Big, Big Crane? One of my projects, decades ago.

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

Found these pics from a project I was involved with. Replacing a new 155 foot tower inside a Chemical unit, using a Ring Crane. It was a TMA unit, old one was cut out. This was started 6AM, and finished in 9 hours. Took longer, and more cranes to put the Ring Crane together, then raise the tower. MT

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

 

[DocWard]

Well, now since I have guilt for looking earlier but not replying, I thought the pictures were very cool. I just didn't really understand quite what I was looking at. Maybe a brief caption of what each pic shows? What is a ring crane, anyway?

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

Ring Crane sit on a circular track. The ground is prepared beforehand with sand, gravel and railroad ties to level and also assure no sinking or shifting. Most jobs I been involved were we used one, we allowed 2 weeks preparation. The ring allows the whole crane to move as one, lessening strain, assuring level moves, etc. Everything is leveled and bubbled. The first pic shows the tower which was transferred in night moves by the railroad. Special tracks were built to bring it in reach of the Ring Crane. A camera was mounted on the crane (were pics were taken, also a helicopter was used). This was a unit in which after 20 years the old tower had section paper thin, rather then use crain to lift and take the old one out, decision was made to cut it in sections and lift out. The 2nd and 3rd pic show view from crane as tower was lifted above existing piping, and the prepared ground base. The mounting bolts were within 1/32 and 1/16", so tower fit perfectly as it was lowered. The last pic shows the size of the crane and tower lowered and held while securing ground bolts. The other cranes were used to stabilize as tower was lifted and slowly brought upright, taking strain off the Ring Crane. This was the most critical, dangerous time of the lift. The tower was 155' tall, you can see the range of the crane. Some of the pins were size of a man. All the other cranes were also used to assemble the ring crane.

The tower in back is just a stack from the incinerator that burns the bottoms and recovers rare earth metals, Cobalt especially in the flyash. MT

[DocWard]

Cool, thanks! I'm not terribly knowledgeable in the area, so it takes some explaining. Preferably with small words. Monosyllabic if possible. Parenthetically, why is the word "monosyllabic" actually a polysyllabic word?

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

This was also back in the days of using slide rules for calculations. MT

[Sedalia Dave]

This was also back in the days of using slide rules for calculations. MT

For most calculations a slide rule is more than accurate enough.

 

I used to collect them at yard sales and flea markets but in the last few years I seldom see one for sale. My prized book is titled "An Easy Introduction to the Slide Rule" by Isaac Asimov.

Found it in a library when I first got interested in slide rules and was wanting to learn how they worked. I renewed the check out 4 times and the librarian got courious. Seems I was the only person to check it out in over 5 years so she asked me if I wanted to buy it. Gave a whole five dollars for the book. That started me to collecting different ones. Still looking for a copy of the Cleveland Institute of Electronics text book that taught slide rule. I have a Picket that was made special for CIE. It has a few unique scales for electrical formulas.

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

For most calculations a slide rule is more than accurate enough.

 

I used to collect them at yard sales and flea markets but in the last few years I seldom see one for sale. My prized book is titled "An Easy Introduction to the Slide Rule" by Isaac Asimov.

Found it in a library when I first got interested in slide rules and was wanting to learn how they worked. I renewed the check out 4 times and the librarian got courious. Seems I was the only person to check it out in over 5 years so she asked me if I wanted to buy it. Gave a whole five dollars for the book. That started me to collecting different ones. Still looking for a copy of the Cleveland Institute of Electronics text book that taught slide rule. I have a Picket that was made special for CIE. It has a few unique scales for electrical formulas.

Somehow using your mind is out and using calculators to do the work for you is in. Every now and then, I'll pull mine out nd use it to keep from going rusty. Thanks for sharing. MT

[Krazy Kajun]

i had to buy a slide rule my freshman year (1972) in engineering..even had to take a class in how to use it. I still have my old Post slide rule. Then in 1974 the world changed....Texas Instruments started selling the SR-50 calculator....first one they sold that had trig functions. Hewlett Packard sold a scientific calculator a year earlier but I was a broke college student and could not afford the $600 for it. I could buy the TI and did. Wished I still had that baby....it might be worth $10 now.

