Urban horizons are dotted with towering skyscrapers. This contemporary view of the cityscape wouldn’t have been possible without construction cranes. Here’s all you need to know about them.
Crane Parts
To fully understand how a crane moves, you must understand how its various parts make its movement possible. Here are the eight major components of a crane.
Concrete foundation – tower cranes are placed on a concrete foundation, and its anchors are fixed to the ground to secure the crane’s balance.
Tower – the crane has a tower that rises from its base and consists of metallic lattice structures stacked one on top of the other.
Turntable – The turntable allows the crane to rotate 360 degrees.
Operator’s cabin – it’s situated near the turntable and offers the operator an uninterrupted view.
Jib – Jib is a metal hand horizontally extending in front of the cabin.
Hook block and trolley – a trolley attached to the hook block moves the load back and forth across the jib.
Counterweights and counter jib – they are similar to the jib but are extended behind the cabin to balance the weight.
Motors and main winch – they sit behind the counter jib enabling the long rope to be raised and lowered to lift loads.
Building a Crane
Before a crane can do the lifting, it needs to be assembled and stabilized. A crane is usually built in three phases.
Firstly, the crane is anchored to the ground with a concrete foundation to stabilize while lifting loads. Then a mobile crane puts together the lattice structure of the crane. Lastly, the crane builds the remaining of its structure on its own.
The crane’s foundation must be given a lot of attention. The designers need to make complex calculations and take different forces into consideration that may impact the trolley movements and rotations.
How a Crane Lifts Loads
A crane performs thousands of lifts during a construction project, moving concrete and steel to help construction workers assemble a building. Every lift involves three basic movements:
The hook is lowered so that the load can be latched on it.
Riggers ensure that the load is securely attached to the hook by following physics’ principles.
The operator performs different movements like hoists (to raise the load), rotations (to turn the crane around), and trolley travel (moving the load across the job).
Are you looking for crane supplies to for a better construction experience?
Crane Warning Systems Atlanta offers an extensive range of RaycoWylie equipment and supplies that ensure safer and efficient construction sites across the US. We offer operation aids like crane load monitors and portable cameras. We also offer wind speed indicator systems, rated capacity indicator, crane load indicator systems, and more.
For inquiries and estimates, you can contact us at 770-888-8083.
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