Tower Cranes Grow to New Heights
In the tower crane industry, the 1950s showcased many significant milestones in tower crane design and development. There were a range of manufacturers were starting to make more bottom slewing cranes that had telescoping mast. These kinds of machinery dominated the construction market for apartment block and office construction. Many of the top tower crane manufacturers abandoned the use of cantilever jib designs. In its place, they made the switch to luffing jibs and eventually, the use of luffing jibs became the regular method.
In Europe, there were key improvements being made in the development and design of tower cranes. Normally, construction locations were constricted areas. Relying on rail systems to move a large number of tower cranes, ended up being very inconvenient and expensive. A number of manufacturers were providing saddle jib cranes that had hook heights of 80 meters or 262 feet. These types of cranes were equipped with self-climbing mechanisms that allowed sections of mast to be inserted into the crane so that it can grow along with the structures it was constructing upwards.
The long jibs on these particular cranes additionally covered a bigger work area. All of these developments led to the practice of constructing and anchoring cranes inside the lift shaft of a building. Then, this is the technique which became the industry standard.
The main focus on tower crane design and development from the 1960s began on covering a higher load moment, covering a bigger job radius, climbing mechanisms and technology, faster erection strategies, and new control systems. Furthermore, focus was spent on faster erection strategies with the most essential developments being made in the drive technology department, among other things.