ABSTRACT

The design optimization of an overhead crane with a double box girder

has been proposed . In this paper the design optimization of double box
girder has been done and a comparative study of results of finite
element analysis of a crane with 10 ton capacity and 12 m span length
has been conducted. It is not possible for the real experimental studies to
take into consideration the influence of the connections between the main
beams and the rest parts of the construction, the influence of the
longitudinal and transverse ribbings as well as the influence of the
supports on the overall stressed state of the construction. Moreover, the
researches that use for the majority of the test cases different strain
measurements turn out to be quite hard and expensive. All these problems
could be solved successfully by the use of computer modeling procedures.
It is possible to perform 2D or 3D computer studies. The 2D computer
studies give idea of the planar behavior of the construction and lack
the opportunity of showing the influence of supports or the connections
of the construction. It is only the 3D models that could satisfy all the
requirements for examining the general stressed state
of the
carrying metal
construction. With regard to this, the creation of 3-D
models for researching and analyzing the behavior of an overhead crane
box girder, becomes the main goal of the present work. In the initial
phase of the study, conventional design calculations proposed by
Indian Standard Rules were performed. The crane design was modeled
with solids, Loads and boundary conditions were applied to solid model.
Assign material to the solid model. Finite Element meshes were
generated from the solid model. After a comparison of the finite
element analyses, and the conventional calculations, the analysis was
found to give the most realistic results. As a result of this study, a design
optimization for an overhead crane box girder has been done.

1. INTRODUCTION
A crane is a mechanical lifting device equipped with a winder, wire
ropes and sheaves that can be used both to lift and lower materials and
to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to
create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal
capability of a human. Cranes are commonly employed in the transport
industry for the loading and unloading of freight; in the construction
industry for
the movement of materials; and in the manufacturing
industry for the assembling of heavy equipment. It serves a larger area of
floor space within its own travelling
restrictions than any other
permanent type hoisting arrangement. The primary task of the overhead
crane is to handle and transfer heavy payloads from one position
to another. The escalating price of structural material is a global
problem, which cannot be considered redundant. Overhead crane, which
is associated with material handling in the industrial environment, utilizes
structural steel for its girder fabrication. Light girder for overhead
cranes saves material cost resulting into trim down the overall expenditure
of the structural steel construction, civil construction as well as the
electrical consumption. The general procedure for design of EOT crane
girders is accomplished through the use of codes and standards.
3D-modeling of overhead crane
box girder structure and finite
element analysis has been done to find the displacements and stress
values by analysis softwares. Further with respect to the design
optimization of overhead eot crane box girder has been proposed.

2.TYPES OF ELECTRIC OVERHEAD CR ANES

There are various types of overhead cranes with m any being highly specialized, but
the great majority of installations fall into one of three categories: a) Top running
single girder bridge cranes, b) Top running double girder bridge cranes and c) Underrunning single girder bridge cranes. Electric Overhead Traveling (EOT) Cranes com e
in various types:
1) S i n g l e gi r der c r a n es - The crane consists of a single bridge girder supported on
two end trucks. It has a trolle y hoist m echanism that runs on the bo t t o m flange of
the bridge girder.
2)
Do u b l e G i r der B r i d ge C r a n es - The crane consists of two bridge girders
supported on two end trucks.
The trolle y runs on rails on the t o p of the bridge girders.
3) G ant ry C r a nes - These cranes are essentially the sam e as the regular overhead
cranes except that the bridge for carr ying the trolle y or trolle ys is rigidly supported
on two or m ore legs running on fixed rails or other runway. These legs elim inate
the supporting runwa y and colum n system and connect to end trucks which run on a
rail either em bedded in, or laid on top of, the floor.
4) M o no r ai l - For som e applications such as production assem bly line or service
line, only a trolle y hoist is required. The hoisting m echanism is sim ilar to a single
girder crane with a difference that the crane doesnt have a m ovable bridge and the
hoisting trolle y runs on a fixed girder. Monorail beam s are usually I-beam s (tapered
beam flanges).

The advantages and lim itations of Single / double girder

cranes are as follows: S i n g l e G ir d er Cr a n es
o Single girder bridge cranes generally have a m axim um span between 20
and 50 feet with a m axim um lift of 15-50 feet.
o They can handle 1-15 tonnes with bridge speeds approaching a m axim um of 200
feet per m inute
(fpm ), trolley speeds of approxim ately 100 fpm , and hoist speeds ranging from
10-60fpm
o They are candidates for light to m oderate service and are cost effective for use
as a standb y (infrequently used) crane.
o Single girder cranes reduce the total crane cost on crane com ponents,
runwa y structure and building.

2.1 Doub le G ir der Cra nes

o Double girder cranes are faster, with m axim um bridge speeds, trolley speeds
and hoist speeds approaching 350 fpm , 150 fpm , and 60 fpm , respectively.
o They are useful cranes for a variet y of usage levels ranging from infrequent,
interm ittent use to continuous severe service. The y can lift up to 100 tons.
o These can be utilized at an y capacit y where extrem ely high hook lift is
required because the hook can be pulled up between the girders.
o They are also highly suitable where the crane needs to be fitted with walkwa ys,
crane lights, cabs, m agnet cable reels or other special equipm ent.

