Why crawling is uplifting

ON THE JOB CRAWLING

GOUGH INDUSTRIAL SOLUTIONS REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER, DEREK LIU, TALKS TO ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE MAGAZINE ABOUT FLEXIBLE CRANE LIFTING AND HIGH-PRESSURE JOB SITES.

In August 2015, three SANY SCC8300 crawler cranes were delivered to the Wheatstone Liquid Natural Gas Project, which is situated in Ashburton North, Western Australia.

The Chevron-operated Wheatstone project is the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the country. Wheatstone is estimated to produce 8.9 million tonnes of LNG per annum and power 1.8 million local homes.

Gough Industrial Solutions Product Manager – Braking, Nick Hope, says over the life of the project, Wheatstone is forecast to deliver significant benefits to the Australian economy, including 30,000 jobs and an additional $194 billion in gross domestic product.

Crawler cranes are specifically designed to work in difficult terrains and steep gradients, often operating under harsh conditions that might overwhelm a standard piece of equipment.

According to Mr. Liu, the average temperature during construction of Wheatstone was 40˚C. Additionally, he says, the ocean-surrounded job site posed high requirements on machine corrosion resistance.

“The construction and engineering team at Wheatstone had very specific needs for their machinery and equipment, so they engaged Gough Industrial Solutions,” Mr. Liu says.

“We supplied three SANY SCC8300 crawler cranes that helped construction finish on schedule and won the contractor’s recognition for maximum efficiency, increased uptime and precision control.”

Eighty SANY crawler cranes are currently in use on high profile Oceania region construction projects, according to Mr. Liu – suggesting challenging construction sites have jumped in number from 2015, which suggests that the construction industry is in a state of growth in some areas.

“A SANY SCC8300 300-tonne crawler crane is at work on the Citic Pacific Sino Iron Mining site. The crane is operated by Karridale Group, who were contracted to do the maintenance work,” Mr. Liu says.

“The cranes were also used on the Brisbane bridge construction and at the Port of Gladstone coal terminal.”

Likewise, Mr. Liu says, SANY crawler cranes are used extensively overseas. He lists a 400-tonne crane being used at a mine rescue in Chile, a 150-tonne crane being used at the Thailand National Train Station, as well as a 250-tonne crane helping to build the Niagara Tunnel in North America as examples.

Sany, a global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, has an exclusive Australian dealership agreement for concrete equipment with Gough Industrial Solutions.

“Sany remains ahead of the curve in terms of technological innovation and their product offering compliments the Gough portfolio well,” says Mr. Liu.

“The crawler crane range is in high demand in the Australian market, with many enquiries forthcoming over the past year.”

“It’s a premium high-performance crane, built to be highly durable and consistent CE certification requirements,” Mr. Liu says.

“Also, the real-time display of machine gravity and levelness, off-line stop, emergency electric control, lightning protection and closed-circuit monitoring guarantee the safety and reliability of the crawler crane.”

A SCC8300 crane can function in an e nvironment between -30˚C and 50˚C and can operate at an altitude less than 2,000 metres.

The crane has a boom-luffing time of two minutes, a main hoisting speed of 142 metres per minute, a swing speed of 1.85 revolutions per minute and a travel speed of 1.3 kilometres an hour.

“The crane’s winch can be dragged by the clutch for easy reeving and to remotely control the assembly and disassembly of the main machine,” Mr. Liu says.

“To support self assembly and disassembly, a quick-change rope connector and winchwire rope head is enabled.”

Mr. Liu says the SCC8300 is designed according to ANSI B30.5 EN13000 and GB3811 standards, with its transport dimension and weight complying with domestic and international road transport regulations. He also says that the crane has a universal design that complies with Euro IV emission regulations.

“Sany currently own 100 crawler crane patents, which ensures the machines offer maximum safety, stability and flexibility in whatever operating environment,” Mr. Liu says.

“SANY crawler cranes have the highest operational efficiency, with lifting capacities ranging from 55 tonne to 1,600 tonne.”

SANY SCC8300 crawler cranes are in high demand in Oceania.