Wiki Loves Monuments: Photograph a monument, help

Wikipedia and win!

Crane (machine)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this
article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed. (November 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template
message)

A modern mobile crane with outriggers. The latticed boom is fitted with a gib.
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist rope, wire ropes or chains, and
sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is
mainly used for lifting heavy things and transporting them to other places. It uses one or more
simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal
capability of a human. Cranes are commonly employed in the transport industry for the
loading and unloading of freight, in the construction industry for the movement of materials
and in the manufacturing industry for the assembling of heavy equipment.
The first known construction cranes were invented by the Ancient Greeks and were powered
by men or beasts of burden, such as donkeys. These cranes were used for the construction of
tall buildings. Larger cranes were later developed, employing the use of human treadwheels,
permitting the lifting of heavier weights. In the High Middle Ages, harbour cranes were
introduced to load and unload ships and assist with their construction some were built into
stone towers for extra strength and stability. The earliest cranes were constructed from wood,
but cast iron, iron and steel took over with the coming of the Industrial Revolution.
For many centuries, power was supplied by the physical exertion of men or animals, although
hoists in watermills and windmills could be driven by the harnessed natural power. The first

'mechanical' power was provided by steam engines, the earliest steam crane being introduced
in the 18th or 19th century, with many remaining in use well into the late 20th century[citation
needed]
. Modern cranes usually use internal combustion engines or electric motors and hydraulic
systems to provide a much greater lifting capability than was previously possible, although
manual cranes are still utilized where the provision of power would be uneconomic.
Cranes exist in an enormous variety of forms each tailored to a specific use. Sizes range
from the smallest jib cranes, used inside workshops, to the tallest tower cranes, used for
constructing high buildings. Mini-cranes are also used for constructing high buildings, in
order to facilitate constructions by reaching tight spaces. Finally, we can find larger floating
cranes, generally used to build oil rigs and salvage sunken ships.
Some lifting machines do not strictly fit the above definition of a crane, but are generally
known as cranes, such as stacker cranes and loader cranes.

Contents

1 History
o 1.1 Ancient Greece
o 1.2 Ancient Rome
o 1.3 Middle Ages

1.3.1 Structure and placement

1.3.2 Mechanics and operation

1.3.3 Harbour usage

o 1.4 Early modern age

o 1.5 Industrial revolution

2 Mechanical principles
o 2.1 Stability

3 Types
o 3.1 Overhead crane
o 3.2 Mobile

3.2.1 Truck-mounted crane

3.2.2 Sidelifter crane

3.2.3 Rough terrain crane

3.2.4 All terrain crane

3.2.5 Pick and carry crane

3.2.6 Carry deck crane

3.2.7 Telescopic handler crane

3.2.8 Crawler crane

3.2.9 Harbour crane

3.2.10 Railroad crane

3.2.11 Floating crane

3.2.12 Aerial crane

o 3.3 Fixed

3.3.1 Tower crane

3.3.1.1 Components

3.3.2 Self-Erecting Tower Cranes

3.3.3 Telescopic crane

3.3.4 Hammerhead crane

3.3.5 Level luffing crane

3.3.6 Gantry crane

3.3.7 Deck crane

3.3.8 Jib crane

3.3.9 Bulk-handling crane

3.3.10 Loader crane

3.3.11 Stacker crane

4 Similar machines

5 Special examples

6 Crane Operators

7 See also

8 References

9 Sources

History
Ancient Greece

Greco-Roman Trispastos ("Three-pulley-crane"), the simplest crane type (150 kg load)

The crane for lifting heavy loads was invented by the Ancient Greeks in the late 6th century
BC.[1] The archaeological record shows that no later than c.515 BC distinctive cuttings for
both lifting tongs and lewis irons begin to appear on stone blocks of Greek temples. Since
these holes point at the use of a lifting device, and since they are to be found either above the
center of gravity of the block, or in pairs equidistant from a point over the center of gravity,
they are regarded by archaeologists as the positive evidence required for the existence of the
crane.[1]
The introduction of the winch and pulley hoist soon lead to a widespread replacement of
ramps as the main means of vertical motion. For the next 200 years, Greek building sites
witnessed a sharp reduction in the weights handled, as the new lifting technique made the use
of several smaller stones more practical than fewer larger ones. In contrast to the archaic
period with its tendency to ever-increasing block sizes, Greek temples of the classical age like
the Parthenon invariably featured stone blocks weighing less than 15-20 metric tons. Also,
the practice of erecting large monolithic columns was practically abandoned in favour of
using several column drums.[2]
Although the exact circumstances of the shift from the ramp to the crane technology remain
unclear, it has been argued that the volatile social and political conditions of Greece were
more suitable to the employment of small, professional construction teams than of large
bodies of unskilled labour, making the crane more preferable to the Greek polis than the more

labour-intensive ramp which had been the norm in the autocratic societies of Egypt or
Assyria.[2]
The first unequivocal literary evidence for the existence of the compound pulley system
appears in the Mechanical Problems (Mech. 18, 853a32-853b13) attributed to Aristotle (384
322 BC), but perhaps composed at a slightly later date. Around the same time, block sizes at
Greek temples began to match their archaic predecessors again, indicating that the more
sophisticated compound pulley must have found its way to Greek construction sites by then.[3]

Ancient Rome
See also: Treadwheel crane

Greco-Roman Pentaspastos ("Five-pulley-crane"), a medium-sized variant (ca. 450 kg load)

Reconstruction of a 10.4 m high Roman Polyspastos powered by a treadwheel at Bonn,

