The design and development of a very large

mobile crane
E Wadsworth, CEng, MIMechE
Central Engineering Department, NEI Cranes Limited, Rodley, Leeds

This paper describes the development of a rough terrain construction site vehicle with details of the vehicle suspension system, the
structural concept, lifting and levelling facilities and the crane’s capability of negotiating obstacles and gradients whilstfully loaded.

1 INTRODUCTION The lift would need to be achieved using four hooks,

This paper is concerned with a different type of mobile
crane which does not have a jib in the manner which is
generally accepted as a crane. When NEI Cranes
Limited received the inquiry for this machine it was
described as a gantry or straddle carrier. Perhaps both
descriptions are suitable but it was decided to describe
it as a crane. Since it would spend its entire life on
construction sites doing a specific job, it was designated
‘rough terrain construction site vehicle’ or RTCSV.
Figure 1 shows a general view of the machine as it was
finally built but first the specific requirements laid down
in the inquiry from the purchaser will be outlined.
2 THE SPECIFICATION
The specification was that the machine should be a fully
mobile gantry/straddle carrier having a total lifting
capacity of 110 metric tonnes and that it should comply
with the following requirements.
This paper was presented at a meeting of the North Eastern Centre ofthe Auto-
mobile Diuision held in Leeds on 6 March 1984. The MS was received on 9
December 1963 and was accepted for publication on 9 August 1984.
two on each side of the gantry with each hook having a
safe working load of 27.5 tonnes. Each hoist position
was to be separately movable to give a variation in
slinging centres to suit different positions of suspension
points on the loads to be lifted. It also had to be pos-
sible to ensure equalization of the hoist loadings during
a four point lift to avoid corner overloading of the lift.
The load to be handled would be boilers for nuclear
power stations and great care was to be taken to ensure
the suspension loads were not uneven corner to comer
to avoid damage to the boilers. In addition to the
above, the crane was to be designed so that it could
accept the heaviest loading of 55 tonnes at either end of
the structure since the longitudinal attachment points
would not necessarily be symmetrical about the centre
of gravity of the load. The tenderers had to confirm that
no overloading of the machine would occur in the
above condition whilst climbing the maximum grade.
Whilst under the condition of maximum loading,
confirmation had to be given that, should a single tyre
of a pair deflate then the other tyre would be capable of
supporting the load, but not necessarily in motion.
Since the machine would work throughout its life on

Fig. 1 General view of the rough terrain construction site vehicle

9/85 (Q IMcchE 1985 0265-1904/85 S2.W + .05 Proc Instn Mcch Engrs Vol 199 No D2

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80
large construction sites it would have to operate on
roadways which would not always be metalled, and it
would have to negotiate gradients, ramps and uneven
surfaces. The tenderer had to state the maximum height
of step that any pair of wheels could negotiate from rest
or whilst in motion, with load or without load, and also
the maximum gradient which could be negotiated.
The machine was to have power steering and this had
to be capable of being operated from lock to lock with
the machine stationary whilst carrying the maximum
rated load. A positive analysis of the load being applied
to the hooks was to be provided to ensure all hooks
could be adjusted to ensure even loading. A specific
requirement laid down was that confirmation was to be
provided from the original tyre manufacturer that the
duties being imposed on their products by the crane
would be in accordance with their designed loading and
use. This requirement will be discussed later.
Various other requirements were laid down regarding
noise level, exhaust gas purification, factors of safety etc.
Tenderers had also to make provision for safe move-
ment of the machine by auxiliary means in the event of
mechanical power failure whilst under load.
3 DESIGN DECISIONS
The NEI Cranes tender included a general outline
drawing and also an artist’s impression of the final
machine as shown in Fig. 2. The details are summarized
in the Appendix. It will be seen that the impression and
the final result were reasonably close. There are several
reasons why this design was adopted by NEI instead of
the more conventional machines generally available at
the time.
One type of machine which is very popular for hand-
ling bulky loads in small boat yards and marinas is a
‘boat hoist’. A line drawing (computer drawn) of such a
machine is shown in Fig. 3. The machine is shown on
level ground, and in this mode the lifting arrangement
could not put any undue strain on a four point sus-
pended load, provided all the hoists are fully synchro-
nized. However, the articulation of such machines is
achieved by the use of a hinge bearing section in the
transverse member across the machine as shown in
Fig. 4.
Fig. 2 Artist’s impression of the proposed machine
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E WADSWORTH
Fig. 3 A typical boat hoist
It can be seen that each side of the machine moves in
opposite directions and any hoist mechanisms mounted
in pairs on the side members would cause the load to
tend to twist and if the load was rigid then uneven
loading would occur at the suspension points. The
requirement of the specification that the four point lift
should have equal loading would be very difficult to
achieve and the load would not remain level. It would
also be difficult to provide the variable longitudinal
lifting centres without putting high local bending
stresses in the top side frames. Many boat hoists are
fitted with variable centre devices but these were not
considered suitable in this application. A further
problem would arise in that all machines of this type
use single tyres and it would therefore not be possible to
ensure that the machine would remain in a stable condi-
tion should a tyre deflate whilst carrying the load.
