JP2008094628A - Crane and method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a crane capable of being constructed relatively speedily, requiring a relatively small surface area near a slender structure while constructing and using the crane. <P>SOLUTION: The invention relates to the crane for carrying out an operation on the slender structure, such as a wind turbine or an aerial mast. The crane comprises a base unit with a multiple number of telescoping sections which are, in operative position, at least partly telescoped out and oriented in a vertical direction. The base unit is, in the operative position, at least one height, laterally fixed to the slender structure via a fixing structure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention is a crane for operation in a narrow building such as a wind turbine or an aerial mast, comprising a base unit having a number of telescopic sections extending at least partially telescopic in the operating position. About.

  Such known cranes are designed, for example, as mobile cranes for performing various operations at relatively high heights. The base unit, on the one hand, has a large number of telescopic extension sections in the operating position, so that it can reach a relatively large height, but on the other hand, in the transport position, it is also transported in the normal road system. So that a relatively compact structure is obtained. In addition, the crane can be installed and disassembled relatively quickly. Such cranes are used, for example, for operations such as construction and maintenance of thin buildings. For example, wind turbine modules can be installed or removed.

  In many countries, the maximum allowable or actual dimensions for road transport are limited by laws and regulations, and the height and width of viaducts and underpasses. Similarly, there are practical limits on the width and minimum turning radius of a vehicle. The allowable axial load is usually limited to about 12 tons. Deviations in general width and height restrictions result in special transportation categories, which in many countries limit the time and routes that can be traveled, and often the associated high cost of transportation and Results in blockage, temporary obstruction removal, etc.

  In addition, new and continuously built wind turbines are becoming larger. The components that build wind turbines are also increasing in size and weight. In terms of installation quality, speed, and cost, turbine manufacturers and builders aim for modules that are as large as possible and assembled and installed on the ground. This reduces the amount of work that needs to be done at a large height. At present, more or less necessary, the assembly, setting and adjustment of parts with respect to each other is increasingly carried out in the air. Currently, the so-called 500-ton crane is the largest mobile crane. These machines weigh about 250 tons of ballast and can carry up to about 15 tons of loads up to 120 meters high. The actual maximum height of these cranes is well above the lifted height: due to the steep angle of the main boom (about 75 degrees) and the jib (typically about 65 degrees), below the hook There is little “working width”: this means that larger components cannot be lifted near the top of the boom. These 500 ton cranes consist of a mobile base and a series of trucks that carry the parts. These parts include jib parts, rear jib and tension boom (with 2 to 4 trucks), ballast (150 tons, need to be transported by 4 truck-trailer combination), jack Includes sleeper plates, blocks, and the like. With higher lifting requirements, endless track cranes or fixedly constructed cranes with lattice booms must rely on or be lifted by multiple cranes. These endless track cranes or crane combinations usually result in much larger logistic operations at construction sites that follow narrow, poorly paved dead ends. The current normal size of larger wind turbine components is about 30 tonnes of hub excluding rotor blades and 80 tonnes of fully assembled nacelle. The current typical hub height of a wind turbine is 100 meters for the wind turbine and 60 meters for the rotor diameter. Larger machines are expected to require greater axle height. In addition to the construction and installation of wind turbines and other high buildings, cranes with high loadability and lifting height are also sized or dimensioned components that cannot be supplied and discharged through the tower or by lifting means Maintenance, repair and replacement, and final controlled dismantling and dismantling of machines and buildings.

  The disadvantage of such cranes, for example used in the construction of modern wind turbines of 1.5 MW or higher, is that they are very large and heavy as described above. Typical so-called 500-ton mobile cranes, for example, capable of still positioning a 20-ton object, for example, up to a height of 100 meters, are very large, for example in a row of about 8-ton trucks, sometimes with special convoys Need to be transported. As the dimensions of newly constructed thin structures such as wind turbines and aerial masts are constantly increasing, the demand for cranes that can be operated at higher heights will increase. . Another drawback is that cranes are very expensive. In addition, the number of cranes available in the world is limited, which is an obstacle to the construction and maintenance of wind turbines. In addition, these cranes can be pushed up with jacks to absorb the crane's tilting moment caused by the telescoping segments of the base unit that supports its size and lifting load and is oriented diagonally The requirement for a large surface area is a disadvantage. Since the crane is located at a distance from the base of the thin building, an extra large portion of the surrounding ground needs to be compressed as a holding surface. This compressed ground is in turn not or very suitable, for example for agricultural purposes or other uses.

  It is noted that lattice cranes are known for the construction of large and high public buildings. However, the construction and disassembly of such lattice cranes requires a relatively large amount of time, so that due to cost, the use of lattice cranes can operate thin buildings such as wind turbines and aerial masts. It is not always suitable to do.