Germany
The heyday of the crane in ancient times came during the Roman Empire, when construction
activity soared and buildings reached enormous dimensions. The Romans adopted the Greek
crane and developed it further. We are relatively well informed about their lifting techniques,
thanks to rather lengthy accounts by the engineers Vitruvius (De Architectura 10.2, 1-10) and
Heron of Alexandria (Mechanica 3.2-5). There are also two surviving reliefs of Roman
treadwheel cranes, with the Haterii tombstone from the late first century AD being
particularly detailed.
The simplest Roman crane, the trispastos, consisted of a single-beam jib, a winch, a rope, and
a block containing three pulleys. Having thus a mechanical advantage of 3:1, it has been
calculated that a single man working the winch could raise 150 kg (3 pulleys x 50 kg = 150),
assuming that 50 kg represent the maximum effort a man can exert over a longer time period.
Heavier crane types featured five pulleys (pentaspastos) or, in case of the largest one, a set of
three by five pulleys (Polyspastos) and came with two, three or four masts, depending on the

maximum load. The polyspastos, when worked by four men at both sides of the winch, could
readily lift 3,000 kg (3 ropes x 5 pulleys x 4 men x 50 kg = 3,000 kg). If the winch was
replaced by a treadwheel, the maximum load could be doubled to 6,000 kg at only half the
crew, since the treadwheel possesses a much bigger mechanical advantage due to its larger
diameter. This meant that, in comparison to the construction of the Egyptian Pyramids, where
about 50 men were needed to move a 2.5 ton stone block up the ramp (50 kg per person), the
lifting capability of the Roman polyspastos proved to be 60 times higher (3,000 kg per
person).[4]
However, numerous extant Roman buildings which feature much heavier stone blocks than
those handled by the polyspastos indicate that the overall lifting capability of the Romans
went far beyond that of any single crane. At the temple of Jupiter at Baalbek, for instance, the
architrave blocks weigh up to 60 tons each, and one corner cornice block even over 100 tons,
all of them raised to a height of about 19 m.[3] In Rome, the capital block of Trajan's Column
weighs 53.3 tons, which had to be lifted to a height of about 34 m (see construction of
Trajan's Column).[5]
It is assumed that Roman engineers lifted these extraordinary weights by two measures (see
picture below for comparable Renaissance technique): First, as suggested by Heron, a lifting
tower was set up, whose four masts were arranged in the shape of a quadrangle with parallel
sides, not unlike a siege tower, but with the column in the middle of the structure (Mechanica
3.5).[6] Second, a multitude of capstans were placed on the ground around the tower, for,
although having a lower leverage ratio than treadwheels, capstans could be set up in higher
numbers and run by more men (and, moreover, by draught animals).[7] This use of multiple
capstans is also described by Ammianus Marcellinus (17.4.15) in connection with the lifting
of the Lateranense obelisk in the Circus Maximus (ca. 357 AD). The maximum lifting
capability of a single capstan can be established by the number of lewis iron holes bored into
the monolith. In case of the Baalbek architrave blocks, which weigh between 55 and 60 tons,
eight extant holes suggest an allowance of 7.5 ton per lewis iron, that is per capstan.[8] Lifting
such heavy weights in a concerted action required a great amount of coordination between the
work groups applying the force to the capstans.

Middle Ages

Medieval (15th century) port crane for mounting masts and lifting cargo in formerly German
Danzig (now Gdask, Poland).[9]
During the High Middle Ages, the treadwheel crane was reintroduced on a large scale after
the technology had fallen into disuse in western Europe with the demise of the Western
Roman Empire.[10] The earliest reference to a treadwheel (magna rota) reappears in archival
literature in France about 1225,[11] followed by an illuminated depiction in a manuscript of

probably also French origin dating to 1240.[12] In navigation, the earliest uses of harbor cranes
are documented for Utrecht in 1244, Antwerp in 1263, Brugge in 1288 and Hamburg in 1291,
[13]
while in England the treadwheel is not recorded before 1331.[14]

Double treadwheel crane in Pieter Bruegel's The Tower of Babel

Generally, vertical transport could be done more safely and inexpensively by cranes than by
customary methods. Typical areas of application were harbors, mines, and, in particular,
building sites where the treadwheel crane played a pivotal role in the construction of the lofty
Gothic cathedrals. Nevertheless, both archival and pictorial sources of the time suggest that
newly introduced machines like treadwheels or wheelbarrows did not completely replace
more labor-intensive methods like ladders, hods and handbarrows. Rather, old and new
machinery continued to coexist on medieval construction sites[15] and harbors.[13]
Apart from treadwheels, medieval depictions also show cranes to be powered manually by
windlasses with radiating spokes, cranks and by the 15th century also by windlasses shaped
like a ship's wheel. To smooth out irregularities of impulse and get over 'dead-spots' in the
lifting process flywheels are known to be in use as early as 1123.[16]
The exact process by which the treadwheel crane was reintroduced is not recorded,[11]
although its return to construction sites has undoubtedly to be viewed in close connection
with the simultaneous rise of Gothic architecture. The reappearance of the treadwheel crane
may have resulted from a technological development of the windlass from which the
treadwheel structurally and mechanically evolved. Alternatively, the medieval treadwheel
may represent a deliberate reinvention of its Roman counterpart drawn from Vitruvius' De
architectura which was available in many monastic libraries. Its reintroduction may have
been inspired, as well, by the observation of the labor-saving qualities of the waterwheel with
which early treadwheels shared many structural similarities.[14]
Structure and placement

Single treadwheel crane working from top of the building

The medieval treadwheel was a large wooden wheel turning around a central shaft with a
treadway wide enough for two workers walking side by side. While the earlier 'compass-arm'
wheel had spokes directly driven into the central shaft, the more advanced 'clasp-arm' type
featured arms arranged as chords to the wheel rim,[17] giving the possibility of using a thinner
shaft and providing thus a greater mechanical advantage.[18]
Contrary to a popularly held belief, cranes on medieval building sites were neither placed on
the extremely lightweight scaffolding used at the time nor on the thin walls of the Gothic
churches which were incapable of supporting the weight of both hoisting machine and load.
Rather, cranes were placed in the initial stages of construction on the ground, often within the
building. When a new floor was completed, and massive tie beams of the roof connected the
walls, the crane was dismantled and reassembled on the roof beams from where it was moved
from bay to bay during construction of the vaults.[19] Thus, the crane 'grew' and 'wandered'
with the building with the result that today all extant construction cranes in England are
found in church towers above the vaulting and below the roof, where they remained after
building construction for bringing material for repairs aloft.[20]
Less frequently, medieval illuminations also show cranes mounted on the outside of walls
with the stand of the machine secured to putlogs.[21]
Mechanics and operation

Tower crane at the inland harbour of Trier from 1413.