A further specified requirement was that the tyres
used should have the approval of the tyre manufac-
turers for the load and application. The tyres generally
used on boat hoists are remould aircraft tyres which
do not carry any warranty from the tyre manufacturers.
These tyres have had extensive usage before being pur-
chased by the remoulders, and whilst the loads imposed
on the tyres under the conditions of use on boat hoists
are low compared with aircraft use there is no approval
by the original tyre manufacturers for this application.
Fig. 4 A boat hoist in articulation mode
Q IMechE 1985
 THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A VERY LARGE MOBILE CRANE
Fig. 5 A conventional straddle carrier machine
Of the conventional straddle carrier type of machine
the largest machines in use at the present time are
designed to carry fully loaded containers which weigh in
the region of 40 tonnes and their lifting capacity is
usually around 44-48 tonnes. Therefore, the standard
type of machine would be unsuitable for the 110 tonnes
lifting duty. A line drawing of such a machine is shown
in Fig. 5. There would also be a problem in both the
above machines achieving the ability to negotiate
obstructions. Neither of these machine types will nego-
tiate a step of any significance since they do not have
any suspension capable of such large displacements. It is
believed that the boat hoists rely on the transverse
hinge for undulation capability and the straddle carriers
have a rubber suspension or equal which is quite limited
in the height of obstruction which it will negotiate.
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After considering the two conventional types
described above the main problem was to design a
machine which would have a much larger capacity than
any which had been previously built. Generally, with
handling machines of this type a development period is
needed to prove the machine after building. In this case
there was no such opportunity. The two machines were
to be designed and built within a specified period,
delivered to site, load tested and set to work. Therefore
any decisions made concerning the design had to be
final.
4 STRUCTURAL DESIGN
Due to the nature of the load to be handled the struc-
ture had to be extremely rigid and also capable of being
disassembled with relative ease at the works after manu-
facture for delivery to site. The finished machine would
be too big to transport to site even as a special load.
The reasons for adopting the central portal design
(Fig. 6) were as follows:
1. Whilst travelling, the machine might have to nego-
tiate opposing road cambers, and to design a struc-
ture to resist the cross corner loading on the sills
would require heavy end portals and cross bracing
from end to end between the portals.
2. With the above design the runway beams would span
the length of the machine and would therefore be
very heavy. With the design adopted they are much
lighter due to the smaller span.
3. The requirement to carry the steering mechanism
over the frames was simpler over the central portal.
4. The design adopted enabled the structure to be
analysed in a relatively simple manner by using two
side sills and a massive portal frame. This frame is
designed to resist the torsional and bending forces
involved when the machine is travelling. By using the
box section in the sill members the forces caused by
steering are adequately contained.
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5. The relatively light end portals are pin jointed as
shown in Fig. 7. These pin joints are in two planes
opposing each other at the top and bottom of the
vertical legs. The runway beams are connected to the
portals in a relatively flexible manner by bolted
joints, giving simply supported beam conditions.
Thus all the members could be analysed fairly simply.
It is not the purpose of this paper to give a detailed
analysis of the structure but to state the reasons for
adopting the design principles.
The frames and fabrication, except for the runway
beams, are all of welded construction and as far as pos-
sible comply with BS 2573 Part. 1.
Determining the size of tyres and number of wheels
was done in conjunction with the tyre manufacturers,
bearing in mind the requirement to keep the ground
pressure as low as possible. The maximum working tyre
load is 13.8 tonnes and a tyre pressure of 90 lbf/in2 is
used. Since the loaded speed of the machine is low,
2.5 km/h, this was considered satisfactory. Whilst the
machine is termed a ‘rough terrain’ vehicle it does not
have to negotiate the type of ground.found on unmade
civil engineering sites. The terrains it has to negotiate
are those generally found on large power station sites
where the main civil work has been completed and the
roads are relatively sound even though they may not be
metalled. The type of rough terrain envisaged would
have obstructions such as cables, pipes, baulks of timber
and relatively shallow channels across the roads. Hence
the obstruction height was specified as 10 in. The
maximum gradient would be 6 per cent with no possi-
bility of this being exceeded whilst under full load con-
ditions.
