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JULY 2013

INTERNATIONAL www.craneworld.com
A KHL Groupp pu
ppublication
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AND SPECIALIZED TRANSPORT

Hydraulic gantries
The knowledge:
Marco van Daal
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THE MAGAZINE FOR EQUIPMENT USERS AND BUYERS
Official magazine

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THE KNOWLEDGE

Sir Isaac Newton in


1689 when he was 46

Introducing know-how
The first in a new series of practical how-to articles aimed at improving safety in heavy
transport and lifting operations. We are excited to announce that MARCO VAN DAAL will
regularly contribute his extensive industry knowledge for the benefit of all readers

W
elcome to the first in a series of nature and who discovered them. I realise
ABOUT THE AUTHOR articles in which a number of that not everybody is an avid reader of
Marco J. van topics related to the heavy lift history but I assure you that it will help you
Daal has been and transport industry are highlighted, understand the future articles much better
in the heavy lift explained and demystified. The main with this theory in your pocket.
and transport reason for writing these articles is that I
industry since believe a good explanation of a theory or Isaac Newton
1993. He started topic, or just a situation that one ran into, Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 20
at Mammoet is more valuable than somebody showing March 1727), an English physicist and
Transport from the you how to do something without telling mathematician, is by many regarded as
Netherlands and you why it is done that way. the greatest genius who ever lived. He
later with Fagioli Although our industry has moved, contributed to science in different fields,
PSC from Italy, shipped, lifted and transported some of including the laws of planetary motion,
both esteemed the most amazing cargo of unimaginable speed of sound, light spectrum and the
companies and leading authorities in the sizes and unthinkable weights, there binomial theorem (for the mathematically
industry. His 20-year plus experience are a few very basic laws of nature gifted amongst us). He is, however, best
extends to five continents and more than that these moves abide by. A thorough known for the contents of his book,
55 countries. understanding of these laws of nature Principia Mathematica (1687), in which he
It has resulted in a book The Art of will aid in proper equipment selection, explains three physical laws that form the
Heavy Transport, available at: recognition of the forces and a timely basis for classical mechanics. These laws
www.the-works-int.com identification of unwanted situations. are now known as Newtons laws of motion.
Van Daal has a real passion for sharing Believe it or not, there are still too
knowledge and experience, the prime many accidents that result in equipment NEWTONS FIRST LAW
reason, he says, for the seminars he holds damage and injury or loss of life. This Newtons first law says that if there is
all over the world. He lives in Aruba, Dutch first article will, therefore, not cover heavy no resulting force on an object, then its
Caribbean, with his wife and two daughters. transport or lifting. Instead it goes back velocity is constant. The object is either at
in history and touches on these laws of rest (velocity of zero), or it moves with a >