2.2 EOT CR ANE CONFIGUR ATION

1) Under Running (U/R)
2) Top Running (T/R)
2.2.1Under running cranes
Under Running or under slung cranes are distinguished b y the fact that they are
supported from the roof structure and run on the bottom flange of runwa y girders.
Under running cranes are t ypically available in standard capacities up to 10 tons
(special configurations up to 25 tons and over 90 ft spans). Under hung cranes offer
excellent side approaches, close headroom and can be supported on runwa ys hung
from existing building m em bers if adequate.
The Under Running Crane offers the following advantages:
o Ver y sm all trolley approach dim ensions m eaning m axim um utilization of
the building's width and height.
o The possibilit y of using the existing ceiling girder for securing
the crane track. Following are som e lim itations to Under Running
Cranes o Hook Height - Due to Location of the runwa y beams, Hook Height is reduced
o Roof Load - The load being applied to the roof is greater than that of a top
running crane

Lower Flange Loading of runwa y beam s require careful sizing

otherwise, you can "peel" the flanges off the beam

2.2.2 Top Running Cranes

The crane bridge travels on top of rails m ounted on a runwa y beam supported by
either the building colum ns or colum ns specifically engineered for the crane.
Top Running Cranes are the m ost comm on form of crane design where the crane
loads are transm itted to the building colum ns or free standing structure. These
cranes have an advantage of m inim um headroom / m axim um height of lift.

2.3 B ASIC CR ANE COM PONENTS

To help the reader better understand nam es and expressions used throughout this
course, find below is a diagram of basic crane components.

1)
B r i d g e - The m ain traveling structure of the crane which spans the width of the
ba y and travels in a direction parallel to the runwa y. The bridge consists of two end
trucks and one or two bridge girders depending on the equipm ent type. The bridge
also supports the trolle y and hoisting m echanism for up and down lifting of load.

2)
E n d t r u c k s - Located on either side of the bridge, the end trucks house the
wheels on which the entire crane travels. It is an assem bly consisting of structural m
em bers, wheels, bearings, axles, etc., which supports the bridge girder(s) or the trolle
y cross m em ber(s).
3)

B ri dg e G i r d er(s ) - The principal horizontal beam of the crane bridge which

supports the trolle y and is supported b y the end trucks.

4)
Ru n w a y - The rails, beams, brackets and fram ework on which the crane
operates.
5)
Ru n w ay R a i l - The rail supported b y the runwa y beam s on which the crane
travels.
6)

H o i s t - The hoist m echanism is a unit consisting of a m otor drive, coupling,

brakes, gearing, drum, ropes, and load block designed to raise, hold and lower
the m axim um rated load. Hoist m echanism is m ounted to the trolle y.

7)

T r oll ey - The unit carr ying the hoisting m echanism which travels on the bridge
rails in a direction at right angles to the crane runwa y. Trolle y fram e is the
basic structure of the trolle y on which are m ounted the hoisting and traversing
m echanism s.

8)

Bu mper ( Bu f f er ) - An energ y absorbing device for reducing im pact when a

m oving crane or trolle y reaches the end of its perm itted travel, or when two
moving cranes or trolle ys com e into contact. This device m ay be attached to
the bridge trolley or runway off

3.SPECIFYING AN OVERHEAD CR ANE

PARAMETERS NEEDED F OR SPECIFYING AN OVERHEAD CRANE

Crane capacity (tons)

Required lifting height (in.)

Other Desired Information

Runwa y height (ft. & in.)

Hoist Speed (ft per minute)

Clearance Required (ft. & in.)

Bridge Tra vel Speed (ft per min)

Building W idth, Clear Span (ft. & in.)

Trolley Tra vel Speed (ft per min)

6
7

Building Height (ft. & in.)

Electrical Requirements (Festoon or
Conductor Bar)

Runwa y Si ze & Length (in. & ft)

8
Hook Approach & End Approach (ft.
& in.)

10

Control Requirements

3.1 ESSENTIAL PARAMETERS FOR SPECIFING EOT CRANES

To select correct crane envelope that will fit in the building foot print, the user m
ust identif y and pass on the following key inform ation to the supplier:
1)
C r an e C a pa c i ty * - The rated load, the crane will be required to lift. Rated load
shall m ean the m axim um load for which a crane or individual hoist is designed and
built by the m anufacturer and shown on the equipm ent identification plate.
2)
Li f t H e i g h t - The rated lift m eans the distance between the upper and lower
elevations of travel of the load block and arithm etically it is usually the distance
between the beam and the floor, m inus the height of the hoist. This dim ension is
critical in most applications as it determ ines the height of the runwa y from the floor
and is dependent on the clear inside height of the building. Do not forget to include
any slings or below the hook devices that would influence this value.
3)

Ru n w a y H e i g ht The distance between the grade level and the top of the rail.