In contrast to modern cranes, medieval cranes and hoists much like their counterparts in
Greece and Rome[22] were primarily capable of a vertical lift, and not used to move loads
for a considerable distance horizontally as well.[19] Accordingly, lifting work was organized at
the workplace in a different way than today. In building construction, for example, it is
assumed that the crane lifted the stone blocks either from the bottom directly into place,[19] or
from a place opposite the centre of the wall from where it could deliver the blocks for two

teams working at each end of the wall.[22] Additionally, the crane master who usually gave
orders at the treadwheel workers from outside the crane was able to manipulate the
movement laterally by a small rope attached to the load.[23] Slewing cranes which allowed a
rotation of the load and were thus particularly suited for dockside work appeared as early as
1340.[24] While ashlar blocks were directly lifted by sling, lewis or devil's clamp (German
Teufelskralle), other objects were placed before in containers like pallets, baskets, wooden
boxes or barrels.[25]
It is noteworthy that medieval cranes rarely featured ratchets or brakes to forestall the load
from running backward.[26] This curious absence is explained by the high friction force
exercised by medieval tread-wheels which normally prevented the wheel from accelerating
beyond control.[23]
Harbour usage
See also: List of historical harbour cranes
A crane constructed in 1742, used for mounting masts to large sailing vessels. Copenhagen,
Denmark
According to the "present state of knowledge" unknown in antiquity, stationary harbor cranes
are considered a new development of the Middle Ages.[13] The typical harbor crane was a
pivoting structure equipped with double treadwheels. These cranes were placed docksides for
the loading and unloading of cargo where they replaced or complemented older lifting
methods like see-saws, winches and yards.[13]
Two different types of harbor cranes can be identified with a varying geographical
distribution: While gantry cranes which pivoted on a central vertical axle were commonly
found at the Flemish and Dutch coastside, German sea and inland harbors typically featured
tower cranes where the windlass and treadwheels were situated in a solid tower with only jib
arm and roof rotating.[9] Interestingly, dockside cranes were not adopted in the Mediterranean
region and the highly developed Italian ports where authorities continued to rely on the more
labor-intensive method of unloading goods by ramps beyond the Middle Ages.[27]
Unlike construction cranes where the work speed was determined by the relatively slow
progress of the masons, harbor cranes usually featured double treadwheels to speed up
loading. The two treadwheels whose diameter is estimated to be 4 m or larger were attached
to each side of the axle and rotated together.[13] Their capacity was 23 tons which apparently
corresponded to the customary size of marine cargo.[13] Today, according to one survey,
fifteen treadwheel harbor cranes from pre-industrial times are still extant throughout Europe.
[28]
Some harbour cranes were specialised at mounting masts to newly built sailing ships, such
as in Gdask, Cologne and Bremen.[9] Beside these stationary cranes, floating cranes which
could be flexibly deployed in the whole port basin came into use by the 14th century.[9]

Early modern age

Erection of the Vatican obelisk in 1586 by means of a lifting tower

An 1856 photo of Cologne Cathedral, then unfinished, with a 15th-century crane on south
tower.
A lifting tower similar to that of the ancient Romans was used to great effect by the
Renaissance architect Domenico Fontana in 1586 to relocate the 361 t heavy Vatican obelisk
in Rome.[29] From his report, it becomes obvious that the coordination of the lift between the
various pulling teams required a considerable amount of concentration and discipline, since,
if the force was not applied evenly, the excessive stress on the ropes would make them
rupture.[30]
Cranes were also used domestically during this period. The chimney or fireplace crane was
used to swing pots and kettles over the fire and the height was adjusted by a trammel.[31]

Industrial revolution

Sir William Armstrong, inventor of the hydraulic crane.

With the onset of the Industrial Revolution the first modern cranes were installed at harbours
for loading cargo. In 1838, the industrialist and businessman William Armstrong designed a
hydraulic water powered crane. His design used a ram in a closed cylinder that was forced
down by a pressurized fluid entering the cylinder a valve regulated the amount of fluid
intake relative to the load on the crane.[32]
In 1845 a scheme was set in motion to provide piped water from distant reservoirs to the
households of Newcastle. Armstrong was involved in this scheme and he proposed to
Newcastle Corporation that the excess water pressure in the lower part of town could be used
to power one of his hydraulic cranes for the loading of coal onto barges at the Quayside. He
claimed that his invention would do the job faster and more cheaply than conventional
cranes. The Corporation agreed to his suggestion, and the experiment proved so successful
that three more hydraulic cranes were installed on the Quayside.[33]
The success of his hydraulic crane led Armstrong to establish the Elswick works at
Newcastle, to produce his hydraulic machinery for cranes and bridges in 1847. His company
soon received orders for hydraulic cranes from Edinburgh and Northern Railways and from
Liverpool Docks, as well as for hydraulic machinery for dock gates in Grimsby. The
company expanded from a workforce of 300 and an annual production of 45 cranes in 1850,
to almost 4,000 workers producing over 100 cranes per year by the early 1860s.[33]
Armstrong spent the next few decades constantly improving his crane design; - his most
significant innovation was the hydraulic accumulator. Where water pressure was not
available on site for the use of hydraulic cranes, Armstrong often built high water towers to
provide a supply of water at pressure. However, when supplying cranes for use at New
Holland on the Humber Estuary, he was unable to do this because the foundations consisted
of sand. He eventually produced the hydraulic accumulator, a cast-iron cylinder fitted with a
plunger supporting a very heavy weight. The plunger would slowly be raised, drawing in
water, until the downward force of the weight was sufficient to force the water below it into
pipes at great pressure. This invention allowed much larger quantities of water to be forced
through pipes at a constant pressure, thus increasing the crane's load capacity considerably.[34]
One of his cranes, commissioned by the Italian Navy in 1883 and in use until the mid-1950s,
is still standing in Venice, where it is now in a state of disrepair.[35]

Mechanical principles

Play media
Crane movements

Broken crane in Sermetal Shipyard, former Ishikawajima do Brasil - Rio de Janeiro. The
cause of the accident was a lack of maintenance and misuse of the equipment.

