Patent Application
20240076169
The present application claims the priority benefits of German application no. DE10 2022 122 282.9, filed on Sep. 2, 2022.
The invention relates to a vehicle crane having a superstructure which is rotatably mounted on a lower carriage and has a telescopic main jib, wherein the superstructure consists of a base superstructure and an attachment superstructure arranged in a detachable manner thereon. The invention also relates to a method for rigging such a vehicle crane.
European laid-open document EP 0 779 235 A2 discloses a mobile crane, comprising a lower carriage with crawler tracks or wheels and a superstructure which is rotatably mounted on the lower carriage and has a telescopic main jib. A short lattice mast is bolted to a rear end of the superstructure in the manner of a guying bracket and receives, inter alia, lifting and luffing mechanisms otherwise arranged in the superstructure. The lifting and luffing mechanisms which are thus displaced to the rear are intended to contribute to an increase in the counterweight. The short lattice mast can be bolted to the superstructure in a horizontal or a rearwards rising orientation. Moreover, the short lattice mast consists of a base mast which is bolted to the superstructure and has a suspended main weight and an auxiliary mast which is arranged so as to be pivotable on the base mast and has a further suspended secondary counterweight. The lifting and luffing mechanisms are arranged in the base mast. By means of the pivotable auxiliary mast, the secondary counterweight can be lifted from the ground from an inoperative position on the ground to an operative position.
German laid-open document DE 38 38 975 A1 discloses a further vehicle crane having a lower carriage, a superstructure, a telescopic main jib and a counterweight. The counterweight is not part of the superstructure, consists of a counterweight support with counterweight plates and is suspended by means of a suspension rod. The suspension rod, in turn, is suspended from a mast arranged in the manner of a guying bracket in a luffable manner on the superstructure. In addition, the counterweight support is guided via a horizontal guide rod at a spaced interval with respect to and on the superstructure. In this case, the mast, the suspension rod and the guide rod are each telescopic in order to increase or decrease the spaced interval between the counterweight and the superstructure and thus an associated counterweight moment as required. In order to move the vehicle crane, the mast, the suspension rod and the guide rod are telescoped in, the mast is folded in and the mast, the suspension rod, the guide rod and counterweight support are placed down on the lower carriage. In a conventional manner for the operation of the vehicle crane, the counterweight support which can also be transported on the lower carriage can be loaded with individual counterweight plates which can be transported separately to the place of usage.
Furthermore, German laid-open document DE 10 2015 006 439 A1 discloses a mobile crane having counterweight arrangement which can be attached to a superstructure and is transported separately to the place of usage. The counterweight arrangement comprises a base frame which can be separated from the superstructure, a winch and two opposing pivot arms which are articulated to the base frame and each have a counterweight stack. The pivot arms can each be pivoted with respect to the base frame about a vertical bearing in order to move the counterweight stacks in a horizontal plane for changing the counterweight radius and/or the pivot radius of the superstructure. In order to mount the counterweight arrangement on the superstructure, ballasting cylinders are arranged on the counterweight arrangement, with the aid of which a counterweight arrangement placed on a lower carriage of the mobile crane can be raised for coupling to the superstructure.
Furthermore, German laid-open document DE 29 17 829 A1 discloses a further vehicle crane comprising a superstructure. The superstructure receives a counterweight in a known manner. Also, the superstructure has a rearwards protruding hinged support articulated thereto, said hinged support being pivotable about a horizontal axis and the free end thereof being suspended at the top from a telescoping jib of the vehicle crane via guying means. An auxiliary counterweight is likewise suspended from the free end of the hinged support.
The present invention provides a vehicle crane and a method for rigging a vehicle crane, by means of which a more flexible adaptation to usage conditions is possible.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, in the case of a vehicle crane having a superstructure which is rotatably mounted on a lower carriage and has a telescopic main jib, wherein the superstructure consists of a base superstructure and an attachment superstructure arranged in a detachable manner thereon and the attachment superstructure receives at least one main counterweight, a more flexible adaptation to usage conditions is achieved by virtue of the fact that at least one auxiliary support acting as a hinged support is fastened to the attachment superstructure, the rear end of which auxiliary support is suspended from a main jib head via a guying means or structure or system, in particular on the main jib and/or on an auxiliary jib and/or on an adapter, and an auxiliary counterweight is suspended from the rear end of the at least one auxiliary support. The hinged support is connected to the attachment superstructure via a joint in a conventional manner, so that only compression forces and no bending forces are introduced into the attachment superstructure. The modular structure of the vehicle crane advantageously provides more flexible adaptation to the usage conditions of the vehicle crane. The attachment superstructure, which can be detached from the base superstructure and has the main counterweight, and also the at least one auxiliary support can thus be transported in a flexible manner together with or separately from the vehicle crane between the respective places of usage of the vehicle crane. This ensures that the vehicle crane may travel on public roads in a road-travel state relieved of components, such as e.g. the attachment superstructure, the main counterweight and the at least one auxiliary support, in compliance with associated and local regulations, such as e.g. maximum axle load and permissible total weight, between the places of usage. By means of the at least one auxiliary support and the flying auxiliary counterweight, the counterweight moment can be adapted in a further range to the usage conditions of the vehicle crane. This type of rigging of the vehicle crane with a flying auxiliary counterweight is particularly suitable for main jibs having an extended total length of about 35 m. By using the flying auxiliary counterweight with a larger counterweight radius, the weight of the required total counterweight can be reduced accordingly.
