EP3507232B1 - Tower crane - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a tower crane, in particular a tower crane, with a crane tower composed of several tower pieces, with a main boom arranged on the crane tower top and with a counter-jib.

Tower cranes are often used for particularly high lifting heights and heavy loads. The construction of wind turbines in particular requires large lifting heights and high load capacities. It is desirable to install the hubs of wind turbines at ever greater heights for efficiency reasons. However, the maximum possible installation height is limited by the available lifting equipment.

Although current tower cranes can still meet the requirements, they will reach their technical limits in the near future. Current designs include a crane tower assembled from lattice pieces with a boom system attached to the top of the tower. The main boom can be designed to be fixed or luffing. To ballast the crane, a rigid counter-jib is provided, at the free end of which the required ballast plates are hung depending on the load capacity.

The object of the present invention is to show a new crane structure that allows larger loads and greater lifting heights, but such a crane should, if possible, not be connected to the structure and its transport and assembly should be as easy and quick as possible. US 2003/183594 A1 discloses the preamble of claim 1. This task is solved by a tower crane according to the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the tower crane are the subject of the dependent subclaims following the main claim.

A tower crane, in particular a tower crane, particularly preferably a top slewing crane, is proposed with a crane tower composed of several tower pieces, at the top of which a main boom and a counter-jib are arranged. According to the invention, the novel tower crane is characterized in that a main hoist rope is guided on the main boom to pick up the load and at least one counter-jib hoist rope is guided over the counter-jib to pick up a balancing weight. A load to be lifted is usually picked up via the main hoist rope.

The counter-boom hoist rope of the counter-jib is used to ballast the crane with the necessary compensation or counter-ballast for the desired load lift. This is preferably done by accommodating conventional counter-ballast elements or plates, which no longer have to be laboriously mounted on the counter-boom, but can be easily picked up from the base using the counter-boom lifting cable. In addition, the design according to the invention allows the center of gravity of the counter-ballast to be positioned significantly lower during crane operation, which, among other things, brings significant advantages in the dimensioning of the crane, so that ultimately higher lifting heights and larger load capacities can be achieved.

The counterweight that is to be lifted on the counter boom must be adjusted using the load lift. When sizing the balancing weight, the optimal rule is that the load picked up by the main boom multiplied by the distance of the load pick-up point (crane hook of the main boom) to the center of the tower corresponds to the product of the balance weight and the distance of the pick-up point (crane hook of the counter-jib) to the center of the tower.

The counterweight is picked up using the counter-boom hoist rope preferably via a load hook, but alternative load-carrying devices are also conceivable.

The crane tower can ideally be designed as a top-slewing crane. The crane tower can be supported on the ground using an undercarriage or a connecting piece embedded in concrete.

In the crane according to the invention, it is particularly advantageous if at least the counter-jib is arranged in a luffing manner on the tower top of the crane. A luffing storage of the main boom on the crane tower is also conceivable. Thanks to the luffing main boom, the corresponding lifting height can be variably adjusted or the distance of the load picked up from the crane tower can be changed. Using the luffing counter-jib, it is also possible to flexibly adjust the distance between the counter-ballast weight and the crane tower, resulting in a particularly flexible ballast option for the entire tower crane.

According to the invention, the crane tower comprises at least one climbing piece that allows the crane tower to be lengthened or shortened during crane operation. Using the climbing piece, one or more additional tower pieces can be attached or removed from the top of the tower during crane operation, allowing the crane tower to grow as construction progresses. In this case, it is particularly preferred if at least the counter-jib or the main boom, preferably both booms, are mounted on the climbing piece so that it can be rocked.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the climbing piece represents the top of the crane tower during crane operation. To realize a top-slewing operation, it is conceivable that the climbing piece can be rotated about a vertical axis of rotation relative to the remaining tower pieces of the crane tower. A corresponding rotary bearing in the climbing piece enables rotational movement relative to the tower over the entire length of the tower.

To accommodate the main boom and/or the counter-jib, one or more consoles are mounted on the side of the climbing piece. It is particularly preferred to mount one or more consoles on the front and back of the tower crane or the climbing piece, i.e. on the side surfaces of the climbing piece lying transversely to the rocking plane.

Such consoles can also be designed to accommodate one or more drive units of the crane. Corresponding drive units are used, for example, to drive the lifting winches installed on the boom system and/or the slewing gear and/or climbing drive of the climbing piece. Additionally or alternatively, one or more control boxes for controlling the built-in hydraulics or electrics of the crane can be installed in at least one of the consoles. It is also conceivable to accommodate one or more hydraulic tanks within the consoles.

