W.S.G. Isaac Newton

Assignment

Huisman has developed and manufactured a wide range of both on- and offshore cranes, varying in size and type. Huisman has delivered six mobile ringer type cranes with lifting capacities up to 2000mt and lifting heights up to 236m (Huisman, 2023). A ringer crane is a heavy lifting crane distinguished by its slew pivot being in the form of a ring-shaped track. Huisman is designing and building an electric driven ringer crane with a maximum lifting capacity of 3000mt. This ringer crane is (just as the existing ringer cranes from Huisman) equipped with a modular main boom and luffing-jib to achieve the best configuration for each specific lifting operation. This type of modular designing raises the question whether it is possible to design a modular lower block which is suitable for all different crane configurations. An example of a lower block can be seen in 1.

These different configurations are useful because now the same crane can be used to lift loads up to 3000mt but can also be used to lift loads up to 1000mt up to heights of 225m. Furthermore, in the configurations with lower weights the outreach of the crane is larger. The current problem is that for every crane configuration a different lower block is required. It would be easier for Huisman as well as for its clients to have one modular lower block which is able to be used in all the different crane configurations.

The goal of the assignment is to make a basic design of this modular lower block for the 3000mt ringer crane. The basic design deliverable include a 2D drawing showing the most important parts such it is clear how the lower block will function. Furthermore, the basic design includes a design report including requirements, assumptions, load cases, material selection and strength calculations. 3D drawings and/or a FEM analysis is not included but can if necessary be performed in the detailed design phase.

Experiences

The internship at Huisman was a positive experience. Being able to work from a small engineering office located in Enschede provides the best from two worlds. On the one hand, the small office provides a relaxed working environment in which you have (in consultation) freedom in the assignment and approach. Furthermore, the threshold for asking questions and receiving guidance is low. On the other, you still enjoy the benefits of a larger company, meaning a lot of internal knowledge and know how. The assignment was a well balanced mixture between drawing and calculating. This gave the opportunity to experience the whole design cycle, (except for the detailed design phase for which the 11 weeks were too short) instead of a specific part of this process. If you like heavy duty equipment, structural mechanics and designing I would recommend considering Huisman for your internship assignment.