4)
C l ea r anc e- The vertical distance between the grade level and the bottom of the
crane girder.
5)

C l ear S p a n- Distance between colum ns across the width of the building.

Building width is defined as the distance from outside of eave strut of one
sidewall to outside of eave strut of the opposite sidewall. Crane Span is the
horizontal center distance between the rails of the runwa y on which the crane is
to travel. T ypically distance is approxim ate to 500mm less than the width of the
building.

11

How m uch span a crane requires depends on the crane coverage width dictated
b y the application. (According to the span and the m axim um load handling
capacit y, the crane steel structure is selected to be either a single or double
girder crane construction).
6)

B u i l d i ng H e i g ht - Building height is the eave height which usually is the

distance from the bottom of the m ain fram e colum n base plate to the top outer
point of the eave strut. Eave height is the distance from the finished floor to
the top outer point of the eave strut. There m ust be a safety distance between
the top edge of the crane runway rail and the first obstacle edge in the building
(for exam ple roof beam s, lights ).

7)
Ru n w a y L e n g t h - The longitudinal run of the runway rail parallel to the length
of the building.
8)

Hook a ppr oac h es - Maxim um hook approach is the distance from the wall to
the nearest possible position of the hook. The smaller the distance is, the
better can the floor area be utilized. Alwa ys check which crane gives optim
um hook approaches and when com bined with the true lift of the hoist you
can utilize m ost of the available floor space. This is also term ed as side hook
approach.
E n d Ap p r o ac h This term describes the minimum horizontal distance, parallel
to the runway, between the outermost extremities of the crane and the centerline
of the hook.

9)
B r i dg e , T r ol l e y a n d L i f t S p e ed s - The rate at which the bridge or trolle y
travels or at which the hoist lifts is usually specified in feet per m inute or FPM. The
crane operating speeds are selected to allow safe operation whilst using the pendant.
Dual operating speeds, norm ally a fast and slow speed with a ratio of 4:1 are comm
only used but for optim um control a variable speed control s ystem is strongly
recomm ended.

12

10) E l e c t r i c a l R e q u i r e ment s - Specif y the circuit voltage shall not exceed 600 volts
for AC or DC current. Ideally 480 volt, 3 phase, 60 hertz for US requirem ents. The
runwa y power is usually by conductor bar and hoisting trolle y by f estoon cable.
(refer section 6 for details)
11) Co n tr o l R e q u i r ement s - The control circuit voltage at pendant pushbuttons shall
not exceed 150 volts for AC and 300 volts for DC. Other control options including
radio control, free-floating pendant (festooned) or hoist-m ounted pendant requirem
ents m ust be stated.
Other than addressing the above param eters, som e specific conditions applicable to
your application m ust be m entioned.
1) Do you need the use of a second hoist on the bridge crane? (This hoist may be
used as an auxiliary hoist or be required in a process such as tilting/tipping. In
case you are handling long m aterials, like steel tubes and plates, the best
solution are to have a crane with two hoists (and hooks) for better stability of the
load ensuring safe lifting).
2) W hat will the operating environm ent be (dust, paint fum es, outdoor, etc.)?
3) Is there existing cranes on the runwa y? Then, consider the use of a
collision avoidance or collision warning s ystem .

13

3.2 CLASSIFICATION OF CRANE CRANE DUTY GROUPS

Crane dut y groups are set of classifications for defining the use of crane. There
are several different standards where these groups are nam ed differently. One m
ay have heard nam es CMAA, FEM, ISO or HMI. The y all have their own
classification of duty groups but are still based on the sam e calculations and facts.
Following is a short description of what a dut y group m eans and what it is for.
A crane dut y group tells which kind of duty the crane is for; the range is from light
dut y up to ver y heavy dut y. It is vital to define the needs and estim ate the use
because of safety reasons and for to ensure a long working life for the crane. You
can't put for exam ple a crane designed for light dut y into continuous heavy-dut y
work.

3.2.1 CMAA CRANE

As to the t ypes of cranes covered under CMAA Specification No. 70 (Top
Running Bridge and Gantry T ype Multiple Girder Electric Overhead Traveling
Cranes); there are six (6) different classifications of cranes, each dependent on
dut y c ycle. W ithin the CMAA Specification is a num erical m ethod for
determ ining exact crane class based on the expected load spectrum . Aside from this
m ethod, the different crane classifications, as generally described b y CMAA, are as
follows:

14

CMAA Class

Description

Standby
or
Infrequent
service
A

Light Service
B

Details

This service class covers cranes where

precise
handling of equipm ent at slow speeds with
long idle
periods between lifts. Capacit y loads m ay
be handled for initial installation of equipm
This service class covers cranes where
service requirem ents are light and the
speed is slow.
Loads vary from none to occasional full
capacity. Lifts per hour would range from 2
to 5, and average 10 feet per lift.
T ypical exam ples are cranes in repair
shops, light assem bly operations,
service buildings, light
warehousing,
etc.

