Mechanical Engineering Department

Material Handling Equipment

Material Handling Equipment. Hoisting Equipments.

11 Crane frame structures.
A crane frame carries all operating mechanisms, electrical equipment, motors and controlling gear. The
frame sustains externals dead load, live load, wind pressure, inertia forces and transmits these forces either
onto a fixed foundation or through traveling wheels and runway rails to the foundation or the supporting
members of a building. The frame should ensure adequate strength and stability of the entire construction.
Stresses in its separate elements should not exceed the safe values while the strains should be recoverable.
Should be so negligible that variable loads acting on the crane do not cause vibrations either in the frame as
a whole or in its components. Adequate rigidity of the crane structure is the prime requirement for
dependable and faultless operation of all the working mechanisms. Design and solution of a crane
framework should be done with great accuracy.
Structure of overhead traveling cranes.
Depending of the lifting capacity and length of span the bridges of overhead traveling cranes are made up
of plate girders (double tees), trusses or box, double wed, girder.
Plate girders of overhead traveling cranes. Structures of overhead traveling crane with plate girders is
composed of two main longitudinal girders fastened at the ends to two cross girders which accommodates
the traveling wheels.

Fig. No. 73 Curves for approximate determination of the weight of the main longitudinal girders in
overhead traveling cranes. A Plate girders; B trusses.

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Jose M. Dominguez E.

Mechanical Engineering Department

Material Handling Equipment

The other elements are auxiliary or side girder, cross bracing with platform flooring and an operators cab
(not for all cranes).
Min factors in the solution of plate girder are the safe unit bending stress and the permissible girder
deflection. Vertical loads on the girders are: dead weight (constant load) and the force exerted by the
wheels of a trolley carrying the maximum load. The dead weight is composed of the weight of the girder
one half the weights of the traveling mechanisms (without wheels) and half the weight of the cross bracing
and flooring.

Fig. No 74 Curves of moments and lateral forces for plate girders.

Approximates values of the design dead weight of the main girder of electrically driven overhead traveling
crane with a lifting capacity from 5 to 50 tons and with span from 10 to 30 meters shown in (Fig. No 74).

Teaching Material

100

Jose M. Dominguez E.

Mechanical Engineering Department

Material Handling Equipment

Bending moments and lateral forces due to constant load.

If L in (Fig. No. 74 a) is the span of the main longitudinal girder in meters; G its weight (constant load in
tons) uniformly distributed over the entire length of the span; q dead weight in tons per running meter,
then the bending moment at a distance x from the left support due to the dead weight will be:
Mq =q*(L/2)*x q*(x/2) = q*(x/2)*9L- x) ton-m
Maximum bending moment when x = L/2 is
Mqmax = q(L2/8) = G(L/8) ton-m
max
Bending moment a parabola plotted on length L with a maximum ordinate of Mq
(Fig. No. 74 b)
Lateral force at a distance s from the left support
Tx = q*[(L/2) x] tons
Maximum lateral force on right or left support at x = 0 will be
Tmax = q*(L/2) tons (fig. No. 74 c)
Bending moments and lateral forces due to moving load (trolley and load). When the weight of a loaded
trolley is distributed uniformly on the wheels the load acting on one wheel will be P= (Q + G0)/4;
where Q weight of the load carried and G0 weigh of the trolley.
Is assumed that the girder carries two identical loads P spaced a distance b (Fig. No. 74 a). The bending
moment in the section under the left wheel stationed at a distance x from the left support:
Mp = (2P/L)*[{L (b/2)} x]*x in ton-m
Maximum bending moment in the section at a distance (b/4) from the middle of the girder span:
Mpmax = (P/2L0*[L (b/2)] ton-m
Bending moment is in the form of a parabola with the largest ordinate on the length [L (b/2)]
Curve of moments for the most unfavorable position of the loads will be: 0 1 2 3; obtained from
plotting of two curves of moments from the movement of the loads from the left to the right and from the
right to the left. Maximum bending moment is reduced as the distance between the wheels increases. If the
distance between wheels is small in respect to the length of the span (b = 0) then:

Mpmax = P*(L/2)
If the trolley wheels are unequally loaded, unequal loads P1 and P2 travel along the girder then the resultant
of both loads is V = P1 + P2 acting on the wheels and b1 = P2b/V and b2 = P1b/V
In this case bending moments in the section under the left wheel at a distance x from the left support will
be: Mp = (V/L)*[(L b1) x]*x ton-m. Maximum bending moment under the load P1 at a distance
b1/2 from the middle of the girder
Mpmax = (V/4L)*(L b1)2 ton-m.
max
This is the equation of a parabola plotted on the length (L b1) with the maximum ordinate Mp
The moments in the section under the load P2 at a distance x from the right support are determined by:
Mp = (V/L)*[(L b2) x] ton-m and Mpmax = (V/4L)*(L b2)2 ton-m
max
The later is the equation of a parabola on the length (L b2) with the ordinate Mp
For identical loads P and P the lateral force at a distance x from the left support (Fig. No. 74 f)
Tx = (2P/L)*[{L (b/2)} x] tons
For x = 0 maximum lateral force on left support
Tmax = (2P/L)*[L (b/2)] = 2P P*(b/L) ton
Lateral force at a distance (L b) from the left support
Tb = P*(b/L) tons
With load P1 and P2 lateral force at a distance x:
TxP1 P2 + (V/L)*[ (L b) x] tons
When x = 0
Tx(max)P1 P2 = A = (V/L)* (L b) = (P1 P2) P2*(b/L) tons
Lateral force at a distance (L b) from the left support Tb = P1*(b/L)

Teaching Material

101

Jose M. Dominguez E.