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THE KNOWLEDGE

NEWTONS FIRST LAW

With no outside forces, this object will never move

With no outside forces, this object will never stop

constant speed in a straight direction. an hydraulic pushing ram, on a friction- Newtons Philosophi Naturalis
This first law basically states that an reducing material such as Teflon (PTFE) Principia Mathematica
object is in rest (zero velocity) if there is no on stainless steel. The lower the friction
external force applied to it, this is the easy between these two materials, the lower the
part. This law also states that if no resulting effort can be to move the object. Once the
force is applied to an object it could as well hydraulic ram stops pushing (at the end of
be moving at a constant speed in a straight the stroke), once again the friction force also doubles, this is directly proportional.
direction, this is a bit harder to fathom. is the resulting force and will return the If the mass of an object doubles while
Imagine a hockey puck that is struck and object to a state of at rest. If there would applying the same resulting force, then
slides down an asphalt surface. Due to the be no friction between the Teflon and the acceleration halves, this is inversely
friction, a resulting force, between the puck the stainless steel, the object would keep proportional. The relation between the
and the asphalt, the puck eventually stops moving at a constant speed at the end of the resulting force, the acceleration and the
sliding. Now lets assume that this same stroke. Obviously an unwanted situation. objects mass can be expressed in a formula:
puck is struck and it slides down an ice Even though we want the friction to be F = m g where F is the force expressed in
track. The distance the puck travels is a lot as low as possible, we still rely on it being Newtons, m is the mass expressed in kg and
further than on asphalt because the friction, present at the end of the stroke. g is the acceleration expressed in m/s2.
a resulting force, between the puck and ice How is this applicable in our industry?
is much less. If the ice could be so smooth NEWTONS SECOND LAW We know from Newtons first law that
that the friction would be zero, then this If there is a resulting force on an object without a resulting force the object would
puck would keep travelling in a straight line it will accelerate. The acceleration is in keep sliding on the Teflon and stainless
with a constant velocity and never stop. the direction of the resulting force and is steel skid track.
How is this applicable in our industry? directly proportional to it, and it is inversely Newtons second law states, however,
A frequently used method of moving loads proportional to the mass of the object. that when a resulting force is applied,
is skidding. In its simplest form, skidding This law is an extension of the first law. the friction force, an acceleration, takes
is the overcoming of friction by applying It basically states that if the resulting force place. Since the object slows down, the
a resulting force, often in the shape of on an object doubles, then the acceleration acceleration has a negative value and is also
called a deceleration.
Another application of Newtons
NEWTONS SECOND LAW second law is when a driver decides to
apply his brakes, which is considered
another resulting force, he would come to a
standstill. If he pushed the brakes twice as
hard, the acceleration will double, due to
F = m g and he will stop twice as fast.
The more force ...
NEWTONS THIRD LAW
The more acceleration. When an object exerts a force, F1, on
a second object, the second object
simultaneously exerts a force F2 = F1
on the first body. The forces F1 and F2
are equal in magnitude and opposite in
NEWTONS THIRD LAW direction. This law is also known as
action = reaction and has often been a
law of controversy.
Imagine that you are pulling on a rope
Every action has an equal that is attached to a wall, you pull with 110
pounds (50 kg). Actually you pull with a
and opposite reaction force of approximately 500 Newton.
Now replace the wall by a person who
pulls on the other end of the rope. The
controversy has been in the belief that if
each person pulls with 250 N there will

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THE KNOWLEDGE

ARCHIMEDES OF SYRACUSES DEFINITION OF BUOYANCY


Gravity

Density of boat

Density of water

Buoyancy

be a tension of 500 N in the rope. Newton us with the principle of the lever, a crane and opposite in direction.
has put an end to this belief with his third in its most basic form. He is also credited With these three laws of Newton and
action = reaction law. To create a tension with the foundations of hydrostatics. In the hydrostatic and buoyancy laws of
of 500 N in the rope, both people have particular, buoyancy is important in our Archimedes under your belt, you are able to
to pull with a force of 500 N in opposite industry for ships and barges. For every understand the forces that play on an object
directions. voyage, lift-on, lift-off, roll-on and roll-off, being transported or lifted by land or sea
How is this applicable in our industry? the buoyancy is monitored as it keeps the or both.
When a load is suspended from a crane ship or barge afloat.
hook, this load exerts a force onto the Buoyancy is defined as the upward
boom tip of that crane. At the same time force exerted on a submerged object,
the boom tip (via hydraulic cylinders and/ by the liquid it is submerged in, equal
or pendant ropes) exerts the same force to the weight of the liquid that the
onto the load that prevents it from falling object displaced.
down. Assuming that the load measures According to Newtons third law,
500 N, then this is the force exerted onto there should be another (downward)
the boom as well as onto the load. force at play as action = reaction. This
is indeed the case, the other force is the
Archimedes of Syracuse gravitational force, the buoyancy and
Widely known as just Archimedes, gravitational forces are equal in magnitude
Archimedes of Syracuse (287 212 BC)
was a Greek mathematician, physicist, Archimedes is credited with the principle of
engineer, inventor and astronomer. He left the lever a crane in its most basic form

heavy modular trailers and self-propelled vehicles

INDUSTRIE COMETTO S.p.A.


12011 BORGO S.DALMAZZO - CN - ITALY
TEL. +39.0171.263300
cometto@cometto.com - www.cometto.com building for the heaviest duties

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