  Floating cranes are used to assemble, maintain and disassemble offshore wind turbines. In order to operate offshore wind turbines, floating cranes are continuously balanced to prevent them from being swept and lifted. This is because the collision between the crane part and the rotor blade easily causes damage. However, balancing such very heavy ships is expensive due to the associated high fuel consumption. In addition, floating cranes are very expensive and have a limited number available.

  The present invention intends to provide an introductory crane that maintains the advantages while avoiding the above-mentioned drawbacks. In particular, the present invention contemplates providing an introductory crane that can be constructed relatively quickly and that requires a relatively small surface area near a thin building during construction and use of the crane. For this purpose, the section is further oriented in the vertical direction in the operating position, and the base unit is fixed laterally to the narrow building via a fixing structure at at least one height in the operating position.

  Orienting the section of the base unit vertically in the operating position allows the crane to be placed relatively close to the base of a thin building. This is because the distance between the crane and the thin building is substantially constant at any height. This reduces the required surface area. The lateral fixing of the base unit in the operating position, at least at one height, to the narrow building via the fixing structure considerably increases the stability of the crane. Therefore, even less surface area is needed to absorb any tilting moment of the crane that occurs. Positioning the section vertically and securing the base unit to at least one height in a narrow building reduces the surface area required for crane construction and function. In addition, stable construction of the crane allows operation at a higher height than is currently possible.

  The use of a telescoping segment allows the crane to be used relatively quickly. The advantage is that the crane can be used efficiently, so that more wind turbines can be installed per year, for example per crane. This reduces the cost of a single use of the crane. The limited required surface area also has the advantage that, for example, wind turbine construction and maintenance is possible in more places and less farmland is lost.

  In an advantageous manner, a relatively large area can be covered by providing a crane with a jib secured to the upper section of the base unit in the operating position.

  In one embodiment according to the present invention, the fixed structure includes a structural component provided on the wall of the building. Thus, a structurally simple fixation can be realized.

  In a variant embodiment according to the invention, the anchoring structure comprises a tension element surrounding the wall of the building. This allows the building wall to exert a pulling force on the base unit of the crane in a clear manner without the structure that needs to be provided on the building wall. In addition to the time that such a structure can be obtained, the use of such tensioning elements allows the walls to be self-contained as a result of their structure, and for example, a thin structure designed solely for the influence of the weather Things are attractive. For example, by providing components on the wall of the wind turbine, such wall weakening can be identified as desired bending and / or folding deformation, unstable force distribution, premature fatigue and / or so-called Extreme force problems can occur. Since the tensioning element surrounds the building wall, the generated tension is not transmitted at the point, but through at least one segment of the building wall, thereby preventing overloading of the wall . This effect occurs especially in Marui, preferably in circular walls.

  Incidentally, it is noted that both the aforementioned embodiments of the component and the tensioning element can of course be combined for a very good fixation.

  Preferably, the tension element comprises a support strip, whereby the force generated on the building wall is more evenly distributed. In addition, a greater tensile force is applied after prestressing the support strip. However, it is possible to design the tension elements differently, for example with relatively stiff elements such as a pair of tongs. The tension element may then be adapted to exert a pressing force.

  In one embodiment according to the present invention, the fixed structure includes a jack for exerting a pressing force between the base unit of the crane and the thin building. Preferably, the end of the jack facing the building is provided to be closed against the building wall, for example by a ring stop formed by a dimensioned or relatively flexible end. It is done.

The present invention relates to a crane construction method.
Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are described in the dependent claims.

  The figure is merely a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In the figures, the same or corresponding parts are indicated with the same reference numerals.

  1 to 4 show a crane 1 according to the invention in different operating positions. The crane 1 has a base unit 2 that includes a number of telescopic sections 3 and a transport platform 4. The base platform includes a vehicle so that it can move on the road system in a mobile manner. The telescopic section 3 extends at least partially in a telescopic manner and is oriented in the vertical direction V. The crane 1 further has jibs 6, 7 fixed to the upper section 14 of the base unit 2. The jib has a front jib 6 and a jib 7 after the ballast 8 is suspended. The front jib 6 is fixed so that the club 9 can move. The club further includes a winding gear 10 for lifting and feeding the object.

  In the first operating position of the crane shown in FIG. 1, a section extends partially telescopically. FIG. 2 further shows the lower segment 12 of a narrow building designed as a wind turbine. The wind turbine is constructed segment by segment with the help of the crane 1. The base unit 2 is fixed to the wind turbine via a fixed structure at the height of the upper end of the structural module, here the lower segment 12, in order to obtain stability as described below.