5 MECHANICAL DESIGN
5.1 Transmission and suspension
The transmission, hoisting and trolley positioning units
are all hydraulically driven, the prime mover being a
Leyland 698 T turbocharged diesel engine driving a set
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E WADSWORTH
of triple hydraulic radial piston pumps. The machine is
carried on twelve wheels, eight steer and four drive, the
tyres being 18.00 x 25 HRL, 24-ply Goodyear hard
rock lug type, and approved for the application by the
tyre manufacturers. The wheels are mounted in pairs
and it is possible to remove one wheel of any pair whilst
the load is suspended, after jacking. The pairs of wheels
are carried in a fork arrangement and the suspension is
fitted with hydraulic suspension cylinders, each cylinder
being connected to a hydraulic gas accumulator. This
arrangement gives a ‘spring’ effect to the suspension
which enables each pair of wheels to articulate indepen-
dently when negotiating individual obstacles, and also
to maintain traction contact with the ground when
entering or leaving a slope. The suspension is also fitted
with a self-levelling or adjusting feature. When the load
is lifted from the ground the gas suspension would allow
the machine to ‘sink‘ on its supports, and when the
suspended load is lowered to the ground the machine
would ‘rise’. To overcome this, and bearing in mind the
lifting and lowering operations are carried out on level
ground, proximity switches are fitted to each fork
system.
When either of the lowering or lifting operations is
being carried out, these switches are energized and the
suspension system is. then self-levelling to a constant
height. The switches are disconnected from the circuit
before travelling so that the machine stays at a constant
height during movement. The accumulators are cross
connected to prevent pitching and rolling during trav-
elling, and restrictors are fitted in the hydraulic connec-
tion lines to control the speed of actuation of the
suspension. This feature was found to work extremely
well in practice.
To enable the wheels to negotiate obstructions the
suspension is arranged to allow any pair of wheels to
climb over a 10 in obstruction and each wheel in the
pair will allow a transverse difference in height one to
the other of 8 in. This feature is achieved by mounting
the wheels on a cross beam carried in a spherical
bearing which in turn is carried on the trailing link of
0 IMechE 1985
 THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A VERY LARGE MOBILE CRANE
the suspension fork. All six forks and suspension
arrangements are identical.
The four driving wheels are arranged on the centre
pair of forks and the non-drive steering wheels are on
the forks at the outer ends of the machine. This arrange-
ment enabled the same turning circle to be achieved
when travelling in either direction. The turning circle is
3.5 m and the minimum road width which can be nego-
tiated for a 90" intersection is 10 m.
Poclain H30 two-speed wheel motors were selected
for this application since at the time they were the only
motors which would fit inside the wheel rims and were
complete with the 500 mm diameter brake drums. It
was also possible to use the motor casings, axles and
bearings to form the hubs and axles for the non-drive
wheels. Other arrangements would have meant using
chain drives from the motors to the wheel axles and the
brakes would not have been standard automotive units.
The hydraulic motors are connected in parallel to give
an equal torque to each drive wheel thus providing the
necessary differential action to allow all four wheels to
revolve at different speeds when the machine is nego-
tiating curves.
To eliminate the possibility of loss of traction due to
the driving wheels slipping on the ground, velocity
valves are fitted in the hydraulic supply lines on each
side of each wheel motor. Thus if one wheel tends to
lose traction its speed will be just higher than the
maximum speed of travel and the other wheels will still
drive at a slightly slower speed. The valves must not
close completely if traction is lost, since this could
damage the supply pipes or hoses due to shock. The
motors are arranged with two-speed connections to
allow the unloaded machine to travel at a higher speed.
The maximum working pressure for the hydraulic
motors is 315 bar which is the pressure for the machine
fully loaded at maximum speed up the maximum gra-
dient.
5.2 Braking
The driving wheels of the machine have been provided
with two systems of braking.
One system provides dynamic braking through the
hydraulic wheel motors. This system will not bring the
machine to a complete stop due to hydraulic leakages
within the motors and the system. The hydraulic system
in the drive circuit is protected by deceleration valves
and cross line relief valves between the motors and the
main pilot operated direction control valves.
A second braking system is by means of spring actu-
ated drum brakes on the driving wheels. These brakes
are operated by Bendix type 30 HD spring brake actu-
ators. Using these brakes on four wheels only gives a
very low level of deceleration when fully laden. The
maximum service deceleration (limited by the founda-
tion brake) is 0.077 g when fully laden. This gives a
stopping distance of approximately 4.0 m which is con-
sidered satisfactory since any greater deceleration could
result in swinging of the load. The parking brakes are
also capable of holding the loaded machine on a 6 per
cent gradient. The air pressure for operation of the
brakes is limited to 7 bar. With the above systems
working normally it is not possible to separate the
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actions of the two systems when braking and adopting
the above methods provided a safety back-up system.
The operation of the dual spring brake actuators is
such that, in the driving mode, operation of the hand
control valve in the driver's cab maintains pressure on
the spring brake diaphragm thus releasing the brakes.
The foot brake valve controls the supply of air to the
service brake chamber and a variable braking effort can
be achieved whilst the actuating spring continues to be
held off.
The spring brake system is 'fail safe'. If any of the air
lines should fail then the main operated spring is rel-
eased and the brakes applied.
Slack adjusters are fitted to all the brake levers to
facilitate adjustment of the brakes.
The drum brakes are 500 mm diameter S cam oper-
ated and were supplied complete with the wheel motors.
