EP1780165B1 - Method and device for the assembly of a crane with a lifting jib - Google Patents

Description

The present invention generally relates to luffing jib cranes, of the type comprising a fixed or movable support structure, in particular a vertical mast, surmounted by an orientable rotating part about a vertical axis, consisting of a swiveling pivot, a luffing arrow pointing forwards and hinged at its rear end about a horizontal axis on the swivel pivot, with an arrow holder extending obliquely upwards and backwards from the revolving pivot, and a substantially horizontal against-arrow directed rearward and linked by its front end to the rotating pivot, the counter-boom bearing mechanisms of the crane, and an arrow lifting device being provided , the latter comprising a lifting winch belonging to said mechanisms, a lifting cable passing over the top of the boom carrier and in a lifting muffle connected by at least one lifting tie to the front part of the the boom, and the aforementioned mechanisms also comprising a hoist winch with lifting cable.

More particularly, this invention is concerned with the mounting of the rotating part of such a luffing jib crane, and even more especially with the assembly of the components of the jib lifting device, and incidentally mechanisms that equip the counter-jib, so the final assembly operations that make the crane operational.

A luffing jib crane, of the kind in question here, is described for example in the patent application French FR 2641773 A in the name of the Applicant, or in the corresponding European patent EP 0379448 A .

• montage d'une élingue provisoire ou des élingues provisoires de retenue de la flèche,
• installation du câble de relevage de la flèche dans la moufle de relevage,
• montage de la ligne de tirants définitive, à relier à la moufle et au câble de relevage,
• démontage de l'élingue provisoire ou des élingues provisoires,
• passage du câble de levage dans les poulies correspondantes.

To mount such a luffing jib crane, at a place of use and in particular on a construction site, it is proceeded first to the assembly of the main structure of the crane, comprising the base frame , the mast, the counter-boom and the boom carrier, these operations being performed using an auxiliary hoist, which is usually a crane truck with hydraulic crane. Then, the boom is mounted, being temporarily retained by at least one temporary sling connecting it to the top of the boom carrier. It is then necessary to finish the assembly by the following operations:

• installation of a temporary sling or temporary slings for retaining the boom,
• installation of the boom lift cable in the lift block,
• assembly of the final tie line, to be connected to the muffle and the lifting cable,
• dismantling the temporary sling or temporary slings,
• passage of the lifting cable in the corresponding pulleys.

In addition, it is advisable to ensure, on the platform intended to receive them, the maintenance and the maintenance of the mechanisms equipping the counter-arrow.

These manual operations are usually carried out using the crane hoist winch, already in place, winch that can lift very large loads. This winch is thus equipped with a large diameter lifting cable, typically a cable with a diameter of the order of 18 millimeters, which consequently is a heavy cable and difficult to handle. Thus, the final operations of mounting a luffing jib crane remain, for the operator, long and arduous operations, which involve risks of accident.

The object of the present invention is to avoid the drawbacks previously described, and it is therefore intended to simplify the assembly of the additional elements of the rotating part of a luffing jib crane of the kind in question, in particular the mounting of the muffle and the cable of lifting, sling or temporary restraint slings, and line of tie rods, so as to reduce the assembly time and facilitate the work of the operator, while limiting the risk of accident.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is essentially a method of mounting a luffing jib crane, of the type indicated in the introduction, according to which an auxiliary winch is used, in particular a winch carried by the rotating part of the crane. , this winch being equipped with an auxiliary cable of diameter substantially smaller than that of the hoisting and lifting cables, to carry out a cabling operation of the lifting muffle with the lifting cable and / or to carry out the assembly of at least one temporary sling, provided for the temporary retention of the boom, and / or to perform a mounting operation of the line of tie rods.

