Posted to News on 16th Jun 2016, 00:00
Testing cable carriers in realistic situations
Kabelschlepp Metool tests cable carriers for crane systems on the company’s own outdoor testing facility. Travel lengths of more than 100 meters and travel speeds of up to 5m/s can be automatically simulated there. A system developed in-house for monitoring the pull/push forces in energy chains ensures the system works safely around the clock seven days a week.
The 116.5m long testing facility for cable carriers requires two fully automated and individually controlled 105 m travel lengths. This length corresponds to the trolley travel length of a seaport container crane that is also known as a ship-to-shore crane in specialist terminology. The maximum test speed of the 1.3 tonne system trolley propelling the long travel chain system is 5m/s with an acceleration of 1m/s². Given these values, Kabelschlepp Metool is in a position to cater for and test all crane and long travel path applications.
Kabelschlepp Metool focused on the unloading procedures in a port when defining and deciding the actual test procedures for cable carriers. These show a somewhat irregular pattern and therefore also an irregular load for the overall system. The test engineers took this fact into account in the specially programmed crane-test cycles. Realistic permanent loads of the cable carrier chains can be tested, monitored and documented – that is unique in the industry.
To ensure the system to run for seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and in all weather conditions, Kabelschlepp Metool has developed a system for monitoring the pull/push forces on the energy-chain system. The monitoring system is not only used for monitoring the trials. In the meantime, it is also used on actual applications. The crane operator therefore is offered a useful and cost-effective safety upgrade for their system, which can be integrated into existing crane systems.
