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BUILDING BRIDGES: CRANE SERVICE PROVIDER STEIL USES Terex® SUPERLIFT 3800 LATTICE BOOM CRAWLER CRANE TO LIFT BRIDGE
Luxembourg, 16th May, 2014. A crane’s return on investment also depends on its versatility. This is another aspect where the Terex® Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane is setting new standards. Trier-based Steil Kranarbeiten GmbH & Co. KG used their Superlift 3800 crane to build a bridge in Luxemburg only two days after the same machine was used to erect a wind turbine in the Hunsrück mountain range.
“A 440 meter-long bridge had to be built across a valley to connect a new section of highway. To do this, we had to lift a total of 14 steel girders and set them down on concrete piers,” says Cary Arendt, CEO of A.T.S. Cranes S.A. “It was one of the most challenging lifts of my career.” To perform these lifts, A.T.S. Cranes asked for help from Steil and their Terex Superlift 3800 crawler crane.
The massive pieces that were part of the bridge were impressive on their own: a length of 96 meters, a height of seven meters and, together with the required load-securing devices, a weight of 295 tonnes each. “It was a job that almost seemed to have been planned with our Terex Superlift 3800 crane in mind,” says Peter Frechen, transportation logistics & heavy crane dispatcher at Steil. “We needed only 31 trucks to transport the crane from a wind turbine erection site to Luxembourg. The crane was set up and ready to work in one and a half days,” added Frechen.
To lift the 14 loads, Steil’s team erected the Superlift 3800 crawler crane in a SSL1 configuration with a 72 m main boom, 250 tonnes of counterweight on the superstructure, 50 tonnes of central ballast, and 200 tonnes of counterweight on the superlift tray. To provide stability when lifting a load of such dimensions, Steil’s rigging team configured the vario hookblock with dual hooks and a spreader.
“You can really feel how technology has advanced.”
“We used two hoisting wire ropes and ten-part reeving, which meant that, at 18 tonnes per reeving, we would need a maximum lifting force of 360 tonnes. In other words, we were very well on the safe side,” says crane operator Matthias Ferres. To place the girders in their supporting pylons, he first lifted them to a height of 22 meters, swiveled them to the side, and then moved the crane forward about 50 meters in the direction of the bridge piers. To provide sufficient ground stability, the crawling path was rigged with steel plates. Once Ferres advanced the full 50 meters, he swiveled the load back in and then set it down on the corresponding bridge pier at a working radius of 23.5 meters. “The Superlift 3800 crane allowed me to carry out all the lifts with incredible precision. You can really feel how technology has advanced in this crane, both when driving it and when swiveling loads. It’s all incredibly precise and smooth – especially the slewing system. The engineers at Terex have really outdone themselves,” says Ferres excitedly as he describes his new machine. “I am very comfortable in it, not only because of the space, but also because of the excellent ergonomic design.”
About the Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane
The Terex® Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane, featuring a lifting capacity of 650 t and a maximum load moment of 8,484 mt, is designed with cost-effectiveness in mind. Every single component is designed for worldwide transportation and to reduce erection times and the need for additional equipment. A wide array of safety features, including the award winning Terex fall protection system, come standard. The Superlift 3800 crawler crane can be delivered with an integrated wind kit in a universal main boom system: the crane is capable of erecting wind turbines of up to 117 meters (384 ft) without using the available superlift boom configuration. In this configuration, LH 114 m + 12 m LF, the main boom can be erected without employing an assist crane. This configuration also eliminates the need for an assist crane when setting up the main boom. The Superlift 3800 is the first Terex crawler crane to feature our latest, state-of-the-art cabin design. Providing operators with an excellent working environment, it was developed with extensive feedback gathered from customer workshops, leading industrial stylists and experts in ergonomics. The Superlift 3800 lattice boom crawler crane conforms to both, the European norm EN 13000 and the US standard ASME B30.5. It can lift a maximum load of 650 tonnes (716 US t) at a radius of 5 to 12 meters (16 to 39 ft).
About Steil Kranarbeiten GmbH
“Heavy things made light” is the motto under which Steil Kranarbeiten offers its comprehensive range of services. The company, which is certified as per DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 and Safety Certificate Contractors (SCC) standards, relies on a highly specialized fleet with state-of-the-art machines, as well as a highly-qualified team. Its services encompass not only special-purpose crane work for weights of up to 800 tonnes and heavy haulage services, but also recovery and towing services for trucks and buses and industrial and company relocation services. The company is headquartered in Trier, and additional Steil branch offices are located in Wittlich and Saarwellingen in Germany, as well as in Frisange in Luxembourg.
The company’s clientele includes well-known companies such as the Bitburger brewery, BASF, Saarstahl, Deutsche Steinkohle, Dillinger Hütte, and important wind turbine manufacturers.
For more information, please visit www.steil-kranarbeiten.de
About A.T.S. Cranes S.A.
A.T.S. Cranes S.A., which is headquartered in Frisange, Luxembourg, was founded in 2002. The company has a fleet consisting of 13 mobile cranes, including the largest crane registered in Luxembourg: a Terex® AC 500/2 all-terrain crane in the 500-tonne lifting capacity class. In addition, A.T.S. Cranes S.A. has branch offices in Trier and the Saarland thanks to a partnership with the STEIL group of companies. This partnership enables A.T.S. Cranes to move loads of up to 800 tonnes in the regions of Luxembourg, Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate, northern France, and Belgium.
About Terex
Terex Corporation is a diversified global manufacturer of a broad range of equipment that is focused on delivering reliable, customer-driven solutions for many applications, including the construction, infrastructure, quarrying, mining, shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utility and manufacturing industries. Terex reports in five business segments: Aerial Work Platforms; Construction; Cranes; Material Handling & Port Solutions; and Materials Processing. Terex offers financial products and services to assist in the acquisition of equipment through Terex Financial Services. More information can be found at www.terex.com