According to the mode of implementation of the method of the invention, the operation of cabling of the lifting muffle consists, after having pre-wired in the workshop muffle lifting with the auxiliary cable diameter substantially less than that of the cable of lifting, to connect one end of the auxiliary cable to the lifting cable wound on the drum of the lifting winch, to connect the other end of the auxiliary cable to the auxiliary winch, and to simultaneously operate the lifting winch and the auxiliary winch so as to unroll the lifting cable and engage it in the lifting muffle, while the auxiliary cable is re-wound on the auxiliary winch.

According to another embodiment of the method of the invention, the operation of mounting at least one temporary boom retaining sling consists, for each temporary sling, in storing a first sling element along the boom carrier and a second sling member, extending the first along the boom, the forward end of the second sling member being attached to the forward portion of the boom, attaching the upper end of the first member sling to the cable of the auxiliary winch, to operate this auxiliary winch in the direction of the winding of its cable to stretch the provisional sling, and to attach the upper end of the first sling element to the top of the boom carrier .

In the case where two temporary slings are provided, the elements of these slings are advantageously stored respectively on both sides of the boom carrier and the boom, and one proceeds successively to the assembly of the first provisional sling, and then to the assembly of the second provisional sling using the auxiliary winch and its cable.

According to yet another embodiment of the method of the invention, the mounting operation of the line of tie rods consists, after passing the cable of the auxiliary winch on a pulley of forward direction of the arrow tying the end of the auxiliary cable to the lifting muffle, the rear end of the line of tie rods also being attached to the lifting muffle, actuating the auxiliary winch in the winding direction of its cable, and Operate the lifting winch in the direction of the unwinding of the rope, in such a way as to pull the lifting block towards the front, and finally hook the front end of the line of tie rods to the front part of the boom.

The auxiliary winch can also be used, in combination with a bracket supported by the platform of the mechanisms itself carried by the counter-boom, for the maintenance or the maintenance of the mechanisms carried by this counter-boom, the cable of the auxiliary winch being then directed to the gallows and guided along this gallows.

The subject of the invention is also a device for mounting a luffing jib crane intended for implementing the method defined above, this device essentially comprising an auxiliary winch carried by the party rotating the crane, this auxiliary winch being equipped with an auxiliary cable of diameter substantially smaller than that of lifting and lifting cables. The auxiliary winch can in particular be mounted at the base of the crane boom holder.

The device also advantageously comprises, on the rotating part of the crane, means for guiding the auxiliary cable, in particular pulleys, adapted to the operations performed with the aid of the auxiliary winch and detailed above.

Finally, the invention also relates to a luffing jib crane, which is equipped with a mounting device with auxiliary winch, as defined above.

Overall, the invention thus facilitates the assembly operations of the crane, through the use of an auxiliary winch whose cable is smaller, and therefore more easily handled, than the hoisting cables of the load and raising of the boom, the same auxiliary winch being used during several assembly operations successively carried out.

• Figure 1 est une vue d'ensemble, de côté, d'une grue à tour à flèche relevable susceptible d'être montée par le procédé selon l'invention ;
• Figure 2 est un schéma illustrant l'opération de câblage de la moufle de relevage de la flèche d'une telle grue ;
• Figure 3 est un schéma illustrant, dans ses phases successives, l'opération de montage des élingues provisoires de retenue de la flèche ;
• Figure 4 est un schéma illustrant l'opération de montage de la ligne de tirants ;
• Figure 5 est un dernier schéma, illustrant l'opération d'entretien des mécanismes équipant la contre-flèche.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing illustrating, by way of example, one embodiment of this method of mounting a luffing jib crane:

• Figure 1 is an overall view, from the side, of a luffing tower tower crane that can be mounted by the method according to the invention;
• Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the wiring operation of the boom lifting muffle of such a crane;
• Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating, in its successive phases, the mounting operation of the provisional slings retaining the boom;
• Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating the assembly operation of the line of tie rods;
• Figure 5 is a last diagram, illustrating the operation of maintenance mechanisms equipping the counter-arrow.

