A Crane may be defined as a type of machine, typically equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be employed both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally.
It is mostly employed for carrying and raising heavy objects and transporting them from one place to another place.
The device employs one or more simple machines to make mechanical advantages and thus carry loads beyond the expected capability of a human.
Cranes are majorly employed in the transportation field for the purposes of loading and unloading of freight, in construction for the movement of objects, and in preparation for the assembling of heavy equipment.
There are various types of cranes, each employed for a specific usage. The sizes of each Carnes vary from the most undersized jib cranes, employed inside workshops, to the tallest tower cranes, employed in constructing high buildings.
Mini-cranes are also employed for making high buildings, to facilitate construction by getting tight spaces. Large floating cranes are commonly employed to produce oil rigs and salvage sunken ships.
1. Different Types of Cranes
The different types of cranes available in the market are mentioned below:
a. Floating crane
b. Telescopic crane
c. Harbor crane
d. Crawler crane
e. Rough terrain crane
f. All terrain crane
g. Truck mounted crane
h. Level Luffing crane
i. Rail road crane
j. Telescopic handler crane
k. Aerial crane
l. Tower crane
m. Mobile Cranes
n. Overhead Crane
o. Jib crane
p. Carry Deck Crane
q. Bulk Handling Crane
r. Hammerhead Crane
s. Stacker Crane
| Types of Cranes | Use of Cranes |
| Floating Crane | Used for constructing ports and bridges |
| Telescopic Crane | Employed to transport objects |
| Mobile Crane | Carry heavy objects and move them from one place to another |
| Truck Mounted Crane | Majorly for loading and moving equipment on the job site |
| Tower Crane | Building big structures |
| Rough Terrain Crane | Pick and carry operations on rough terrain |
| Overhead Crane | Extremely weighty or heavy loads through the overhead space in a facility |
| Bridge Crane | Used for industrial environments |
| Crawler Crane | Jobs with soft/uneven terrain |
| Aerial Crane | Used in Places where it’s very hard and challenging to be reached by land cranes |
| Hydraulic Crane | Used for lifting and hoisting |
| Carry Deck Crane | Loading and moving objects on the working field |
| Floating Crane | Projects on the sea, like ports or oil rigs |
| Bulk-handling Crane | Lifting and Moving bulk cargo, like coal or scrap metal |
| Hammerhead Crane | Used on the heaviest loads on any construction site |
| Stacker Crane | Retrieval of cargo in warehouse storage |
| Railroad Crane | Used in:
Freight handling in goods yards Permanent way (PW) maintenance Accident recovery work |
| Harbor Crane | Unloading small loads (balls, crates, etc.) from ships at the Port of Barcelona |
| Level Luffing Crane | Used for raising large materials and equipment component |
a. Floating Crane
A floating Crane is also known as a crane ship or crane vessel. It is mainly employed in offshore construction and they are experts in the raising and carrying of heavy loads.
They can be employed to load or unload ships or raise sunken ships from the water. They are fixed and due to this, they can not be rotated. They carry a big capacity of about 9000 tons.
b. Telescopic Crane
The telescopic crane consists of a big boom where some number of tubes have been attached to each other inside it.
It raises its height with the use of tubes throughout the hydraulic system. They are majorly employed to transport goods from one place to another place.
When it is necessary to transfer the materials to a tall place, it would be the best choice. Since they could alter their heights in line with the place. They can also be employed in rescue operations too.
c. Harbour Crane
It is also called a mobile harbor or port harbor crane. It is majorly employed in seaports to unload or load the ships.
The flexibility of the machine creates it effortless to employ it at any location. Its main benefit is, that it is one of the most powerful material-handling cranes available in the market.
This implies that objects will be moved from one place to another safely and with ease.
d. Crawler crane
The Crawler crane moves with the support of tracks which are called crawlers. It contains numerous benefits and drawbacks relying on their usage.
Their major benefit is that it can move mainly on any surface of the earth it can even move on soft soils due to its crawlers. Because it shares its load with a great area.
And its major drawback is that it is very heavy and moves on tracks. That’s why it can not be moved easily from one site to another and will cost more money.
But it can be carried by trucks easily and without costing huge money.
e. Rough Terrain Cranes
They are arranged on four rubber tires. They are mainly employed in off-road uses.
Outriggers are employed for stabilizing the crane while operating. They possess only one engine which signifies that the same engine is operated for undercarriage and crane.
A typical vehicle-mounted crane can not be employed in off-road construction. That’s why these cranes are employed.
f. All Terrain Crane
It is a type of crane that can move at a similar speed on both public roads as well as on off-roads. They also include more additional tires than rough terrain cranes which is the major difference between rough and all-terrain cranes.
AT owns 2–12 axles and is prepared for lifting loads up to 2,000 tonnes (2,205 short tons; 1,968 long tons).
g. Truck Mounted Crane
These types of cranes contain only one engine. It signifies that the same engine is employed for the undercarriage as well as for the crane. They are arranged on a rubber tires truck, which delivers outstanding mobility.
