An innovative add-on kit from Terex Cranes can enhance the capacity of some of the world’s largest steel cranes
Global crane manufacturer Terex Cranes has designed a way to increase the performance of its existing cranes with an easy-to-use, transportable add-on. Now, the Boom Booster Kit has been used for the first time, erecting a 200-metre wind turbine.
In September 2016, German Paderborn-based crane service provider Hofmann Kran-Vermietung & co. KG Autokrane used a Terex Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane to erect a 200-metre Nordex wind turbine. The project was undertaken on behalf of KS Regenerative Energie and needed a crane that could reach the height of 164 metres.
The Terex Cranes Kit was the perfect tool for the job, allowing for a total reach of 234 metres and with the capability to lift around 80 tonnes. The Terex CC 8800-1 cranes are already known as one of the largest crawler cranes in the world, and this latest kit stretches their capabilities to new limits.
助力臂附加组件被加装到Superlift 3800型起重机上，使得该起重机可以到达160米以上的高度。
助力臂附加组件在吊装过程中，没有显露出任何压迫感，这让操作员Christoph Bergmaier很钦佩
“Even with this type of demanding lift at a height of over 160 metres, the machine didn’t struggle,” reports crane operator Christoph Bergmaier. “Even when lifting heavy loads, you can’t hear any stress relieving as is typical for these type of cranes. I’m sure I could have picked up even more without a problem!”
The Boom Booster in detail
The aim of the new boom system was to make something that could be retrofitted onto existing crane models and would eliminate the need to buy a new, larger crane.
The Boom Booster system is a welded steel structure that is mounted directly onto the crane and consists of up to seven 12-meter-long sections: two 11-metre adapters and five intersection parts. The use of steel allowed Terex to create something that was incredibly strong, durable and easy to take apart and put together. This isn’t just an incredible feat of strength and height: it’s a great cost- and time-saving exercise for constructors.
“Think of it like chip tuning a car, which instantly increases the performance,” explains Harald Riedinger, Director Technology and Innovation, Terex Cranes Group, based in Germany.
“Think of it like chip tuning a car, which instantly increases the performance.”
The Boom Booster doesn’t need additional reinforcements on the base crane and its single-tube design and pin-bolt structure means that it can be partially or completely disassembled, depending on the specific road transportation regulations. The kit fits in standard 40 feet open-top containers, which means that it requires fewer trucks and reduces fuel consumption.
Quick-coupling technology also allows for a reduced workforce. Counterweights can be easily attached and removed so that there is no need for an assist crane.
The Kit reached the final of the SSAB 2015 Swedish Steel Prize. SSAB is a global leader in high-strength steel and wear plate, and the annual prize recognises innovation and creativity in products that utilise high-strength steel.
Images: SSAB