Gantry Crane

Gantry Cranes
Gantry cranes are modifications of traveling cranes and are generally
used outdoors where it is not convenient to erect on overhead runway.
The bridge (Fig. 10.4.14) is carried at the ends by the legs a, supported
by trucks with wheels so that the crane can travel. As with the traveling
crane, the bridge carries a hoisting unit; a cover to protect the
machinery from the weather is often used. The crane is driven by motor
b through a gear reduction to shaft c, which drives the vertical shafts d
through bevel gears. Bevel and spur gear reduction connect the axel of
the wheels with shafts d. Many gantry cranes are built without the cross
shaft, employing separate motor, brakes, and gear reducers at each end
of the crane. Gantry cranes are made in the same sizes as standard
traveling cranes.

Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of
cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and
can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam. An
overhead travelling crane, also known as an overhead crane or as a
suspended crane, has the ends of the supporting beam, the gantry,
resting on wheels running on rails at high level, usually on the parallel
side walls of a factory or similar large industrial building, so that the
whole crane can move the length of the building, while the hoist can be
moved to and from across the width of the building. A gantry crane or
portal crane has a similar mechanism supported by uprights, usually
with wheels at the foot of the uprights allowing the whole crane to
traverse. Some portal cranes may have only a fixed gantry, particularly
when they are lifting loads such as railway cargoes that are already
easily moved beneath them. Overhead crane and gantry crane are
particularly suited to lifting very heavy objects and huge gantry cranes
have been used for shipbuilding where the crane straddles the ship
allowing massive objects like ships' engines to be lifted and moved over
the ship. Two famous gantry cranes built in 1974 and 1969 respectively,
are Samson and Goliath, which reside in the largest dry docking the
world in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Each crane has a span of 140 meters
and can lift loads of up to 840tonnesto a height of 70 meters, making a
combined lifting capacity of over 1,600 tones, one of the largest in the
world. However; gantry cranes are also available running on rubber tires
so that tracks are not needed, and small gantry cranes can be used in
workshops, for example for lifting automobile engines out of vehicles.
Samson and Goliath are now retained in Belfast as historic monuments
under Article 3 of the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects
(Northern Ireland). A ship-to-shore rail mounted gantry crane is a
specialized version of the gantry crane in which the horizontal gantry
rails and their supporting beam are cantilevered out from between
frame uprights spaced to suit the length of a standard freight container,
so that the beam supporting the rails projects over a quay side and over
the width of an adjacent ship allowing the hoist to lift containers from
the quay and move out along the rails to place the containers on the
ship. The uprights have wheels which run in track allowing the crane to
move along the quay to
position the containers at any point on the length of the ship. The first
version of these cranes were designed and manufactured by paceco
corporation. They were called Portainers and become so popular that
the term Portainer is commonly used as a generic term refer to all – to
shore rail mounted gantry cranes.
Workstation gantry cranes
Workstation gantry cranes are used to lift and transport smaller items
around a working area in a factory or machine shop. Some workstation
gantry cranes are equipped with an enclosed track, while others use an
I beam, or other extruded shapes, for the running surface. Most
workstation gantry cranes are intended to be stationary when loaded,
and mobile when unloaded. Work station Gantry Crane can be Outfitted
with either a wire rope hoist as shown in the above hoist picture.

Rail mounted gantry (RMG)

Rail mounted gantry cranes (RMG) are commonly found in factory
applications such as steel yards, paper mills or locomotive repair shops.
The EOT gantry crane functions similarly to an overhead bridge crane,
but has rails installed on the ground and gantry-style legs to support the
crane. Capacities range from 2 to 200 tons, and sometimes even greater
capacities. Most are electrically powered and painted safety yellow.
When bridge cranes and gantry cranes became more popular in
factories in the late 1800s a steam engine was sometimes used as a way
to power these devices. The lifting and moving would be transferred
from a fixed line.
Material handling is one of the key phenomena in any industrial
environment. The Mechanical device to be adopted for such handling
depends upon a number of factors such as weight of the material,
distance to be handled, frequency and repetitiveness of handling,
economy of time and cost, safety and the process of manufacturing. An
environment of higher degrees of temperature and distancing away
from such environment is another aspect that necessitates handling of
materials through overhead cranes. There are a number of major
industrial segments that depend upon the deployment of overhead
cranes. They are Paper Milles, Steel Plants, Sugar Mills, Cement Plants,
Chemical Sector and Railways. An overhead crane, also called a bridge
crane operating over the working environment, runs horizontally over
two parallel runways coupled to a traveling bridge. The lifting
component, hoist travels along the bridge to lift materials. It covers
varying span, depending upon the various processes involved in
manufacturing. The basic objective of using overhead crane is to keep
the hazardous elements such as heat, acidity, combustibility, distanced
from the work force. For example, in galvanizing unit, heavy structural
materials are required to be dipped into a number of tanks for the
performance of sequential processes such as acid thanks for picking,
water tank for rising, chemical tank for fluxing and molten zink tank for
galvanizing. Similarly, in a steel plant, overhead crane does operations
like feeding of raw materials to a furnace, storing for cooling, lifting and
loading of finished coils onto trucks and trains.

