Tower Cranes Grow to New Heights
Within the tower crane industry, the 1950s featured numerous important milestones in tower crane development and design. There were a variety of manufacturers were starting to make more bottom slewing cranes which had telescoping mast. These equipments dominated the construction business for both office and apartment block construction. Lots of of the top tower crane manufacturers didn't use cantilever jib designs. As an alternative, they made the switch to luffing jibs and eventually, the use of luffing jibs became the standard method.
Manufacturers based in Europe were also heavily important in the development and design of tower cranes. Construction locations on the continent were normally tight places. Having to rely on rail systems to move a large number of tower cranes, ended up being very expensive and difficult. A number of manufacturers were providing saddle jib cranes that had hook heights of 80 meters or 262 feet. These cranes were outfitted with self-climbing mechanisms which enabled sections of mast to be inserted into the crane so that it can grow along with the structures it was constructing upwards.
These particular cranes have long jibs and could cover a bigger work area. All of these developments precipitated the practice of erecting and anchoring cranes in a building's lift shaft. Afterwards, this is the technique that became the industry standard.
The main focus on tower crane design and development from the 1960s began on covering a higher load moment, covering a larger job radius, climbing mechanisms and technology, faster erection strategies, and new control systems. In addition, focus was spent on faster erection strategies with the most essential developments being made in the drive technology department, amongst other things.