Tuesday 23 December 2014

Seven Engineering (monumental engineering and construction feats) Wonders of the Modern World

CN Tower, Itaipu Dam, Empire State Building, Golden Gate Bridge, Panama Canal, Euro Tunnel and Netherlands North Sea Protection Works.
1.CN Tower

2.Itaipu Dam

3.Empire State Building

4.Golden Gate Bridge

5.Panama Canal
6.Euro Tunnel
7.Netherlands North Sea Protection Works



New Hydraulic Platform Trailer Manufacturer in India - Om Haulers Pvt. Ltd.

Om Haulers Private Limited launches its Hydraulic Platform Trailer with 2,3,4,5 and 6 Axle Line Module variants under the brand name "ARYAN".

Prima Facie, the model looks similar to Goldhofer THP/SL series trailers.
Distinctive Features:The manufacturer claims a GVW capacity of 20T per Axle Line which is 2 Tons higher than general variants of Tratec and VMT Axle lines.  The Axles are warranted for 1 lac km or 1 year from the OEM of Axles.

A little background of the group behind the product: The product is a result of combined effort by an established Trailer Manufacturer- Om Haulers Private Limited and Ex-VMT and Ex-TRATEC engineers. The manufacturing unit is in Rewari, Haryana.

For more info mail me at themechanician.live@gmail.com

Monday 22 December 2014

Safety is a cheap and effective insurance policy


Construction is a high hazard industry that comprises a wide range of activities involving construction, alteration, and/or repair. Examples include residential construction, bridge erection, roadway paving, excavations, demolitions, and large scale painting jobs. Construction workers engage in many activities that may expose them to serious hazards, such as falling from rooftops, unguarded machinery, being struck by heavy construction equipment, electrocutions, silica dust, and asbestos.
The information, tools, and resources provided in these Construction Industry are designed to assist those in the industry - whether worker or employer - to identify, reduce, and eliminate construction-related hazards.

FCC Heavy lift port crane Niagara Falls


The new Fixed Cargo Crane (FCC) from Liebherr completed its first job at the infamous Niagara Falls. On October 31st 2013, the crane lifted passenger tour boats out of the water for winter storage at the foot of the Niagara Falls from the local company Maid of the Mist. With a lifting capacity of 200 tons and a radius of 15 meters this FCC is the first of its kind for the heavy lift crane segment.

Since this facility is located in a gorge below Niagara Falls, the FCC is the perfect crane for this narrow site. Thanks to its slim design, it is fitted on a fixed pedestal which provides a space-saving solution for these narrow docks.

The installation of the lift proved to be very challenging due to transportation limitations. Due to the gorge's limited road access the single parts of the FCC had to be lowered to the crane's final position with the help of a ring crane. The new heavy lift crane is part of a 32-million-dollar project for the construction of the new dockside. The facility is planned to be completed in summer 2014..
A Liebherr Fixed Cargo Crane (FCC) form Liebherr lifts passenger tour boats out of the water for winter storage at the foot of the Niagara Falls from the local company Maid of the Mist

Sunday 21 December 2014

Engineered Heavy Lifting and Transport Solution



















Heavy Lifting and Transportation

Heavy Lift
The transportation, handling and installation of heavy items which are indivisible, and of weights generally accepted to be in the range of 1 ton to over 1000 tons and of widths/heights of more than 100 meters that are too large to fit into normal containers or onto conventional transporters. These oversized items are transported from one place to another (sometimes across country borders) then lifted or installed into place. Characteristic for heavy lift goods is the absence of standardization which requires an individual transport planning.

Typical Items
Generators, turbines, reactors, boilers, towers, casting, heaters, presses, locomotives, boats, satellites, military personnel and equipment. In the offshore industry, parts of oil rigs and production platforms are also lifted; some of these are also removed at the end of an installation's working life. Recent notable lifts have included several of >2000 short tons in the de-commissioning of the North West Hutton oil field in the (British sector of) the North Sea.

Transport
To transport heavy lift items special trucks or trailers (flatbeds) are used, which are especially suitable due to their large loading area and capacity. For air transport special large-volume cargo aircraft like the Antonov An-225 are employed which can move up to 250 tons of freight. On inland waters barges are often used. Transports at sea carry out special heavy lift vessels which often possess own cranes for loading and discharging cargo. Transportation of heavy lift items ranks among the most challenging and complex services in logistics and is handled by specialized companies.