Gantry cranes, bridge cranes, and overhead cranes, are all types of
cranes which lift objects by a hoist which is fitted in a hoist trolley and
can move horizontally on a rail or pair of rails fitted under a beam.
An over head traveling crane, also known as an overhead crane or as a
suspended crane has the ends of the supporting beam, the gantry,
resting on wheels running on rails at high level, usually on the parallel
side walls of a factory or similar large industrial building, so that the
whole carne can move the length of the building, while the hoist can be
moved to and from across the width of the building. A gantry crane or
portal crane has a similar mechanism supported by uprights, usually
with wheels at the foot of the uprights allowing the whole crane to
traverse. Some portal carne may have only a fixed gantry, particularly
when they are lifting loads such as railways cargoes that are already
easily moved beneath them.
Types of gantry cranes
Container crane
A ship-to-shore rail mounted g
crane in which the horizontal
vered out from between frame
rd freight container, so that th
side and over the width of an a
ners from the quay and move o
ship. The uprights have wheel
e along the quay to position th
p. The first versions of these c
eco Corporation They were ca
e term Portainer is commonly
re rail mounted gantry cranes.
Workstation gantry cranes

Workstation gantry cranes are used to lift and transport smaller items
aroun
a working area in a factory or machine shop. Some workstation gantry
cran
are equipped with an enclosed track, while others use an I-beam, or
other
extruded shapes, for the running surface. Most workstation gantry
cranes a
intended to be stationary when loaded, and mobile when unloaded.
Workstation Gantry Cranes can be outfitted with either a Wire Rope
hoist as
shown in the above hoist (device) picture or a lower capacity Chain
Hoist.

Rail mounted gantry (RMG) cranes

Rail mounted gantry cranes (RMG) are
such as steel yards, paper mills or loco
crane functions similarly to an overhea
on the ground and gantry-style legs to
from 2 to 200 tons, and sometimes eve
electrically powered and painted safety
When bridge cranes and gantry cranes
the late 1800s a steam engine was som
devices. The lifting and moving would
The picture on the right shows an exam
and steam engine. The overhead crane
systems to be powered in such a way.

EOT (Electric Overhead Traveling) Crane

This is most
obvious fro
pendant, rad
crane itself.
Fixed Height
This gantry crane has a beam fixed at a particular height. Th
objects to specific heights. Some fixed-height gantry cranes are
wheels or casters for moving around a factory. Portable fixed
prove useful in places where lifting is not frequently performed.

Adjustable Height
An adjustable-height gantry crane has grooves on the support
horizontal beams fits into the grooves to adjust the hoist to re
heights. These gantry cranes are equipped with wheels or caste
objects to different heights in construction and in other industries.

Single Girder
A single-girder gantry crane lifts heavy objects in small manufacturing
and warehouses. These gantry cranes are equipped with wheels that c
fixed in different areas of a factory. The height of the hoist fastened und
girder in a single-girder gantry crane is lower than that of a double-
crane. A single-girder gantry crane has lateral braces for added strength.

Double Girder
Double-girde
objects than
horizontal b
under the ho
girder crane.

Cantilever Gantry Crane

A cantilever gantry crane has girders that run crossway
horizontal girder or on both sides of the horizontal girder.
Portable Gantry Cranes
Portable gantry cranes are an ideal a
to budge cartons or machinery. Thes
speed, durability, and load control n
and operations: automotive, trucking
marine, warehouses or maintenance.
Advantages
•Can be used wher
•A much greater br
•Span upto 150m
•Less costly as co
•Simpler installatio
•Floor area is free
Disadvantages
•Accidents m
•Operation is
•Expensive
•High power consumption
•Structure needs to be very strong

Types of cranes
There are different
tures and specific uses. So
Stationary Cranes
(i)Jib crane
(ii)Overhead Tra
(iii)Gantry crane
Stationary Revolving Cr
(i)Wharf crane
(ii)Pillar crane
(iii)Tower crane
Mobile Cranes
(i)Truck/wagon
(ii)Crawler crane
(iii)Railway/Loco
(iv)Floating crane

Gantry Cranes
nition, Characteristics and U
Gantry cranes have a girde
head travelling crane, except t
h run on fixed rails or runway
manually or through motor.
The characteristics of a gantry crane are :
(i)Can be used indoors or outdoors.
(ii)Relatively easy to change its location.
(iii)Simple operation.
(iv)Long life and low maintenance.
These crane are used for loading and unloading carriers, outdoor s
unit or even bulk materials where movement is short. These cranes
serve
are used where installation of a bridge crane is not possible. Limitation
o
movement and capacities up to a maximum of 300 te.
Types of gantry crane
A few types of gantry cranes are possible based mainly on the de
(i)Fixed gantry crane whose both legs are fixed on floor
(ii)Portable gantry crane in which both legs are fitted with sm
plain floor. These are generally of small capacity up to 3 te.
Semi-gantry or single leg gantry crane is a gantry crane with one end of
the bri
rigidly supported on one or more movable legs supported on fixed rail
or runway, th
end of the bridge being supported by a truck running on an elevated rail
or runway.
Cantilever gantry crane in which the bridge girder is extended beyon
on one or both sides. Its runway may be either on the ground or elevat
Fig. 8.5.13 shows photograph of a large capacity outdoor gantry crane.