The climbing piece can ideally be displaced in the vertical direction by means of a hydraulic drive, particularly preferably by means of a hydraulic cylinder. In this case, it is advantageous to provide one or more recesses and/or stops on one or more tower sections of the tower in order to flexibly support the hydraulic cylinder on the construction structure depending on the tower height. Ideally, one or more stops are provided per tower section so that the assembled Tower has a plurality of preferably equally spaced stops in the axial direction.

The main boom and/or counter boom can be guyed using separate bracing. The luffing angle of the boom can preferably be adjusted via the respective guy wiring, which can ideally be operated using a winch. It is also advantageous if at least two guy stands are provided on the climbing piece, each guy stand being connected to the corresponding guy wiring of the main boom or the counter-jib. Ideally, one guy stand is connected to a guy line of the main boom, while the second guy stand is connected to a guy line of the counter boom. At least one, preferably all guy stands are pivotally mounted on the consoles of the climbing piece. Preferably, the guy frame of the main boom is pivotally mounted on the console accommodating the main boom. The same applies to the additional guy frame of the counter-jib, which is pivotally attached to the console for storing the counter-jib.

The guy stands can be connected to one another via a length-adjustable connection, in particular stranding. The length-adjustable connection allows the angle of the respective guy frames to be adjusted. The length adjustment of the connecting stranding of the guy stands can preferably be done using a lifting winch. However, alternative adjustment drives are conceivable.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the main boom and/or counter-jib can be luffed downwards so that they rest almost parallel to the side of the crane tower. This is preferably done by lowering the respective guy cables and correspondingly lengthening the cable connecting the guy frames. As a result, both booms are pivoted downwards towards the crane tower until they are almost parallel to it. This crane state represents a particularly advantageous decommissioning position of the crane in order to reduce its area exposed to wind as much as possible to reduce. This makes it possible to leave the crane erected even at higher wind speeds.

The move into the decommissioning position is preferably carried out by first lowering the two guy strands until the main boom and counter-jib are luffed as flat as possible, i.e. both booms are in an almost horizontal position. In this state, the bolting between the guy frames is then loosened and the stranding is extended accordingly so that the two booms pivot downwards towards the crane tower.

According to a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one auxiliary boom can be arranged on the counter-jib; an additional auxiliary boom is preferably pivotably mounted on the outer tip of the counter-jib. In this case, it is also advantageous if at least one auxiliary hoist rope is guided over the auxiliary boom. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the hoist rope of the counter-jib is temporarily guided over the auxiliary jib for use. However, the design with a separate auxiliary hoist rope for the auxiliary boom is preferred.

The auxiliary boom ideally serves to hold one or more tower pieces in order to be able to insert them into the climbing piece for the climbing process of the crane tower. In this case, it is particularly useful if the counter-jib and auxiliary jib can be pivoted in such a way that the auxiliary hoist rope or the tower piece picked up thereby can be moved to a position above the climbing piece. Ideally, the counter-jib is positioned almost vertically and the auxiliary jib is pivoted over the top of the tower.

In a further optional embodiment of the crane, at least one collar can be mounted around the crane tower. The at least one collar provides corresponding assembly points for connecting one or more bracings, which start from the collar in the direction of any fixation points on the crane base or a crane undercarriage. This additional bracing of the crane tower allows the maximum lifting height or crane tower length to be increased. The bracing used preferably consists at least partially of rope and/or sheet metal material.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment shown in the figures.

Figur 1:

eine skizzierte Seitenansicht des erfindungsgemäßen Krandrehturms;

Figuren 2 bis 4:

skizzierte Seitendarstellungen des erfindungsgemäßen Krandrehturms während des Klettervorgangs in chronologischer Reinfolge;

Figur 5:

den erfindungsgemäßen Krandrehturm mit zusätzlicher Abspannung des Kranturms und

Figur 6, 7:

skizzierte Seitendarstellungen des erfindungsgemäßen Krandrehturms während der Verbringung der Ausleger in die Auβerbetriebsstellung.

Show it:

Figure 1:

a sketched side view of the crane turret according to the invention;

Figures 2 to 4:

sketched side representations of the crane turret according to the invention during the climbing process in chronological order;

Figure 5:

the crane turret according to the invention with additional bracing of the crane tower and

Figure 6, 7:

sketched side views of the crane turret according to the invention while the booms are being moved into the out-of-operation position.

The crane according to the invention comprises a crane tower 1 composed of several tower pieces 11. The crane tower 1 is supported on the ground by means of an undercarriage 2. As an alternative to the undercarriage, a concrete-encased connecting piece (not shown) could also be used.

