Tower Cranes Grow to New Heights
During the 1950s in the tower crane industry, there were numerous important developments in the design of these large cranes. Many different manufacturers were started making bottom slewing cranes with a telescoping mast. These types of machines dominated the construction market for apartment block and office construction. Many of the top tower crane manufacturers abandoned the use of cantilever jib designs. Instead, they made the switch to luffing jibs and eventually, utilizing luffing jibs became the regular practice.
Manufacturers based in Europe were also heavily important in the design and development of tower cranes. Construction locations on the continent were normally tight places. Depending upon rail systems to move several tower cranes, ended up being very difficult and expensive. Some manufacturers were offering saddle jib cranes that had hook heights of 80 meters or 262 feet. These cranes were outfitted with self-climbing mechanisms that allowed parts of mast to be inserted into the crane so that it can grow along with the structures it was constructing upwards.
The long jibs on these particular cranes additionally covered a bigger work area. All of these developments resulted in the practice of erecting and anchoring cranes in a building's lift shaft. After that, this is the technique that became the industry standard.
The main focus on tower crane development and design from the 1960s began on covering a higher load moment, covering a bigger job radius, faster erection strategies, climbing mechanisms and technology, and new control systems. Additionally, focus was spent on faster erection strategies with the most essential developments being made in the drive technology department, amongst other things.