Movable Placement Device for Mobile Crane Counterweight Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crawler cranes face challenges in placing and picking up counterweight elements due to the lack of a standard placement area on the superstructure, leading to complex alignment issues and reduced maneuverability when a cantilever frame is used to address this problem, which complicates the process and impairs the crane's mobility.
Innovation Solution
A mobile crane with a placement device connected to the undercarriage that can move between a travel position and a placement position, allowing counterweight elements to be supported and aligned without requiring a flat surface, thereby maintaining crane maneuverability by minimizing the undercarriage's length during movement and maximizing it for placement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a cantilever frame is provided on the undercarriage for placement of counterweight plates, then counterweight elements can be placed and picked up, but the undercarriage becomes longer and maneuverability is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The placement device is made movable between a retracted position during travel and an extended placement position during operation. This dynamic configuration allows the undercarriage to maintain a compact length for maneuverability while providing the necessary placement capability when needed, resolving the contradiction between operational ease and mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The placement device is separated from the main undercarriage structure as a distinct, movable component. This segmentation allows it to be retracted into a compact configuration during travel, minimizing its impact on undercarriage length, while still being available for counterweight placement when deployed.
2Ease of manufacture
If counterweight elements are placed on the ground and picked up by the ballasting device, then ballasting can be performed, but alignment with the superstructure is extremely complex
Solution Approach 1:
The placement device acts as an intermediary between the ground and the superstructure. It provides a stable, positioned platform that receives counterweight elements and holds them in precise alignment with the superstructure, eliminating the complex alignment procedures required when picking up elements directly from the ground.
Solution Approach 2:
The placement device is positioned in advance and provides a pre-aligned platform for placing counterweight elements. This preliminary positioning ensures that elements are correctly aligned with the superstructure before the ballasting operation begins, simplifying the overall process and improving precision.
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
Facilitates the positioning of counterweight elements and the ballasting device, eliminating the need for ground-based ballasting and ensuring stable, secure alignment without compromising the crane's mobility by allowing the placement device to be easily moved into a travel position after ballasting, thus maintaining good maneuverability.
Implementation Method 1
a movable placement part that is movable from a travel position into a placement position and vice versa
Implementation Method 2
The hoisting device can be one or more hydraulic ballast cylinders, for example
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a mobile crane, that comprises a mobile undercarriage and a superstructure rotatably supported on the undercarriage and having a boom and a ballasting device. The ballasting device picks up or places down one or more counterweight elements by means of a hoisting device. In accordance with the invention, a placement device is provided that is connected to the undercarriage and comprises at least one movable placement part that is movable from a travel position into a placement position and vice versa. In this respect, the travel position is characterized in that the length of the undercarriage is reduced, and the crane is travelable on the construction site, whereas the placement position is characterized in that counterweight elements can be placed on the placement part by means of the ballasting device and the length of the undercarriage is increased in comparison with the travel position.