Top half of Crane - Design sketches

An initial design of the top half of the crane.

A hydraulic piston is used to adjust the height of the crane. Maybe one is not needed and the height of the crane could be fixed.

The boom is made of two components where the thinner one can slot back into the larger component, this allows portability.

A hand winch is used to control the cable.



Simple design of the top half of the crane.

A support for the beam adds extra stability and strength to the boom.

Hand winch used to adjust cable length.

Crane feet thought process

Material and Type of foot of the Crane
Initial thoughts:
In order the portable crane to be steady, the feet need to be made from quality material and be able to hold the crane on different types of ground (for example, the ground could be uneven, even wet and muddy) without slipping and without damaging it as well.
Initial ideas:
-For the best grip, some kind of rubber can be used but it should be rugged and shouldn’t skid.
With extensive use, it can get loosened and can get harder so more slippery.
But these will only be suitable where the floor is hard.

Initial Sketch:

-My second idea was to use some sort of spikes for the crane so that it can be used outdoors where it is muddy or grassy.

They could be made from stainless steel, aluminium or from titanium.

But they cannot be used them on soft surfaces, like wood, or indoors. They could damage the floor

The disadvantage of spikes is that they are made from metal and can therefore start to rust if they are exposed to water (especially sea water). Also they should be cleaned and dried after use.

Examples found after research:

Conclusion after thinking:

The conclusion which I have come up with is to combine the rubber and spiked feet together with some rotating mechanism, which moves 90 degrees and has rubber on one side and a spike on the other. This has to be discussed with the group in the next group meeting.

Additional thoughts

Thought process

Stability won’t be an issue in this case but the size is. This idea for the base seems to be suitable for the requirements given to us.

Thought process

Going over the pros and cons of the different concepts the two options to be considered are either three legs or four.

With three legs the amount of material being used will reduce but the weight has to be taken into account. As with this design there are three adjustable telescoping legs which will be suitable for rough terrain and the feet must have some sort of rubber feet to avoid skidding which is another factor which has to be taken into account.

These factors can also be applied to a four legged structure this part has to be discussed with the second member designing the base.

Initial base designing thought process

Brainstorming

The first thing to be decided was the number of legs the crane was going to have and the reason behind it. The problems to be considered were:

- It is supposed to stay stable on rough terrain

- It has to be small.

- I t has to be portable.

- It should be easy to disassemble it.

- The material to be used at the base.

Looking at different examples and brainstorming

Thought Process

This machine is fragile as it uses electronic equipment and will not be suitable for rough terrain

and it will also prove to be expensive.

Thought Process

This machine focuses more on lifting rather than moving which will be an issue as the design is supposed to move a thousand kg over 4 meters and stability of the base will still be an issue.