In structural terms, provision is made in an advantageous manner that the at least one auxiliary support is fastened in an articulated manner to the attachment superstructure. This allows the effective weight moment of the auxiliary counterweight and the rear outreach of the vehicle crane to be easily adapted to the usage conditions by pivoting the auxiliary support in the horizontal and/or vertical direction. The articulated arrangement also allows the counterweight to be set down passively when the crane or the guying means is unloaded, so that tilting rearwards can be prevented. In this case, a crane system which is braced to the front, in particular consisting of the main jib, guying means, counterweights, auxiliary supports, lifting cable and load, will deform to the rear when the load is being set down and a counterweight close to the ground will be set down on the ground surface. By means of the permitted passive pivoting capability, the articulated auxiliary support relieves the rear guying arrangement, in particular auxiliary supports and guying means.
In this case, it is advantageous that the at least one auxiliary support can be pivoted by an angle of 40 degrees to 130 degrees. This angle range is measured between a vertical extending through the joint with a horizontal pivot axis and a longitudinal axis of the at least one auxiliary support. The angle values increase by pivoting the at least one auxiliary support down towards the ground. An auxiliary support erected in parallel with the vertical has a pivot angle of 0 degrees.
The rigging procedure is facilitated by virtue of the fact that the auxiliary support is fastened to the attachment superstructure such that the auxiliary support can be placed on the ground or the lower carriage. In this case, the guying means are not yet fastened and are not tensioned. In a particular embodiment, the at least one auxiliary support is at least 3 m long.
In particular embodiments, provision is made that a first and a second auxiliary support each having an auxiliary counterweight extend rearwards starting from the attachment superstructure. In this case, at least the rear ends of the auxiliary supports are laterally spaced apart and arranged opposite one another in relation to a longitudinal direction of the attachment superstructure. Guying means allocated to the auxiliary counterweights can thus be run without crossing in relation to any luffing cables of a luffable auxiliary jib, which are arranged in a conventional manner in the region of the longitudinal direction of the attachment superstructure.
The at least one auxiliary support may be designed as a lateral superlift arm and can thus be used in connection with another type of rigging of the vehicle crane not as an auxiliary support but as a lateral superlift arm. In the case of longer main jibs having a length of more than 35 m, the auxiliary supports are used as lateral superlift arms and are fastened to the basic box of the main jib in a conventional manner.
In particular embodiments, provision is made that the at least one auxiliary support is divided into a start portion and an end portion which are connected to one another so as to be able to be folded in an articulated manner about a horizontal folding axis. This allows the desired counterweight moment from the auxiliary counterweights to be adapted even more flexibly in a wider range to the usage conditions of the vehicle crane.
Simplified attachment and detachment of the attachment superstructure can be achieved by virtue of the fact that the attachment superstructure can be raised from a rigging position on the lower carriage to an attachment position next to the base superstructure and the attachment superstructure can be detachably coupled to the base superstructure in the attachment position. For this purpose, provision is made in a particular manner that at least one rigging cylinder is arranged on the attachment superstructure and the attachment superstructure can be raised from the rigging position to the attachment position via said rigging cylinder.
As known from a typical superstructure, the at least one main counterweight is stationary relative to the base superstructure during operation of the vehicle crane. The term stationary does not include the rigging of the main counterweight, in which counterweight plates are stacked in a conventional manner.
In a structurally advantageous embodiment, provision is made that a first and a second main counterweight are provided which are arranged opposite and spaced apart from one another in relation to a longitudinal direction of the attachment superstructure. Therefore, a large counterweight and also installation space for further components on the attachment superstructure can be achieved at the same time.
Displacement of components and thus of weight from the base superstructure to the attachment superstructure can be achieved by virtue of the fact that at least one lifting mechanism and/or one winch mechanism are arranged on the superstructure.
