cranes

Telescopic crane has a boom that consists of a number of tubes fitted one inside the other. A
hydraulic cylinder or other powered mechanism extends or retracts the tubes to increase or
decrease the total length of the boom. These types of booms are often used for short term
construction projects, rescue jobs, lifting boats in and out of the water, etc. The relative
compactness of telescopic booms make them adaptable for many mobile applications.Though not
all telescopic cranes are mobile cranes, many of them are truck-mounted.A telescopic tower
crane has a telescopic mast and often a superstructure (jib) on top so that it functions as a tower
crane. Some telescopic tower cranes also have a telescopic jib.

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 Figure 9. Telescopic crane

4.2.4 Hammerhead crane

The "hammerhead", or giant cantilever, crane is a fixed-jib crane consisting of a steel-braced
tower on which revolves a large, horizontal, double cantilever; the forward part of this cantilever
or jib carries the lifting trolley, the jib is extended backwards in order to form a support for the
machinery and counterbalancing weight. In addition to the motions of lifting and revolving, there
is provided a so-called "racking" motion, by which the lifting trolley, with the load suspended,
can be moved in and out along the jib without altering the level of the load. Such horizontal
movement of the load is a marked feature of later crane design. These cranes are generally
constructed in large sizes and can weigh up to 350 tons. The ability of the hammerhead crane to
lift heavy weights was useful for installing large pieces of battleships such as armour plate and
gun barrels.

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 Figure 10. Hammerhead crane

4.2.5 Overhead cranes

An overhead crane, also known as a bridge crane, is a type of crane where the hook-and-line
mechanism runs along a horizontal beam that itself runs along two widely separated rails. Often
it is in a long factory building and runs along rails along the building's two long walls. It is
similar to a gantry crane. Overhead cranes typically consist of either a single beam or a double
beam construction. These can be built using typical steel beams or a more complex box girder
type. Pictured on the right is a single bridge box girder crane with the hoist and system operated
with a control pendant. Double girder bridge are more typical when needing heavier capacity
systems from 10 tons and above. The advantage of the box girder type configuration results in a
system that has a lower deadweight yet a stronger overall system integrity. Also included would
be a hoist to lift the items, the bridge, which spans the area covered by the crane, and a trolley to
move along the bridge. The most common overhead crane use is in the steel industry. At every
step of the manufacturing process, until it leaves a factory as a finished product, steel is handled
by an overhead crane. Raw materials are poured into a furnace by crane, hot steel is stored for
cooling by an overhead crane, the finished coils are lifted and loaded onto trucks and trains by
overhead crane, and the fabricator or stamper uses an overhead crane to handle the steel in his
factory. The automobile industry uses overhead cranes for handling of raw materials. Smaller
workstation cranes handle lighter loads in a work-area, such as CNC mill or saw.Almost all
paper mills use bridge cranes for regular maintenance requiring removal of heavy press rolls and

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other equipment. The bridge cranes are used in the initial construction of paper machines
because they facilitate installation of the heavy cast iron paper drying drums and other massive
equipment, some weighing as much as 70 tons.

Figure 11. Overhead crane

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5. Conclusion
Cranes play an essential role in the construction industry, especially in high rise structures. It is a
fact that cranes are involved with an alarmingly high number of casualties and fatalities. Cranes
are used in every part of construction or transportation of heavy loads at construction sites. The
answer to the questions ,that were given in the introduction part, lies within the mechanical
principals of cranes and the law of the conservation of energy. Without the cranes it would be
almost impossible to build some of the tallest building and skyscrapers known today. It is so
impressive that they can lift something so heavy and so up high with no struggle at all. Another
fascinating fact is that even without all these technology Ancient Greeks and Romans made
cranes only with wood and metal. Nowadays,everything is equiped with high-tech equipment
and trained workers that run the crane.

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Literature
Parfitt, M.K. (2009): „Cranes, Structures under Constuction“

David Armentrout, Patricia Armentrout (1995): „Cranes: Heavy equipment“

Hal Rogers (1999): „Cranes (Machines at work)“

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_(machine)

https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/tower-crane.htm

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