Tower Cranes Grow to New Heights
Within the tower crane business, the 1950s featured many important milestones in tower crane development and design. There were a range of manufacturers were starting to make more bottom slewing cranes which had telescoping mast. These kinds of machines dominated the construction industry for both office and apartment block construction. Many of the top tower crane manufacturers didn't utilize cantilever jib designs. Instead, they made the switch to luffing jibs and in time, utilizing luffing jibs became the standard method.
Manufacturers based in Europe were also really influential in the development and design of tower cranes. Construction sites on the continent were often tight places. Relying on rail systems to transport a large number of tower cranes, became very inconvenient and costly. A number of manufacturers were providing saddle jib cranes which had hook heights of 262 feet or 80 meters. These types of cranes were equipped 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.
The long jibs on these particular cranes also covered a larger work area. All of these developments resulted in the practice of building and anchoring cranes in the lift shaft of a building. Then, this is the technique that became the industry standard.
From the 1960s, the main focus on tower crane development and design started to cover 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 significant developments being made in the drive technology department, among other things.