A further reason for braking only the driving wheels
was due to the requirement that the steering wheels
should be able to be turned from full lock to full lock
whilst stationary and fully loaded. The configuration of
each pair of wheels is such that whilst being steered they
do not spin on themselves as in normal single wheel
steering but they roll around a circle of diameter equal
to the centres of the wheels in the bogie. If the wheels
were braked this would be impossible. The system has
proved to be highly successful.
To enable the machine to be moved should the power
fail, an air connection is provided to enable the air
system of the towing vehicle to be used to release the
brakes of the machine whilst being towed.
5.3 Steering
Steering of the vehicle is achieved through the outer
pairs of non-driven wheels. All four steering castors are
mechanically coupled to each other by the rods along
the side sills and across the main portal frame. Large
diameter torque tubes are provided at the end members
of the cross frame and basically correct geometry is
achieved for steering. This is essential since the machine
has to negotiate many 90" turns within the site. It was
decided to fit a hydraulic steering actuator to each steer
castor to relieve some of the forces in the linkage.
Control of these cylinders is through a Danfoss orbital
gear actuator forming the steering column in the
driver's cab. The number of turns of the wheel from lock
to lock is fifteen.
Calculation of the steering forces for this machine
presented a problem since the 'rolling turn' feature
could not be satisfied by conventional methods. The
method described in (1) was used and allowances were
made for the type of terrain other than metalled roads.
In practice, steering of the vehicle is very easy and
even with a test load on the hooks the wheels can easily
be turned from lock to lock. The disposition of the
wheels at fairly wide centres, as previously mentioned, is
a major factor in the ease of steering.
Hydraulic supply to the steering gear is through a
flow priority valve; this supply also feeds the suspension
adjustment system and an electrically operated solenoid
valve dictates flow to one or the other. This method was
adopted to ensure the machine cannot be steered-
hence travelled-whilst the load is being lifted or
lowered and the suspension adjustment is in operation.
Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 199 No D2
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Theoretically it is just possible to operate the steering
manually if the hydraulic supply fails but it would
require a very great effort to operate the steering whilst
stationary. The wheels are carried on forks or castors
mounted on robust ball thrust bearings at the bottom of
the castor tubes. These bearings will also resist the con-
siderable radial loads imposed when negotiating obsta-
cles. The tops of the castor tubes are fitted with radial
roller bearings and the reactions from each of these
bearings is taken in the top and bottom flanges of the
side sills. Diaphragms and spacer tubes are provided in
the side sills making for a robust castor connection. The
design of this detail enables the high forces to be
absorbed when the machine negotiates obstacles and
undulations in the roadway. The centre forks are identi-
cal to the outer forks but are bolted to the sills since
they do not have to rotate. The main fork member
carries a ‘trailing arm’ attached to its lower extremity
which extends between the wheels to a hydraulic
support cylinder thus forming a support beam for the
wheel axles.
The axles are carried in the trailing arms on spherical
bearings which give a self-aligning feature and also
allow the wheels to articulate in a transverse direction.
The stroke of the cylinders is such that if the hydraulic
or air system fails then the machine can settle on its
lower stops without any structural damage occurring.
As mentioned previously, the accumulators connected
to the hydraulic suspension cylinders are cross con-
nected in such a manner to prevent. rolling or pitching
of the machine whilst travelling. The working hydraulic
pressure in the suspension cylinders is 165 bar, the
cylinders being 125 mm bore with a total stroke of
330 mm. These cylinders are single-acting but the rod
side is filled with oil which works through external
check valves to form a damper for the vehicle suspen-
sion.
5.4 Lifting units
The maximum load is arranged to be lifted on four
hooks. Each hook as a rated capacity of 273 tonnes and
is mounted in a sheave block having four rope sheaves
mounted on roller bearings. Due to the height limi-
tations for the machine the hook block and its support-
ing trolleys had to be constructed to give an absolute
minimum headroom when the hook is in its highest
position. In addition, each of the hoist systems had to
be arranged so that they could be varied individually in
a longitudinal direction along the runway beams in the
main frame structure to suit varying suspension centre
of loads.
A trolley is provided on each of the four runway
beams, each trolley carried on four single-flanged
runners and the rope sheaves are mounted on the sides
of the trolleys between double-side plates. Whilst this
provided a very short headroom to the hoist system it
necessitated a very heavy bottom block frame to
prevent the bottom block from tilting excessively when
being raised or lowered without a load on the hook.
Each hoist system is carried on eight falls of rope; the
ropes are 16 mm diameter Dyform 34 LR type, with a
factor of safety of 5.5. These ropes are multi-strand,
extremely flexible, being manufactured especially for
crane duties. To move the trolleys along the runway
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beams and also hold them in position, each trolley is
fitted with a through rod type hydraulic cylinder. The
cylinder body is attached to the trolley side frame and
the cylinder rods extend to each end of the runway
beams. The rods are flexibly connected to the structure
at their extremities to prevent distortion of the rods.