The basic structure of the crane should first be based on the Figure 1 to be discribed. A rotatable and climbable climbing piece 3 is mounted around the tower 1 at the top of the tower. The climbing piece 3 is vertical along the tower 1 by means of a or more hydraulic cylinders 31 can be moved. The hydraulic cylinder 31 is supported in suitable stops 12 of the tower 1. Using the rotating climbing piece, the crane becomes a top slewing device.

Two consoles 4, 5 are mounted on both sides of the climbing piece 3, in which the drive units, control boxes and hydraulic tanks of the crane are installed. The console 5 attached to the front of the climbing piece 3 accommodates the main boom 6, which is mounted on the console 5 in a rockerable manner in the bearing point 51. The main boom 6 is assembled from several boom pieces 61 and therefore has a variable length. A hoist winch 62 is mounted on the main boom 6 for storing and operating the hoist rope 63, to which the load hook 64 is attached to pick up the load.

The counter-jib 7 is pivotally mounted on the console 4 at the bearing point 41. which is mounted on the back of the climbing piece 3. A lifting winch 72 is also mounted on the counter boom 7, on which the additional lifting rope 73 is stored. The load hook 74 is actuated with the lifting rope 73. The counter boom 7 serves to balance the load absorbed by the main boom 6. In this way, a complex assembly of the ballast weight on the counter-jib is no longer necessary; instead, the ballast elements can simply be picked up via the crane hook 74. This method allows a lower center of gravity for the entire crane.

The balancing weight that is to be lifted on the counter-jib 7 must be adjusted by lifting. Basically: $$\begin{array}{l}\mathit{load}\mathit{at\; the}\mathit{main\; boom}\times \mathit{Distance}\left(\mathit{Main\; boom\; load\; hook}-\mathit{Middle\; of\; the\; tower}\right)=\mathit{load}\\ \mathit{at\; the}\mathit{Counter\; boom}\times \mathit{Distance}\left(\mathit{Counterboom\; load\; hook}-\mathit{Middle\; of\; the\; tower}\right).\end{array}$$

Furthermore, an auxiliary boom 8 is mounted on the counter-boom 7 and is pivotably mounted at the tip of the counter-boom 7. The auxiliary boom 8 also has its own lifting winch 81 with lifting rope 82 and load hook 83. In addition, the Auxiliary boom 8 can be hydraulically adjusted relative to the counter boom 7 via the cylinder 84.

The auxiliary boom 8 is used, among other things, for "climbing", which will be discussed later in the description of the climbing process.

Furthermore, guy stands 9, 10 are pivotably mounted on both consoles 4, 5. The trestles 9, 10 are connected by means of a connection 11 and serve to move the booms 6, 7 into an “out of service position”. This process will also be described in detail later. The trestles 9, 10 can be moved by means of a lifting winch 91 and a lifting cable 92, i.e. they can be pivoted relative to the consoles 4, 5. During regular crane operation, the trestles 9, 10 are connected to one another. The main boom 6 is connected to the trestle 10 by means of the guying 65. The length of the bracing 65 can be adjusted using a cable winch, whereby the horizontal distance between the load hook 64 and tower 1 can be changed. The main boom rotates around the bearing point 51 and a rocking movement of the boom 6 occurs. This also applies to the counter-jib 7, which is connected to the trestle 9 by means of bracing 75. By changing the length of the bracing 75 using a cable winch, the counter-jib 7 is rocked around the bearing point 41 and the horizontal distance between the load hook 74 and tower 1 changes.

The climbing process ( Figures 2-4 ), in which the crane tower 1 is supplemented by one or more tower pieces 11a, proceeds as follows. A new tower section 11a is lifted with the auxiliary boom 8 and load hook 83 ( Figure 2 ). By pivoting the counter-jib 7, the distance between the load hook 83 and the center of the tower is reduced. Since the auxiliary boom 8 is designed like a portal, the tower section 11a is "rocked" by the auxiliary boom 8 and placed above the remaining tower 1 ( Figure 3 ). By lowering the lifting rope 82 using the lifting winch 81, the tower piece 11a can be mounted in the area of the climbing piece 3 on the top lattice piece of the crane tower 1 ( Figure 3 ). Afterwards the climbing piece can be done 3 use the hydraulic cylinder 31 to push up the entire unit ( Figure 4 ).

If the maximum free-standing height of the crane is not sufficient, there is the option of stabilizing the crane, which makes it possible to further extend the crane tower. For this purpose, a collar 13 is mounted around the tower 1, as shown in Figure 5 is shown. A bracing 14 is mounted between the collar 13 and the base points 21 of the undercarriage 2. The bracing 14 usually consists of rope or sheet material and is prestressed. Since the crane is now more stable, the crane can be raised with additional tower pieces 11.

