Crawler Crane Ballast Carriage Using Standard Transport Vehicle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crawler cranes require an additional, individually constructed ballast carriage, which increases investment costs and is not feasible for large cranes like those used in nuclear power plant construction, as they are sensitive to lateral forces and cannot absorb them effectively.
Innovation Solution
A crane design that uses a standard heavy-duty transport vehicle with a separate drive and controller, which can be influenced by the crane's movement to manage lateral forces, and a variable-length coupling element with sensors to adjust operations and prevent steering errors, allowing the crane to function without a dedicated ballast carriage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a standard heavy-duty transport vehicle is used as ballast carriage, then investment costs are reduced and operational flexibility is enhanced, but high lateral forces are introduced to the crane when rotating
Solution Approach 1:
The drive controller receives feedback from sensors that detect the position and movement of the crane, automatically adjusting the steering and speed of the transport vehicle to minimize lateral forces on the derrick boom during rotation operations
Solution Approach 2:
The transport vehicle's drive controller autonomously controls the vehicle's steering and speed based on crane movement detection, eliminating the need for manual intervention and automatically preventing harmful lateral forces
2Reliability
If the drive controller automatically determines steering center and controls steering, then steering errors are prevented and lateral forces are minimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drive controller serves multiple functions: it controls the transport vehicle's drive, automatically determines the steering center, monitors sensor data, and adjusts steering and speed, consolidating multiple control functions into a single integrated system
Solution Approach 2:
Sensors act as intermediaries between the crane's movement and the drive controller, providing detection data that enables automatic control while isolating the complexity of the control algorithm from the physical control mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a crane with a travelling undercarriage, an uppercarriage rotatably mounted on the same with a luffing boom and derrick boom arranged on the same, and a ballast carriage connectable with the uppercarriage via a coupling element, wherein the ballast carriage is a standardized heavy-duty transport device with separate drive and separate drive controller, and wherein this drive controller can be influenced as a result of the movement of the crane.