Whilst the cylinder rods appear quite slender, the effort
to travel the trolleys is applied on the tension side of the
cylinder. Hydraulic supply to the cylinders is through
flexible hoses since it was considered too expensive to
provide hollow rods for the supply. The trolleys are
locked in position hydraulically by operation of the
pilot control valves. Thus an infinitely variable posi-
tioning of the lifting points can be achieved to suit the
varying centres of the loads to be handled. The hoist
winches are mounted two on each main frame sill
immediately adjacent to the main portal.
The ropes from these winches are each led over a
system of rope pulleys to the travelling trolleys and then
along the side of the runway beams to the anchor points
or equalizing system. The winches are hydraulically
driven through gear motors and planetary gear boxes,
and are fitted with spring applied hydraulic released fail
safe multi-disc brakes.
The rope drums are grooved for multi-layer spooling
and arranged to accommodate the ropes in three layers.
The rope had to be accommodated in three layers to
reduce the width of the drum to give the correct lead
angle of the rope between the drums and the diverting
pulleys at the top of the portal frame. A feature of these
drums is that the grooves were cast in and no machin-
ing was necessary. All the rope sheaves on the machine
also have shell moulded cast grooves. To maintain the
correct coiling of the ropes on the drums whilst the
ropes are not under tension a ‘rope crowding’ device is
fitted which is in the form of a spring loaded roller
system running on the ropes at a point slightly ahead of
the leaving position.
As previously mentioned, the client specified that the
hoist system should be such that across corner over-
loading should not occur during a four point lift. To
achieve this without resorting to a complicated moni-
toring system it was necessary to obtain the equivalent
of a three-point suspension system using four hoists.
The roping of the system is such that the two rear hoist
anchorages are independent and each has a fixed rope
anchorage at the dead end of the hoist rope. The two
front hoists are arranged so that the anchorages of the
dead ends of the hoist ropes are connected through a
system of levers to an equalizing cylinder which, when
not hydraulically locked, allows the front hoist systems
to equalize fully giving the equivalent of a three-point
suspension.
Centralization of the front hoist system is achieved by
hoisting and lowering of the two opposite front hoists.
Levelling of the complete load is carried out by oper-
ating valves which isolate either the right or left hand
pair of hoists and the front or rear opposite side hoists
can be operated to level the load. The two front hoists
or the two rear hoists can also be operated by leaving
the ‘level’ valve in the centre position. To ensure that
the hoists were all equally loaded by using the above
levelling system, a series of PIAB load cell sensing
devices was fitted to each of the rope anchors. Whilst
these units are usually installed in weighing or safe load
Q IMechE 1985
 THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A VERY LARGE MOBILE CRANE
indicating systems, there was no call for a safe load
indicator system on this machine. What had to be indi-
cated was that all the loads were equal. A four dial
recording unit was installed in the cab, one dial for each
(PIAB) load sensor. This unit is in front of the driver
and enables him to check that the hands of the dials are
all at the same angular displacement when the loads on
the hoists are equal. When the load is lifted, if the dials
are not all reading the same then the loads can be
adjusted by the levelling methods previously described.
The dials are plain and unmarked except for an indica-
tion which hoist they represent. In practice the system
works quite well and the driver soon becomes proficient
in quickly equalizing the loads. Also, even though the
system is not intended to denote accurately the load
lifted, it gives a clear proportional indication of the load
on the hooks.
5.5 Engine and auxiliaries
The power pack, comprising engine, pumps, cooling
system and auxiliaries, is mounted on a common bed-
plate which is connected to the right hand frame sill by
flexible mountings. To enable the controls to be easily
routed between driver's cab and the engine, the power
pack is above and just to the rear of the cab.
The engine is a Leyland 698 T-6 cylinder turbo-
charged diesel engine fitted with an alternator, air com-
pressor and power steer type pump. Three, in-line radial
piston pumps, and one gear pump are connected in-line
at the rear of the engine on to the flywheel housing. The
engine is rated at 108 kW at 2500 r/min and the radial
piston pumps are each capable of delivering 192.5 l/min.
The gear pump is arranged to supply power at lower
pressure to the pilot valves, suspension and power steer-
ing systems. One of the radial piston pumps serves the
travel motion at a pressure of 315 bar. The two other
radial piston pumps serve the front hoist and the rear
hoist systems. The supply from these pumps to the hoist
units is each taken through a pilot operated direction
control valve and relief valve set at 160 bar, then
through a rotary flow divider to the pilot operated
sequence valves, one for each hoist motor on the
winches. The flow from the flow dividers is 'tuned
equally' by means of a variable flow valve to adjust the
hoist speed to equality since the flow cannot be accu-
rately divided with the type of flow divider used. The
hoist motors are geared type and coupled to the hoist
gearboxes through fail safe brakes. The brakes are rel-
eased at a pressure of 10/12 bar. The counterbalance
valves are fitted to each hoist circuit between the flow
dividers and the directional control valves. The function
of these valves is to control the lowering motion of the
hoist against a check valve which is opened by the
pressure required to lower the load. If the load tends to
'run away' then the line pressure falls and the check
valve tends to close. In practice a stable condition arises
and the load can be lowered in a controlled and stable
condition.