Saturday 20 December 2014

Record Transport carried out by an Indian Transport Company

Below is a recent "press release" from the TII Group on a record transport by an Indian Transport Company- BOXCO.


Boxco Logistics has set the bar high yet again, by roll on-roll off of the longest column ever that was transported in and out of Mumbai port on SCHEUERLE KAMAG K25 self-propelled modular transporters.
It all started in the industrial township of Dahej in the state of Gujarat at ISGEC Heavy Engineering’s manufacturing plant. A 91 meter long, 880 ton splitter column built for a refinery in Mexico, shadowed the workshop buildings. Apart from the splitter, a 380 ton quench water tower and a 250 ton demethaniser were also to be transported along with their accessories. The transportation of the columns from ISGEC plant to Adani port was a challenge, as the splitter measured 91 m x 9.5 m x 9 m in dimensions. Civil works like road widening, removal of obstacles including dividers and light poles were carried out prior commencement of transportation. Electrical line shutdowns also had to be arranged with the local electricity boards. In coordination with the local police, the transportation was carried out using SCHEUERLE-KAMAG K25 self-propelled modular transporters. The team faced a large number of challenges including turning restrictions like dividers road ends and conveyor belt structures which were mastered by the elaborated steering modes of the SCHEUERLE-KAMAG K25 SPE. The transportation of all 3 pieces of equipment was carried out in a span of four days. The entrance wall to Adani port was razed to move the convoys into its premises. On site transportation at the port also posed a challenge due to narrow passages existing especially for the 91 m long splitter.
The shipment schedule for equipments from Dahej stood on the edge of the harsh ongoing monsoon season. The derrick barge “Triton Vision” under tow by 30 t bollard pull “MT Canara Progress” had been chosen to complete this mammoth task of sea transportation from turbulent waters of the Narmada delta in Gulf of Khambat up to the port of Mumbai. After engineering the required stowage plan, executing the jetty civil works and ramp construction the barge arrived at Dahej jetty under tow by smaller tugs due to low draft conditions of the Narmada basin. After stowage of the cargo, seafastening was carried as per pre-calculated. Upon survey of the cargo and fastenings, the barge loaded with the refinery equipment was hauled by the smaller tugs up to Dahej anchorage, where it was handed over to “MT Canara Progress”, which transported the loaded barge up to Mumbai port. Upon arrival and alignment of the barge at Mumbai port, delashing was carried out based on the hot works and rigging plan. The SCHEUERLE-KAMAG K25 SPE used at Dahej were also used to successfully carry out the roll off operations at Mumbai port. “MV Roll Dock Sea” arrived at Mumbai in last week of June for loading the columns on board. While the smaller two
columns were lifted by the vessel hook, the 91 meter long splitter was too large and heavy for the same. It is for this reason that rolling on the column using SCHEUERLE KAMAG K25 SPE was the obvious option.



ODC / Heavy Industrial Platform trailer




Wednesday 10 December 2014

Soil Compactor (Engineering Vehicle)

Compactors are machines frequently used to compact materials such as soil in order to increase its density for construction. In addition, compactors are utilized in landfill tasks.



Normally powered by hydraulics, compactors take many shapes and sizes. In landfill sites for example, a large bulldozer with spiked wheels called a landfill compactor is used to drive over waste deposited by waste collection vehicles (WCVs).
WCVs themselves incorporate a compacting mechanism which is used to increase the payload of the vehicle and reduce the number of times it has to empty. This usually takes the form of hydraulically powered sliding plates which sweep out the collection hopper and compress the material into what has already been loaded.

Piling Machine



Piling Machine is used to drive piles into the ground. Piling is used to strengthen the soil on ground and able to support the load of building. There is few different types of piling machine in the market and all of them have different usage. The usage of types of piling machine is depending on the type of piles used.

Monday 8 December 2014

Roller (Engineering Vehicle)

Rollers are compactor type engineering vehicle used to compact loose foundation, such as soil, gravel, asphalt, and bituminous materials and are primarily used for construction or agriculture applications. The rolling process ensures that foundations are compacted thoroughly so the materials are solid and do not come loose.



Rollers, although their purpose has remained the same since their introduction in the eighteenth century to today, have many different features that help them obtain an accurate level of soil compaction.

