Tower Cranes Grow to New Heights
In the tower crane industry, the 1950s showcased many important milestones in tower crane design and development. There were a range of manufacturers were beginning to make more bottom slewing cranes which had telescoping mast. These equipments dominated the construction market for both office and apartment block construction. Lots of of the top tower crane manufacturers didn't use cantilever jib designs. Instead, they made the switch to luffing jibs and eventually, utilizing luffing jibs became the standard practice.
Within Europe, there were major improvements being made in the development and design of tower cranes. Normally, construction locations were constricted places. Relying upon rail systems to move a large number of tower cranes, ended up being too difficult and expensive. A number of manufacturers were offering saddle jib cranes that had hook heights of 262 feet or 80 meters. These cranes were outfitted with self-climbing mechanisms which enabled sections of mast to be inserted into the crane so that it could grow along with the structures it was constructing upwards.
These specific cranes have long jibs and could cover a larger work area. All of these developments precipitated the practice of constructing and anchoring cranes inside the lift shaft of a building. Then, this is the technique which became the industry standard.
The main focus on tower crane development and design from the 1960s started on covering a higher load moment, covering a larger job radius, climbing mechanisms and technology, faster erection strategies, and new control systems. Additionally, focus was spent on faster erection strategies with the most essential developments being made in the drive technology department, among other things.