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

i had to buy a slide rule my freshman year (1972) in engineering..even had to take a class in how to use it. I still have my old Post slide rule. Then in 1974 the world changed....Texas Instruments started selling the SR-50 calculator....first one they sold that had trig functions. Hewlett Packard sold a scientific calculator a year earlier but I was a broke college student and could not afford the $600 for it. I could buy the TI and did. Wished I still had that baby....it might be worth $10 now.

I used and still have my Sharp scientific calculator Model EL 509S. Small, yet in the field was good. The instruction book is quite thick. I actually used a calculator, but went back to slide rule. Somehow double checking my work, and to be honest, at first sceptical on the calculators at first. I'm sure a large number of engineers did the same. MT

[G #1840]

Somehow using your mind is out and using calculators to do the work for you is in. Every now and then, I'll pull mine out nd use it to keep from going rusty. Thanks for sharing. MT

I havent yet figured out how to do this or at least, how to put it back in.

[G #1840]

I went out to Rockdale Texas to collect some coal samples from their mine. They used this drag line which was the biggest piece of machinery I have ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViJEPQy7CeM

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

I havent yet figured out how to do this or at least, how to put it back in.

Got me on words. Thanks MT

[Blastmaster]

Somehow using your mind is out and using calculators to do the work for you is in. Every now and then, I'll pull mine out nd use it to keep from going rusty. Thanks for sharing. MT

Nice to see the big iron (crane) that others have worked around.

 

After the lift of that tower,and itis secured at the base, how did you disconnect the rigging ?

 

In my past life, I worked around those big mining walking draglines. Now, around hydraulic shovels and 100 ton payload haul trucks.

 

As far as slide rules, I was in the era of going from slide rules to calculators. I ended up in the calculator camp.

 

Engineering classes became difficult in another way with calculators. Setting up the equations & formula's memorizing formulas and conversions became more difficult and turning the handle on the calculator was the easy part. There were more problems to solve per test using calculators than slide rules.

 

Anyway, my pickett slide rule & HP35 calculator are now mounted in a shadow box and hanging on the wall of my reloading room. Yes, my mind has gone soft and I reach for the calculator now for math calcs.. About the same as going to a word processor to do a spell check rather than dig out a dictionary book.

 

Good job

[Marshal Dan Troop 70448]

Nice to see the big iron (crane) that others have worked around.

 

After the lift of that tower,and itis secured at the base, how did you disconnect the rigging ?

 

 

 

Anyway, my pickett slide rule & HP35 calculator are now mounted in a shadow box and hanging on the wall of my reloading room.

 

Good job

Disconnection was an easy one on this job. After Tower was raised, secured and bolted down. Iron worker climbed the tower (tower was insulated, ladders, etc. were all items done on the ground) and loosenned the bolts and sling. The crane then hoisted the top deck along with relief valve, etc to top, were the works was secured. (Top deck and last lift using ring crane. Top deck finished can be seen in pic 3. The platform was salvaged from the original tower and re-used).

 

I lost my HP35 to bad batteries leakage. MT

[Wolfgang, SASS #53480]

Marshal Troop . . . . thanks for posting . . . . very interesting. Especially to me. I worked with cranes in the shipyard in San Diego for 8 years.

 

( NASSCO from 1974 to 1982 ).

 

We put together the BIG SHIPS . . . the Exxon Valdez and three others of the same class as well as some smaller ones and various Navy vessels. It was a great time. Rigging was something that come naturally to me. I loved it. And am glad that I moved on when I did. San Diego was also a great place to live back in those days. It has got crowded since then.

[Blastmaster]

Disconnection was an easy one on this job. After Tower was raised, secured and bolted down. Iron worker climbed the tower (tower was insulated, ladders, etc. were all items done on the ground) and loosenned the bolts and sling. The crane then hoisted the top deck along with relief valve, etc to top, were the works was secured. (Top deck and last lift using ring crane. Top deck finished can be seen in pic 3. The platform was salvaged from the original tower and re-used).

 

I lost my HP35 to bad batteries leakage. MT

I was wondering if a permanent ladder up the side was the trick.

 

It wouldn't have surprised me if a man basket from another crane would have been used.

 

Blastmaster