Cranes can mount many different utensils depending on load (left). Cranes can be remotecontrolled from the ground, allowing much more precise control, but without the view that a
position atop the crane provides (right).

The stability of a mobile construction crane can be jeopardized when outriggers sink into soft
soil, which can result in the crane tipping over.
There are three major considerations in the design of cranes. First, the crane must be able to
lift the weight of the load; second, the crane must not topple; third, the crane must not
rupture.

Stability

For stability, the sum of all moments about the base of the crane must be close to zero so that
the crane does not overturn.[36] In practice, the magnitude of load that is permitted to be lifted
(called the "rated load" in the US) is some value less than the load that will cause the crane to
tip, thus providing a safety margin.
Under US standards for mobile cranes, the stability-limited rated load for a crawler crane is
75% of the tipping load. The stability-limited rated load for a mobile crane supported on
outriggers is 85% of the tipping load. These requirements, along with additional safetyrelated aspects of crane design, are established by the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers [1] in the volume ASME B30.5-2014 Mobile and Locomotive Cranes.
Standards for cranes mounted on ships or offshore platforms are somewhat stricter because of
the dynamic load on the crane due to vessel motion. Additionally, the stability of the vessel or
platform must be considered.
For stationary pedestal or kingpost mounted cranes, the moment created by the boom, jib, and
load is resisted by the pedestal base or kingpost. Stress within the base must be less than the
yield stress of the material or the crane will fail.

Types
Overhead crane

Overhead crane being used in typical machine shop. The hoist is operated via a wired
pushbutton station to move system and the load in any direction
Main article: Overhead crane
An overhead crane, also known as a bridge crane, is a type of crane where the hook-and-line
mechanism runs along a horizontal beam that itself runs along two widely separated rails.
Often it is in a long factory building and runs along rails along the building's two long walls.
It is similar to a gantry crane. Overhead cranes typically consist of either a single beam or a
double beam construction. These can be built using typical steel beams or a more complex
box girder type. Pictured on the right is a single bridge box girder crane with the hoist and
system operated with a control pendant. Double girder bridge are more typical when needing
heavier capacity systems from 10 tons and above. The advantage of the box girder type
configuration results in a system that has a lower deadweight yet a stronger overall system

integrity. Also included would be a hoist to lift the items, the bridge, which spans the area
covered by the crane, and a trolley to move along the bridge.
The most common overhead crane use is in the steel industry. At every step of the
manufacturing process, until it leaves a factory as a finished product, steel is handled by an
overhead crane. Raw materials are poured into a furnace by crane, hot steel is stored for
cooling by an overhead crane, the finished coils are lifted and loaded onto trucks and trains
by overhead crane, and the fabricator or stamper uses an overhead crane to handle the steel in
his factory. The automobile industry uses overhead cranes for handling of raw materials.
Smaller workstation cranes handle lighter loads in a work-area, such as CNC mill or saw.
Almost all paper mills use bridge cranes for regular maintenance requiring removal of heavy
press rolls and other equipment. The bridge cranes are used in the initial construction of paper
machines because they facilitate installation of the heavy cast iron paper drying drums and
other massive equipment, some weighing as much as 70 tons.
In many instances the cost of a bridge crane can be largely offset with savings from not
renting mobile cranes in the construction of a facility that uses a lot of heavy process
equipment.

Mobile
Main article: Mobile crane
The most basic type of mobile crane consists of a truss or telescopic boom mounted on a
mobile platform be it on road, rail or water. Common terminology is conventional and
hydraulic cranes respectively.
Truck-mounted crane

Developed truck-mounted crane at work

Truck-mounted crane

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding
citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
(November 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

A crane mounted on a truck carrier provides the mobility for this type of crane. This crane has
two parts: the carrier, often referred to as the Lower, and the lifting component which
includes the boom, referred to as the Upper. These are mated together through a turntable,
allowing the upper to swing from side to side. These modern hydraulic truck cranes are
usually single-engine machines, with the same engine powering the undercarriage and the
crane. The upper is usually powered via hydraulics run through the turntable from the pump
mounted on the lower. In older model designs of hydraulic truck cranes, there were two
engines. One in the lower pulled the crane down the road and ran a hydraulic pump for the
outriggers and jacks. The one in the upper ran the upper through a hydraulic pump of its own.
Many older operators favor the two-engine system due to leaking seals in the turntable of
aging newer design cranes. Hiab invented the world's first hydraulic truck mounted crane in
1947.[37] The name, Hiab, comes from the commonly used abbreviation of Hydrauliska
Industri AB, a company founded in Hudiksvall, Sweden 1944 by Eric Sundin, a ski
manufacturer who saw a way to utilize a truck's engine to power loader cranes through the
use of hydraulics.

A mobile crane folds itself up at Erlangen, Germany.

Generally, these cranes are able to travel on highways, eliminating the need for special
equipment to transport the crane unless weight or other size constrictions are in place such as
local laws. If this is the case, most larger cranes are equipped with either special trailers to
help spread the load over more axles or are able to disassemble to meet requirements. An
example is counterweights. Often a crane will be followed by another truck hauling the
counterweights that are removed for travel. In addition some cranes are able to remove the
entire upper. However, this is usually only an issue in a large crane and mostly done with a
conventional crane such as a Link-Belt HC-238. When working on the job site, outriggers are
extended horizontally from the chassis then vertically to level and stabilize the crane while
stationary and hoisting. Many truck cranes have slow-travelling capability (a few miles per
hour) while suspending a load. Great care must be taken not to swing the load sideways from
the direction of travel, as most anti-tipping stability then lies in the stiffness of the chassis
suspension. Most cranes of this type also have moving counterweights for stabilization
beyond that provided by the outriggers. Loads suspended directly aft are the most stable,
since most of the weight of the crane acts as a counterweight. Factory-calculated charts (or
electronic safeguards) are used by crane operators to determine the maximum safe loads for
stationary (outriggered) work as well as (on-rubber) loads and travelling speeds.