The luffing jib crane, shown on the figure 1 here is a tower crane which comprises in known manner a base frame 2, fixed or movable on the ground, above which rises a vertical mast 3. At the top of the mast 3 is mounted, via an orientation device, a rotating part 4, consisting mainly of a rotating pivot 5, an arrow holder 6, a counter-boom 7, a platform mechanisms 8 and a luffing boom 9.

The rotating pivot 5 is orientable about the vertical axis A of the mast 3. It supports a cab 10 of the crane.

The arrow holder 6, also designated as a "punch", is integral with the rotating pivot 5 and extends from the latter upwards and obliquely with a backward inclination.

The counter-boom 7 extends substantially horizontally rearwardly from the pivoting pivot 5. It carries the platform of the mechanisms 8, as well as the counterweight 11. This against-arrow 7 is suspended from the arrow holder 6, in its rear part, by means of tie rods 12.

On the platform of mechanisms 8, also visible on the figure 5 , are mounted various equipment which include, in particular, a lifting winch 13 of the boom 9 and a hoist 14 lifting loads.

The luffing jib 9, constituted by a lattice structure for example of triangular section, has a hinged rear end, about a horizontal axis 15, on the rotary pivot 5.

The lifting winch 13 has a drum, around which is wound a lifting cable 16 which passes over pulleys 17 disposed at the top of the boom holder 6, and which also passes over the pulleys of a lifting block 18, located in before the arrow holder 6. The lifting block 18 is connected, by a line of tie rods 19, to the front part or "point" of the luffing jib 9.

The hoist winch 14 has a drum on which is wound a hoisting rope 20, which passes over pulleys disposed on the boom holder 6, then is directed towards the tip of the luffing boom 9 and extends to a lifting hook 21, with or without hauling, the lifting loads being suspended from the hook 21 when using the crane.

The luffing jib crane has thus been described in its fully assembled configuration, we will now describe the additional equipment for mounting this crane.

This equipment includes, in particular, an auxiliary winch 22, mounted at the base of the boom holder 6, on one of the sides thereof. The auxiliary winch 22 has a drum on which is wound an auxiliary cable 23, whose diameter is substantially smaller than the diameter of the cable for example, if the lifting cable 16 and the lifting cable 20 have a usual diameter of the order of 18 millimeters, the auxiliary cable 23 may have a diameter of 1 mm. order of 9 millimeters.

The equipment in question still includes two temporary slings 24 for retaining the boom 9, which are visible on the figure 3 . Each of these two temporary slings 24 comprises a first sling element 25, storable along the boom carrier 6, and a second sling element 26, storable along the arrow 9 (see the basic position I indicated on the figure 3 ). The two sling elements 25 and 26 are hinged together at a point 27 and the second sling element 26 is hinged at a point 28 on the front part of the boom 9. One of the temporary slings 24 thus formed is stored on the right side of the arrow holder 6 and the arrow 9, while the other provisional sling 24 is stored symmetrically on the left side of the arrow holder 6 and the arrow 9.

Finally, the mounting equipment includes, as shown in particular by figure 5 , a bracket 29 carried by the platform mechanisms 8, and used with one of the winches, as specified below.

The procedure, using the editing equipment described above, is as follows.

In the first place, the lifting muffle 18 has been prewired in the workshop with a temporary cable of small diameter, for example of the order of 9 millimeters, which is the auxiliary cable 23 initially separated from the auxiliary winch 22. It is then proceeded as illustrates it figure 2 to the final wiring of the lifting muffle 18. For this purpose, the lifting muffle 18 being retained at the top of the boom holder 6, one end of the auxiliary cable 23 is connected to the lifting cable 16 larger, having for example a diameter of the order of 18 millimeters, which is wound on the drum of the lifting winch 13. The other end of the auxiliary cable 23 is attached to the drum of the auxiliary winch 22. The simultaneous electrical control of the two winches 13 is then actuated and 22, so that the auxiliary cable 23 is wound on the drum of the auxiliary winch 22, while the lifting cable 16 is unwound from the drum of the lifting winch 13. Thus, the auxiliary cable 23 pulls the lifting cable 16 by driving it through the lifting muffle 18, and bringing it on the pulleys of this muffle 18 where it comes to take the place of the auxiliary cable 23 provisionally installed. Finally, the auxiliary cable 23 is separate from the lifting cable 16, which makes this auxiliary cable 23 available for the following operations.

