EP3995436B1 - Mobile crane with height-adjustable superstructure ballast - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mobile crane, in particular a crawler crane, according to the preamble of claim 1.

Mobile cranes are regularly used when no stationary cranes are available at the site or when they cannot be used for other reasons or can only be used with increased effort. Typical mobile cranes have an undercarriage with wheel or crawler chassis and an upper carriage mounted on the undercarriage with a boom and a rear or upper carriage ballast.

Larger mobile cranes usually have to be dismantled into smaller transport units for transport to the site. In order to be able to assemble and dismantle such mobile cranes efficiently and without additional auxiliary equipment, self-assembly systems for the upper carriage ballast are required. Solutions are known for this in which the upper carriage ballast is first prepared or stacked on the ground and then lifted onto the upper carriage using hydraulic lifting cylinders, after which the upper carriage ballast is attached to the upper carriage.

In such quick-assembly systems, the upper carriage ballast is normally attached to the upper carriage using several bolt connections. Access to the fastening elements, the alignment of the upper carriage ballast required before fastening, and its fastening or locking to the upper carriage are usually difficult and time-consuming.

From the JP S50 571 61 U A mobile crane according to the preamble of claim 1 is already known.

Similar mobile cranes are in EN 10 2016 203 607 A1 , CN102001592A and DE 20 2005 016 815 U1 described.

The object of the present invention is therefore to facilitate the installation and removal of the superstructure ballast on such mobile cranes. The installation process should take place within a reasonable time and without any particular risk to the operating personnel and, in particular, should be able to be carried out by a single person.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a mobile crane with the features of claim 1. Accordingly, a mobile crane, in particular a crawler crane, is proposed which comprises an undercarriage with a chassis, an upper carriage rotatably mounted on the undercarriage and an upper carriage ballast. The upper carriage ballast has a ballast receiving device whose height can be adjusted by means of a lifting device of the upper carriage. The lifting device is preferably designed to set the upper carriage ballast down from the upper carriage onto the ground and, conversely, to lift it from the ground to the upper carriage.

According to the invention, the ballast receiving device can be fastened to the superstructure in an assembly position by means of a single connecting element that receives or carries the vertical load of the superstructure ballast. In other words, the entire vertical load of the superstructure ballast is carried by this connecting element. Furthermore, according to the invention, a centering means is provided, which is designed to absorb transverse forces occurring in the assembly position which act between the superstructure and the superstructure ballast.

Attaching the upper carriage ballast to the upper carriage via a single connection makes it easier and faster to attach and remove the upper carriage ballast. The connecting element, which is located centrally, can be secured or locked with little effort by a single person. Since the attachment via the connecting element represents a single suspension point for the upper carriage ballast, lateral forces can occur when the upper carriage ballast rotates, tilts or moves in a slanting or translational manner relative to the upper carriage. These forces are absorbed or transmitted via the centering device. This creates a safe, stable connection between the upper carriage ballast and the upper carriage that can be established or released quickly.

The assembly position refers to a position of the ballast receiving device in which it has been lifted onto the upper carriage by the lifting device and can be locked to the upper carriage or is already locked. The transverse forces are therefore absorbed or transferred not only when it is attached to the upper carriage via the connecting element, but also before attachment via the centering device. The centering device can comprise several spatially distributed or separately arranged centering elements, whereby the transverse forces are optimally absorbed. The upper carriage ballast is attached in particular to a base frame of the upper carriage.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention emerge from the subclaims and the following description.

In one possible embodiment, it is provided that the centering means is designed to automatically align the upper carriage ballast or the ballast receiving device into the assembly position when it is brought closer to the upper carriage. In other words, the centering means takes on a dual function in that it does not not only to absorb or transfer transverse forces, but also to correctly align and center the ballast receiving device when the upper carriage ballast approaches the upper carriage. The personnel then only has to establish the connection via the connecting element. This means that time-consuming and sometimes dangerous manual fine-alignment of the upper carriage ballast can be avoided.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the centering means is arranged on the ballast receiving device and/or on the upper carriage and is designed to absorb or transmit transverse forces acting on the ballast receiving device and/or the upper carriage in the assembly position.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the centering means is designed to absorb or transmit transverse forces occurring in the assembly position due to tilting and/or rotating and/or shifting of the superstructure ballast.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the centering means comprises at least two centering elements arranged on the ballast receiving device, which are designed to engage with centering receptacles formed on the upper carriage when the ballast receiving device is brought closer to the upper carriage, or that the centering means comprises at least two centering elements arranged on the upper carriage, which are designed to engage with centering receptacles formed on the ballast receiving device when the ballast receiving device is brought closer to the upper carriage.