Outriggers are employed to maintain the truck by increasing it horizontally or vertically. Its main benefit is that it can move on highways itself, which makes it easy and less costly.
It does not require any other vehicles to move it from one location to another. They can be rotated up to 180º. But some of them can rotate up to 360º but are more costly.
h. Level Luffing Cranes
They own a hinged jib. The hook stays at the same level. While they use the jib up and down. It is generally employed for unloading and loading ships with containers.
Careful movements are needed while using the jibs near the ground level.
i. Rail Road Cranes
Railroad cranes travel on the railway track. They are employed for the construction of railway lines, maintenance, and for their repairing.
They can not move on roads or any other place excluding railway tracks because of their flanged wheels.
j. Telescopic handler crane
They possess a telescoping expandable boom-like crane.
Its major aim is to control Bricks pallets and establish frame trusses in buildings.
They are prepared too simply to enhance workability.
They can rotate up to 360º and also have outriggers to balance their stability.
They peek like forklift trucks.
k. Aerial Cranes
These types of cranes are also called Sky Cranes. They look like helicopters and are used to hold large loads.
They are employed mainly in that places where advancing by land is hard and challenging. Helicopters fly in the sky which means they are able of reaching any location.
They generally raise loads to high-rise buildings. They can raise anything in their capacity from boats, and cars to pre-made swimming pools. They can also be employed for rescue during in disaster.
l. Tower Cranes
These types of cranes are the mostly used cranes in today’s world. Usually, they are fixed to the ground in concrete or attached to the side of structures. They are used mostly in the construction of tall buildings.
They can carry load up to 20 tons around and work up to 256 feet in height around. The operators of the crane mainly employ a mobile radio or walkie-talkie and hand signals as a medium for communication to hook or unhook the load.
m. Mobile Cranes
Mobile cranes are commonly discovered on vehicles, but cranes employed for construction work are adjusted to travel on the tractor, and many cranes may be connected to barges when employed for construction work on waterway bridges.
The raising arm is usually articulated to permit raising and reduction as needed. Normally, this is completed through a system of cables or hydraulic means, and the whole mobile structure may be coupled to an asset to deliver more balance during its working.
n. Overhead Crane
Overhead cranes are the types of cranes that can also be called suspended cranes. They are generally employed at a factory, and some are able to lift extremely heavy and weighty loads.
The hoist of the crane is set onto a trolley that can move in one direction along a beam, sometimes both beams.
They move at angles to the direction across the elevated level tracks. The tracks are usually mounted across the side of an assembly area.
o. Jib crane
Jib cranes are similar to bridge cranes. These types of cranes are permanently installed within a workstation and are usually utilized for repetitious work.
The jib, or arm, is normally arranged on either a wall or floor-mounted pillar employing a moveable hoist and might have some extra movement.
p. Carry Deck Crane
Carry deck cranes are a relatively new type of crane that evolved from the older pick-and-carry model, which was first presented in the 1980s.
They are small, four-wheeled, can rotate a full 360º, and are more movable than that of other types of cranes.
Carry deck cranes are very easy to place, and their small size efficiently permits them to guide around open and restricted spaces, causing them a staple on multiple construction fields.
q. Bulk Handling Crane
Bulk-handling cranes are employed to maintain extensive volumes of heavy materials, such as coal or minerals.
Rather than a hook at the edges, bulk-handling cranes include a specialized hook that employs a catching action along with a bucket to catch, hold, and raise objects.
r. Hammerhead Crane
Hammerhead cranes are the most majorly employed in construction projects. This crane has a horizontal, swiveling lever resting on a set tower.
The trolley is fitted at the forward portion of the arm and can be counterbalanced with the part of the arm, which advances backwards.
Hammerhead cranes also suggest a feature known as racking, which permits the trolley to drive forward and back horizontally along the crane arm. These cranes can be weighty and are made on the job site.
s. Stacker Crane
Stacker cranes are automatic machines employing a forklift-like mechanism and are mainly prepared for warehouse storage.
Generally, stacker cranes are employed in places with special working situations, such as strongly cold temperatures, making it extreme for a human worker to endure extreme working necessities.
2. Advantages of Crane
The advantages of crane are as follows:
a. Useful to carry heavy and weight load.
b. It also gives mechanical advantages.
c. They use for loading and unloading work easy.
d. Decreases the risk of accident.
e. Saves a lot of time.
3. Disadvantages of Crane
The disadvantages of cranes are as follows:
a. Expensive to buy.
b. Maintenance and repair is needed.
c. Skilled manpower is needed to operate.
d. Can be difficult to transport from one location to another.
This was for the types of cranes.
4. References1. Content Filter & Authenticity Checking Team, Dream Civil International (Our team checks every content & detail to maintain quality.) |
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