Crane Active Fallback Protection Rigid Stabilizing Strut
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydraulic fallback protection cylinders in cranes require large oil volumes, are susceptible to buckling, and have limited maximum length, leading to incomplete protection and potential damage from boom swinging during load shifts.
Innovation Solution
A crane with a fallback protection device using a rigid stabilizing strut actively or passively following the boom via a cable winch system, blocking or braking the boom at a defined angle to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hydraulic fallback protection cylinders are used, then the boom can be blocked from swinging back, but the cylinders require large oil volumes and have limited maximum length
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the hydraulic cylinder system with a mechanically actuated stabilizing strut system. The stabilizing strut is inserted or withdrawn by mechanical means (such as a cable winch system or gravitational force) rather than hydraulic pressure, eliminating the need for large oil volumes while maintaining the fallback protection function.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing strut system can be divided into multiple segments or components that work together. The strut itself may be telescopic or composed of multiple sections, allowing it to achieve the necessary length without requiring a single large hydraulic cylinder, thereby reducing oil volume requirements.
2Reliability
If hydraulic cylinders are used, then the boom can be blocked, but the cylinders are susceptible to buckling and require large and heavy components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes hydraulic cylinders with stabilizing struts that are mechanically actuated. These struts can be designed with optimized structural profiles that resist buckling more efficiently than hydraulic cylinders, reducing both weight and material usage while maintaining the blocking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing struts may be constructed using composite materials or optimized steel profiles that provide high strength-to-weight ratios and resistance to buckling. This allows the struts to be lighter than hydraulic cylinders while maintaining the necessary mechanical strength for fallback protection.
3Device complexity
If hydraulic cylinders with limited maximum length are used, then the system is simpler, but the entire hazardous range cannot be covered
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing strut system can be segmented into multiple struts of different lengths or positions, each covering a specific angular range. This segmentation allows the entire hazardous range to be covered without requiring a single excessively long cylinder, maintaining system simplicity while expanding protection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing struts are designed to be dynamically insertable and withdrawable, allowing the system to adapt to different boom angles. This dynamic capability enables coverage of the entire hazardous range using struts of moderate length, as they can be positioned at optimal angles during operation.
4Reliability
If hydraulic cylinders are used, then the boom can be supported, but the compressible oil column reduces the distance between the boom and guy frame, causing cable slackening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the hydraulic fluid column with a rigid or semi-rigid mechanical connection through the stabilizing strut. This mechanical connection maintains a fixed or controllable distance between the boom and guy frame, preventing cable slackening while still providing boom support capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical state from a compressible hydraulic fluid column to a rigid mechanical strut structure. This parameter change eliminates the compressibility issue, ensuring that the distance between the boom and guy frame remains stable and cables remain properly tensioned.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides comprehensive protection across a wider range of boom angles with reduced oil requirements, prevents cable slackening, and minimizes damage by actively or passively engaging the strut at critical states.
Implementation Method 1
a cable winch system, by means of which the stabilizing strut can be actively inserted and/or actively withdrawn relative to the guy frame
Implementation Method 2
the fallback protection device comprises at least one stabilizing strut, with which the boom comes into contact when it tilts back when it reaches the defined boom angle
Implementation Method 3
a cable winch system, by means of which the stabilizing strut can be actively inserted and/or actively withdrawn
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a crane comprising a carrier structure, a boom, which is connected to the carrier structure so as to be pivotable about a horizontal tilt axis, a guy frame, which is connected to the carrier structure and via which the boom is guyed by means of length-variable guy cables, and a fallback protection device, which is arranged on the guy frame and is configured to block or brake tipping of the boom towards the guy frame in a critical state of the crane, in particular in the event of a load shift, wherein the fallback protection device comprises at least one stabilising strut, with which the boom comes into contact when it tilts back by a defined boom angle. According to the disclosure, the stabilising strut is configured as a rigid element, which follows the boom above the defined boom angle.