15

CM AA Class

Description

Details

Moderate
Service

This service covers cranes whose service

requirem ents are deem ed m oderate, handling loads
which average 50 percent of the rated capacit y with
5
to 10 lifts per hour, averaging 15 feet, with not
over 50 percent of the lifts at rated capacity.

Heavy Service
D

Severe Service

In this t ype of service, loads approaching 50

percent of the rated capacit y will be handled
constantly during the work period. High speeds are
desirable for this type of service with 10 to 20 lifts
per hour averaging
15 feet, with not over 65 percent of the lifts at
rated capacit y.
This t ype of service requires a crane capable
of handling loads approaching the rated
capacit y
throughout its life with 20 or m ore lifts per hour at
or

16

Continuous
Severe
Service

In this t ype of service, the crane m ust be

capable of handling loads approaching rated
capacit y
continuously under severe service conditions
throughout its life. T ypical exam ples are custom
designed specialt y cranes essential to perform ing
the critical work tasks affecting the total
production
facilit y, providing the highest reliabilit y with
special attention to ease of m aintenance

17

3.2.2 HM I/ASM E HOIST DUTY R ATINGS

The following table provides an idea of the relative significance of the duty c ycle
ratings for the various electric hoists. Note that the dut y c ycle determ ination for a
particular application involves obtaining a significant am ount of additional
Information and expertly applying it to the intended use.

HM
I
Clas
s

Operating Based on 65 % of Capacit y Details

Uniform Usage

Infrequent Usage

Max On Max
Max On
Time
Max
Starts/ Time
(min/hour Hr
From
Starts

H1

7.5
minutes
(12.5%)

75

15

100

18

Powerhouse
and
Utilities,
infrequent
handling,
Hoists
used
primarily to install and
service heavy equipment,
loads
frequently approach capacity
and hoist
idle for long periods between
use.

H2

H3

7.5
(12.5%)

15 (25%)

75

150

15

30

100

200

19

Light
machine
shop
fabricating,
service
and
maintenance;
loads
and
utilization
randomly distributed; rated
loads
infrequently handled. Total
running time not over 12.5%
of the work period.

General
machine
shop
fabricating,
assembly,
storage,
and
warehousing;
loads and utilization randomly
distributed. Total running time
not over
25% of work period.

H4

H5

30 (50%)

300

60 (100%) 600

30

300

High volume handling of

heavy loads, frequently
near rated load in steel
warehousing, machine and
fabricating
shops, mills, and foundries,
with total
running time not over 50%
of the work period. Manual
or automatic cycling
operations of lighter loads with
rated

Bulk handling of material in

combination with buckets,
magnets, or other heavy
Not
Not
Applicab Applicab attachments. Equipment
often cab operated. Duty
le
le
cycles approaching
[Note
[Note
continuous operation are
(1)]
(1)]
frequently necessary. User
must specify e xact
details
of
operation,
including
weight
of
attachments.

20

3.3 Example of different load spectrums

3.4 Calculate the Av erage Daily Operating Time

t = (2 x H x N x T) / (Vx
60) W here:
H = average hoisting height (m or feet)
N = num ber of work cycles per hour (cycle/hour)
T = daily working tim e (h)
V = hoisting speed (m /m in or feet/m in)

21

3.5 Determine the Operating Group of the Hoist

Load
Spectru
m

Av erage Daily Operating Time (hours / day)

<= 0.5

<= 1

<= 2

<=4

<= 8

<= 16

M3

M4

M5

M6

M3

M4

M5

M6

M7

M3

M4

M5

M6

M7

M4

M5

M6

M7

Light

Medium

Heavy
Ver y
Heavy

22

3.6 GENER AL COM PARISON

CM AA A

FEM

FEM *

1Bm

1Am

2m

3m

4m

5m

ISO

M3

M4

M5

M6

M7

M8

HM I*

H2

H3

H4

H5

Based on 63% m
ean
effective
load

* Based on 65%
m ean effective

(* Machiner y Class)

23

4.

Overhead Crane With Double Box Girder

Overhead travelling EOT crane consist of three primary motions i.e.
hoisting, long travel and cross travel. A double girder EOT crane is
built
of welded box type construction with structural steel plate. A
double box girder is fitted to end carriage assembly by means of nuts
and bolts. A trolley assembly is placed on the rails which are welded to
double box girder. The overhead EOT crane system is illustrated in
Fig.1. The double box girders are subjected to transverse and lateral loads
by the selfweight of the crane, the rated (hook) load, the self- weight of
trolley and the dynamic loads. With a double box girder construction,
the trolley runs above the girders. A typical section of box girder
shown in Fig.2

