Typical Crane Research Articles

Mechanical-Level Hardware-In-The-Loop and Simulation in Validation Testing of Prototype Tower Crane Drives

In this paper, the static and dynamic simulations, and mechanical-level Hardware-In-the-Loop (MHIL) laboratory testing methodology of prototype drive systems with energy-saving permanent-magnet electric motors, intended for use in modern construction cranes is proposed and described. This research was aimed at designing and constructing a new type of tower crane by Krupiński Cranes Company. The described research stage was necessary for validation of the selection of the drive system elements and confirmation of its compliance with applicable standards. The mechanical construction of the crane was not completed and unavailable at the time of testing. A verification of drive system parameters had to be performed in MHIL laboratory testing, in which it would be possible to simulate torque acting on the motor shaft. It was shown that the HIL simulation for a crane may be accurate and an effective approach in the development phase. The experimental tests of selected operating cycles of prototype crane drives were carried out. Experimental research was performed in the LINTE^2 laboratory of the Gdańsk University of Technology (Poland), where the MHIL simulator was developed. The most important component of the system was the dynamometer and its control system. Specialized software to control the dynamometer and to emulate the load subjected to the crane was developed. A series of tests related to electric motor environmental parameters was carried out.

World experience and development prospects of mechanization scheme of nuclear power plants construction

Introduction. Improvement of construction methods for the main structures of nuclear power plants (NPP) is impossible without updating the old and developing fundamentally new schemes for mechanization of construction production. Based on the analysis of world experience in using various types of lifting mechanisms at NPP construction sites, it is proposed to assess the current state and perspective for the development of organizational and technological approaches to the development of effective mechanization of construction production in the construction of atomic energy facilities.
 Materials and methods. Review of domestic and world (UK, USA, Japan) experience in NPP construction allows us to assert that despite the technological and organizational and managerial difficulties, the construction of NPP power units by enlarged units of high factory readiness still remains promising and feasible. The implementation of this approach involves the design and manufacture of unique hoisting mechanisms, the most popular of which are currently crawler or rail-mounted mast cranes. At the same time, the experience of constructing nuclear power plants of the USSR and Great Britain using gantry cranes was undeservedly forgotten.
 Results. The performed comparative analysis of the applicability of tower, mast and bridge (gantry) types of cranes allows us to recognize the high complexity of using gantry cranes in the construction of NPPs and the structural limitations of other types of cranes. The main disadvantages of gantry cranes lie in their use of a rail track, the replacement of which with a pneumatic-wheeled chassis, which has undergone significant development in the last 20 years, can open up new perspective for the reengineering of previously used mechanization schemes for NPP construction.
 Conclusions. Using main lifting mechanism of an overhead crane equipped with a pneumatic wheel chassis in the construction of nuclear power becomes one of the most promising options in the development of nuclear energy construction. The development and implementation of new schemes for the mechanization of construction production based on experience and advanced technologies in mechanical engineering can provide a qualitative improvement of the ongoing investment and construction activities in the field of nuclear energy.

Analisis Maintenance Quayside Container Crane Dengan Metode Failure Mode And Effect Analysis ( Fmea)

Quayside container crane is a type of crane that is placed on the dock at a container terminal that handles loading and unloading of containers from ship to dock or from dock to ship. Quayside container crane is composed of structural parts, mechanical components, electrical components and control systems. This research was conducted to find the root of the problem in the Quayside container crane, by analyzing the system that was experiencing breakdown maintenance. The data used was a breakdown history Quayside container crane No. 01 in 2018-2019 at the Patchouli Terminal of Tanjung Perak Port. The analysis methods used are Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) and Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA). From the results of the analysis carried out, it was found that a list of failures that caused the breakdown in 2018-2019 consisted of supply electrical power systems, main hoisting systems, spreader systems, gantry traveling systems, maintrolley traveling systems, and boom hoisting systems. The solution to reduce breakdowns that have occurred is by implementation of predictive maintenance, preventive maintenance, and repair of SOPs and annual maintenance contracts. By using quantitative analysis using Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA), the largest Risk Priority Number (RPN) is obtained on the main trolley travel system of 450, then continued by the gantry traveling system. 360, the main hoisting system is 280, the suplying electrical power system is 294 and the boom hoist system is 42. Based on the results of the Pareto diagram, the cumulative percentage of priority breakdown calculations is 83% of the main trolley travel system damage,

