INTERNATIONAL EQUIPMENT NEWS
Mobile cranes for glass panes
The 256.5m Frankfurt Exhibition Centre Tower in Germany is
currently being refurbished. On behalf of the facade specialist, seele,
based in Gersthofen near Munich, the mobile crane team at BKL
Frankfurt used Liebherr mobile cranes to install giant glass elements.
As part of the refurbishment of the lobby on the ground floor,
seele was asked to design, manufacture and install an 1800m² steel
and glass facade for the entrance area. An LTM 1090-4.2, operated
by BKL Baukran Logistik GmbH took on the hosting work for the
first 17m long glass element which, with a weight of around 6t, is
probably one of the largest laminated curved panes of glass to be
installed in a high-rise block to date. A special glass vacuum system
with 92 cups and a hoisting force of 9t was used to hoist the glass
to a height of about 20m, requiring a great deal of precision.
Crane specialists from BKL have been using an LTM 1100-4.2 to
install the next 6-tonne elements which had to be hoisted up to 25m
laterally and vertically as part of the refurbishment work.
One of the special challenges of this crane job was the limited
crane set-up area on the skyscraper’s underground car park, which
meant that mobile cranes with a maximum of just 4 axles could be
used. The limited ground pressure of the crane outriggers also had to
be given due consideration when planning the job.
A Liebherr mobile crane from BKL installs giant panes of
glass on Frankfurt Exhibition Centre Tower.
www.equipmentandhire.co.za
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
11