EP3212558B1

EP3212558B1 - Apparatus for lifting items bound together by strapping means

Info

Publication number: EP3212558B1
Application number: EP15854327.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Heikki Hyysalo
Original assignee: Stevenel Oy
Current assignee: Stevenel Oy
Priority date: 2014-10-29
Filing date: 2015-10-28
Publication date: 2022-11-09
Anticipated expiration: 2035-10-28
Also published as: EP3212558A1; WO2016066899A1; BR112017008442B1; CN107148394A; BR112017008442A2; FI125754B; FI3212558T3; CN107148394B; EP3212558A4

Description

The invention relates to an apparatus for lifting items, such as pulp units, bound together by strapping means, the apparatus including at least one horizontal beam attached to a crane and the beam having a plural number of hook trolleys attached thereto and movable along the beam, each hook trolley located at an item to be lifted being arranged to grab the strapping means of the item when grabbing means belonging to the trolleys are made to approach one another, the strapping means being thus suspended from the grabbing means.
WO03097508A1 discloses a lifting device for cellulose bales comprising a beam framework to be detachably fixed in crane and its hydraulic system and claw wagons connected to the beam framework and furnished with gripping means to grasp and move cellulose bales. The claw wagons include booms fixed movably to the beam framework, to which booms the claw wagon frame is fixed. WO03/097508A1 discloses a lifting apparatus according to the preamble of claim 1.
When loads are lifted by means of lifting straps, the lifting straps are either already around the load or they are slipped underneath the load at the same time as the lifting means is brought above the load, the straps being then placed also in the hook of the lifting means. Today, the aim is to grab the straps by means of hook trolleys belonging to the lifting apparatus so that no human labour is needed for fastening or releasing the load. An example of the hook trolleys is given in patent publication FI-116722 , where hook trolleys belonging to a lifting apparatus are used for grabbing lifting straps. The grabbing means are arranged to be flexible so as to prevent them from pressing the load to be lifted, as the lifting apparatus may apply its entire weight through them to the load. In addition, a lifting apparatus for pulp bales is known from patent publication FI-120031 , the apparatus having hook trolleys with spring arranged to the grabbing members, the grabbing members receding against the force of the springs, which is an attempt to prevent them from penetrating into the pulp bales.
A drawback in the above described solutions is the complexity of the hook trolley structure, since each hook trolley is to be provided with flexible fastening for the grabbing members and their accessories. Moreover, lifting of one bale by means of two hook trolleys requires a distance adjustment between the hook trolleys to be arranged.
In order to eliminate the above described drawbacks, a new lifting apparatus has now been developed that enables to avoid complex structures in hook trolleys and in arrangements for moving and fastening them. The lifting apparatus of the invention is characterized by the features of claim 1.
An advantage of the lifting apparatus of the invention is that, when a plural number of pulp units are to be lifted simultaneously, each hook trolley presses against a pulp unit by its own mass at the most because the horizontal beam does not need to be lowered onto the pulp units. The lowering is avoided by providing the hook trolleys with a sufficient vertical distance of movement, whereby height differences of the pulp units will be taken into account without lowering the horizontal crane beam all the way down. In addition, the hook trolleys may tilt at the grabbing phase with the view of compensating for unevenness and height differences in the top surfaces of the pulp units. Providing one hook trolley with two pairs of grabbing means further simplifies the lifting apparatus. In that case there is an equal number of hook trolleys and pulp units.
Also the parallel movements of the grabbing members against each other, when they are moved towards the straps, ensure correct location of the hooks, hook position and advancement on the surface of the pulp unit, thus ensuring that the hooks, when coming into contact with the straps, go under them.
In the following, the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which

Figure 1 is a diagonal side view of a lifting apparatus;
Figure 2 is a diagonal side view of a second lifting apparatus;
Figure 3 shows tilting of a hook trolley pair.
Figure 4 shows an alternative way of tilting a hook trolley pair.
Figure 5 is a diagonal view of a hook trolley.
Figure 6 is a view of a hook trolley from below.
Figure 7 is a diagonal side view of a hook trolley.