Then, it is proceeded to the assembly of the two provisional slings 24 retaining the arrow, which illustrates the figure 3 starting from the basic position in which the sling elements 25 and 26 are stored on each side respectively along the boom carrier 6 and the boom 9.

On one side, the cable 23 of the auxiliary winch 22 is first pinned to the upper end 31 of the first sling member 25, while the front end of the second sling member 26 has already been attached. by broaching at 28 on the front part of the arrow 9. It then controls only the auxiliary winch 22, in the winding direction of its cable 23, which passes on a pulley 32 at the top of the boom holder 6, so gradually stretching the sling 24 through intermediate positions, such as that indicated in II. The sling 24 is thus stretched, being pulled upwards, until the upper end 31 of its first element 25 can be attached by broaching the top of the boom holder 6 (position III).

After the first sling element 25 has been thus attached to the top of the boom carrier 6, it is separated from the auxiliary cable 23, and the same operation is repeated on the other side of the crane, for mounting the second provisional sling 24. The two temporary slings 24, thus installed, provide the provisional retention of the arrow 9, pending the following operation which consists of the installation of the line of tie rods 19.

The mounting of the tie rods 19 is illustrated by the figure 4 . In this phase, the cable 23 of the auxiliary winch 22 passes over a deflection pulley 33 located forward of the boom 9, and the end 34 of this auxiliary cable 23 is moored to the lifting block 18, which is initially near the top of the arrow holder 6. The rear end 35 of the line of tie rods 19 is attached to the lifting muffle 18, while its anterior end is still free. It is then proceeded to actuate the control of the auxiliary winch 22, in the direction of the winding of its cable 23, while the lifting winch 13 is actuated in the direction of unwinding of its cable 16. The muffle of lift 18 is thus pulled forward by the auxiliary cable 23, which removes it from the arrow holder 6 and finally allows to hang the front end of the line of tie rods 19 to the front part of the arrow 9, as suggested in 30 on the figure 4 . Thus, the front part of the boom 9 will be connected to the lifting block 18 via the line of tie rods 19.

It then becomes possible to disassemble the two provisional slings 24, which hitherto temporarily retained the arrow 9.

Finally, as illustrated by figure 5 , it is possible, using the bracket 29 carried by the platform 8, to maintain the mechanisms carried by the counter-boom 7. For this purpose, the bracket 29 is used in combination with the auxiliary winch 22 and with its cable 23 of relatively small diameter. More particularly, the auxiliary cable 23, unwinding from the drum of the winch 22, is first directed rearward to the foot of the bracket 29, then it extends along the mast and the arm of this bracket 29 , with suitable guides and references by pulleys 36, 37 and 38. The auxiliary cable 23 can thus be used for example, as illustrated by FIG. figure 5 for dismounting a winch, such as the hoisting winch 14.

One would not depart from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims, by changing the position of the auxiliary winch on the rotating part of the crane, or by using cables of diameters other than those indicated, or using only one temporary sling, instead of two, or by changing the order of certain crane mounting operations.

