The effect of support arm condition on the displacement and stress of tower crane main frame

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of support arm conditions on the displacement and stresses of tower crane main frames. The finite element code IDEAS is used to perform the numerical analysis using three dimensional beam and truss element. Two different support arm conditions which are called Assembly1 and Assembly2 , have been created. The length of the support arm is 27,9m and 21,1m for Assembly1 and Assembly2, respectively. Solutions were investigated according to five different positions of the trolley on the main frame and two different magnitudes of the hoisting load, namely 2900 kg and 3450 kg. Wind load, 9100 kg counter ballast, the weight of the hoisting gear unit, the weight of the tower crane and the weight of the trolley and the hook were considered as other loads acting on the tower crane. The results show that assembly1 is more favorable in terms of displacement and stress distribution