US-based GW Becker has designed, manufactured and installed a new 15t top running single girder bridge crane system at a municipal water pumping facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The crane features a Columbus McKinnon Cable King electric wire rope hoist and is intended to support maintenance activities involving pumps and auxiliary process equipment within the site’s pumping station.
The installation comprised the full crane system along with runway rail end stops, electrification, commissioning, and load testing prior to being put into operation.
All aspects of the project were completed according to Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), American National Standards Institute/American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ANSI/ASME), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and National Electrical Code (NEC) standards.
The system operates indoors within a temperature range of 41°F to 104°F and includes a span of 43ft with a lift height of 24ft.
Mechanical components include a welded monobox girder constructed from mill-certified steel and dual 2 HP motors for the bridge drive operating at 100ft per minute with variable frequency drive (VFD) control, said the company.
The CMCO Cable King hoist is powered by a 20 HP motor, with a lift speed of 16ft per minute using a four-part double reeved stainless-steel wire rope.
Operational controls feature primary radio control via a belly box transmitter equipped with three-step lever control, an emergency stop function, horn, and power indicators.
A backup ergonomic pendant provides three-step push-button operation using a C-Track festoon system.
For safety, the crane incorporates a geared limit switch, overload cutoff mechanism, upper block limit, trolley and bridge travel limits, horn warning signals and an operational blue light indicator, said GW Becker.
The electrical system utilises NEMA 4/12-rated enclosures for the bridge, hoist and trolley controls.
It includes manual disconnects, mainline contactors, fused panels that can be locked out for safety purposes, open-loop VFD motion control systems as well as thermal overload and short-circuit protection throughout.
Following final commissioning and load testing procedures to validate compliance with operational criteria for municipal applications in water treatment pump service environments, GW Becker delivered the completed crane system to support daily facility requirements.
GW Becker last month completed the installation of two top-running single girder cranes, each with a 15t capacity at a manufacturing facility in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.