Claims (10)

1. Luffing jib crane erection process, the crane comprising a fixed or mobile supporting structure, in particular a vertical tower (3), surmounted by a rotating part (4), which can be swivelled around a vertical axis (A) made up of a rotating pivot (5), a luffing jib (9) directed forwards and articulated at its rear end around a horizontal shaft (15) on the rotating pivot (5), a jib gantry (6) extending obliquely upwards and rearwards from the rotating pivot (5) and an essentially horizontal counter-jib (7) directed rearwards and connected via its front end to the rotating pivot (5), the counter-jib (7) carrying mechanisms (8) of the crane and, a jib lifting system being provided, the latter comprising a jib lifting hoist (13) belonging to the said mechanisms, a jib lifting cable (16) passing over the top end of the jib gantry (6) and through a jib lifting block (18) connected by at least one lifting tie bar (19) to the front part of the jib (9), the aforementioned mechanisms also comprising a load lifting hoist (14) with a load lifting cable (20), characterized in that an auxiliary hoist (22), in particular a hoist carried by the rotating part (4) of the crane, is used, this hoist (22) being fitted with an auxiliary cable (23) with a diameter significantly smaller than that of the load (20) and jib (16) lifting cables, to perform an operation of cabling the jib lifting block, (18) with the jib lifting cable (16) and/or to perform an operation of fitting at least one temporary sling (24) intended for temporarily retaining the jib (9) and/or to perform an operation of mounting the line of tie bars (19).
2. Process according to Claim 1, characterized in that the operation of cabling the jib lifting block (18) comprises, after having pre-cabled in the workshop the jib lifting block (18) with the auxiliary cable (23) with a diameter significantly smaller than that of the jib lifting cable (16), connecting one end of the auxiliary cable (23) to the jib lifting cable (16) wound onto the drum of the jib lifting hoist (13), connecting the other end of the auxiliary cable (23) to the auxiliary hoist (22) and actuating simultaneously the jib lifting hoist (13) and the auxiliary hoist (22) such that the jib lifting cable (16) is unwound and engaged in the jib lifting block (18), whilst the auxiliary cable (23) is rewound onto the auxiliary hoist (22).
3. Process according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the operation of fitting at least one temporary sling (24) for retaining the jib (9) comprises, for each temporary sling (24), storing a first sling element (25) along the jib gantry (6) and a second sling element (26), prolonging the first, along the jib (9), the front end of the second sling element (25) being attached (28) to the front part of the jib (9), attaching the top end (31) of the first sling element (25) to the cable (23) of the auxiliary hoist (22), actuating this auxiliary hoist (22) in the winding direction of its cable (23) to tension the temporary sling (24) and attaching the top end (31) of the first sling element (25) to the top of the jib gantry (6).
4. Process according to Claim 3, characterized in that, in the case of two temporary slings (24), the elements (25, 26) of these slings are stored on both sides of the jib gantry (6) and of the jib (9) respectively, and in that fitting of the first temporary sling (24), then fitting of the second temporary sling (24) is successively undertaken using the auxiliary hoist (22) and its cable (23).
5. Process according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the operation of mounting the
   line of tie bars (19) comprises, after passing the cable (23) of the auxiliary hoist (22) over a return pulley (33) located towards the front of the jib (9), anchoring the end (34) of the auxiliary cable (23) on the jib lifting block (18), the rear end (35) of the line of tie bars (19) being also attached to the jib lifting block (18), actuating the auxiliary hoist (22) in the winding direction of its cable (23) and actuating the jib lifting hoist (13) in the unwinding direction of its cable (16) to pull the jib lifting block (18) forwards and to connect finally the front end (35) of the line of tie bars (19) to the front part of the jib (9).
6. Process according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the auxiliary hoist (22) is also used, in combination with a bracket (29) carried by the mechanism platform (8), itself carried by the counter-jib (7), for servicing or maintaining the mechanisms carried by this counter-jib (7), the cable (23) of the auxiliary hoist (22) then being directed towards the bracket (29) and guided (36, 37, 38) along this bracket (29).
7. Erection system for a luffing jib crane, for implementing the process according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises an auxiliary hoist (22) carried by the rotating part (4) of the crane, this auxiliary hoist (22) being fitted with an auxiliary cable (23) with a diameter significantly smaller than that of the load (20) and jib (16) lifting cables.
8. System according to Claim 7, characterized in that the auxiliary hoist (22) is mounted at the base of the jib gantry (6) of the crane.
9. System according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it comprises, on the rotating part (4) of the

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