A generalized approach to anti-sway control for shipboard cranes

Payload sway for shipboard cranes represents a significant safety concern for deck personnel. In this paper, a generalized trajectory modification strategy is presented that can be applied to a variety of different types of shipboard crane to allow the payload to maintain its desired position with respect to the ship deck in the presence of six degree of freedom (DOF) ship motion, and therefore appear stationary to deck personnel. Initially developed for a five DOF shipboard gantry crane, both a de facto proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller and a sliding mode controller (SMC) are shown in simulation to be successful at tracking the modified trajectory. The PID controller shows a 64% reduction in the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) between the desired and actual payload positions with the addition of the trajectory modifier, and the SMC shows a 74% reduction. The ship is actuated with six degrees of freedom in the simulations; however, the trajectory modification anti-sway control system only requires the measurement of the ship’s roll and pitch angles.The trajectory modifier is then applied to a six-DOF shipboard knuckle boom crane, with a dynamic model developed to include the mass and inertia of the actuators. The PID controller only shows a 38% reduction in RMSE and struggles to successfully track the trajectory due to the highly nonlinear dynamics of the knuckle boom crane. The SMC controller shows an 82% reduction in RMSE and appears capable of maintaining the desired payload position with the addition of the trajectory modifier.To further extend the dynamic model of the knuckle boom crane, first-order transfer functions are applied to govern the response of each actuator. A state-of-the-art sliding mode controller is developed to provide stable control of the system, and shows an 84% reduction in RMSE with the addition of the trajectory modifier. The results therefore indicate that trajectory modification is highly effective at dampening payload sway for shipboard cranes, provided a suitable controller can be developed to allow the crane to accurately track the modified trajectory.

Multi crane lift simulation using Building Information Modeling

Developing heavy-lift studies is a vital task in heavy congested industrial projects such as modular projects where it is necessary to lift modules with mobile cranes. However, preparing these lift studies can be time-consuming. Hence, automating this process is a great step in saving time, and reducing the percentage of errors, having the practitioner focus on lift planning rather than tedious tasks. A significant step in the pre-construction and construction phase of an industrial project is creating the 4D animation of lift processes. Such an animation develops a better understanding of the process and streamlines finding the best path for the mobile crane movements to avoid collisions. Such a 4D lift animation (i.e., simulation) can be a mandate when the lifting process is performed in a congested construction site involving more than one crane. This research study aims to propose a comprehensive framework for creating the 4D animation of a multi mobile crane lift process. The proposed approach can connect to a comprehensive model, in Building Information Modeling (BIM) terminologies, or can auto-generate the simplified CAD model containing the lifting objects (i.e., modules in modular construction) and obstructions by interacting with a central database. It can also auto-generate the 3D model of cranes in the set and pick positions. Then, the lift animation can be developed quickly in an automated manner by employing a customized Application Programming Interface (API). The developed API generates the lift animation of the cranes based on the defined timeline and lifting path by reading the required data (e.g., site information, modules information, cranes information, object models, and lift sequences) from the database. The proposed framework is validated by applying in a portion of a real modular industrial project in Alberta, Canada. The results show that the developed system has enough flexibility to simulate multi-mobile crane movements with various types of mobile cranes, multiple kinds of movements, and various site conditions.

Identification and Evaluation of Human Error by Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique Technique in Overhead Cranes Operators : A case study in a steel industy in Khuzestan

Introduction: Studies in the field of industrial accidents show that human errors have the most important and main role in the occurrence of accidents. According to the literature, 60 to 90% of accidents occur due to the human errors and mistakes. Therefore, in this study, human errors among overhead cranes' operators working in steel industry were identified and analyzed by Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART).
 Methods and Materials: This cross-sectional study examined the operators of overhead cranes in a steel industry in Khuzestan for 5 months. In this study, the tasks of the operators of 18 cabin control overhead cranes were analyzed by HTA method. Later, using the HEART method, the probability of human error for each task was calculated quantitatively.
 Results: The results showed that the most important contributors to human error in both types of cabin and pendant overhead cranes included failure to understand the risk, the operators' inadequate physical and mental conditions, and disruption of the normal sleep cycle.
 
 Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that the HEART method was successful in ranking tasks due to the magnitude probability of errors. In order to reduce human error, the authorities are recommended to improve the employees' performance, prevent error caused by human factors, control strategies such as proper working guidelines, improve the quality of staff training, emphasize compliance with rules and regulations, plan regular work shifts, and develop programs to reduce the stress probability of error.

