ON THE GROUND
3 000-tonne concrete units. The sheer weight
and size of the units made normal lifting by large
mobile cranes impractical but lent itself to the use
of a jack-and-slide method to get the loads from
the casting area to the location where they were
to be installed.
“This was only one element of the solution,
however, as gantry systems and strand
jacking could then be considered for the
lifting requirements of these structures during
installation,” he says. “A key benefit of alternative
systems like jack-and-slide or strand jacking is
their modularity. This means their capacity can be
cumulatively increased to match the demands of
the items to be moved or lifted.”
Yaman explains that alternative handling
solutions could include the use of a climbing jack,
a jack and slide system, strand jacking, a gantry
system or a self-propelled modular trailer or a
combination of all of these. Climbing jacks are an
extremely cost-effective manner of lifting heavy
loads to the required height up to a maximum
of 1.5m. This option can be scaled to allow for
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large and heavy equipment and componentry and are often used
in maintenance applications. A jack and slide option is formed by
using both a jacking and sliding system and combining these two
methodologies allow for handling heavy equipment in a cost-
effective manner.
Strand jacking forms part of the Johnson Crane Hire’s arsenal
of handling and lifting solutions, which is a lifting methodology
that uses a hydraulic progressive lifting system and can be scaled
to provide a lifting solution for extremely heavy equipment.
And, while limited in terms of capacity and lifting height, gantry
systems offer excellent versatility as the span can be configured
for individual applications. These systems can be rail mounted for
even greater versatility with the rails lengths being determined to
suit the requirement. Gantry systems can accommodate varying
ground levels from the one gantry upright to the other.
But, Yaman insists that it is not just the access to the equipment
and the aforementioned methodologies that provide solutions,
but rather an understanding of how to effectively combine these
in a manner to deliver a cost-effective handling solution which
is both reliable and safe, that is important for the success of a
project. This is where the engineering skills come into play; it
is not just any company that is able to undertake these sorts of
projects. Having access to the level of engineering skills upfront in
a project is critical as this allows all options to be fully exploited.
“With our full team of highly skilled and specialised personnel
including our in-house engineering team as well as trained
competent operators, we have strengthened our capacity to
systematically conduct these upfront engineering studies – to
safely and cost effectively move our customers’ loads from factory
to foundation,” concludes Yaman.
JUNE 2019
27