  3 and 4 show a third operating position and a fourth operating position, which are the result of nesting the section 3 of the crane 1, where a wind turbine segment is provided and at the top of the structural module. The height secures the base unit to the wind turbine. Finally, other modules of the wind turbine can be provided, such as the nacelle 16 and the rotor blade 15.

  In the modified embodiment according to the invention, the base unit 2 is fixed to the wind turbine at the height of the upper end of the telescopic section 3, which is most effective for the construction of the crane 1. Of course, intermediate configurations are possible.

  Preferably, the base unit 2 is fixed laterally to the wind turbine at a number of heights. Most preferably, in any case, the fixing structure is realized at a relatively high height in order to obtain good stability of the crane 1.

  The transport platform 4 may optionally be disengaged when the fixing of the base unit 2 is realized in the operating position, especially if the wind turbine can hold the weight of the crane 1 via the fixing structure. It will be noted.

  In order to obtain a second operating position as shown in FIG. 1, the mobile transport platform 4 having a telescopic section 3 that is telescopically folded and oriented in a horizontal position is moved to a predetermined position. Further attention. After this, the construction of the crane 1 involves the stable positioning of the platform by the jacks 11a, 11b, the tilting of the telescopic section 3, also called the boom, by the hydraulic cylinder 5, and then the jibs 6, 7 and the ballast 8 is fixed to the upper segment 14 with an auxiliary crane and the first section is extended at least partially telescopically. Incidentally, bringing the boom to a vertical position may be done differently, for example by dividing the transport platform 4 into a front segment and a rear segment hinged to each other with respect to the horizontal axis. When the boom is tilted, the front portion then moves toward the rear, and the central region of the platform 4 rises upward.

  In general, the disassembly of the crane 1 proceeds in the reverse order of the process described above. The base unit 2 is then transported on the support mobile transport platform 4 with the telescopic section 3 folded back and in a horizontal position. The upper part of FIG. 5 shows the transport system 17 in which the jibs 6, 7 disassembled from the base unit 2 are arranged.

  The use of the crane 1 according to the invention advantageously requires a relatively small logistical effort and cost by a relatively small number of vehicles and drivers in dimensions and sizes that are normally acceptable. The Furthermore, the crane 1 can be constructed with limited human resources and external assistance.

  It is noted that the jibs 6 and 7 may optionally be integral with the base unit, thereby providing an integral crane that can be constructed faster. However, if this increases the total weight too much, a separately installed jib can be advantageously used.

  FIG. 6 shows the jibs 6, 7 of the crane 1 in more detail. The club 9 is movable in the direction of the boom and away from the club, for example via a rail on the front jib 6. The jibs 6, 7 are constructed such that rotation about the vertical axis V is possible in the direction of rotation D and in the opposite direction of rotation, thereby covering a large area. Furthermore, the front jib 6 is substantially horizontal. In a particular operating position, a large number of telescopic sections are fixedly arranged, for example so that rotation around the vertical axis V is not possible. However, in principle it is also possible, for example, to place one section pivotably with respect to the other, so that at least a part of the boom is pivotable.

  FIG. 7 shows jibs 6, 7 of a variant of the crane 1 according to the invention. Here, the front jib is hingedly arranged with respect to the horizontal hinge pin 19. The winding gear 18 is then fixed to the free end. As the front jib 6 is raised, also referred to as reaching the apex, the horizontal distance between the object lifted by the hoisting gear 18 and the boom is reduced, along the so-called hubs and nacelles of existing wind turbines. It is advantageous for raising.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the first fixing structure of the crane 1. The fixed structure needs to be able to transmit forces or moments in terms of providing support and stability to the crane 1. The fixed structure includes a tension element designed as a support strip 30 around or on the tower, the tension being transmitted between the base unit 2 of one crane 1 and the wall of the other wind turbine. . The securing structure further includes a jack having a three point support 20-23. The jack is provided to be closed with two hinged ring stops at the end facing the wall of the wind turbine. Each wheel stop includes two legs 24, 25 and 27, 28 that are hinged via a hinge point, the free end of which is the wall of the wind turbine to prevent local damage to the wall. Is tangentially touching. Fixed stakes meet the requirement that they make full contact with the tower wall or flange, or that they are made as strip stakes, with the compression bars tangential at the ends and the hinge points within tangents As it is, it may have a fixed shape. The two wheel stops are then led to a crane boom with a three-point support. This provides a perfectly even support and never causes permanent distortion. The ring stop or bracket can transmit a compressive force. A combination of compression and tension elements in force transmission can provide some pre-stress, which in the horizontal plane, along with the proper choice of contact surface material and the specific angle at which the resulting force is transmitted. A sufficiently large frictional force can be provided to transmit the force in any desired direction. The support strip 30 completely surrounds the wall of the wind turbine, resulting in a uniform force distribution at the wall.