Mechanical Engineering Department

Material Handling Equipment

Adding together the curves of moments due to the action of dead weight (Fig. No. 74b) and the moving
loads (Fig. No. 74 c) we obtain the resultant curve of moments (fig. No. 74 d). The resultant diagram of the
lateral forces in (Fig. No. 74 g). Fig. No. 74 represents moments for the main longitudinal girders of
overhead traveling cranes with lifting capacities fro 5 to 50 tons and for spans from 10 to 30 meters.

Fig. No. 75 Curves for approximate determination of the maximum moments due to constant
max
moving (Mp ) loads acting on the main longitudinal girders of overhead traveling cranes.
A Plate girders; B Trusses
Unit stress due to bending moments.
a) From main loads = [ Tadd Mq + Mp]/Wnet < []
b) From the main and additional loads = [ Mq + Mp +

(Mqmax) and

Madd]/ Wnet < []

Unit stress from lateral forces

a) From the main loads = [ T + T] Sgr / Igr < [ ]
b) From the main and additional loads = [ T + T + Tadd] Sgr / Igr

< [ ]

The following notation is accepted in the preceding formulas:

actual normal unit stress (bending) kg/cm2
actual tangential unit stress (shear) kg/cm2
[] [ ] safe unit bending and shearing stresses kg/cm2
dynamic coefficient for forces due to constant load
dynamic coefficient for forces due to moving loads
Wnet net section moment (without rivets holes)
Madd sum of the bending moments in the section due to additional loads
Sgr gross static moment in the corresponding part of the section (with rivets holes)

thickness of the section wall

Igr gross moment of inertia in respect to the main axis

Tadd sum of the lateral forces in the section due to additional loads
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102

Jose M. Dominguez E.

Mechanical Engineering Department

Material Handling Equipment

Table No. 41 Dynamic coefficient for forces due to constant load

Type of crane

Duty

Crane traveling speed m/min

Hand driven
Power driven

-Light
Medium
Heavy

Up to 60
Up to 60
Up to 60

Coefficient
1,0
1,0
1,1

Table No. 42 Dynamic coefficient for forces due to the moving load
Type of crane

Duty

Hand power
Power driven

-Light
Medium
Heavy

Coefficient
1,0
1,1
1,2
1,4

Notes
--This group also includes foundry cranes
This group includes special cranes employed in
metallurgical plants

Forces arise in the metal structures of the crane under the action of constant loads should be reduced to
actual forces by multiplying them by the coefficient which takes into account the dynamic effects of the
moving structure and which depends on the traveling effects of the moving structure depending of the
traveling speed. Coefficient is used to correct the forces due to a moving load.
Main loads in the structure are: dead weight, movable load and inertia load caused by the forces of
acceleration of the structure together with the trolley and load. Additional loads are: wind pressure, load
due to temperature effects as well as the horizontal braking forces. Along the bridge when the crane trolley
is braked (1/7 of the total forces exerted by all the driving wheel of the trolley) and across the bridge when
the crane itself is braked.
Deformation (Deflection) of girders.
Excessive deflection of the main girder causes the entire bridge to oscillate. To keep the deflection within
safe limits, main longitudinal girder should be sufficiently deep and posses an adequate moment of inertia.
Maximum deflection from its own weight = (G/EI)*(5L/384) cm
G weight of the girder; E modulus of elasticity (2200000 kg/cm2)

Fig. No. 76 Diagrams for calculating the deflection to the main girder of overhead traveling crane.
Deflection due to moving loads can be determined on the assumption that the two loads P and P (loads on
the wheels of a loaded trolley) are located symmetrically in the middle of the crane (Fig. No. 76) then is
2
2
obtained with sufficient accuracy = (P/48EI)*(L b)*[L + (L + b )] cm
The full deflection = +

Teaching Material

103

Jose M. Dominguez E.

Mechanical Engineering Department

Material Handling Equipment

Checking the strength of the lower flanges on monorail tracks.

In single girder overhead cranes a hand or power driven hoist is often designed to move on a roller beam.

Fig. No. 77 Lower flange of an I-beam

The lower flange of a beam shown is subject to a bending down force. In calculation it is regarded as a
plate rigidity fixed on one (long) side and with a load moving along the other free end. In this case the
bending moment (per unit length) M = 0,51 P; where P is the force exerted by a runner which is a four
wheel design will be P = (Q + G0)/4.
Where: G0 weight of the movable hoist; Q is the lifting capacity.
2
2
If the thickness of the flange is t; then the moment (per unit length) is W = lt /6 = t /6
2
Then the stress in the flange will be =3,05 P/l

Teaching Material

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Jose M. Dominguez E.