Truck cranes range in lifting capacity from about 14.5 short tons (12.9 long tons; 13.2 t) to
about 1,300 short tons (1,161 long tons; 1,179 t). Although most only rotate about 180
degrees, the more expensive truck mounted cranes can turn a full 360 degrees.
Sidelifter crane
Sidelift crane
A sidelifter crane is a road-going truck or semi-trailer, able to hoist and transport ISO
standard containers. Container lift is done with parallel crane-like hoists, which can lift a
container from the ground or from a railway vehicle.
Rough terrain crane

Rough terrain crane

A crane mounted on an undercarriage with four rubber tires that is designed for pick-andcarry operations and for off-road and "rough terrain" applications. Outriggers are used to
level and stabilize the crane for hoisting.
These telescopic cranes are single-engine machines, with the same engine powering the
undercarriage and the crane, similar to a crawler crane. In a rough terrain crane, the engine is
usually mounted in the undercarriage rather than in the upper, as with crawler crane. Most
have 4 wheel drive and 4 wheel steering which allows them to traverse tighter and slicker
terrain than a standard truck crane with less site prep. In addition, there are rough terrain
cranes with the operating cab mounted on the lower as opposed to the P&H in the above
image.
All terrain crane

All terrain crane

A mobile crane with the necessary equipment to travel at speed on public roads, and on rough
terrain at the job site using all-wheel and crab steering. ATs combine the roadability of
Truck-mounted Cranes and the manoeuvrability of Rough Terrain Cranes.
ATs have 2-9 axles and are designed for lifting loads up to 1,200 tonnes (1,323 short tons;
1,181 long tons).[38]

Pick and carry crane

A Pick and Carry Crane is similar to a mobile crane in that is designed to travel on public
roads, however Pick and Carry cranes have no stabiliser legs or outriggers and are designed
to lift the load and carry it to its destination, within a small radius, then be able to drive to the
next job. Pick and Carry cranes are popular in Australia where large distances are
encountered between job sites. One popular manufacturer in Australia was Franna, who have
since been bought by Terex, and now all pick and carry cranes are commonly referred to as
"Frannas" even though they may be made by other manufacturers. Nearly every medium and
large sized crane company in Australia has at least one and many companies have fleets of
these cranes. The capacity range is usually ten to twenty tonnes maximum lift, although this
is much less at the tip of the boom. Pick and Carry cranes have displaced the work usually
completed by smaller truck cranes as the set up time is much quicker. Many steel fabrication
yards also use pick and carry cranes as they can "walk" with fabricated steel sections and
place these where required with relative ease.
Carry deck crane
A carry deck crane is a small 4 wheel crane with a 360 degree rotating boom placed right in
the centre and an operators cab located at one end under this boom. The rear section houses
the engine and the area above the wheels is a flat deck. Very much an American invention the
Carry deck can hoist a load in a confined space and then load it on the deck space around the
cab or engine and subsequently move to another site. The Carry Deck principle is the
American version of the pick and carry crane and both allow the load to be moved by the
crane over short distances.
Telescopic handler crane
Telescopic Handlers are like forklift trucks that have a telescoping extendable boom like a
crane. Early telescopic handlers only lifted in one direction and did not rotate,[39] however,
several of the manufacturers have designed telescopic handlers that rotate 360 degrees
through a turntable and these machines look almost identical to the Rough Terrain Crane.
These new 360 degree telescopic handler/crane models have outriggers or stabiliser legs that
must be lowered before lifting, however their design has been simplified so that they can be
more quickly deployed. These machines are often used to handle pallets of bricks and install
frame trusses on many new building sites and they have eroded much of the work for small
telescopic truck cranes. Many of the worlds Armed forces have purchased telescopic handlers
and some of these are the much more expensive fully rotating types. Their off road capability
and their on site versatility to unload pallets using forks, or lift like a crane makes them a
valuable piece of machinery.
Crawler crane

Crawler crane
A crawler is a crane mounted on an undercarriage with a set of tracks (also called crawlers)
that provide stability and mobility. Crawler cranes range in lifting capacity from about 40 to
3,500 short tons (35.7 to 3,125.0 long tons; 36.3 to 3,175.1 t).
Crawler cranes have both advantages and disadvantages depending on their use. Their main
advantage is that they can move around on site and perform each lift with little set-up, since
the crane is stable on its tracks with no outriggers. Caterpillar tracks are also far better at
traversing soft ground without sinking in, as they spread the weight out over a great area.
Thus a crawler crane can move about an unprepared job site with less risk of getting stuck in
soft ground. In addition, a crawler crane is capable of traveling with a load. The main
disadvantage is that they are very heavy, and cannot easily be moved from one job site to
another without significant expense. Typically a large crawler must be disassembled and
moved by trucks, rail cars or ships to its next location.
Harbour crane
Dry bulk or container cranes usually in the bay areas or inland water ways.

Mobile container crane

Railroad crane

Rail crane
For more details on this topic, see Crane (railroad).
A railroad crane has flanged wheels for use on railroads. The simplest form is a crane
mounted on a flatcar. More capable devices are purpose-built. Different types of crane are
used for maintenance work, recovery operations and freight loading in goods yards and scrap
handling facilities.
Floating crane

Floating crane
Floating cranes are used mainly in bridge building and port construction, but they are also
used for occasional loading and unloading of especially heavy or awkward loads on and off
ships. Some floating cranes are mounted on pontoons, others are specialized crane barges
with a lifting capacity exceeding 10,000 short tons (8,929 long tons; 9,072 t) and have been
used to transport entire bridge sections. Floating cranes have also been used to salvage
sunken ships.
Crane vessels are often used in offshore construction. The largest revolving cranes can be
found on SSCV Thialf, which has two cranes with a capacity of 7,100 tonnes (7,826 short
tons; 6,988 long tons) each. For 50 years, the largest such crane was "Herman the German" at
the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, one of three constructed by Hitler's Germany and captured
in the war. The crane was sold to the Panama Canal in 1996 where it is now known as the
"Titan."[40]
Aerial crane

Aerial crane
Aerial crane or 'Sky cranes' usually are helicopters designed to lift large loads. Helicopters
are able to travel to and lift in areas that are difficult to reach by conventional cranes.
Helicopter cranes are most commonly used to lift units/loads onto shopping centers and
highrises. They can lift anything within their lifting capacity, (cars, boats, swimming pools,
etc.). They also perform disaster relief after natural disasters for clean-up, and during wildfires they are able to carry huge buckets of water to extinguish fires.
Some aerial cranes, mostly concepts, have also used lighter-than air aircraft, such as airships.