  FIG. 9 shows a schematic plan view of the second fixed structure of the crane 1, where a first support strip 34 and a second support strip 35 are used instead of a single support strip 30. The first support strip 34 surrounds the largest segment of the wall and the second support strip 35 surrounds the segment of the wall facing the crane 1. Due to the structure described above, the tensions at the two support strips 34, 35 are virtually equal, so that the walls of the wind turbine are not loaded in a non-uniform manner.

  The support strips 30, 34, 35 are ready to be applied around the wall and are dimensioned so as to be able to absorb large longitudinal tensions. The strip is made of (woven) steel, for example. However, other materials such as polyester or nylon are possible.

  By prestressing the support strip, the tension absorbed by the element 25 and possibly depending on the choice of material and the contact angle as compared to the force with the support strip under prestress. Can be increased considerably. For example, by applying soft rubber to the inside of the support strips 30, 34, 35, the coefficient of friction is increased, so that the tension that is absorbed for a certain force with the strip under prestress. Will increase.

  The strip may be applied around and / or on the wind turbine wall in different ways, for example by lowering it over the top of the wall with the help of a crane. Other possibilities may be provided by the strip from the inside and / or by rocking or surrounding movement from the crane. Furthermore, it is also possible to apply a supporting strip by bringing the strip upward during the telescopic extension of the section. In addition, it is preferable to protect the strip before final positioning, for example by a casing or a hose. By providing pressure on the surrounding hose, the strip substantially forms a retention and is relatively easy to handle. In applying tension to the strip, the pressure of the hose can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. Many variations are possible.

  Thus, the described crane according to the present invention can be used not only for operation in narrow structures such as wind turbines and aerial masts, but also for less-though but higher structures such as apartment buildings. In particular, cranes can be used advantageously when the available surface area is limited, for example, by narrow streets, and it is important that the crane can be constructed and disassembled in a relatively short time. .

  Furthermore, the crane according to the invention can be used in offshore situations, for example for building wind turbines in the sea. By securing the section of the base unit to the turbine, the transport platform containing the ship can be disengaged in the operating position, so that the ship is no longer balanced, which represents a considerable cost savings. Accompany. In addition, the position of the boom near the wind turbine wall reduces the risk of damage to the wind turbine. This is particularly useful during the positioning of the telescoping segment, since the crane is still relatively low at this stage and cannot hit the rotor blades.

  Such variations will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art and are understood to be within the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

1 is a schematic view of a crane according to the present invention in a first position. FIG. It is the schematic in the 2nd position of the crane of FIG. It is the schematic in the 3rd position of the crane of FIG. It is the schematic in the 4th position of the crane of FIG. It is the schematic in the disassembly position of the crane of FIG. It is the schematic which shows the jib of the crane of FIG. It is the schematic which shows 2nd embodiment of the jib of the crane by this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 1st fixing structure of the crane of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the 2nd fixing structure of the crane of FIG.

Claims (15)

  A crane for performing operations on narrow structures such as wind turbines and aerial masts, comprising a base unit having a number of nested sections extending at least partially nested in an operating position, the sections being operated A crane characterized in that it is further oriented vertically in position and the base unit is fixed laterally to a narrow building via a fixing structure at at least one height in the operating position. Further comprising a jib secured to the upper section of the base unit in the operating position
The crane according to claim 1. The fixed structure includes structural parts provided on the wall of the building,
The crane according to claim 1 or 2. The fixed structure includes a tensile element that surrounds the wall of the building,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The tension element includes a support strip,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The fixing structure includes a jack,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The end of the jack facing the building is applied to be closed against the building wall,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A number of nested sections are fixedly arranged in the operating position and the jib is pivotable about a vertical axis.
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The base unit is fixed to a narrow building at the height of the top of the telescopic section,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The base unit is fixed to the thin building at the height of the upper end of the structural module of the thin building.
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The base unit is fixed in a transverse direction to a narrow structure at multiple heights.
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The base unit includes a transport platform for supporting a telescopic section that is telescopically folded in a transport position and oriented in a horizontal position,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 11. The transportation platform includes vehicles or ships,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 12. Jib is removable,
The crane according to any one of claims 1 to 13. A crane construction method for performing operations on narrow structures such as wind turbines and aerial masts,
Positioning the base unit with a number of telescopic sections in the operating position so that the sections are oriented vertically and at least partially telescopic;
Furthermore, the base unit is fixed laterally at the height of at least one of the thin buildings.
A construction method characterized by that.

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