Gantry crane

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Side-view of Super-PostPanamax portainer crane at

the APM Terminal in the Port of Rotterdam
A ZPMC gantry crane used for construction of the

British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth

A gantry crane is a crane built atop a

gantry, which is a structure used to
straddle an object or workspace. They can
range from enormous "full" gantry cranes,
capable of lifting some of the heaviest
loads in the world, to small shop cranes,
used for tasks such as lifting automobile
engines out of vehicles. They are also
called portal cranes, the "portal" being the
empty space straddled by the gantry.

The terms gantry crane and overhead

crane (or bridge crane) are often used
interchangeably, as both types of crane
straddle their workload. The distinction
most often drawn between the two is that
with gantry cranes, the entire structure
(including gantry) is usually wheeled
(often on rails). By contrast, the supporting
structure of an overhead crane is fixed in
location, often in the form of the walls or
ceiling of a building, to which is attached a
movable hoist running overhead along a
rail or beam (which may itself move).
Further confusing the issue is that gantry
cranes may also incorporate a movable
beam-mounted hoist in addition to the
entire structure being wheeled, and some
overhead cranes are suspended from a
freestanding gantry.

Variants

Ship-to-shore gantry crane …

Ship-to-shore gantry cranes are imposing,

multi-story structures prominent at most
container terminals, used to load
intermodal containers on and off container
ships. They operate along two rails
(waterside and landside designations)
spaced based on the size of crane to be
used.

Ship-to-shore crane elements

Lateral movement system:

A combination of two sets of typically

ten (10) rail wheels. The lateral
movement is controlled by a cabin along
the landside wheel. During any lateral
movement, lights and sirens operate to
ensure safety of the crew operating
adjacent to the crane. The wheels are
mounted to the bottom of the vertical
frame/bracing system.
Vertical frame and braces:

A structurally designed system of

beams assembled to support the boom,
cabin, operating machinery, and the
cargo being lifted. They display signage
describing restrictions, requirements
and identifiers.

Crane boom:

A horizontal beam that runs transversely

to the berth. It spans from landside of
the landside rail wheels to a length over
the edge of the berth. The waterside
span is based on the size of ship that it
can successfully load/unload. Beams
 also have the ability to be raised for
storage purposes.

Hook:

Device which moves vertically to raise

and lower cargo as well as horizontally
along the boom's length. For container
cranes, a spreader is attached to span
the container and lock it safely in place
during movement.

Operating cabin:

Encased setup with glass paneled

flooring for operator to view the cargo
being moved. Elevators which are
located along vertical frame members
 are used to get crew up and down from
the cabin.

Storage equipment:

For temporary storage options between

vessel operations, one steel pin is
inserted into anchorage arm dropped
from each wheel set into a stow pin
assembly. This setup is designed to
prevent lateral movement along the
rails. During hurricanes and other
emergency shut down situations, tie
down assemblies are used. Two (2)
angled arms are anchored at each end
of each set of wheels. This setup
prevents longitudinal movement along
 the rails as well as prevents tipping of
the crane due to uplift from high velocity
winds.

Ship-to-shore gantry cranes are often used

in pairs or teams of cranes in order to
minimize the time required to load and
unload vessels. As container ship sizes
and widths have increased throughout the
20th Century, ship-to-shore gantry cranes
and the implementation of ship-to-shore
gantry cranes has become more unique in
order to effectively load and unload
vessels while maximizing profitability and
minimizing time in port. One example are
systems where specialized berths built
that accommodate one vessel at a time
with ship-to-shore gantry cranes on both
sides of the vessel. This allows for more
cranes and double the workspace under
the cranes to be used for transporting
cargo off dock.[1]

The first quayside container gantry crane

was developed in 1959 by Paceco
Corporation.[2]

Full gantry crane …

Taisun, the world's strongest gantry crane, at Yantai
Raffles Shipyard, Yantai, China

Full gantry cranes (where the load remains

beneath the gantry structure, supported
from a beam) are well suited to lifting
massive objects such as ships' engines, as
the entire structure can resist the torque
created by the load, and counterweights
are generally not required. These are often
found in shipyards where they are used to
move large ship components together for
construction. They use a complex system
of cables and attachments to support the
massive loads undertaken by the full
gantry cranes.
Some full gantry cranes of note are
Samson and Goliath and Taisun. Samson
and Goliath are two full gantry cranes
located in the Harland and Wolff shipyard
in Belfast have spans of 140 metres and
can lift loads of up to 840 tonnes to a
height of 70 metres. In 2008, the world's
strongest gantry crane, Taisun, which can
lift 20,000 metric tons, was installed in
Yantai, China at the Yantai Raffles
Shipyard. In 2012, a 22,000-ton capacity
crane, the "Honghai Crane" was planned
for construction in Qidong City, China.[3]

Rubber-tyred gantry crane …

Rubber tyred gantry cranes in the foreground, ship-to-
shore gantries background right, at Port of Shanghai

Smaller gantry cranes are also available

running on rubber tyres so that tracks are
not needed. Rubber tyred gantry cranes
are essential for moving containers from
berths throughout the rest of the yard. For
this task they come in large sizes, as
pictured to the right, that are used for
moving to straddle multiple lanes of rail,
road, or container storage. They also are
capable of lifting fully loaded containers to
great heights. Smaller rubber tyred gantry
cranes come in the form of straddle
carriers which are used when moving
individual containers or vertical stacks of
containers.

1 ton capacity portable gantry crane

Portable gantry crane systems, such as
rubber tyred gantry cranes, are in high
demand in terminals and ports restricted
in size and reliant on maximizing vertical
space and not needing to haul containers
long distances. This is due to the relatively
slow speed yet high reach of rubber tyred
gantry cranes when compared to other
forms of container terminal equipment.[1]

Portable gantry crane …

Portable gantry cranes are used to lift and

transport smaller items, usually less than
10 tons. They are widely used in the HVAC,
machinery moving and fine art installation
industries. Some portable gantry cranes
are equipped with an enclosed track, while
others use an I-beam, or other extruded
shapes, for the running surface. Most
workstation gantry cranes are intended to
be stationary when loaded, and mobile
when unloaded. Workstation Gantry
Cranes can be outfitted with either a wire
rope hoist or a lower capacity chain hoist.

See also
List of historical harbour cranes

References
Wikimedia Commons has media
related to Gantry cranes.

1. "Knovel - PDF Viewer" .

app.knovel.com.
2. "PACECO Container Crane" . American
Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Retrieved February 16, 2019.
3. http://www.offshore-
mag.com/articles/print/volume-
68/issue-6/cranes-hoists-and-
winches/yantai-rafflesrsquo-world-
record-gantry-crane-should-see-first-
lift-this-year.html
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Gantry_crane&oldid=959417733"

Last edited 16 days ago by Primefac

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