If the crane is to be temporarily taken out of operation, it is placed in a special "out of service position" in order to reduce the resulting wind attack area of the entire crane structure as much as possible. This means that the crane can be set up even at higher wind speeds. To do this, first extend the two boom bracings 65, 75 in order to rock the main and counter booms 6, 7 as flat as possible (see Fig. Figure 6 ). For static reasons, the arms 6, 7 should assume a horizontal position. The connection 11 between the trestles 9, 10 is then released and by further lowering the hoist rope 92 using the hoist winch 91, the position of the trestles 9, 10 and thus the position of the booms 6, 7 are changed. The trestles 9, 10 move outwards and the booms 6, 7 are in the "negative" rocking range. The final out-of-operation position is reached when the main boom 6 and counter-jib 7 are positioned parallel to the crane tower 1 (see Fig. Figure 7 ). The entire height of the crane is now significantly reduced and the resulting area exposed to wind has been significantly minimized.

Claims (13)

1. A tower crane, in particular a revolving tower crane, having a main boom (6) arranged at the tower tip and a counterboom (7), wherein at least one main hoist rope (63) is guided over the main boom (6) to take-up the load and at least one counterboom hoist rope (73) is guided over the counterboom (7) to take-up a balance weight, wherein

   a hoist winch (62) for the stowage and actuation of the main hoist rope (63), to which the lifting hook (64) for taking up the load is lashed, is installed at the main boom (6) and a hoist winch (72) on which the further counterboom hoist rope (73) for actuating the lifting hook (74) is lashed, is installed at the counterboom (7),

   characterized in that

   the tower crane has a crane tower (1) assembled from a plurality of tower pieces; in that the crane tower (1) comprises at least one climb piece (3) at which the counterboom (7) and/or the main boom (6) is/are luffably received; and in that one or more consoles (4, 5) are installed laterally at the climb piece (3), preferably a respective console at the front side and the rear side of the climb piece disposed in the luffing plane, at which consoles the main boom (6) and/or the counterboom (6) is/are luffably supported.
2. A tower crane in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that at least one ballast element to ballast the counterboom (7) can be taken up via the counterboom hoist rope (73).
3. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the counterboom (7) and preferably the main boom (6) are luffably arranged at the tower tip.
4. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the climb piece (3) is movable in the vertical direction by means of a hydraulic cylinder, with the hydraulic cylinder preferably being able to be supported at abutments of the crane tower (1) provided for this purpose.
5. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that one or more drive units and/or switch cabinets and/or hydraulic tanks are installed within at least one of the consoles (4, 5).
6. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two guying frames are provided at the climb piece (3), with at least one guying frame (10) being connected to a guying rope system (65) of the main boom (6) and at least one other guying frame (9) being connected to a guying rope system (75) of the counterboom (7), with a respective guying frame preferably being rotatably supported at a console of the lattice piece and the guying frame (10) of the main boom (6) particularly preferably being supported at the console taking up the main boom (6) and the guying frame (9) of the counterboom (7) being supported at the console taking up the counterboom (7).
7. A tower crane in accordance with claim 6, characterized in that the guying frames (9, 10) are connected to one another via a length-adjustable connection, preferably a rope system.
8. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the main boom (6) and the counterboom (7) are downwardly luffable such that they come to lie laterally at and almost in parallel with the crane tower (1), preferably by letting out the respective guying rope systems and by extending the rope system connecting the guying frames (6, 7).
9. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the climb piece (3) comprises a pivot bearing to rotate the climb piece about a vertical axis of rotation with respect to the crane tower (1).
10. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one auxiliary boom (8) is provided at the counterboom (7), the auxiliary boom (8) in particular being pivotably installed at the tip of the counterboom, with at least one auxiliary hoist rope preferably being guided over the auxiliary boom.
11. A tower crane in accordance with claim 10, characterized in that the auxiliary hoist rope or the tip of the main boom is pivotable over the climb piece of the crane tower to introduce one or more lattice pieces into the climb piece that are taken up by means of the auxiliary hoist rope (82).
12. A tower crane in accordance with one of the claims 10 or 11, characterized in that the auxiliary boom (8) is pivotable with respect to the counterboom (7) by means of at least one drive, in particular by means of at least one hydraulic cylinder (84).
13. A tower crane in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one collar (13) is installed or installable about the crane tower (1); and in that a guying that preferably at least partially comprises rope material and/or sheet metal material can be spanned between any fixing points of the crane base or of the crane undercarriage and the collar (13).

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