Saturday 6 December 2014

Wheel Tractor Scraper (Engineering Vehicle)

The wheel tractor scraper  or a motor scraper, propelled by at least one engine and mounted on large rubber tires, consists of a bowl, which is used to haul and unload materials (topsoil that has been cut into using the scraper’s blade). Other features vary depending on the type. The material stripped from the earth by a non-self-loading scraper is loaded with the assistance of another unit, such as a crawler tractor. There are four main types of motor scrapers: standard motor, elevating, auger, and push-pull.




Standard Motor Scraper
A standard motor scraper is comprised of a bowl, an apron to drop down over a load of material in order to retain it, and an ejector to hydraulically push out the load. Due to its hydraulic system, these components can all function independently. Standard motor scrapers can vary in the number of engines, bowls, and wheels they include.


Elevating Scraper


Instead of an apron, these machines include a hydraulically- or electrically-driven elevator made of two chains equipped with a series of crossbars. The elevator’s purpose is to aid in loading material into the scraper’s elevating bowl. Dumping material is achieved by sliding the floor of the bowl backwards, the elevator can be reversed in order to assist in dumping the load evenly.

Auger
The auger is a self-loading type of scraper. Two vertical augers are mounted inside the bowl. They are hydraulically rotated, assisting in raising material into the bowl. In an auger as well as an elevating scraper, a full load is always certain—the same amount of power is needed for the first yard of material as for the last.


Push Pull

This is a system enabling the scraper to be pushed or pulled. It is achieved by coupling two standard scrapers during the loading of material. By employing this system, the machines can self-load, as the four engines’ power is used simultaneously to load each bowl in turn.

Paver (Engineering Vehicle)

A paver (usually meant by Asphalt Paver) is a machine that distributes and shapes asphalt, a combination of aggregate and a binding agent that is used for paving roads. The asphalt is laid on an area such as a roadway or a parking lot by an asphalt paver, which also completes the task of compacting it.


Though some asphalt pavers are towed by the truck that provides the asphalt, most today are self propelled and diesel-fueled. Smaller, towed pavers usually have 3-20 horsepower, whereas larger self propelled versions have between 100-250 horsepower.

Roadheader (Engineering Vehicle)

A roadheader, also called a header machine, is a piece of excavating equipment consisting of a boom-mounted cutting head, a loading device usually involving a conveyor, and a crawler travelling track to move the entire machine forward into the rock face.

The cutting head can be a general purpose rotating drum mounted in line or perpendicular to the boom, or can be special function heads such as jack-hammer like spikes, compression fracture micro-wheel heads like those on larger tunnel boring machines, a slicer head like a gigantic chain saw for dicing up rock, or simple jaw-like buckets of traditional excavators.

Skid Steer Loader (Engineering Vehicle)

A skid loader, skid-steer loader, or skidsteer, is a small rigid frame, engine-powered machine with lift arms used to attach a wide variety of labor-saving tools or attachments

Skid-steer loaders are typically four-wheel vehicles with the wheels mechanically locked in synchronization on each side, and the left-side drive wheels can be driven independently of the right-side drive wheels. The wheels typically have no separate steering mechanism and hold a fixed straight alignment on the body of the machine. By turning the left and right wheel pairs at different speeds, the machine turns by skidding, or dragging its fixed-orientation wheels across the ground. The extremely rigid frame and strong wheel bearings prevent the torsional forces caused by this dragging motion from damaging the machine. The skid-steering vehicle is turned by generating differential velocity at the opposite sides of the vehicle. Like tracked vehicles, the high ground friction produced by skid steers can rip up soft or fragile road surfaces. They can be converted to low ground friction by using specially designed wheels such as the Mecanum wheel. Skid-steer loaders are capable of zero-radius, "pirouette" turning, which makes them extremely maneuverable and valuable for applications that require a compact, agile loader.



Unlike in a conventional front loader, the lift arms in these machines are alongside the driver with the pivot points behind the driver's shoulders. Because of the operator's proximity to moving booms, early skid loaders were not as safe as conventional front loaders, particularly during entry and exit of the operator. Modern skid loaders have fully enclosed cabs and other features to protect the operator. Like other front loaders, it can push material from one location to another, carry material in its bucket or load material into a truck or trailer.

