ROPES Ӏ SECTOR REPORT
j default choice in exactly the
way that wire supplanted chain and hemp.
The advantages of synthetic
fibre are scalable: both small- capacity lifting machines and some of the largest can benefit from the switch to synthetic. At the lighter end of the scale French company Verlinde makes the overhead hoists more usually covered in our sister magazine Hoist; but this month (January 2023) it announced a new range of hoists specifically designed for synthetic rope and the timing and relevance is too good to ignore. Its Eurobloc VF range handles loads up to 20,000kg and the rope they use is Dyneema, a polyethylene fibre up to 15 times stronger than steel and 85% lighter. It has high energy absorption capacity – so it effectively cushions a load on pick-up, very low elongation, and is extremely resistant to abrasion, humidity, UV rays and chemicals. It also offers a wide operating temperature range, from -10°C to +40°C. The ropes are available in
diameters of 7mm, 8.5mm and 12mm, with a 12-strand anti- rotation weave. And the rope has a longer service life than steel. At the high-capacity end,
MacGregor has a new 150t maritime crane, which we describe further down. And, in between, several manufacturers have recently announced cranes specifically designed to be used with synthetic rope.
Steel rope, braided fibre rope, and Trowis chaRope on show at Bauma
Liebherr is an example. It has Wolffkran’s
Trowis ChaRope wound on the drum
two new synthetic-rope cranes. At Bauma in October (2022) it announced what it says is the first luffing jib crane specifically designed around high-tensile fibre rope. Its 258 HC-L 10/18 Fibre luffing jib crane achieves hook heights comparable to its 230 HC-L 8/16 steel rope model but has greater load capacity. The wire rope model manages up to 1,900kg at the jib head; its synthetic-rope sister gives 2,500kg, which is 43 percent more. Maximum lifting capacity goes up as well, by 25%, to 10 tonnes in one-line operation; that, says Liebherr, meets today’s market demands for this size class. The increased performance of this crane, says Liebherr, is largely due to the rope fibre being significantly lighter than steel of comparable diameter meaning that a similar crane design is able to offer greater load capacities and a faster working speed. “When using our Fibre cranes
the greater the hook height is the more substantial the possible increases in load capacity are,” says Markus Kinateder, product manager, Liebherr-Werk Biberach. “Reduced wear on sheaves, pulleys and materials and exceptional durability contribute to the machine’s long service life and, therefore, its cost-efficiency”. Liebherr has been ten years
54 CRANES TODAY
developing the synthetic rope it is using. It has been working with the rope manufacturer Teufelberger and it claims it as ground-breaking technology. As well as higher crane
performance Liebherr echos the other advantages we described above: the fibre rope is more durable, easier to handle when reeving due to its lighter weight, and maintenance is less complicated as lubrication is not required. Operational safety is also
increased: Liebherr’s rope has a cover layer, with a red layer just below it. When the red layer shows through the operator is able to see it at a glance and knows that the rope has reached the end of its service life and should be replaced. The 258 HC-L 10/18 Fibre luffer is now available for order worldwide. Liebherr’s second offering is
also a tower crane, but a high- top – what other manufacturers call a flat-head. The 1188 EC-H 40 Fibre is Liebherr’s most powerful standard crane and is an upward expansion of its portfolio. It is intended for heavy-lift tasks: its jib head load capacity is up to 13,100kg at 80-metre radius and maximum load capacity is 40t. Bridge, power station and plant construction are applications suggested by Liebherr; such projects often
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