Tower Cranes Grow to New Heights
Throughout the 1950s in the tower crane business, there were numerous important developments in the design of these large cranes. Numerous manufacturers were started producing bottom slewing cranes with a telescoping mast. These kinds of machines dominated the construction industry for office and apartment block construction. Many of the leading tower crane manufacturers didn't utilize cantilever jib designs. Instead, they made the switch to luffing jibs and eventually, utilizing luffing jibs became the standard method.
Within Europe, there were key improvements being made in the development and design of tower cranes. Usually, construction locations were constricted places. Relying upon rail systems to transport a large number of tower cranes, ended up being very inconvenient and expensive. Some manufacturers were offering saddle jib cranes that had hook heights of 262 feet or 80 meters. These types of cranes were outfitted with self-climbing mechanisms that allowed 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 precipitated 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 bigger 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, among other things.