Grader (Engineering Vehicle)

A grader is a construction machine with a long blade used to create a flat surface during the grading process. Characteristic models have three axles, with the engine and cab situated above the rear axles at one end of the vehicle and a third axle at the front end of the vehicle, with the blade in between them. In certain countries, for example in Germany, almost every grader is equipped with a second blade that is placed in front of the front axle. Some construction personnel refer to the entire machine as "The Blade". Capacities range from a blade width of 2.50 to 7.30 m and engines from 93–373 kW. Certain graders can operate more than one attachments, or be used for separate tasks like underground mining.

In civil engineering, the grader's purpose is to refine or set precisely the "rough grading" performed by heavy equipment or engineering vehicles such as scrapers and bulldozers.
Graders are commonly used in the construction and maintenance of dirt roads and gravel roads. In the construction of paved roads they are used to prepare the base course to create a wide flat surface for the asphalt to be placed on. Graders are also used to set native soil foundation pads to finish grade prior to the construction of large buildings. Graders can produce inclined surfaces, for banking of roads.
A more recent innovation is the outfitting of graders with GPS technology, such as manufactured by Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc., Trimble Navigation, Leica Geosystems or Mikrofyn for precise grade control and potentially stakeless construction.

Friday 5 December 2014

Hitachi EX-3600 Compact Excavator



Compact Excavator (Engineering Vehicle)

The compact hydraulic excavator can be a tracked or wheeled vehicle with an approximate operating weight of 13,300 pounds.Normally, it includes a standard backfill blade and features an independent boom swing. The compact hydraulic excavator is also known as a mini excavator.
A compact hydraulic excavator is different from other types of heavy machinery in the sense that all movement and functions of the machine are accomplished through the transfer of hydraulic fluid.The work group and blade are activated by hydraulic fluid acting upon hydraulic cylinders.The rotation and travel functions are also activated by hydraulic fluid powering hydraulic motors.
Most types of compact hydraulic excavators have three assemblies – house, undercarriage, and the work group.

House
The house structure contains the compartment for the operator, engine compartment, hydraulic pump and also the distribution components. The house structure is attached to the top of the undercarriage via swing bearing. Along with the work group, them house is able to rotate upon the undercarriage without limit due to a hydraulic distribution valve that supplies oil to the undercarriage components.
Undercarriage
The undercarriage of compact excavators consists of rubber or steel tracks, drive sprockets, rollers,idlers, and associated components and structures.The undercarriage is also home to the house structure and the work group.
Work group
The work group consists of the boom, dipper or arm, and attachment. It is connected to the front of the house structure via a swinging frame that allows the work group to be hydraulically pivoted left or right in order to achieve offset digging for trenching parallel with the tracks.
Independent boom swing
The purpose of the boom swing is for offset digging around obstacles or along foundations,
walls, and forms. Another use is for cycling in areas that are too narrow for cab rotation. Another major advantage of the compact excavator is the independent boom swing.
Backfill blade
The backfill blade on compact excavators are used for grading, leveling, backfilling, trenching, and general dozer work. The blade can also be used to increase the dumping height and digging depth depending on it’s position in relation to the workgroup.
The most common place you’ll find compact excavators is in residential dwellings. When digging phone lines or other things, these pieces of equipment are very common for getting between houses. Due to their small size, they can fit almost anywhere.Over the years, the capabilities for compact excavators have expanded far beyond the tasks of excavation. With hydraulic powered attachments such as breakers, clamps, compactors and augers, the compact excavator is used with many other applications and serves as an effective attachment tool as well. Serving many purposes, the compact excavator is a great addition to any job that requires the use of machinery.

Bulldozer (Engineering Vehicle)

The bulldozer is a very powerful crawler that is equipped with a blade. The term bulldozer is often used to mean any type of heavy machinery, although the term actually refers to a tractor that is fitted with a dozer blade. Often times, bulldozers are large and extremely powerful tracked vehicles. The tracks give them amazing ground mobility and hold through very rough terrain. Wide tracks on the other hand, help to distribute the weight of the dozer over large areas, therefore preventing it from sinking into sandy or muddy ground.
Bulldozers have great ground hold and a torque divider that’s designed to convert the power of the engine into dragging ability, which allows it to use its own weight to push heavy objects and even remove things from the ground. Take the Caterpillar D9 for example, it can easily tow tanks that weight more than 70 tons. Due to these attributes,bulldozers are used to clear obstacles, shrubbery and remains of structures and buildings.
The blade on a bulldozer is the heavy piece of metal plate that is installed on the front. The
blade pushes things around. Normally, the blade comes in 3 varieties:
1. A straight blade that is short and has no lateral curve, no side wings, and can be used
only for fine grading.
2. A universal blade, or U blade, which is tall and very curved, and features large side wings to carry more material around.
3. A combination blade that is shorter,offers less curvature, and smaller side wings.