Fixed
Exchanging mobility for the ability to carry greater loads and reach greater heights due to
increased stability, these types of cranes are characterised by the fact that their main structure
does not move during the period of use. However, many can still be assembled and
disassembled. The structure basically are fixed in one place.
Tower crane

Tower crane atop Mont Blanc

Tower cranes are a modern form of balance crane that consist of the same basic parts. Fixed
to the ground on a concrete slab (and sometimes attached to the sides of structures), tower
cranes often give the best combination of height and lifting capacity and are used in the
construction of tall buildings. The base is then attached to the mast which gives the crane its
height. Further the mast is attached to the slewing unit (gear and motor) that allows the crane

to rotate. On top of the slewing unit there are three main parts which are: the long horizontal
jib (working arm), shorter counter-jib, and the operator's cab.

Tower crane cabin

The long horizontal jib is the part of the crane that carries the load. The counter-jib carries a
counterweight, usually of concrete blocks, while the jib suspends the load to and from the
center of the crane. The crane operator either sits in a cab at the top of the tower or controls
the crane by radio remote control from the ground. In the first case the operator's cab is most
usually located at the top of the tower attached to the turntable, but can be mounted on the jib,
or partway down the tower. The lifting hook is operated by the crane operator using electric
motors to manipulate wire rope cables through a system of sheaves. The hook is located on
the long horizontal arm to lift the load which also contains its motor.

Play media
A tower crane rotates on its axis before lowering the lifting hook.
In order to hook and unhook the loads, the operator usually works in conjunction with a
signaller (known as a 'dogger', 'rigger' or 'swamper'). They are most often in radio contact,
and always use hand signals. The rigger or dogger directs the schedule of lifts for the crane,
and is responsible for the safety of the rigging and loads.
Components

Tower cranes are used extensively in construction and other industry to hoist and move
materials. There are many types of tower cranes. Although they are different in type, the main
parts are the same, as follows:

Mast: the main supporting tower of the crane. It is made of steel trussed sections that
are connected together during installation.

Slewing unit: the slewing unit sits at the top of the mast. This is the engine that
enables the crane to rotate.

Operating cabin: the operating cabin sits just above the slewing unit. It contains the
operating controls.

Jib: the jib, or operating arm, extends horizontally from the crane. A "luffing" jib is
able to move up and down; a fixed jib has a rolling trolley that runs along the
underside to move goods horizontally.

Counter jib: holds counterweights, hoist motor, hoist drum and the electronics.[41]

Hoist unit: the hoist unit houses the hoist drum, hoist cable, gear box, gear shift,
brake, and supporting components.

Hook: the hook (or hooks) is used to connect the material to the crane. It hangs at the
end of thick steel cables that run along the jib to the motor.

Weights: Large concrete counterweights are mounted toward the rear of the mast, to
compensate for the weight of the goods lifted.[42]

This crane's main beam was broken due to an overload

A tower crane is usually assembled by a telescopic jib (mobile) crane of greater reach (also
see "self-erecting crane" below) and in the case of tower cranes that have risen while
constructing very tall skyscrapers, a smaller crane (or derrick) will often be lifted to the roof
of the completed tower to dismantle the tower crane afterwards, which may be more difficult
than the installation.[43] Tower Cranes can often be Pedestrian Operated by a remote control,
removing the need for a cab for the Crane Operator to work from.
Self-Erecting Tower Cranes

Four self-erecting tower cranes mounted on the roof of 1st observatory (height 375 m) of
Tokyo Skytree (Tower tip and two crane operator as of 497 m)
Generally a type of pedestrian operated tower crane, these cranes, also called self-assembling,
jack-up, or "kangaroo" cranes, lift themselves from the ground or lift an upper, telescoping
section using jacks, allowing the next section of the tower to be inserted at ground level or
lifted into place by the partially erected crane itself. They can thus be assembled without
outside help, and can grow together with the building or structure they are erecting.

Self-erecting crane
For a video of a crane getting taller, see here:[44]
For another animation of such a crane in use see this video:[45] (Here, the crane is used to erect
a scaffold which in turn contains a gantry to lift sections of a bridge spire.)
Telescopic crane

Telescopic crane
A telescopic crane has a boom that consists of a number of tubes fitted one inside the other. A
hydraulic or other powered mechanism extends or retracts the tubes to increase or decrease
the total length of the boom. These types of booms are often used for short term construction
projects, rescue jobs, lifting boats in and out of the water, etc. The relative compactness of
telescopic booms make them adaptable for many mobile applications.
Though not all telescopic cranes are mobile cranes, many of them are truck-mounted.
A telescopic tower crane has a telescopic mast and often a superstructure (jib) on top so that it
functions as a tower crane. Some telescopic tower cranes also have a telescopic jib.
Hammerhead crane

Hammerhead crane
The "hammerhead", or giant cantilever, crane is a fixed-jib crane consisting of a steel-braced
tower on which revolves a large, horizontal, double cantilever; the forward part of this
cantilever or jib carries the lifting trolley, the jib is extended backwards in order to form a
support for the machinery and counterbalancing weight. In addition to the motions of lifting
and revolving, there is provided a so-called "racking" motion, by which the lifting trolley,
with the load suspended, can be moved in and out along the jib without altering the level of
the load. Such horizontal movement of the load is a marked feature of later crane design.
These cranes are generally constructed in large sizes and can weigh up to 350 tons.

