There are several commercial and industrial buildings that now exceed 60 stories or more. These buildings all need tall cranes to help move the supplies to the upper floors. There are cranes that are operated from the back of trucks or other types that have their own vehicle connected. Tower cranes are the largest kinds offered on the market.
Tower cranes are stand-alone structures found as part of a major city's downtown skyline on high-rise building projects. When new construction like skyscrapers or apartment buildings and commercial facilities like for example shopping center are being constructed, chances are a crane would be on site.
Types
The two key types of cranes could be differentiated by the way in which their boom or jib lifts materials. The jib is the metal frame which extends from the main section. On a flat tower crane, the jib remains horizontal when it lifts things. On a luffing kind of tower crane, the jib could ratchet to downward or upward angles. The lifting capacity for both kinds could range from 30 pounds to 10,000 pounds
Body
The body of the crane is composed of a vertical steel mast which is composed of separate sections. The parts are added to be able increase the overall height of the machinery. The mast extends upward to wherever the desired height is, to the control module, that is a small room that has glass windows on all four sides or to the tower as it is also called. The operator of the crane works from inside of the tower.
Lift
The crane utilizes a braided metal cord to be able to raise materials. This cord extends out from a motor located next to the control module to the end of the boom or jib. There is a pulley system situated at the end of the jib, through which the cord is positioned and lowered down. The jib that holds the cord becomes balanced by a counter jib situated on the tower's opposite side. The counter jib has weights. These weights help to prevent the crane from toppling over when heavy materials are lifted.