The engine power pack is housed in a sheet steel
enclosure fitted with hinged doors and access platform
to allow the engine pack to be easily serviced and main-
tained. A large silencer is fitted to the exhaust system
together with a catalytic exhaust gas purifier. This puri-
fier was fitted since the machine has to travel inside the
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boiler storage building where exhaust fumes must be
kept to an absolute minimum.
Care was taken to ensure a correct cooling air flow
path through the engine enclosure to cool the engine
effectively and also to ensure the engine and pump noise
is directed upwards along with the exhaust gas. The
cooling air inlet is at the front top end of the casing and
travels vertically downwards to the radiator. The air is
then made to turn through 90", passes through the radi-
ator and across the engine and pumps. At the opposite
end of the housing the air is then turned through 90"to
exit vertically upwards.
The engine air inlet filter, and the silencer are also
inside the enclosure. This helps to keep the noise to a
minimum. The exhaust pipe exit is in the cooling air
exit and points vertically upwards. Precautions are
taken in the shape of the outlet end of the exhaust pipe
to ensure the exhaust and silencer do not fill with rain
water when the engine is stopped. It is also found that
the noise from the engine and pumps at ground levd is
greatly reduced by adopting this method. Bestobell
insulation is attached to the inside of the engine housing
to complete the sound insulation. The complete install-
ation is such that with the engine running at full speed
it can only just be heard at ground level. The batteries
for the electrics on the machine, two 180 ampkre hour,
20 hour rating batteries, are also carried inside the
engine housing. They are connected such that if the
auxiliary services are left switched on, then only one of
the batteries can be exhausted and when the engine is
restarted on the other battery, the discharged battery is
recharged.
The engine speed is controlled by the foot pedal in
the driver's cab through a morse cable. This same cable
also operates the pilot valve controlling the variable
delivery pumps. Control of the wheel motors is through
a pilot operated directional control valve, cross line
relief valves and a deceleration valve which is controlled
by the pressure in the pump delivery. The Poclain
motors are dual displacement type which enable the
machine to be travelled at a higher speed when lightly
loaded. The main drum brakes are also integral with the
motors. To prevent loss of traction should one wheel
spin, velocity valves are fitted in the supply pipes to the
motors. The setting of these valves was made when the
machine was tested.
To ensure the hydraulic oil is kept adequately cooled
without resorting to special coolers, a large oil tank is
fitted on the opposite sill to that which carries the
engine and pump sets. This tank has a capacity of
1250 1. There was a problem in maintaining an ade-
quate hydraulic head to stop the pumps cavitating at
maximum demand. An ideal reservoir could have been
made in the large rectangular section forming the main
portal cross member, but this idea was discounted since
if any leak developed in service it would have presented
a major repair problem. If the tank had been positioned
on the same sill as the engine then there would have
been a large out-of-balance load in the machine. It was
decided to fit two large square section pipes over and
across the portal frame and rely on a hydraulic syphon
to maintain the flow. Great care had to be taken to
maintain an airtight system, to maintain this syphon.
The tank was pressurized to 5 lbf/in2, however, when
the machine was commissioned it was found that with
Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 199 No D2
86
all the pumps on full demand the minimum vacuum
permissible to ensure correct functioning of the pumps
could not be maintained. The air pressure in the tank
could have been increased but the tank would then have
been classed as an air receiver, and require the necess-
ary certification. The solution to this problem was to
supply a header tank at the level of the top portal, and
the main tank and cross pipe system was kept com-
pletely full of oil. The difference in volume caused by the
steering and suspension cylinder movement was allowed
for in the design of this header tank and it was thus
possible to maintain the necessary pressure to ensure
correct functioning of the pumps. An added bonus
through fitting this tank was that the system could then
easily be primed by simply filling through the header
tank.
Except for a small number, all the hydraulic valves
are mounted on two trays suspended below the main
sill below the engine housing and between the wheel
castors. This allows easy access to the valves for service
and maintenance.
5.6 Driver’s cab
The driver’s cab is suspended from one of the sills at the
front end immediately in front of one of the wheel
castors. It is an all steel cab with glazing on three sides.
The front window is top hinged and opening. With a
machine of this type it was difficult to decide just where
the cab should be mounted. In conjunction with the
client various positions were considered, bearing in
mind the cab could not be fitted either between the span
or on the outside due to the limited clearances.
The three options were, first, to site the cab on the
top of a sill between the middle and outer portals,
which would mean that the driver would have restricted
vision. To site the cab on the top of the sill in front of
an end portal would mean that the driver would still
have restricted vision to his left across a suspended
maximum length load. Both these positions would
present difficult access for the driver. The final position
adopted seemed to satisfy most requirements and twin
rear-view mirrors give the driver some view backwards.
If the load is lifted high enough when travelling he has a
certain amount of vision to his left. This position is,
however, perhaps somewhat vulnerable, but the driver
has easy access and exit in case of emergency.