When the ballast pick-up device approaches the upper carriage, the centering elements engage or move into the associated centering mounts and thus ensure that the ballast pick-up device is correctly aligned/centered relative to the upper carriage, especially when approaching. In the assembly position, the centering elements are retracted into the centering mounts as far as possible and transfer any transverse forces that occur.

Depending on the type of connection between the upper carriage and the ballast receiving device, in particular the shape of the connecting element and the number of possible degrees of freedom for movements of the upper carriage ballast that generate transverse forces, two centering elements may be sufficient to effectively absorb any transverse forces that may occur. If, for example, the design of the connection or connecting element only allows the upper carriage ballast to move along a single degree of freedom, it may be sufficient to arrange the centering elements along a line perpendicular or parallel to this degree of freedom. Preferably, however, there are more than two centering elements, which allows for better absorption of the transverse forces and more stable mounting of the upper carriage ballast on the upper carriage.

In another possible embodiment, the centering elements are conical in shape and - depending on where they are arranged - protrude from the ballast receiving device or from the upper carriage in the direction of the lifting direction of the upper carriage ballast. The centering elements are therefore aligned parallel in particular. They taper conically towards the centering mounts and ensure easy threading. Due to the conical shape, the upper carriage ballast automatically aligns correctly in the assembly position as it continues to be lifted.

The centering elements can be pins, bolts, bollards or other particularly elongated elements which can be inserted into preferably complementarily shaped receptacles.

In another possible embodiment, four centering elements are provided and arranged in such a way that they form the corners of a rectangle. This results in effective absorption of the transverse forces and stable mounting of the upper carriage ballast on the upper carriage. Alternatively, three centering elements can also be provided, which are arranged, for example, in the form of an equilateral triangle. More than four centering elements are also conceivable here.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the ballast receiving device comprises a central part and two side parts arranged to the side thereof, wherein at least one ballast element can be placed or stacked on each of the side parts and wherein the centering elements or the centering receptacles are arranged on the central part. Preferably, the centering elements are arranged on the central part, aligned parallel and taper conically towards the upper carriage. The central part can have a substantially rectangular shape, wherein four centering elements are arranged at the corners of the central part. The central part can also have one or more curved sides.

The middle section and the side sections can be connected to one another in one piece, i.e. they can be areas of a common ballast support plate, for example. It is also conceivable that the side sections are mounted or can be mounted on the side of the middle section.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the ballast receiving device is height-adjustable via at least one hydraulic lifting cylinder attached to the upper carriage. The lifting cylinder, which can also be referred to as a ballasting cylinder, is preferably designed to deposit the upper carriage ballast from the upper carriage onto the ground and to lift it from the ground onto the upper carriage. An embodiment is also conceivable in which the upper carriage ballast can be deposited on a storage surface of the undercarriage. Preferably, two parallel lifting cylinders are provided. The lifting cylinder(s) are in particular attached to a base frame of the upper carriage.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that a fastening element with at least one traction device is arranged on the lifting cylinder, in particular on the extendable end of a piston rod of the lifting cylinder. The traction device is used to lift the upper carriage ballast and can be connected to a stop point of the ballast receiving device. Preferably, two traction devices are provided per lifting cylinder or per fastening element. With two lifting cylinders, this results in a total of four stop points, so that the upper carriage ballast is tilt-proof. can be lifted. The traction device can be a chain, a rod, a band, a wire rope or a combination of these.

The attachment points can be arranged or formed directly on the ballast receiving device or on receiving arms connected to the latter and possibly articulated. The ballast receiving device preferably has a central part and two side parts arranged to the side thereof, with the attachment points or the receiving arms being arranged on the central part.

The lifting cylinder(s) is/are preferably extendable upwards. The fastening element is preferably essentially anchor-shaped or has two lateral arms to which the traction means are attached.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the lifting cylinder has a guide cone and the ballast receiving device has a recess associated with the guide cone, which are arranged and designed in such a way that the guide cone moves into the associated recess when the upper carriage ballast is brought closer to the upper carriage and pre-positions or pre-centers the ballast receiving device before it finally reaches the assembly position. The recess is preferably conical or funnel-shaped.

