Tower Cranes Grow to New Heights
In the tower crane business, the 1950s showcased many important milestones in tower crane design and development. There were a range of manufacturers were beginning to produce more bottom slewing cranes which had telescoping mast. These machinery dominated the construction industry for apartment block and office construction. A lot of of the top tower crane manufacturers didn't use cantilever jib designs. As an alternative, they made the switch to luffing jibs and in time, utilizing luffing jibs became the standard practice.
Manufacturers based in Europe were also really important in the development and design of tower cranes. Construction sites on the continent were often tight areas. Having to depend on rail systems to transport several tower cranes, became too expensive and inconvenient. Some manufacturers were providing saddle jib cranes that had hook heights of 262 feet or 80 meters. These types of cranes were equipped with self-climbing mechanisms that allowed sections of mast to be inserted into the crane so that it can grow along with the structures it was building upwards.
These particular cranes have long jibs and could cover a bigger work area. All of these developments precipitated the practice of building and anchoring cranes inside a building's lift shaft. Afterwards, this is the technique which 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 larger job radius, faster erection strategies, climbing mechanisms and technology, and new control systems. Furthermore, focus was spent on faster erection strategies with the most essential developments being made in the drive technology department, amongst other things.