Pivotable Ballast Apparatus for Crawler Crane Width Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Crawler-mounted cranes face stability issues due to fixed-position rear ballast that cannot adapt to changing operating conditions, leading to decreased stability and increased equipping time when passing through narrow sites, as existing solutions require complex and costly adjustments or dismantling.
Innovation Solution
A ballast apparatus with pivotable carrier plates connected to a base plate via articulated joints, allowing flexible adaptation of the ballast's position and width, driven by actuators such as lift cylinders or rotary drives, enabling reduction in machine width without dismantling, and equipped with sensors for position monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed-position rear ballast is used, then the structure is simple and stable, but the stability cannot adapt to changing operating conditions and equipping time increases when passing through narrow sites
Solution Approach 1:
The ballast apparatus employs pivotable carrier plates that can rotate about vertical axes, transforming the fixed-position ballast system into a dynamic one. The carrier plates can be pivoted rearwardly by approximately 90° to reduce the total width of the ballast apparatus, allowing adaptation to different operating conditions and narrow passage requirements without complex dismantling procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If complex rail mechanism or telescopic mechanism is used to move ballast, then the ballast position can be adjusted during operation, but the ballast actuation design becomes comparatively complex
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex rail mechanisms or telescopic mechanisms, the invention employs pivotable carrier plates that rotate about vertical axes. This dynamic configuration allows the ballast position to be adjusted during operation by pivoting the carrier plates rearwardly, achieving position adaptability with a simpler actuation design that avoids the complexity of rail or telescopic systems.
3Length of moving object
If ballast apparatus width is reduced for passing through narrow points, then the machine can pass through narrow sites, but dismantling is required which increases equipping time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables dynamic width adjustment of the ballast apparatus through pivotable carrier plates that can be rotated rearwardly by approximately 90°. This allows the ballast apparatus width to be reduced on-demand for passing through narrow points without requiring dismantling, thereby reducing equipping time and maintaining operation readiness.
4Stability of the object's composition
If ballast weight is increased to compensate for increased tilting torque, then the stability is maintained, but the ballast apparatus becomes more complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing ballast weight to maintain stability under varying operating conditions, the invention employs pivotable carrier plates that can be positioned to optimize the ballast torque arm. By adjusting the carrier plate position, the effective leverage of the existing ballast weight is maximized, maintaining machine stability without requiring additional ballast weight or more complex structural modifications.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a ballast apparatus for attaching to the rear of a crane superstructure, in particular of a crawler-mounted crane, having a base plate and a plurality of stackable ballast plates, wherein at least two carrier plates for receiving stacked ballast plates are connected to the base plate in an articulated manner pivotable about vertical pivot axes.