RING CRANES Ӏ MATTHIAS SARENS INTERVIEW
Looking across the SGC family’s evolution what prompted Sarens to develop a fifth SGC? On the one hand there was a need for an additional ring crane for a project; on the other hand we think there is a place for a ring crane in between SGC-140 and SGC-250. It wasn’t designed for a specific industry, it can be deployed in all industries, but we took into consideration the developments ongoing in offshore wind, increasing weight of monopiles, jackets and the need of lifting components to very high heights.
How long has the project taken to come to fruition? I would say it took approximately one- and-a-half years between identifying the need (and as a consequence already doing some pre-study works) and the ready to lift date.
Was the design and development process helped thanks to your previous experience developing the other giant cranes in the Sarens portfolio? Yes, absolutely. Most of the engineers have been involved in the other ring cranes and have more than ten years of experience in the design of these types of cranes. This allows us to move fluently from design to construction and finally assembly of the crane.
What design principles does it share with the other SGCs in the Sarens portfolio and where does it differ? All SGC-cranes are ring cranes and as such slew on one or multiple ring beams on top of spreader mats. They all have containers filled with sand as ballast on the crane frame. The upper structures, comprising back mast, hoists, main boom and jib, are relatively similar. SGC-170 also has new features: a very efficient electrical modular drivetrain, a reinforced crane frame so that the crane can be relocated with SPMTs in less than one week. Also, the approach is more steered towards faster assembly with less connections in comparison to the other SGC cranes.
36 CRANES TODAY
The SGC-170 (left) can be quickly adapted to best-suit specific applications
To what extent is the crane design modular and what are the advantages of this design approach? The modularity in the crane was another point of attention during the design; we want it to be able to work with minimal resources in the current project because of the narrow timeframe whilst being able to add extra components in a later phase. The wheel trucks can be upgraded from four-wheel trucks per bogie to six. We can reinforce the main boom with
extra bracings frame if we need to install a very long jib on top. All these examples show that we can adapt the configuration of the crane very easily in order for the crane’s function to meet the needs of a specific project.
Are any of the SCG-170’s components interchangeable with those of existing SGC cranes? If so, what are the advantages of this?
A lot of the components are interchangeable: the hook blocks and reeving blocks, cables and winches, plus the heavy-duty jib can be deployed on each crane.
The advantages are multiple: we need
fewer spare parts and we need fewer total components. We don’t need a heavy-duty jib with each crane because often a crane is deployed without jib.
The steel structures on giant cranes can last decades; what is the expected lifespan of the SGC-170 and can parts be swapped or upgraded over time to avoid obsolescence? Indeed, the steel structures with this type of crane are not prone to fatigue and can last very long if the paintwork is taken sufficient care of. Correct maintenance on cables, sheaves, bearings and electrical components should it make possible for the crane to have a lifespan
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