The lifting cylinder extends downwards, particularly beyond the base frame of the upper carriage. The recess is arranged in the ballast receiving device exactly below the lifting cylinder, so that in the last section of the lifting process before reaching the assembly position, the lower part of the lifting cylinder, which has the guide cone, moves into the recess. The conical shape automatically positions or aligns the ballast receiving device relative to the lifting cylinder and thus to the upper carriage. Preferably, two lifting cylinders are provided, each with a guide cone and two corresponding recesses.

In particular, this is only a rough pre-positioning, while the fine alignment is carried out using the centering device - preferably using several conical centering elements. Manual alignment by the operating personnel can thus be avoided, which makes the setup process easier and increases safety.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the guide cone is formed on a cylinder jacket of the lifting cylinder or is formed by an element connected to the lifting cylinder, in particular a conically shaped bushing or sleeve. Alternatively, the bushing can be connected to the upper carriage or a base frame of the upper carriage, with a part of the lifting cylinder running within the bushing.

According to the invention, the connecting element is a bolt which can be pushed and preferably locked through bolt eyes of the upper carriage and the ballast receiving device which overlap in the assembly position. Alternatively, the connecting element can be a force measuring axis, in particular one with a cylindrical shape.

The bolt eyes are arranged on the top of the ballast support device and on the bottom of the upper carriage or a base frame of the upper carriage. In the assembly position, the bolt eyes overlap so that the bolt or the force measuring axis can be pushed through and a bolt connection can be created. The bolt connection takes on the complete vertical load of the upper carriage ballast and can be secured or locked quickly and easily.

In a further possible embodiment, it is provided that the bolt or the force measuring axis can be inserted into the bolt eyes along the longitudinal axis of the upper carriage, i.e. in particular perpendicular to the lifting direction of the upper carriage ballast. The lifting cylinders are preferably arranged along a line perpendicular to this.

The bolt eyes for creating the bolt connection are mounted centrally on the upper carriage or centrally on the ballast support plate. This results in the upper carriage ballast being suspended centrally on the upper carriage.

The ballast receiving device is preferably a ballast receiving plate and the ballast elements are ballast plates that can be stacked on top of one another. The upper carriage ballast is preferably arranged at the rear of the upper carriage, whereby the upper carriage also has in particular a driver's cabin and/or a luffing boom. An A-frame can also be pivotably mounted on the upper carriage, via which the boom can be braced.

Figur 1:

eine seitliche Schnittansicht durch den Oberwagenballast, welcher am Oberwagen des erfindungsgemäßen Mobilkrans montiert ist;

Figur 2:

eine schematische Darstellung der vom Oberwagen beabstandeten Ballastaufnahmevorrichtung in einer perspektivischen Ansicht; und

Figur 3:

die Ansicht gemäß Figur 2, wobei sich die Ballastaufnahmevorrichtung in der Montageposition befindet.

Further features, details and advantages of the invention emerge from the embodiments explained below with reference to the figures. They show:

Figure 1:

a side sectional view through the superstructure ballast which is mounted on the superstructure of the mobile crane according to the invention;

Figure 2:

a schematic representation of the ballast pick-up device spaced from the superstructure in a perspective view; and

Figure 3:

the view according to Figure 2 with the ballast receiving device in the mounting position.

The Figure 1 shows a section through the upper carriage 12 and upper carriage ballast 14 of an embodiment of the mobile crane 10 according to the invention in a side view. The mobile crane 10 is in particular a crawler crane. The sectional view only shows the end area of the rear of the upper carriage 12, to which the upper carriage ballast 14 is attached or can be attached.

The upper carriage ballast 14 comprises a ballast receiving device 16 on which a plurality of individual ballast elements or ballast plates 15 are stacked. The ballast receiving device 16, together with the ballast 15 placed thereon, is a lifting device of the mobile crane 10 is height-adjustable, whereby the ballast receiving device 16 placed on the ground can be lifted from below up to the upper carriage 12 in order to be able to attach it thereto. Conversely, the ballast receiving device together with the ballast 15 placed on it can be placed back on the ground via the lifting device.

A perspective view of the rear area of the upper carriage 12 and the ballast receiving device 16 is shown in the Figure 2 This is a schematic representation in which other elements such as ballast plates 15 or the lifting device are hidden. The ballast receiving device 16 is spaced apart from the upper carriage 12 in Figure 2.

When in the Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the ballast receiving device 16 comprises a substantially rectangular, raised central part 17 and two plate-shaped side parts 18 arranged on either side thereof, which are substantially trapezoidal when viewed from above. Alternatively, the ballast receiving device 16 can also be designed as a one-piece and substantially flat ballast receiving plate. However, the exact basic shape of the ballast receiving device 16 is not further relevant to the inventive concept.

