TOWER CRANES Ӏ FIBRE ROPE
Manufacturers initially
considered approaches that would control the tension of rope on the drum. A tensioning device would sit in front of the drum, maintaining a consistent tension, ensuring that the rope maintained its shape and spooled correctly. This approach never went
into production on an onshore crane. Instead manufacturers like Manitowoc and Liebherr worked with suppliers like Samson and Teufelberger to develop fibre ropes with similar spooling capabilities to wire. This research helped solve another problem faced on land: that ropes would stretch, making it more difficult for operators to position loads.
Another challenge was
developing discard criteria for fibre. The process of inspecting steel rope requires expertise but is well documented. Technicians and inspection specialists can examine a rope for ‘bird caging’, or count the number of broken strands on the outside of the rope, among other checks.
The differences between steel
wire and fibre meant that the same criteria could not be applied. And the rapid development of the ropes meant replacement criteria differed between manufacturers. This changed in 2017, when the European equipment manufacturers’ group the FEM introduced FEM 5.024 Safe Use of High Performance Fibre Ropes in Mobile Crane Applications. In 2021 ISO used this best practice paper as the basis for a new international standard, ISO/TS
Falcon launches modular battery system
UK tower crane supplier Falcon Cranes has launched Northvolt Voltpack, a modular and scalable energy storage system designed to power cranes and other equipment on construction sites. The Northvolt Voltpack is made up of individual battery modules that can be combined to
provide between 281kWH and 1,405kWh of power. The system works by storing energy from a mains supply or renewable sources in a battery. This stored energy can then be used to power cranes and other equipment on construction sites, reducing the need for diesel or petrol generators. It also showcased Northvolt Voltpack alongside its Punch Flybrid System at recent UK trade
show Vertikal Days.
The layers of
Trowis’s chaRope allow for simple visual discard criteria
23624:2021(en) Cranes — Safe use of high-performance fibre ropes in crane applications. Gerhard Kaupert, Manitowoc’s
representative on the FEM, and one of the developers of the original guidance, said, “The new ISO Technical Specification gives state-of-the art guidance on modern high-performance fibre ropes. It replaces the ground- breaking FEM document, [which] for the very first time provided guidance on design and discard criteria for high-performance synthetic fibre ropes. “The new ISO specification builds on the experience made with the FEM guidance document and expands the scope to cover different crane applications. It incorporates the knowledge of the worldwide crane industry of the ISO TC96 Cranes standardisation group. This is a further key step supporting the use of modern high-performance fibre ropes in cranes.” The development of the
guidance and subsequent technical specification may give crane owners more confidence that they can take advantage of the additional lifting capacity of fibre rope, safe in the knowledge that their maintenance staff and third party inspectors have a well- documented means of confirming a rope’s condition.
36 CRANES TODAY
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