The design of hammerkran evolved first in Germany around the turn of the 19th century and
was adopted and developed for use in British shipyards to support the battleship construction
program from 1904 to 1914. The ability of the hammerhead crane to lift heavy weights was
useful for installing large pieces of battleships such as armour plate and gun barrels. Giant
cantilever cranes were also installed in naval shipyards in Japan and in the United States. The
British government also installed a giant cantilever crane at the Singapore Naval Base (1938)
and later a copy of the crane was installed at Garden Island Naval Dockyard in Sydney
(1951). These cranes provided repair support for the battle fleet operating far from Great
Britain.
In the British Empire, the engineering firm Sir William Arrol & Co Ltd was the principal
manufacturer of giant cantilever cranes; the company built a total of fourteen. Among the
sixty built in the world, few remain; seven in England and Scotland of about fifteen
worldwide.[46]
The Titan Clydebank is one of the 4 Scottish cranes on the Clydebank and preserved as a
tourist attraction.
Level luffing crane

Level luffing crane

Normally a crane with a hinged jib will tend to have its hook also move up and down as the
jib moves (or luffs). A level luffing crane is a crane of this common design, but with an extra
mechanism to keep the hook level when luffing.
Gantry crane

Gantry crane
For more details on this topic, see Container crane.

A gantry crane has a hoist in a fixed machinery house or on a trolley that runs horizontally
along rails, usually fitted on a single beam (mono-girder) or two beams (twin-girder). The
crane frame is supported on a gantry system with equalized beams and wheels that run on the
gantry rail, usually perpendicular to the trolley travel direction. These cranes come in all
sizes, and some can move very heavy loads, particularly the extremely large examples used in
shipyards or industrial installations. A special version is the container crane (or "Portainer"
crane, named by the first manufacturer), designed for loading and unloading ship-borne
containers at a port.
Most container cranes are of this type.
Deck crane

Deck crane
Located on the ships and boats, these are used for cargo operations or boat unloading and
retrieval where no shore unloading facilities are available. Most are diesel-hydraulic or
electric-hydraulic.
Jib crane

Jib crane
A jib crane is a type of crane where a horizontal member (jib or boom), supporting a
moveable hoist, is fixed to a wall or to a floor-mounted pillar. Jib cranes are used in industrial
premises and on military vehicles. The jib may swing through an arc, to give additional
lateral movement, or be fixed. Similar cranes, often known simply as hoists, were fitted on
the top floor of warehouse buildings to enable goods to be lifted to all floors.
Bulk-handling crane

Bulk-handling crane
Bulk-handling cranes are designed from the outset to carry a shell grab or bucket, rather than
using a hook and a sling. They are used for bulk cargoes, such as coal, minerals, scrap metal
etc.
Loader crane

Loader crane using a jib extension

A loader crane (also called a knuckle-boom crane or articulating crane) is a hydraulically
powered articulated arm fitted to a truck or trailer, and is used for loading/unloading the
vehicle. The numerous jointed sections can be folded into a small space when the crane is not
in use. One or more of the sections may be telescopic. Often the crane will have a degree of
automation and be able to unload or stow itself without an operator's instruction.
Unlike most cranes, the operator must move around the vehicle to be able to view his load;
hence modern cranes may be fitted with a portable cabled or radio-linked control system to
supplement the crane-mounted hydraulic control levers.
In the UK and Canada, this type of crane is often known colloquially as a "Hiab", partly
because this manufacturer invented the loader crane and was first into the UK market, and
partly because the distinctive name was displayed prominently on the boom arm.[47]
A rolloader crane is a loader crane mounted on a chassis with wheels. This chassis can ride
on the trailer. Because the crane can move on the trailer, it can be a light crane, so the trailer
is allowed to transport more goods.
Stacker crane
Stacker crane
A crane with a forklift type mechanism used in automated (computer controlled) warehouses
(known as an automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS)). The crane moves on a track

in an aisle of the warehouse. The fork can be raised or lowered to any of the levels of a
storage rack and can be extended into the rack to store and retrieve product. The product can
in some cases be as large as an automobile. Stacker cranes are often used in the large freezer
warehouses of frozen food manufacturers. This automation avoids requiring forklift drivers to
work in below freezing temperatures every day.

Similar machines

Shooting a film from crane

The generally accepted definition of a crane is a machine for lifting and moving heavy
objects by means of ropes or cables suspended from a movable arm. As such, a lifting
machine that does not use cables, or else provides only vertical and not horizontal movement,
cannot strictly be called a 'crane'.
Types of crane-like lifting machine include:

Block and tackle

Capstan (nautical)

Hoist (device)

Winch

Windlass

Cherry picker

More technically advanced types of such lifting machines are often known as 'cranes',
regardless of the official definition of the term.

Special examples

Finnieston Crane (aka the Stobcross Crane)

 Category A -listed example of a 'hammerhead' (cantilever) crane in Glasgow's

former docks, built by the William Arrol company.
50 m (164 ft) tall, 175 tonnes (172 long tons; 193 short tons) capacity, built 1926

Taisun
double bridge crane at Yantai, China.
20,000 tonnes (22,046 short tons; 19,684 long tons) capacity, World Record Holder
133 m (436 ft) tall, 120 m (394 ft) span, lift-height 80 m (262 ft)

Kockums Crane
shipyard crane formerly at Kockums, Sweden.
138 m (453 ft) tall, 1,500 tonnes (1,500 long tons; 1,700 short tons) capacity, since
moved to Ulsan, South Korea

Samson and Goliath (cranes)

two gantry cranes at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast built by Krupp
Goliath is 96 m (315 ft) tall, Samson is 106 m (348 ft)
span 140 m (459 ft), lift-height 70 m (230 ft), capacity 840 tonnes (830 long tons;
930 short tons) each, 1,600 tonnes (1,600 long tons; 1,800 short tons) combined

Breakwater Crane Railway

self-propelled steam crane that formerly ran the length of the breakwater at
Douglas.
ran on 10 feet (3.05 m) gauge track, the broadest in the British Isles

Crane Operators
Main article: Heavy equipment operator
Crane operators are skilled workers and heavy equipment operators.