Simplified mounting of the auxiliary support on the vehicle crane is achieved by virtue of the fact that the at least one auxiliary support is placed in a rigging position on or at the lower carriage and can be coupled to the attachment superstructure. For this purpose, a rest is arranged in an advantageous manner on the lower carriage, on which rest the at least one auxiliary support lies in the rigging position. This rest can also be used for placement of the main jib. Alternatively, the auxiliary support(s) can also be rigged directly onto the attachment superstructure from a rigging frame or a low loader. Here, a rigging frame can either stand on the ground or can be connected to a front or rear support beam, and possibly a front or rear frame of the lower carriage, for better orientation of the parts and in dependence upon the pivot position of the superstructure on the lower carriage.
In relation to a flexible adaptation of the total weight of the vehicle crane which can travel on public roads, provision is made that the base superstructure has no counterweight.
Typically, a vehicle crane which can travel on public roads advantageously has a lower carriage with wheels for travel on roads.
In a particular embodiment, provision is made that the rear end of the at least one auxiliary support is suspended from a main jib head via the guying means on the main jib and/or on an auxiliary jib and/or on an adapter. Preferably, the guying means are connected only to one of the aforementioned fastening points.
In accordance with aspects of the invention, such vehicle cranes can be rigged in a flexible manner in various ways. The methods in accordance with the present invention for rigging the vehicle crane described above permits the construction of a vehicle crane having a flying auxiliary counterweight. This method comprises the following steps: (i) placing the at least one auxiliary support in a rigging position on the lower carriage, (ii) fastening the at least one auxiliary support to the attachment superstructure, (iii) guying a rear end of the at least one auxiliary support via guying means on a main jib head and/or on an adapter adjoining same or an auxiliary jib, lattice part, (iv) suspending an auxiliary counterweight from the rear end of the at least one auxiliary support.
By means of the at least one auxiliary support and the flying auxiliary counterweight, the counterweight moment can be adapted in a further range to the usage conditions of the vehicle crane. In this regard, the lattice parts, such as e.g. an adapter on the main jib head, are subsequently allocated to the main jib. Alternatively, the at least one auxiliary support can also be placed in the rigging position on the ground or on a transport vehicle or an auxiliary frame.
In a particular embodiment, provision is made that, before placing the at least one auxiliary support in a rigging position on the lower carriage, the attachment superstructure is placed in a rigging position on the lower carriage, the attachment superstructure is raised with at least one rigging cylinder from its rigging position to an attachment position next to the base superstructure, and the attachment superstructure is fastened to the base superstructure. In a still further particular embodiment, provision is made that the at least one auxiliary support is fastened to the attachment superstructure in its rigging position or in its attachment position.
In an advantageous manner, an auxiliary crane for rigging can be dispensed with because the placement of the attachment superstructure and/or the main counterweight and/or the auxiliary support for the rigging procedure onto the attachment superstructure is effected by the vehicle crane itself which is to be rigged.
Exemplified embodiments of the invention will be explained in greater detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings.
Moreover, the superstructure 3 is divided into a base superstructure 6 at the front in relation to the axis of rotation 3z and into a rear attachment superstructure 8. The base superstructure 6 is supported on the lower carriage 2 via the rotational connection 5, supports the main jib 4 via a horizontal luffing axis 4y and the attachment superstructure 8 which can be detachably connected to the base superstructure 6. The horizontal luffing axis 4y is oriented in the y-direction of an imaginary Cartesian coordinate system. The base superstructure 6 is characterized substantially by the fact that it does not include either a counterweight or a lifting mechanism or a luffing mechanism, i.e. it is has no counterweight, lifting mechanism or luffing mechanism. These components are each part of the attachment superstructure 8. Since the attachment superstructure 8 is detachably connected to the base superstructure 6, it can be transported separately from the vehicle crane 1 between the respective places of usage of the vehicle crane 1. This ensures that the vehicle crane 1 may travel on public roads between the places of usage in a road driving state relieved of components, such as e.g. the attachment superstructure 8, in compliance with associated regulations, such as e.g. maximum axle load and permissible total weight.