A model to control self-erecting tower cranes with elastic structure

Control of large-scale tower cranes is still an open research field. Due to their lightweight structure and their large geometry structural deformations occur and need to be considered for anti-sway feedback control. especially, for self-erecting tower cranes no proper model has been published yet. In this paper, a flexible multi-body model for this type of crane is derived and a modal analysis is performed. The results are compared to measurement data of an industrial tower crane.

Integrated maintenance platform for critical cranes under operation: Database for maintenance purposes

The subject of the paper is the mathematical model to manage the logistics-maintenance process of overhead type cranes operated in critical systems. The study case of the paper is a hot rolling mills system of a steel plant with critical overhead cranes operating with hazard conditions and continuous operation. The model output is an optimal overhead cranes maintenance-task distribution minimizing the production line risk stopped and the model input is a digital database with historical worker-orders related with the operation, maintenance-logistics and management process of the hot rolling mills plant. The mathematical model behind the maintenance task making-decision process is a stochastic no-linear optimization model with bounded constraint that evaluates a risk global-system behaviour indicator based on Monte Carlo simulations. The definition and description volume of work in this investigation is extensive, reason why the current paper focusses the attention on model definition and dataflow concepts, specifically data collection, filtering, analysis, and storage from different sources, leaving open the application and numerical results for future works.

Modal Analysis of Double Beam Overhead Type Crane Systems by Finite Element Method

Doğal frekanslar cisimlerin kütle ve esnekliğine bağlı olarak belirlenen bir parametredir. Kren sistem elemanların hepsi birbiri ile temasta olmasından dolayı bir bütün olarak tasarlanıp frekansların belirlenmesi gerekmektedir. Bu nedenle kren sisteminin çalışma şartlarına göre üzerinde araba bulunması ve sistemde yapının yük ile hareket etmesi sebebi ile kren sistemi bir bütün olarak modellenmiştir. Ayrıca kren sistemlerinde köprü grubunun hareket ettiği taşıyıcı çerçevelerde dikkate alınarak modal analizler Sonlu Elamanlar Metodu (SEM) ile yapılmıştır. Köprü grubu, kaldırma grubu ve yük ile tasarlanan kren sisteminde; araba grubunun ve yükün köprü başında ve ortasında olması durumlarına göre de analizler yapılmıştır. Belirtilen şartlara göre doğal frekans ve mod şekilleri elde edilerek, karşılaştırmalar yapılmış ve tasarım özelliklerinin sonuçlar üzerindeki etkileri üzerinde durulmuştur.

The Influence of Yard Trucks on Berth Operations in Smaller Container Terminals

Nowadays smaller container terminals are facing an increase in traffic and ship sizes and are consequently subject to extreme pressure form ship-owners that require rapid and efficient transhipment operations in the port, the achievement of which is only possible with the assignment of the proper type and number of quay cranes to each ship and with a good level of synergy between the cranes and the transfer mechanisation. The latter has a significant impact on the cranes working and waiting times and affects the entirety of berth operations. Existing terminals that cannot afford to invest in new modern horizontal transport technologies are most commonly using yard trucks that provide less efficient port transfer operations. That is why in the paper a simulation approach has been used in order to determine how a different number of yard trucks assigned to a single quay crane can affect the productivity of that crane and the productivity of the whole berth subsystem.

Dynamic Reliability Analysis of Tower Crane with Wind Loading

The wind-induced dynamic reliability of tower cranes was studied. A linear filter autoregressive (AR) model is used to simulate the time history of multidimensional fluctuating wind samples, and the corresponding wind load is applied to the finite element model of tower crane to analyze the wind vibration response. Based on Poisson process method, wind vibration reliability analysis of tower crane is carried out.The results show that under the action of wind speed of 20m/s, the probability of strength reliability is over 0.99, and the structural strength reserve of this type of tower crane is relatively sufficient; the displacement reliability is 0.98, when the wind speed is large, the displacement reliability decreases obviously, and the stiffness reserve is slightly insufficient.