Fig. 1 Typical Double Box Girder Overhead E O T Crane Model

24

5. STRUCTURAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

5.1 CR ANE RUNW AY

Crane runwa y is com posed of rails, beam s, stiffeners and colum ns on which the
crane operates. The rail, on which the end trucks run, is fastened to the runwa y beam
. This beam is then supported on colum ns, which can either be com pletely free
standing or tied back to the existing building structure.
In designing cranes, rails, runwa y girders and the supporting structure, the m ost im
portant parameters are the m axim um and m ost frequently occurring weights to be
lifted, the speed and acceleration and the free height below the crane. The m axim um
wheel loads are determ ined b y the net capacit y of the crane together with the dead
weight of the crane and d ynam ic effects. The support m ethod of the crane runwa y
girder depends on the magnitude of the reactions being transm itted, in relation to the
strength of the structural fram ing of the building. Som e typical arrangem ents for
supporting top-running cranes ranging from the lightest to the heaviest are shown in
Figure below (a to d).

Fig 1 ( a) - Cra ne r unwa y g irders supported on brack ets secure d t o the co

lumns
25

The m axim um capacit y of cranes supported in this m anner is about 100kN. Above
this capacit y, it is better to provide a separate leg or to increase the depth of the
colum n below the crane runwa y girder to give adequate support.
F i g 1 ( b ) & ( d ) - A s e p ar ate cr a n e c o l u m n
W hen an overhead traveling crane is introduced into a building, special care m ust
be taken to ensure that the building is adequately braced in both directions. This
arrangem ent is attractive to heavy cranes as it perm its the effect of the crane to be
considered isolated. However there lies a danger, since the displacem ent of the
building colum n could induce overstress in the connection between the two colum
ns.
F i g 1 ( c ) - A n a l yze t h e c o lu mns
As one W here heavy cranes are involved, the crane runwa y girders m ay be
subjected to severe fatigue conditions. This arrangem ent is a correct and m ore
realistic approach to provide stabilit y.

5.2CRANE LO ADS FOR DESIGNING BUILDING STRUCTURES

The forces im posed on the runwa y girders b y the crane are in part caused b y the
behavior of the crane itself, especially in regard to the vertical and lateral stiffness of
the girder. A crane structure is subjected to following types of loads (forces):
1) Dead Loads A load that is applied steadily and rem ain in a fixed position
relative to the structure.
Note that the dead load is a stead y state and does not contribute to the stress range.
2) Live Load - A load which fluctuates, with slow or fast changes in m agnitude
relative to the structure under consideration.
3) Shock Load A load that is applied suddenly or a load due to im pact in som e
form .
26

All these loads induce various types of stresses on the building structure. The
stresses can be generally classified in one of six categories:
Residual stresses These are due to the m anufacturing processes that leaves
stresses in a m aterial, for exam ple welding leaves residual stresses in the m etals
welded.
Structural stresses- These are stresses produced in structural m em bers because
of the weights the y support. These are found in building foundations and fram
eworks due to dead weight of the crane.

Therm al stresses These exist whenever tem perature gradients are

present in a m aterial.
Fatigue stresses These occur due to cyclic application of a stress. These
stresses could be due to vibration or therm al c ycling.
Of all these stresses, the f atig ue stresses dem and the m axim um attention.
Crane runwa y girders are subjected to repetitive stressing and un-stressing due to
num ber of crane passages per hour (or per da y). Since it is not easy to estim ate
the num ber of crane passages, for design purposes it is assum ed that the num ber
of stress fluctuations corresponds to the class of the crane as specified in the
codes.
W hen designing building structures supporting crane, the m ain loads and forces
to be considered are:
1) Ver ti c al L o a ds The predom inant loading on the crane supporting structure is
vertical loads and is usually supplied by m anufactures b y wa y of m axim um
wheel loads. These loads m ay differ from wheel to wheel depending on the
relative positions of the crane com ponents and the lifted load. On craneswithout a
cab or platform, the maximum wheel load (MW L) occurs when trolley and rated
capacity load are positioned at the ex t r e m e end of the bridge.
27

2) S i de T h r u s t L a te r al L o a d s - Crane side thrust is a horizontal force of

short duration applied transversely b y the crane wheels to the rails. Side
thrust arises from one or m ore of:
Acceleration and deceleration of the crane bridge and the crab
Im pact loads due to end stops placed on the crane runway girder
Off-vertical lifting at the start of hoisting
Tendency of the crane to travel obliquely
Skewing or crabbing of the crane caused by the bridge girders not running
perpendicular to the runwa ys. Som e norm al skewing occurs in all bridges.
Misaligned crane rails or bridge end trucks

28

Oblique traveling of the crane can also induce lateral loads, as shown in figure
above. The forces on the rail are acting in opposite directions on each wheel of the
end carriage and depend on the ratio of crane span to wheel base.
3) T r a c tion L o a d - Longitudinal crane tractive force is of short duration,
caused b y crane bridge acceleration or braking. If the num ber of driven
wheels is unknown, take the tractive force as 10% of the total wheel loads.
4) Bu mper I mpa c t - This is longitudinal force exerted on the crane runwa y by a
m oving crane bridge striking the end stop. Impact allowance of the rated
capacity load is t ypically taken as half of one percent of the load per foot
per m inute of hoisting speed, but not less than 15% or m ore than 50%, except
for bucket and magnet cranes for which the im pact allowance shall be taken as
50% of the rated capacit y load.