In
A luffable auxiliary jib 11 is connected to a main jib head 4c of the main jib 4 via an adapter 17. The auxiliary jib 11 is designed in a conventional manner with a lattice mast construction. The auxiliary jib 11 can also be designed as a box girder having a hollow box. The auxiliary jib 11 is produced in a conventional manner from steel. A fibre composite construction is also feasible. It is also feasible to have an auxiliary jib 11 constructed from jib portions of a different design, such as lattice mast, box, each consisting of steel or fibre composite. Luffing of the auxiliary jib 11 is effected in a conventional manner via one or, in this case, two luffing supports 11a in the region of the main jib head 4c or the adapter 17, via which a luffing cable 11b is run from a tip of the auxiliary jib 11 or a front region of the auxiliary jib 11 to a luffing mechanism 13 (see
In addition, the main jib 4 is guyed by means of the two first and second auxiliary counterweights 10a, 10b and associated first and second guying means 14a, 14b, in particular cables, rods or combinations thereof comprising guying members or systems. In the present embodiment, the first and second guying means 14a, 14b are fastened in the region of the main jib head 4c of the main jib 4 and the adapter 17 respectively and are run from this location to a respective first rear end 15ah of a first auxiliary support 15a and a second rear end 15bh of a second auxiliary support 15b. The first and second auxiliary supports 15a, 15b are each fastened, in turn, at their opposite first and second front ends 15av, 15bv to the superstructure 3 and the attachment superstructure 8 via a joint. The first and second auxiliary supports 15a, 15b are thus so-called hinged supports which introduce only compressive forces and no bending forces into the attachment superstructure 8. The first and second auxiliary counterweights 10a, 10b are suspended from the first rear end 15ah of the first auxiliary support 15a and from the second rear end 15bh of the second auxiliary support 15b respectively via a respective first and second suspension means or members 16a, 16b. By means of the first and second auxiliary supports 15a, 15b, the two auxiliary counterweights 10a, 10b are spaced apart to the rear in each case from the superstructure 3 and the attachment superstructure 8, thereby increasing an effective counterweight radius corresponding to a spaced interval between the centers of gravity of each of the two auxiliary counterweights 10a, 10b and the vertical axis of rotation 3z of the superstructure 3. The first and second guying means 14a, 14b and also the first and second suspension means 16a, 16b are designed as cables, chains, rods or combinations thereof. In this case, the first and second auxiliary supports 15a, 15b are each fastened to a rear end 8h (see
Furthermore, it is apparent from
In the first type of rigging described above, the main counterweight which is stacked on the attachment superstructure 8 is divided into a first main counterweight 9a and a second main counterweight 9b. In this case, the first and the second main counterweight 9a, 9b are arranged laterally offset, opposite and spaced apart from one another in relation to a longitudinal direction of the superstructure 3 and the attachment superstructure 8. In the operating position of the first and second main counterweights 9a, 9b illustrated in
In addition, the vehicle crane 1 typically has four lateral support beams 20, each with a vertically extendible hydraulic strut 20a, with which the vehicle crane 1 can be supported on a ground surface 22 (see
In
After the attachment superstructure 8 having the main counterweights 9a, 9b has been placed at its rigging location on the lower carriage 2, with the aid of the auxiliary crane, not shown, or with the vehicle crane 1 and its main jib 4 itself the attachment superstructure 8 and the first and second auxiliary support 15a, 15b are picked up together or individually one after the other from a trailer for transport to the place of usage, and are placed at their rigging locations on the lower carriage 2 and a support plate 23 which is typically used for supporting the main jib 4. In their rigging locations, the two auxiliary supports 15a, 15b are each oriented with their longitudinal axes in parallel with and laterally spaced apart from a central longitudinal direction of the lower carriage 2, as seen from above. Moreover, the two auxiliary supports 15a, 15b adjoin the rear end 8h of the attachment superstructure 8 with their respective front ends 15av, 15bv.
In a next rigging step, the two auxiliary supports 15a, 15b are coupled to the rear end 8h of the attachment superstructure 8 with their respective front ends 15av, 15bv. Alternatively, it is feasible for this coupling to take place also at a later point in time.
Also, in a further rigging step, with the aid of the auxiliary crane, not illustrated, or with the vehicle crane 1 and its main jib 4 itself the first and second auxiliary counterweights 10a, 10b are picked up from a trailer for transport to the place of usage, and are placed on the ground 22 at their rigging locations in front of the cabin 7 of the vehicle crane 1 and below the rear ends 15ah, 15bh of the first and second auxiliary supports 15a, 15b.
Furthermore, it can be seen in
Contrary to the description of
Should the coupling of the two auxiliary supports 15a, 15b with their respective front ends 15av, 15bv to the rear end 8h of the attachment superstructure 8 not yet have been effected, it can take place now. Alternatively, it is feasible that this coupling is also effected automatically via the lifting movement of the attachment superstructure 8 with the two main counterweights 9a, 9b or by means of a corresponding design according to the first to fourth connecting points 6a, 6b, 8a and 8b.
Moreover, in a further rigging step the two auxiliary counterweights 10a, 10b are suspended from the respective front ends 15av, 15bv of the two auxiliary supports 15a, 15b via the first suspension means 16a and the second suspension means 16b. At this point in time, the two auxiliary counterweights 10a, 10b are still standing on the ground 22.
In this case, each of the auxiliary supports 15a, 15b is also pivotable about an angle a of theoretically 0 degrees to 180 degrees, preferably of 40 degrees to 130 degrees. This angle range is measured between a vertical (illustrated as a dashed line in
Changes and modifications in the specifically described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims, as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. The priority German application no. DE 10 2022 122 282.9, filed on Sep. 2, 2022, is hereby incorporated by reference, in particular for support with regard to the translation for the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102022122282.9 | Sep 2022 | DE | national |