The layout of the cab controls is such that the trav-
elling motion is controlled in a similar manner to an
automatic drive vehicle. The driver selects forward or
reverse on the drive lever, selects high or low speed on a
second lever, releases the hand brake and depresses the
foot pedal which controls the speed of the engine and
flow from the pumps. The second foot pedal controls
the service brake. These pedals are arranged in the con-
ventional driving manner. The remaining hand levers
for controlling the hoists and suspension are arranged
at the left hand side of the cab. The load indicator dials
are mounted in a dashboard mounted console in front
of and to the left of the driving position so that the
driver can monitor the load at all times.
The cab is fitted with a fresh air ventilation and
heating system, internal strip lighting and the usual
warning instruments. To enable the driver to be notified
of any hazard he cannot see, warning push buttons are
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E WADSWORTH
fitted along the sills which can be pressed to sound a
loud alarm in the cab. An intermittent horn is fitted to
operate automatically when the machine is in reverse.
Working lights are fitted to the front of the machine
and red lights to the rear. Rotating red beacons are
mounted at the top comers of the machine. Whilst the
machine is intended to operate in specified areas it was
felt that these lighting and warning beacons would be
the minimum required, since when carrying a load
about the site the machine would be accompanied by
pedestrian assistants. If it were ever intended to drive a
machine such as this unaccompanied then it would be a
virtual necessity to have closed circuit TV for the driver.
6 ASSEMBLY AND TESTING
The machine was built and trial assembled at the
company’s Annan factory and all the motions run to
prove the hydraulic circuitry. It will be appreciated by
those concerned with the development of new hydraulic
machinery of this type that first time success is very
rare, and is one of the facts of mobile hydraulic machin-
ery construction.
Since the machine was assembled indoors it was not
possible to put the motions through exhaustive trials
and the most that could be done was to check pressures
and flow, brake gear operation and lift a token test
load.
After this the machine was disassembled into as few
assemblies as possible and transported to site. Due to its
size it was necessary to assemble the complete machine
outside with no form of weather covering. The first
machine was assembled during very bad weather condi-
tions on a site at the coast. Despite all this, the machine
was completed and run light to prove all the motions. A
specially constructed test cradle was used to carry the
test weights. The suspension points on the cradle were
similar in position to those on the largest boiler pack-
ages to be handled. The lifting capacity of the machine
had to be tested to 25 per cent overload, making an all
up weight on the hooks of 137.5 tonnes. This weight
had to be lifted through the full range of lift and
stopped and started during this test.
During the test it was found necessary to ‘tune’ each
hoist and there were problems with the speed of appli-
cation of the brakes due to the length of drain lines
between brakes, motors and hydraulic tank. In the
initial circuitry for levelling the load, some difficulty was
experienced in achieving a satisfactory levelling pro-
cedure and the circuit was altered to that finally
adopted for the two machines manufactured.
It was also found that the weight of the hook blocks
had to be slightly increased to ensure that a light hook
could be satisfactorily lowered without the ropes
tending to go slack. In carrying out these hoist tests the
PIAB load sensing units proved very satisfactory and
enabled adjustments to the hoist systems to be easily
carried out. After this the hook load was reduced to the
110 tonnes working load and travelling tests were
carried out on level and undulating ground and also on
the specified gradient. During these tests the suspension
was demonstrated and also the self-levelling feature was
proved.
The suspension system and articulation was proved
whilst the machine was moving from level ground on to
@ IMechE 1985
 THE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A VERY LARGE MOBILE CRANE
a gradient and all wheels made firm contact with the
ground during the transition from level to slope and
vice versa.
The steering of the machine is very positive and
requires little effort to steer from lock to lock whilst
stationary and carrying full load. Whilst lifting the test
load the suspension did not maintain its full height since
the relief valves setting would not permit the height to
be achieved. However, this height setting was not a test
requirement, and even so the parts of the machine with-
stood the test load without failure. As previously men-
tioned, a hydraulic header tank was fitted to the
reservoir system and also a small make-up pump was
fitted to the engine PTO to provide a make-up to the
hydraulic motors, since this was found necessary when
braking to maintain the motor drive pistons in the posi-
tive attitude.
7 COMMISSIONING
Two machines have now been handed over to the client.
It is worth commenting that when commissioning the
first machine the weather conditions can only be
described as atrocious and the tenacity and persev-
erance of the men who carried out the work under these
conditions cannot be too highly appreciated. The
number of times they were soaked in hydraulic oil, fuel
and rain cannot be counted and only those who have
laboured under similar conditions will realize what this
means. Usually the development of machines of this
nature is carried out in relatively comfortable condi-
tions under some form of cover.
At the time of preparation of this paper both
machines were successfully transporting the boilers from
road transport into storage sheds and from these sheds
about the sites to the assembly points on the plant.