5.3 DESIGN OF THE CRANE RUNWAY GIRDER

The transfer of the crane wheel reactions to the crane runway girder induces a
com plex pattern of stresses in the upper part of the girder and leads to early service
failures. Crane runwa y girder are usually I-beam s (tapered beam flanges) though Hbeam s (flat flanges) or other patented track/enclosed track can also be used. I- beam is
a built-up beam section, form ing an 'I' shape that consists of 2 flanges and 1

29

web. It is of utm ost im portance to judiciously select the height, width and type of
beam used. As a rough guideline, the usual range of girder depth-to-span ratios is
between 8 and 14. The deflection lim itation m ay dictate a larger depth, especially
where spans are long.

One of the m ost im portant decisions in connection with the design is to determ ine
how far to go in m inim izing the m ass of steel. Good design m ust take into
consideration all costs during the design life of the crane installation. A ver y light
design m ay prom ise a low first cost, but could give rise to large
m aintenance costs resulting from a need for frequent repairs. The design of crane
runway girders has som e special aspects listed below:
1) Crane Runway Girder-to-Column Details

The loads transm itted to the rail produce a triaxial stress state in the flange and the
upper part of the web. The predom inant loading is vertical and the next principal
loading is transverse. Careful consideration should be given to the transfer of the
horizontal forces from the top flange of the girder to the colum n.
1) The best wa y to reduce stresses from the crane runwa y girder to the colum n or
bracket below is by m eans of welded brackets (refer figure below). The top flange acts
as a horizontal beam delivering its reaction to the colum n.
2) Another im portant aspect is the need for adjustm ent. It is im possible to erect
building fram es to the tolerance required by the crane m anufacturer and it is therefore
essential that the whole crane runwa y girder can be adjusted up to 10mm with respect
to the building colum ns. Therefore, slotted holes and shim s shall be provided as
shown in figure below.
30

2) Rigidity Requirements
The following m axim um values for the deflection of the crane girder m ust norm
ally not be exceeded in order to avoid undesirable d ynam ic effects and to secure
the function of the crane:
1) Vertical deflection is defined as the m axim um perm issible deflection ratio
allowed for a lifting device. For bridge crane this value is usually L/700 (few specs
require L/900), where L is the span of a bridge crane.
2) Horizontal deflection is a m axim um deflection ratio allowed for a bridge crane or
runwa y. This value is L/600, where L is the span of a bridge crane.
In the absence of m ore detailed calculations, it is acceptable to assum e that the
top flange resists the whole horizontal force. The rigidit y requirem ent for
horizontal deflection is essential to prevent oblique traveling of the crane. The
vertical deflection is norm ally lim ited to a value not greater than 25 m m to
prevent excessive vibrations caused b y the crane operation and crane travel.
3) Fatigue Considerations
The critical details in fatigue design are the stiffener-to-flange, the stiffener-to-web,
and the flange-to-web connections where severe concentrations of stresses exist. The
following recomm endations are m ade:
1) W elds attaching the stiffeners to the girder web should be term inated at a
distance from the flanges to reduce the stress concentration
31

2) W elds connecting the web to the top flange should be full penetration butt welds,
although fillet welds are som etim es used for light, prim arily static cranes.

The stiffening is carried out using welding the vertical plate(s) connecting the upper
and lower flanges or cover plates of a girder. The m ethod of attaching the stiffeners
to the web and the flanges m ust be detailed carefully to prevent fatigue failure. The
distance between the stiffeners m ust not be so large that twisting of the top flange
becom es too large at the m id-point. Fatigue in the tensile flange can be averted by
providing a gap of 4t between the end of the stiffener and the bottom flange, as
shown in Figure below.

The m ethod adds resistance to the web but it still has a possibility of causing fatigue
at the term ination of the stiffener. To overcom e this problem another m ethod is
shown below is considered to be a better solution. Here, the stiffener is welded to
the compression flange so that relative m ovem ent of the flange in relation to the web
is totally prevented. The stiffener should be coped a maxim um of 200 mm .

32

Oblique traveling of the crane can also induce lateral loads, as shown in figure
above. The forces on the rail are acting in opposite directions on each wheel of the
end carriage and depend on the ratio of crane span to wheel base.
3) T r a c tion L o a d - Longitudinal crane tractive force is of short duration,
caused b y crane bridge acceleration or braking. If the num ber of driven
wheels is unknown, take the tractive force as 10% of the total wheel loads.

4) Bu mper I mpa c t - This is longitudinal force exerted on the crane runwa y by a

m oving crane bridge striking the end stop. Impact allowance of the rated
capacity load is t ypically taken as half of one percent of the load per foot per
m inute of hoisting speed, but not less than 15% or m ore than 50%, except for
bucket and magnet cranes for which the im pact allowance shall be taken as
50% of the rated capacit y load.