Mathematic modelling of reliability, safety and risk indicators related to equipment elements existing at iron and steel enterprise

This article describes mathematical modelling of reliability, safety and risk indicators related to load bearing structural elements. The number of this type of cranes used at a modern iron and steel enterprise constitutes more than half of the total number of cranes. Therefore, the concerned issue and the problems addressed in this case represent current interest. Due to the impossibility of conducting a laboratory or a full-scale experiment, a numerical experiment is conducted using model distribution. Benchmark data used for calculations and based on previous studies performed by the author and available statistical data about incidents and damages are systematized and proposed. Hypotheses about addition and multiplication of damages related to elements of the equipment under study are made. Modelling adequacy is observed when the experiment findings match with available data. Classification of incidents arising when metallurgical cranes are operated beyond the expiry of their warranty period is identified. These calculations and procedure develop the theory of structural risk analysis of complex technical systems and allow making correct engineering-related managerial decisions.

The Vision Technique Concept Support Crane Safety Exploitation Process

Abstract The issue of ensuring safety in the crane operation process is the subject of standards and regulations: the aim is to apply solutions aimed at ensuring the health and safety of users of cranes and the work environment. The subject of the paper is the concept of using vision technology in ensuring the safety of overhead travelling type cranes. Using a camera based vision system in conjunction with dedicated sensors, it is possible to build a system for monitoring the degradation process of selected crane operating parameters and conditions of use in a specific dynamically changing environment, as well as the operator’s characteristics. Using the developed standards of safe use of the crane, it is possible to generate safe behaviors resulting in the device being immobilized or the potential hazard being evaporated.

Game-Based Energy Management Method for Hybrid RTG Cranes

In order to improve the energy efficiency and economic effect of conventional diesel-powered rubber-tired gantry (RTG) cranes in container terminals, various hybrid RTG cranes were studied. However, these current hybrid RTG cranes have several disadvantages, such as high initial investment cost and poor versatility of energy management methods. In this paper, a hybrid RTG crane consisting of a small-sized diesel generator (DG), a ternary material lithium battery, and a supercapacitor (SC) is studied, and a hybrid RTG crane energy management method based on game theory is proposed. The DG, lithium battery, and SC are modeled as three independent agents to participate in the game, and a multi-agent system (MAS) is established. During the RTG crane work process, agents achieve a coordinated and stable working state through the game, i.e., the Nash equilibrium. Three typical crane operation scenarios, the rated load, continuous work, and intermittent work, are simulated and studied. According to the results, combinations of the three devices can meet the power demand and system performance. The power of the DG in the hybrid system is small (only 20 kW), reducing fuel consumption and overall emissions during RTG crane operation.

Electronic control card for transmission of mobile load crane type KRUPP

The design, modification and control of machinery and industrial equipment plays a very important role in any company, where machinery and / or equipment is found which are out of operation due to the lack of an electrical / electronic control part which possibly By the model of the machinery and / or equipment is no longer manufactured or is difficult to achieve. This causes economic losses due to having the machinery out of operation. This article presents a proposal to replace the computer corresponding to the operation of the transmission of a mobile telescopic load crane, which consists of using an Arduino programming board for the control part and to obtain the necessary logical sequence of the different transmission speeds, power electronics (power transistors) were used for the power stage through which the necessary voltage and current levels are obtained to which the electrovalves corresponding to the different speeds of the transmission operate. As shown in the content of the work control is very accessible, so, it could be implemented in a sustainable way in other vehicles that have an automatic transmission with changes in speeds through electrovalves.

The calculation automation of a grapple of a grab crane

The aim of the work is to eliminate the shortcomings of the existing methods of selecting the parameters of grapple for bulk materials and to develop an appropriate software. The necessary analytical dependences for the existing graphic data were obtained, which allow to choose the optimal parameters of the grapple with the help of a computer. The recommendations on the choice of parameters of the grapple depending on the load capacity of the grab crane and bulk material types are given, according to the results of the research.

Auction-based Simulation for Industrial Crane Operations

Abstract In modular industrial construction, prefabricated modules are usually lifted with mobile cranes. Development of reliable heavy lift plans using conventional planning tools, however, remains a challenging and time-consuming task. This article presents an Auction-based Simulation for Industrial Crane Operations (ASICO)—a powerful and flexible auction protocol-based simulation model designed to facilitate heavy lift plan development. Employing this powerful approach enables lift planners to select the best types of cranes, to schedule multiple heavy lifts while satisfying system constraints, and to determine proper configurations, crane locations, and pick-points. Specifically, AISCO reads data from a comprehensive database to allocate cranes, with appropriate configurations and locations, to modules (known as agents). ASICO then holds a number of regular auctions (e.g., every working day), where agents bid for various combinations of resources (e.g., cranes, space). In this system, an auctioneer is designed to solve the Winner Determination Problem (WDP) based on combinatorial optimizations by maximizing the social welfare of the entire system. ASICO also provides suitable scheduling data for a 4D (3D plus time) animation tool to demonstrate the lifting process throughout the entire construction phase. Implementation of this system on a real case study was found to improve the cost, schedule, and safety of the project.