During these movements it has further been established
that with a boiler suspended it is possible to move it
bodily within the machine along the trolley beams to
facilitate further handling by the assembly cranes
The machines have proved satisfactory and it is felt
that with the type of suspension adopted there is a con-
siderable market for this type of machine on construc-
tion sites, where the terrain is not suitable for
non-suspension machines. They also have potential for
container handling on rough terrain or unmade sites.
Smaller versions could also be used on industrial sites
where craneage is at a premium.
With the degree of articulation in the suspension it is
also possible to travel across railway tracks whilst
carrying a full load and this could be an advantage over
the directional restraint of many container handling
cranes. A recent study was made for one such machine
of 14 m span having a lift height of 8 m to handle con-
crete bridge sections on a bridge construction site. The
machine would be far less costly than a conventional
Goliath crane and its tracks with their associated foun-
dations. During the commissioning of the machines
there were inevitably difficulties which had to be over-
come. Some of these were of a very minor nature such
as leaking pipe joints and adjustments to relief valves
etc. The more important problems and solutions are
detailed as follows.
1. Suspension and steering hydraulic supply. It was found
that due to the power steering unit being open
(6 IMechE 1985
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81
centred pressure could not be built up in the suspen-
sion system unless the steering was set to full lock. A
solenoid operated check valve was introduced in the
hydraulic circuit before the power steering unit. This
valve was energized from a micro-switch operated by
releasing the hand brake lever. Thus, as previously
mentioned, the machine cannot be moved whilst sus-
pension cylinders are being operated.
It was found that due to the relatively long hydraulic
return lines from the hoist motors to the control
valves a pressure build-up was great enough to
release the hoist brakes at certain times. To stop this
occurring a solenoid operated direction control valve
was introduced which connected the brake direct to
the tank thus ensuring the fail safe feature for the
hoists. The valve is operated to release the brake by a
micro-switch on the hoist control system.
One problem which eluded solution for quite a few
days was that of the cavitation or aeration of the oil
through the pumps. It was found that when the
hydraulic oil tank was filled to the correct level the
supply was clear, but after a small reduction in the
oil level the problem arose. The suction pipe was
checked to see that it went to the bottom of the tank
as it was designed. Eventually, it was found that a
screwed joint in the suction pipe in the tank was not
completely sealed and allowed air into the system
intermittently. After the event it would appear that
this should have been found earlier, but as with
many simple problems it caused a lot of inconve-
nience.
On the second machine there was a problem with the
travel brake system which also highlighted the fact
that the S cams were assembled wrong in the drum
brakes. Due to the large size of the hydraulic pipes to
the travel motors it had been decided to use com-
pression fittings which relied on 0 rings to maintain
the joint seal. Unfortunately, whilst the loaded
machine was on its maximum gradient, one of these
joints failed and the hydraulic braking feature was
lost. The drum brakes should have held the machine
on the slope but failed to do so. It was then found,
after checking, that the brake cams were the wrong
way round and the brakes could not be actuated to
give their full effort. The brakes were corrected and
the joints proved and subsequent trials proved the
air brakes with full load on the maximum grade.
The other major problem, already mentioned, was
the fitting of the hydraulic header tank to the
hydraulic system. This feature will be fitted in the
first instance on future machines.
Bearing in mind that the two machines were built
from first ideas to commissioning with no time for real
development, the number of problems experienced were
actually very few.
The specification for the machines stated that they
had to comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act
to the current British Standards, and has been referred
to in the text dealing with the various parts of the struc-
ture and mechanism.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Finally, appreciation is given to the NEI Project Engi-
neer on site, Mr K. Finnemore, the site erectors and the
Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 199 No DZ
88 E WADSWORTH

Hamworthy Engineering Commissioning Engineer, Mr REFERENCE

K' McKee, efforts in the Of this 1 Hesack, F. H.and JeiTery, H.The application of power assistance
machine and also to the Directors and Management of to the steering of wheeled vehicles. Proc. Auto. Din Instn. Mech.
NEI Cranes Limited, for permission to publish this Engrs. 1953-5469-94.
Paper.

APPENDIX
Machine 110 tonnes capacity rough terrain construction
site vehicle for handling nuclear boilers
Suspension Full hydrogas on all wheels
Maximum wheel pair lift 125 m m
Maximum cross articulation
of any pair of wheels 203 mm
Maximum obstruction machine
will negotiate 254 mm
Steering Power assisted on front and rear wheel pairs
Maximum lock to lock capability when
stationary and fully laden
Prime mover 108 kW six cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine
Tyres Heavy duty road lug 18.00 x 25 x 24 ply
Twelve wheels.
Noise level Less than 78 dBA
Travel motion Four-wheel drive radial piston motors
Maximum gradient 6 per cent
Maximum speed on maximum gradient 1.5 km/h
Maximum speed on level 2.5 km/h
Hoist motion Four 27.5 tonnes capacity hydraulic winches
with individual adjustment
Dimensions Overall length 116oomm
Overall height 6300 mm
Overall width 7984 mm
Tare weight Approximately 56 tonnes

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