Mark Hawkins - Design Inspiration

The main focus of this initial research phase was to consider preexisting portable crane designs, and assess their pro and con. This should allow better understanding of crane design for future design phases.

The first style of crane that I considered was a gantry style crane. The example to the left shows a "Hasemer and Feltes Aluminium Gantry Crane" which seems to meet most of the project brief criteria.

The main issues with this particular style of crane is firstly that on the loose and uneven post earthquake ground, the struts may not be adjustable enough to keep the winch guide stable and horizontal.

Also, in order for this crane to move debris a minimum of 4 metres from any point of lift, the winch guide beam would have to be 8 metres long. This would cause the whole structure to become very unstable in the likely event of aftershocks. For more information on this preexisting design please visit http://www.ghequipment.com.au/products/cranes/portcranes.htmcranes/portcranes.htm

The next type of crane considered were overhead cranes, as depicted to the right. This type of crane has several advantages over the gantry style crane as its much wider base would make it far more resilient to aftershocks. This design could also be fitted with adjustable legs to allow it to be positioned on uneven surfaces.

The main disadvantage of this crane is that it would have to be 8 metres square to meet the required design criteria. This would make such a crane very difficult to transport by hand over rough terrain, and would not fit inside the back of a standard 4x4 vehicle. For more information on this crane, please see

http://www.low-cost-cranes.com/jib-cranes-350.html

The final style crane that I researched was the portable jib crane as shown to the left and right. The main advantage of this style of crane is that it is rotary and thus may move an object through 180 degrees. This means that the length of the crane arm is minimised, as is the overall size of the crane. However, the main disadvantages of this crane are that in order to remain stable; the base either needs to be significantly counterbalanced with a heavy weight, or the legs need to spread across the ground meaning it can only be placed on a flat surface. Details of the particular crane depicted here can be found at http://apexlifting.tradeindia.com/Exporters_Suppliers/Exporter18134.292868/PORTABLE-JIB-CRANE.html

This research has shown the three main types of crane that I believe would be appropriate to meet the design brief. Each of these preexisting designs has advantages and disadvantages, so the next step is to use the basic principles discovered here in crane design; and create a new, unique, and innovative alternative to be used in earthquake disaster relief operations.