A bridge crane lifts and moves loads from ‘point A’ to ‘point B’ while simultaneously fascinating those design engineers that get a kick out of watching the dynamic orbit of heavy machinery. It’s the issue of opposing forces that captures attention. Oscillation causes a weighty load to swing like a pendulum. Inertial forces hamper smooth movement along the rail, leading to energy loss and a risk of compromised safety. Thankfully, the base or foundation of the structure is rock-solid. A cage of upright supports handles any mechanical stress alongside support from the building framework. Meanwhile, the rail that the cradle sails along is designed to eliminate any other jerky motion. Still, there’s the laws of physics to deal with, and these laws tend to become magnified as the load increases.
Having illustrated the forces to be wary of during a lifting cycle, we can balance these influential energies by employing the laws of physics and calling them into service when in search of smooth movement. This is accomplished by incorporating an innovative pivotal bridge crane bearing. The bearing harmonizes with the aforementioned engineering principles and offsets the oscillating motion to remove unwanted stress loads from the cradle mechanism. In effect, basic engineering principles are being harnessed and tamed to deal with unwieldy objects that impart unpredictable forces. For example, a long pipe with eccentrically mounted assemblies will introduce a sizeable sway component to the lifting cycle, a lifting action that acts across all three planes of three dimensional space. The motion could grow wider and result in an unstable centre of gravity, except the pivotal crane assembly cancels this force, removing load sway to a negligible factor that won’t affect the smooth motion of the bridge crane along its established route.
Other features of the design include the maximization of any productivity model, even those that have the crane mounted in a less than spacious operating space. The articulating characteristics of the overall assembly support the most cramped workflow settings, thus keeping the attached load centrally located below the overhead crane. The nature of the pivoting bearing also encourages rotational action, which leads to an unsurpassed work environment where any heavy object can be hooked up from any angle.
The failsafe pivot system on a Global Track bridge crane is reinforced by a smart secondary restraint system, an option that elegantly outlines the prodigious amount of effort that has gone into the design, but the pivotal operational model is where the spotlight is centred. This is where intrinsic engineering principles are applied and balanced, where productivity is supported due to the rotational aspect incorporated into the bearing design. Finally, as fully featured as the pivoting mechanism is, the end product still manages to adopt an engineer-infused quality that best compares to elegant simplicity, a function through form outline that focuses on physics conquering empowerment and a productivity-based marketing ethic that proudly promotes the Global Track difference. Not content to sell other manufacturer’s products, the pivotal bridge crane has reached new heights here.