Study on habitat suitability of overwintering cranes based on landscape pattern change-a case study of typical lake wetlands in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

Shengjin Lake wetland is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China. It is a typical lake-type wetland and is also an ideal place for rare cranes to overwintering. The changes of wetland landscape are closely related to the habitat quality of wintering cranes. It is of great significance to study the habitat change of wintering cranes in wetland for wetland ecological restoration and restoration. In this paper, we analyze four kinds of winter cranes and wetland landscape pattern types from the years 1986 to 2015. Also, we adopted the Pearson correlation analysis method to analyze the relationship between wetland landscape types and crane population, and the main landscape types of cranes habitat were obtained. We selected disturbance degree, food richness, vegetation cover, and hydrological condition as the main factors affecting wintering habitat of cranes. We established a habitat suitability index model for wintering cranes and generated habitat suitability assessment maps by ArcGIS. The results show that the change of landscape pattern in Shengjin Lake protected area was obvious, the number of wetland patches increased, the fragmentation degree of landscape increased, the landscape patch difference became smaller, and the diversity index and evenness index increased gradually. From 1986 to 2015, the number of wintering cranes decreased and the habitat suitability index of wintering cranes decreased from 0.845 to 0.465, and the habitat suitability of wintering cranes fell from 13,577.11 to 7424.42ha, which showed the overall habitat deteriorated significantly and had a positive correlation between the crane population and habitat suitability.

Habitat selection of wintering cranes (Gruidae) in typical lake wetland in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China.

Shengjin Lake is a typical lake wetland in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. It is one of the most important wetlands in the world. It is also an important habitat for wintering cranes in China. Environmental factors play an important role in habitat selection of cranes of wetland ecosystem. In this paper, we analyzed land-use types and the four kinds of winter cranes in the Shengjin Lake from the years 1986 to 2015. Also, we adopted grey relational analysis and power function model to analyze the relevance between crane population and land-use types, and the main habitat types of cranes were obtained. We used principal component analysis method to analyze the main influence factor for habitat selection of crane. The results indicated that the main habitat type of four species of overwintering crane was reed-flat; the main factors affecting the habitat selection of cranes were water level, planktonic biomass, and distance to settlement. Among them, the weight of water level factor was the highest, which showed that water level was the most important factor affecting the habitat selection of cranes, followed by planktonic biomass, and the third was the weight of distance to settlement. The average values of them were 0.37m, 9.47mgL-1, and 1.25km, respectively.

Quantitative Risk Evaluation Model of the Multilevel Complex Structure Hierarchical System in the Petrochemical Industry

In the petrochemical production system, the high-risk items malfunction may lead to major accidents so that the risk level of the items has become the highest focus of attention for the enterprises in petrochemical industry. Based on structural composition and risk relationship, a risk evaluation framework of the petrochemical production system can generally be divided into subsystems (SS), components and parts (CP), failure modes (FM), risk types, and risk factors. So it is a characteristic of multilevel, complex structure, and lack of evaluation criteria that the evaluated object has in the process of risk evaluation. However, there are few targeted modeling and calculation methods to carry out quantitative risk evaluation in the face of the evaluated object. In order to achieve risk quantitative evaluation of the complex structure hierarchical system, a multilevel Borda model (MLBM) is presented innovatively by us based on the traditional Borda method in this study. Moreover, the MLBM are applied to realize quantitative risk evaluation of the main structure system of truss type crane on the offshore platform. In this case study, the equivalent risk value (ERV) and risk priority number (RPN) of the evaluated object with multilevel, complex structure, and inadequate evaluation criteria are calculated and the risk ties in the RPN are effectively reduced. Then, the quantitative risk results can clarify the risk level and distribution of the high-risk items throughout the production system and provide data support for the development of risk control measures to better protect the production safety. Hence, the feasibility and practicability of the method are verified with the case study. The MLBM can be used to solve other comprehensive evaluation problems with a complex hierarchical structure as well.