Modifications
Over time, bulldozers have been modified to evolve into new machines that are capable of things the original bulldozers weren’t. A good example is that loader tractors were created by removing the blade and substituting a large volume bucket and hydraulic arms which will raise and lower the bucket, therefore making it useful for scooping up the earth and loading it into trucks.Other modifications to the original bulldozer include making it smaller to where it can operate in small working areas where movement is very limited, such as mining caves and tunnels. Very small bulldozers are known as calfdozers.
History

The first types of bulldozers were adapted from farm tractors that were used to plough fields. In order to dig canals, raise earth dams, and partake in earthmoving jobs, the tractors were equipped with a thick metal plate in the front. Later on, this thick metal plate earned the name blade.
The blade of the bulldozer peels layers of soil and pushes it forward as the tractor advances.The blade is the heart and soul of the bulldozer, as it was the first accessory to make full use for excavation type jobs. As the years went by, when engineers needed equipment to complete larger jobs, companies such as CAT, Komatsu, John Deere, Case, and JCB started to manufacture large tracked earthmoving equipment.They were very loud, very large, and very powerful and therefore earned the nickname “bulldozer”.Over the years, the bulldozers got bigger, more powerful, and even more sophisticated. The important improvements include better engines,more reliable drive trains, better tracks, and even hydraulic arms that will enable more precise manipulation of the blade and automated controls.As an added option, bulldozers can come equipped with a rear ripping claw to break up pavement or loosen rocky soil.The best known manufacturer of bulldozer is CAT,which has earned a vast reputation for making
tough and durable, yet reliable machines.Even though the bulldozer started off a modified farmtractor, it rapidly became one of the most useful pieces of equipment with excavating and construction.

Backhoe Loader (Engineering Vehicle)

Also referred to as a loader backhoe, the backhoe loader is an engineering and excavation vehicle that consists of a tractor, front shovel and bucket and a small backhoe in the rear end. Due to the small size and versatility, backhoe loaders are common with small construction projects and excavation type work.Originally invented in Burlington Iowa back in 1857, the backhoe loader is the most common variation of the classic farm tractor.As the name implies, it has a loader assembly on the front and a backhoe attachment on the back.

Anytime the loader and backhoe are attached it is never referred to as a tractor, as it is not normally used for towing and doesn’t normally have a PTO.When the backhoe is permanently attached, the machine will normally have a seat that can swivel to the rear to face the backhoe controls.Any type of removable backhoe attachments will normally have a seperate seat on the attachment itself.Backhoe loaders are common and can be used for many tasks, which include construction, light transportation of materials, powering building equipment, digging holes and excavating, breaking asphalt, and even paving roads.You can often replace the backhoe bucket with other tools such as a breaker for breaking and smashing concrete and rock. There are some loader buckets that offer a retractable bottom, which enable it to empty the load more quickly and efficiently.



The retractable bottom loader buckets are often times used for grading and scratching off sand.The front assembly on a backhoe may be either removable or permanently attached. Often times,the bucket can be replaced with other tools or devices. In order to mount different attachments to the loader, it must be equipped with a tool coupler. The coupler consists of two hydraulic cylinders on the end of the arm assembly, which can expand and retract to allow different tools to be attached to the unit. There are several types of backhoe loader brands,including New Holland, John Deere, and Case. Some will offer you cabs, while others won’t. The newer types of backhoe loaders even offer you air conditioning, radios, and other accessories that make you feel like you are working with luxury.Common with excavating jobs, the backhoe can serve many purposes. It can haul equipment and supplies in the loader bucket.Another great use is to cover up dirt when filling in trench lines or covering up pipe that was just put in the ground.The backhoe attachment at the rear is ideal for digging water pipes and sewer pipes.The best thing about the backhoe loader is the fact that they are easy to operate. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to fully operate this nifty piece of equipment.