No. 4 Am erican W ire Gage (AW G) copper wire. Size of bridge conductors
shall be proportioned to
lim it the total voltage drop in the conductors to a m axim um of 3 percent of the
supply voltage when the current on the individual m otors is full load.
33

o Short-circuit current rating of conductors shall be not less than 10,000 am peres.
o Continuous-current, therm al rating of conductors shall not exceed 140F
(60C) based on an am bient tem perature of 86F (30C).

2) Power feed This is an attachm ent for incom ing power and is a fully insulated
sim ple clam p t ype is easily installed an ywhere on the s ystem for in com ing
power to the conductor rails. The power supply
to the runway conductors shall be controlled b y a switch or circuit breaker located
on a fixed structure, accessible from the floor, and arranged to be locked in the
open position.
o A fused, m anual disconnect switch with a lockable handle m ounted through the
panel door shall be provided and wired into the incom ing power circuit.
o All power for crane shall be supplied through one m ain visible blade fuse
switch located on the crane bridge in an easily accessible position.
3)

Collectors - Current collector assem bly consists of a spring loaded sliding

contact t ype shoe of hard copper alloy or sintered copper graphite. Shoe shall be
m ounted in an insulating case of phenolic or urea com pound of suitable tem
perature and insulation qualit y. Exposed parts of current collectors shall be
grounded and of corrosion-resistant m aterial.
o Current collector assem bly shall be designed to operate through gaps, splices,
and switches and shall be self-centering. System shall include expansion
sections for every 150 feet (45720 mm ) for system s using galvanized steel
conductors and ever y 100 feet (30480 mm) for system s using copper
conductors.

4) Hangers- Supports the conductor bar, m ay also be used as an anchor to direct

m ovem ent due to expansion and contraction

34

5) End Cover- Used to close the end of the conductors to cover exposed conductor
and avoid accidental contact.
6) Insulating cover Insulation cover shall be rigid PVC, self extinguishing, with a
heat distortion point of
160F at 260psi.

7) Connector pins - Used to join the conductor bar sections together.

System shall be com plete with unit length conductors, insulating conductor covers,
insulators, splices and splice covers, end caps, support brackets and fasteners, current
collectors, expansion, isolation and power-interrupting sections, disconnect switch,
and conduit and wiring to power takeoff point.

35

6.Introduction to finite element method

The finite element method (FEM), sometimes referred to
as finite element analysis (FEA), is a numerical technique
used for finding the approximate solution to the complex
engineering problems. It consist of two main parameters i.e.
nodes and elements. The method essentially consists of
assuming the piecewise continuous function for the solution
and
obtaining the parameters of the functions in a
manner that reduces the error in the solution. The process of
representing a physical domain with finite elements is referred
to as meshing, and the resulting set of elements is known as
the finite element mesh. The finite
element method can
analyze any geometry, and
solves both
stresses and
displacements with respect to the known applied loads. In this
study finite element meshing, is carried out by means of the
Autodesk Inventor commercial package.

36

7. Numerical Example of Optimized Double Box Girder

of Eot Crane
A 10-ton-capacity overhead crane of overall length
12.5m was selected for design optimization. Initially the
self-mass of crane girder was found to be 7.3 tons.
The
configuration of the overhead crane
is shown in Fig.
1.The overhead crane consists of two girders, two end carriage
assemblies to connect them, and a trolley moving in the
longitudinal direction of the overhead crane and wheels. The
overhead crane is supported by two rails and the runway
girders installed in building. In order to calculate the stress in
the structure, the rules of I.S. 3177:1999, I.S. 807:2006
and I.S. 800:2007 are applied. The design considerations
used in the box girder analysis are given in Table 1.

Sr.
No.

Design Considerations

Rated Capacity

10000 Kg

Self-Mass of End Trucks

11250 Kg

Span

12 Meter

Maximum wheel Load

5000 Kg

5
6

We
7

Trolley Wheel Centre to

Centre
Allowable Deflection

2 Meter
16mm

Safety Factor (S.F.) as per

Class-III i.e. M3
1.5
37

Allowable Stresses

1695 Kg/cm2

Notations Used:S
: - Span
Tc
Wd

: - Trolley Wheel Centre to Centre

: - Design Load

Wg

: - Self Mass of Girder

Wt

: - Self Mass of Trolley

Wcr

: - Self Mass of Crane

Wwm : - Maximum Wheel Load

38

Wec

: - Self Mass of End Carriage

M1

:- Bending Moment due to Live Load

M2

:- Bending Moment due to Impact Load

M3 :-Bending Moment due to self-mass ofGirder

Mmax : - Maximum Bending Moment
Z

: - Section Modulus

: - Allowable Stresses

: - Maximum Bending Stresses

Ixx
Rc
S.F.
""
D.F

: - Moment of Inertia at X-axis.