The lifting device forms a self-assembly system for self-assembly of the upper carriage ballast 14, in particular after transporting the mobile crane 10 disassembled into several transport units to a site. The lifting device comprises two parallel hydraulic lifting cylinders or ballasting cylinders 30 attached to the upper carriage 12 in the rear area. Each ballasting cylinder 30 comprises a cylinder casing 32 connected to the upper carriage 12 and a piston rod 34 slidably mounted therein, at the extendable end of which an anchor or wing-shaped fastening element 36 is attached.

The fastening element 36 is in the Figure 1 whose sectional view runs parallel to the longitudinal axis of the upper carriage 12 in the area of one of the two lifting cylinders 30. The fastening element 36 has two laterally projecting wing arms to which traction means 40 designed as chains are attached. The chains 40 are attached to corresponding attachment points 42 of the ballast receiving device 16. In total, the ballast receiving device 16 thus has four attachment points 42, which are arranged in the shape of a rectangle in plan view.

To equip the upper carriage ballast 14, the ballast receiving device 16 is placed on the ground beneath the rear of the upper carriage (or the latter is placed above the upper carriage ballast 14). Several ballast plates 15 are stacked on the side parts 18. The lifting cylinders 30 are retracted so that the chains 40 reach up to the ballast receiving device 16 and can be attached to the stop points 42 arranged on the middle part 17. By extending the lifting cylinders 30 (the piston rods 34 move upwards), the entire upper carriage ballast 14 is lifted from below onto the upper carriage 12.

The middle part 17 has approximately the same width as the part of the upper carriage 12 located above (or the base frame of the upper carriage 12 to which the upper carriage ballast 14 is attached). The lifting cylinders 30 are located between the ballast stacks 15 mounted on the side parts 18.

Like in the Figure 1 As can be seen, the lifting cylinders 30 protrude downwards beyond the upper carriage 12 (or the base frame) and each have a downwardly tapering conical area or guide cone 38. When the upper carriage ballast 14 is lifted, the guide cones 38 move from a certain height into corresponding recesses 39 provided, which are formed in the ballast receiving device 16 and can be funnel-shaped. The conical shape ensures that the undersides of the lifting cylinders 30 are correctly threaded into the recesses 39 and the ballast receiving device 16 or the entire upper carriage ballast 14 is automatically pre-centered or pre-positioned during lifting. This rough alignment takes place before the ballast receiving device 16 reaches its final position for attachment to the upper carriage 12 (= assembly position).

Like in the Figure 2 As can be seen, the ballast receiving device 16 has four centering elements 20 on the middle part 17, which are arranged on the top of the middle part 17 at its corners and therefore form the corners of a rectangle. The centering elements 20 are designed as upwardly tapering, conical pins that extend parallel to the lifting direction of the ballast receiving device 16 and protrude from it in the direction of the upper carriage 12.

Four appropriately arranged centering receptacles 22 are provided on the underside of the upper carriage 12, into which the centering elements 20 move when lifting. The centering receptacles 22 can also be conical or funnel-shaped and, together with the centering elements 20, form a centering means which, after pre-positioning by the guide cones 38 of the lifting cylinders 30, effects a fine alignment of the ballast receiving device 16 or the entire upper carriage ballast 14. As a result, the ballast receiving device 16 is automatically positioned correctly in the last section of the lifting path.

The Figure 3 shows the ballast receiving device 16 in the assembly position, ie in the maximum raised position in which it can be attached to the upper carriage 12. To connect the upper carriage ballast 14 to the upper carriage 12, bolt eyes 24, 26 are provided on the underside of the upper carriage 12 and on the top of the middle section 17 of the ballast receiving device 16, which overlap in the assembly position. Two bolt eyes 26 on the upper carriage 12 and one bolt eye 24 on the ballast receiving device 16 form a fork-finger connection.

The connection between the upper carriage ballast 14 and the upper carriage 12 is made by a single connecting element (not shown) which is pushed through the overlapping bolt eyes 24, 26. The connecting element can be a simple bolt or a cylindrical force measuring axis, for example. This bolt connection is particularly easy to make and lock or release. No auxiliary crane or other external tool needs to be used for this. The connection can be made or released by a single operator.

The bolt connection is arranged centrally in relation to the ballast receiving device 16 or the upper carriage ballast 14, i.e. it is located in the middle of the rectangle formed by the centering elements 20. In other words, the bolt connection has the same distance to all centering elements 20 and to the ballast stacks 15.