See also

Patient lift

Banksman

Davit

Gantry crane

Overhead crane

Accredited Crane Operator Certification

Lifting devices with one, two, and three legs: derrick, sheers, and gyn

Pallet

Steam shovel

Cherry picker

Sidelifter

Taisun

References
1.
Coulton 1974, p. 7
Coulton 1974, pp. 14f.
Coulton 1974, p. 16
All data from: Dienel & Meighrner 1997, p. 13
Lancaster 1999, p. 426
Lancaster 1999, pp. 427ff.
Lancaster 1999, pp. 434ff.
Lancaster 1999, p. 436
Matheus 1996, p. 346
Matthies 1992, p. 514
Matthies 1992, p. 515
Matthies 1992, p. 526
Matheus 1996, p. 345
Matthies 1992, p. 524
Matthies 1992, p. 545
Matthies 1992, p. 518
Matthies 1992, pp. 525f.
Matthies 1992, p. 536
Matthies 1992, p. 533
Matthies 1992, pp. 532ff.
Matthies 1992, p. 535
Coulton 1974, p. 6
Dienel & Meighrner 1997, p. 17
Matthies 1992, p. 534
Matthies 1992, p. 531
Matthies 1992, p. 540
Matheus 1996, p. 347
These are Bergen, Stockholm, Karlskrona (Sweden), Kopenhagen (Denmark),
Harwich (England), Gdask (Poland), Lneburg, Stade, Otterndorf, Marktbreit, Wrzburg,
strich, Bingen, Andernach and Trier (Germany). Cf. Matheus 1996, p. 346
Lancaster 1999, p. 428

 Lancaster 1999, pp. 436437

The Victorian Web
"Armstrong Hydraulic Crane". Machine-History.Com.
Dougan, David (1970). The Great Gun-Maker: The Story of Lord Armstrong. Sandhill
Press Ltd. ISBN 0-946098-23-9.
McKenzie, Peter (1983). W.G. Armstrong: The Life and Times of Sir William George
Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Cragside. Longhirst Press. ISBN 0-946978-00-X.
"Newcastle crane 'priceless' part of Venetian heritage". BBC. 20 May 2010. Retrieved
8 November 2013.
Brain, Marshall. "How Tower Cranes Work". howstuffworks.com. Retrieved 2 April
2014.
http://www.sunfab.com/about-us/history.aspx
"LTM11200-9.1". Liebherr. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
"Crane Lifts Big Load." Popular Science, August 1948, p. 106.
"Herman the German". Retrieved 27 April 2014.
Elliott, Matthew (2015-12-19). "Tower crane anatomy". Crane & Rigging. Retrieved
19 December 2015.
"the component of the tower cranes". 86towercrane.com. 2012-04-21. Retrieved
2012-08-15.
Croucher, Martin (11 November 2009). "Myth of 'Babu Sassi' Remains After Burj
Cranes Come Down". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
"Crane Building Itself". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-06-02.
"MTC News". Mtc.ca.gov. Archived from the original on 8 June 2012. Retrieved
2012-08-15.
"The Cowes Giant Cantilever Crane". Freespace.virgin.net. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
"Hiab Loader Cranes - Custom-made cranes for highest productivity".

1.
htc 850

Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cranes.
History of cranes

Coulton, J. J. (1974), "Lifting in Early Greek Architecture", The Journal of Hellenic

Studies, 94: 119, doi:10.2307/630416, JSTOR 630416

Dienel, Hans-Liudger; Meighrner, Wolfgang (1997), "Der Tretradkran", Publication

of the Deutsches Museum (Technikgeschichte series) (2nd ed.), Mnchen

Lancaster, Lynne (1999), "Building Trajan's Column", American Journal of

Archaeology, 103 (3): 419439, doi:10.2307/506969, JSTOR 506969

Matheus, Michael (1996), "Mittelalterliche Hafenkrne", in Lindgren, Uta,

Europische Technik im Mittelalter. 800 bis 1400. Tradition und Innovation (4th ed.),
Berlin: Gebr. Mann Verlag, pp. 345348, ISBN 3-7861-1748-9

Matthies, Andrea (1992), "Medieval Treadwheels. Artists' Views of Building

Construction", Technology and Culture, 33 (3): 510547, doi:10.2307/3106635,
JSTOR 3106635

OConnor, Colin (1993), Roman Bridges, Cambridge University Press, pp. 4751,
ISBN 0-521-39326-4
[hide]

Types of cranes

Container crane

Crane vessel

Gantry crane

Level luffing crane

Offshore Latticeboom crane

Offshore Pedestal crane

Sidelift

Straddle carrier

Tow truck

Authority control
Categories:

Cranes (machines)

Construction equipment

Heavy equipment

Lifting equipment

NDL: 00567020

Vertical transport devices

Ancient Greek technology

Ancient inventions

Greek inventions

Navigation menu

Not logged in

Talk

Contributions

Create account

Log in

Article

Talk

Read

Edit

View history

Search

Main page

Contents

Featured content

Current events

Random article

Donate to Wikipedia

Wikipedia store

Interaction

Help

About Wikipedia

Community portal

Recent changes

Contact page

Tools

What links here

Related changes

Upload file

Special pages

Permanent link

Page information

Wikidata item

Cite this page

Print/export

Create a book

Download as PDF

Printable version

In other projects

Wikimedia Commons

Languages

Armneashti

Azrbaycanca

Catal

etina

Dansk

Deutsch

Eesti

Espaol

Esperanto

Euskara

Franais

Gaeilge

Galego

Hrvatski

Ido

Bahasa Indonesia

Italiano

Latina

Lietuvi

Magyar

Nederlands

Norsk bokml

Norsk nynorsk

Occitan

Polski

Portugus

Romn

Simple English

Slovenina

Slovenina

Srpskohrvatski /

Suomi

Svenska

Trke

Ting Vit

Edit links

This page was last modified on 20 September 2016, at 14:29.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;

additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy. Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation,
Inc., a non-profit organization.

Privacy policy

About Wikipedia

Disclaimers

Contact Wikipedia

Developers

Cookie statement

Mobile view