: - Rated Capacity
: - Service Factor
: - Dynamic Coefficient Factor (=1.32)
: - Duty Factor (D.F.=1.06

39

Fig .3 maximum wheel loader

7.1 Sample Calculations

We assume the following section for Box Girder

Sectional Properties Of Box Girder

Sr.
No.
1
2
3
4

Description
4

I x-x (mm )
I y-y (mm4)
A (mm2)
40
Material

Values
1671983000
352216000
23900
I.S. 2062 E 250B

8. 3-D Modelling and Finite Element

analysis of Overhead Crane Bridge
A 3-D model is a digital representation of the geometry
of an existing or envisioned physical object. Designers may
specify points, curves, and surfaces,
and
stitch
them
together
to
define electronic representation of the
boundary of the object. Alternatively they may select models of
simple shapes, such as blocks or cylinders, specify their
dimensions, positions and orientation, and combine them using
assembly constraints, union, intersection or difference operators.
The finite element method is a numerical procedure that can be
applied to obtain approximate solutions to a variet of problems
in engineering. Steady, transient, linear or nonlinear problems in
stress analysis, heat transfer and fluid flaw problems may be
analyzed with finite element methods. The basic finite element
analysis workflow depicted in fig.4

41

First, the crane bridge is modeled as a solid. Solid

modeling of overhead double box crane bridge has been
done as per above technical specifications. The solid model is
shown Fig.5. For getting the results from stress analysis,
the following task were performed as follows, first assign
the material for the each part of the box girder, sets the
safety factor as the yield strength, the maximum permissible
yield strength value has been set to 165 N/mm2. Maximum
allowable deflection as per standard is 16mm. I.S. 2062 E
250B material has applied to girder parts. After assigning the
material, the boundary conditions have been set as fixed
constraint. Contact condition of box girder set to bonded
(welded) has been set. Two remote load of 49290N has applied
on the top flange of the girder and a gravity force has applied.
Average element size is 105.064mm. Later, a mesh is created.
The number of nodes were created is 3471 and the elements
were 9498. In this study, a tetrahedral type element is used.
The solid meshed model is shown Fig.6.

Fig.5 solid model of double box grider

42

Fig .6 solid mesh model of double box girder

43

8.1. Results From a 3-D Girder Model With a Four-Node

Tetrahedral Element

A four-node tetrahedral element was used for finite

element analysis, using the girder solid model generated by
means of Inventor software 2012. The maximum bending
moment is occurring at the mid- span of the girder. Youngs
Modulus (E) is 220GPa and the Poisson Ratio is 0.275
for finite element analysis. The maximum stress of the
complete box girder is 110.03 N/mm2 to two decimal
places from Fig. 7. It is clearly seen from the stress diagram
that the maximum stresses is developed at the support.

The displacement of the modeled overhead crane girder was

obtained from Finite Element Analysis, and is occurring at
themid span of the girder, illustrated in Fig. 8. The value of
maximum displacement of the girder is about3.13mm.

44

Fig.7 Maximum and Minimum values of Von Mises Stress

45

Fig.8 Maximum Displacement Value

Values of Finite Element Analysis for

Re-Designed EOT Crane Box Girder
Sr.
No
1
2
3

Description
Maximum Stress
Minimum Safety
Factor
Maximum
Displacement
in Y-Direction

Allowable
Parameters
as Per IS:3177 &
IS:807

Results From FEA

166 Mpa

110 Mpa

1.5

1.96

16mm

3.13 mm

table.2 comparission between allowable value and finite element results

46

9. Conclusion
In this
paper, the comparison between the analytical
calculations and the finite
element analysis results were
investigated table 2. From the above comparison between the
allowable parameters of Indian Standard codes and the results of
finite element analysis of re-designed box girder, it is clearly
seen that the maximum stress & displacement which is obtained
from the Finite Element Analysis are within the allowable limit
of the Indian standard codes. The safety factor is on higher
side against the Indian standard codes. Thus from the above
results, we can state that the design optimization of EOT
crane box girder has been achieved without compromising
the strength and rigidity. We have reduced the overall mass of
the girder by 29%. As the overall mass of the girder has
reduced, the initial cost for the structural building, civil
work and electrical consumption for the crane has also reduced

10.REFERENCES
1. Electrically Operated Travelling Crane Design as per
IS-3177:1999 (reaffirmed: 2006) by Bureau of Indian
Standard.
2. Design, Erection and Testing of Cranes and Hoists
Code Of Practice as per IS-807:2006, by Bureau of
Indian Standard.
3. Rehan H Zuberi, Dr. Long Kai, Prof. Zuo
Zhengxing Design
Optimization of EOT Crane
Bridge EngOpt 2008 - International Conference on
Engineering Optimization Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,
01 - 05 June 2008. .
4. Overhead and Gantry Cranes (Top Running
Bridge, Single or Multiple Girder, Top Running
Trolley Hoist) ASME B30.2-2005 (Revision of ASME
B30.2-2001)
47

48