HEAVY LIFTING Ӏ SECTOR REPORT
j they really are sure of the weight and dimensions of their load and are less risk-averse when making assumptions about unknown variables. So it is about more than the mechanics. You have to think in the big picture.” A heavy lift, he says, is like a marathon. “Onlookers think it is all about the four, six, or eight hours that it takes to run the race. But it is actually about the months and the years of training that you
Lampsons lifts laRge
“The Lampson Transi-Lift is known as the world’s largest land based mobile crawler crane.” So says Kate Lampson, director of marketing at Lampson and granddaughter of the machine’s original designer. The nuclear industry has a particular need for heavy lifting. Recognising a need for a mega crane in the sector, Neil Lampson and the company’s then head engineer Walt Trask developed the first Lampson Transi-Lift in 1973 – photograph on the left above. Capacities of todays' machines range from 350 US tons to 3,000 US tons.
The design is based on two crawler units, separated by a rigid boom or stinger. The front unit supports the mast and boom; counterweights on the rear unit mean that no tipping forces develop on the front crawlers. “This means that loads are transmitted to the working foundation equally along the length of each front crawler track,” she says. “Therefore, unlike in a standard crawler crane, peak ground bearing pressures are avoided and the ground pressures are uniform throughout. “One of the many advantages of the Lampson Transi-Lift is that it is easily transportable via truck, train, barge or an ocean- going vessel. We have performed hundreds of projects in over 55 countries in the past 76 years and our ability to provide ease of transportation has certainly been one of the strong selling points of the Transi-Lift. “It is the most versatile heavy lift system available on the market
today. It can ‘pick and carry’ with any rated load and lift and manoeuvring capabilities are well beyond those of conventional lift cranes. It can also be constructed in six weeks and deconstructed in just three weeks. “Our rental and heavy lift fleet is used for infrastructure
projects, some power plant construction, stadium construction and new building construction. “Demand for heavy lifts is increasing. We are seeing particular demand in the 1,500 to 2,600 US ton capacity. One of our most successful recent Transi-Lift projects was at Plant Vogtle nuclear power station (pictured – right) where we performed numerous heavy lifts, each weighing over 1,000 US tons.”
have put into it beforehand. That’s where the effort goes and where the success comes from.” A heavy lift of, say, a 3000 t
regenerator vessel can take two years in the planning. That is, if you are lucky. “If you are only involved a few months before, you are forced to work with what is in front of you. Your ability to influence things like lifting points and the on-site methodology is limited. But if you are involved say two years
ahead, when the module is still at the design stage, you have more ability to influence things. Maybe the designer has put in 16 lifting points; the rigging arrangement for that means the hook would have to be higher. So we might say to them ‘can you put in just eight points?’ This will lower the hook height and so give access to more of the crane’s lifting capacity, but now they need to structurally strengthen the module to absorb the extra
16 CRANES TODAY
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