The bolt connection or the connecting element carries the entire vertical load of the superstructure ballast 14. The transverse forces that arise due to rotation, inclination and/or displacement of the superstructure ballast 14 relative to the superstructure 12 are optimally absorbed or transmitted by the centering elements 20.

List of reference symbols:

10

Mobile crane

12

Uppercarriage

14

Uppercarriage ballast

15

Ballast element (ballast plate)

16

Ballast receiving device

17

Middle part

18

Side panel

20

Centering element

22

Centering mount

24

Bolt eye

26

Bolt eye

30

Lifting cylinder

32

Cylinder jacket

34

Piston rod

36

Fastener

38

Guide cone

39

Recess

40

Traction device (chain)

42

Anchor point

Claims (13)

1. A mobile crane (10), in particular a crawler crane, comprising an undercarriage having a chassis, a superstructure (12) rotatably supported on the undercarriage, and superstructure ballast (14) that comprises a ballast mounting apparatus (16) vertically adjustable by means of a lifting device of the superstructure (12),
   wherein

   the ballast mounting apparatus (16) is fastenable to the superstructure (12) in an assembly position by means of a single connection element bearing the vertical load of the superstructure ballast (14), with a centering means being provided that is adapted to take up transverse forces occurring in the assembly position.

   characterized in that

   the connection element is a pin or a force measuring axle that can be pushed through pin eyes (24, 26) of the superstructure (12) and of the ballast mounting apparatus (16) that overlap in the assembly position and is preferably lockable.
2. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the centering means is configured to automatically align the superstructure ballast (14) in the assembly position on an approach to the superstructure (12).
3. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the centering means is arranged at the ballast mounting apparatus (16) and/or at the superstructure (12) and is adapted to take up transverse forces acting on the ballast mounting apparatus (16) and/or on the superstructure (12) in the assembly position.
4. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the centering means is adapted to take up transverse forces occurring in the assembly position by tilting and/or rotating and/or displacing the superstructure ballast (14).
5. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the centering means comprises at least two centering elements (20) that are arranged at the ballast mounting apparatus (16)/at the superstructure (12) and that are configured to move into engagement with centering mounts (22) formed at the superstructure (12)/at the ballast mounting apparatus (16) on an approach of the ballast mounting apparatus (16) to the superstructure (12).
6. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 5, characterized in that the centering elements (20) are conically shaped and project from the ballast mounting apparatus (16)/from the superstructure (12) along the lifting direction of the superstructure ballast (14).
7. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 5 or claim 6, characterized in that four centering elements (20) are provided and are arranged such that they form the corners of a rectangle.
8. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with one of the claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the ballast mounting apparatus (16) comprises a center part (17) and two side parts (18) arranged laterally therefrom, with a respective at least one ballast element (15) being able to be placed or stacked on the side parts (18) and with the centering elements (20) or the centering mounts (22) being arranged at the center part (17).
9. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ballast mounting apparatus (16) is vertically adjustable via at least one, preferably at least two, hydraulic lifting cylinder(s) (30) fastened to the superstructure (12), with the lifting cylinder (30) preferably being configured to place the superstructure ballast (14) from the superstructure (12) on the ground and to raise it from the ground to the superstructure (12).
10. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 9, characterized in that a fastening element (36) is arranged with at least one pulling means (40) at the lifting cylinder (30), in particular at the extensible end of a piston rod (34) of the lifting cylinder (30), with the pulling means (40) being connectable to an attachment point (42) of the ballast mounting apparatus (16) to raise the superstructure ballast (14).
11. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 9 or claim 10, characterized in that the lifting cylinder (30) has a guide cone (38) and the ballast mounting apparatus (16) has a recess (39) that is associated with the guide cone (38), said guide cone (38) and recess (39) being arranged and configured such that the guide cone (38) moves into the associated recess (39) on an approach of the superstructure ballast (14) to the superstructure (12) and pre-positions the ballast mounting apparatus (16) before reaching the mounting position.
12. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 11, characterized in that the guide cone (38) is formed at a cylinder jacket (32) of the lifting cylinder (30) or is formed by an element connected to the lifting cylinder (30), in particular a conically shaped bushing.
13. A mobile crane (10) in accordance with claim 12, characterized in that the pin or the force measuring axle is pushable into the pin eyes (24, 26) along the longitudinal axis of the superstructure (12).

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