A Demag AC 500-8 all-terrain crane has lifted a 19-tonne chimney liner into place, 119 metres above ground in a job where each centimetre mattered.
AKM Autokranvermietung, on behalf of Munich City Utilities, was tasked to lift bulky liner segments over the rafting at the top of the chimney without bumping into it, with only a 20-centimetre clearance between load and railing.
In order to perform the lift, AKM equipped the Demag crane with a 47-metre main boom and a 72-metre luffing jib in the SSL 60° configuration with 180-tonne of counterweight.
AKM Crane Operator Klaus Kellner said it was clear he did not have much space to manoeuvre with the lifts.
“That’s why we also placed bog mats under the outriggers of the AC 500-8 in order to raise the level of the crane and thus gain a little more height,” he said.
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AKM had a customised spreader made of tempered steel custom built for the application, with the holes for the load slings precisely matched to the liner segments to allow for maximum possible hook height.
“I was already aware that it would be very tight,” Kellner said. “We hooked up the spreader, raised the liner to the required height of 119 metres and then slewed it over the chimney.”
Lifting the segments also blocked Kellner’s vision, meaning a colleague was required to direct him through the lift.
“I was able to rely one hundred percent on my signalman and the precise operability of the AC 500-8,” he said.
“You don’t see a lift like that every day – especially at this height and with this weight. But with the AC 500-8 it was no problem.”
AKM General Manager of Technology Sven Bauer said the decision to use the Demag crane was well-considered.
“Of all the eight-axle cranes available, the Demag AC 500-8 is the only crane that can safely handle the required loads of up to 19 tonnes at this height – otherwise we would have had to use a larger and thus more expensive 700-tonne or even 750-tonne crane,” he said.
The compact nature of the crane meant it was also able to cope better with the cramped conditions of the construction site.