Figure 1 shows hook trolleys 3 placed to a horizontal beam 1 of a lifting apparatus, the trolleys each containing two grabbing member pairs 4 at a distance from one another. The distance may even be as little as 30 % of a width of a pulp unit 17 to be lifted, i.e. of a length of lifting straps/wires 16 on a top surface portion of the pulp unit. This enables narrower and, at the same time, lighter hook trolleys 3 to be provided. The hook trolleys 3 are suspended from the horizontal beam 1 by the slot arrangement 2, and the horizontal beam 1 may move in the slot gap in a vertical direction and also tilt therein. The hook trolleys 3 may be moved along the horizontal beam 1 in a manner known per se by moving devices, such as hydraulic cylinders or electrically driven devices, arranged to the bottom surface of the horizontal beam 1. Also the grabbing means 4 are moved by means of moving devices, such as hydraulic cylinders or electrically driven devices. The solution of Figure 1 is used for lifting six pulp units at a time. The number of the hook trolleys and, correspondingly, that of the pulp units to be handled may vary depending on the lifting capacity of the crane.
The horizontal beam 1 includes fastening parts 5 for the lifting cable of the crane and, when necessary, a hydraulic assembly 6 and a drainage basin 7 for it. Instead of a cable crane, also a boom crane may be used.
In Figure 2 hook trolleys 3 are placed hanging from an intermediate beam 8 suspended from the slot arrangement 2.
Also in this solution the horizontal beam 1 may still move in the vertical direction in the slot gap and tilt therein to some extent. The solution of Figure 2 may be used for lifting six pulp units at a time, crane lifting capacity permitting. The number of the hook trolleys and, correspondingly, that of the pulp units to be handled may vary depending on the lifting capacity of the crane.
Figures 3 and 4 show the location of the horizontal beam 1 in the slot arrangement 2 and two different ways of arranging the movement of the horizontal beam 1 in the slot arrangement so that a tilting angle of ± 5° may be formed between the horizontal beam 1 and the slot arrangement 2 in other than the top position. In Figure 3 the horizontal beam is driven in the slot gap by using wheels 15 mounted to bearings on intermediate pieces 14 and extending outward from the intermediate pieces. When the horizontal beam 1 is lifted upward, arms 10 at the top of the horizontal beam 1 hit pieces 11 at the top of the slot arrangement, whereby the hook trolleys 3 become levelled from their possible tilting position to a horizontal position, i.e. the position which is also always the direction of the top surface of the horizontal beam 1 during lifting.
In Figure 4 the horizontal beam 1 glides in the slot arrangement 2 when in contact with slide pieces 13. The intermediate piece 14 attached to the horizontal beam comprises a joint 12 that allows for an angle to be formed between the horizontal beam 1 and the hook trolleys 3, if there is a difference in height between the top surfaces of the bales to be lifted. In that case, the hook trolleys 3 and the intermediate beam 8 thus descend into a tilted position onto the pulp units to be lifted for catching the lifting straps 16. Also in this case the hook trolleys 3 turn to horizontal during lifting, i.e. to a horizontal position when the horizontal beam 1 rises and starts to lift the hook trolleys 3.
Figure 5 shows a hook trolley 3 that hangs directly from the horizontal beam 1 suspended by means of the slot arrangement 2. The hook trolley 3 is narrower and lighter than prior art hook trolleys. There are no arrangements for springiness of the grabbing members 4 in the hook trolley 3. In the present invention, the structure provided by the horizontal beam 1 and the slot arrangement 2 account for that.
Figures 6 and 7 show guide bars 18, such as round shafts, guiding the parallel movement of the grabbing members 4 and on which the grabbing members 4 move towards and away from one another. These movements are produced by hydraulic cylinders 19 or some other moving device, such as an electrically driven device that moves both grabbing member pairs 4 in the same direction either towards or away from each other in a manner known per se by means of mechanisms 20 and 21 attached by joints, for example. The mechanisms 20 and 21 may be arms, for example. In the system, a hydraulic cylinder 19 or some other moving device turns the mechanism 20, articulated at the middle, and, from both ends of the pivot arm, movements are transmitted by mechanisms 21 articulated at both their ends from the ends of the mechanisms 20 to the grabbing members 4, thus delivering parallel movements to them. Guided by the guide bars 18, the grabbing members 4 are movable in the direction of the guide bars towards and away from one another. The grabbing members are thus movable in a horizontal direction.
A pulp unit consists of a plural number of pulp bales bound into pulp units by binding or unit wires. A commonly used pulp unit consists of eight pulp bales. The lifting apparatus may lift a plural number of pulp units, even 20 units at a time, provided that the crane has sufficient lifting capacity.

Claims

An apparatus for lifting items, such as pulp units, bound together by strapping means, the apparatus including at least one horizontal beam (1) attached to a crane and the beam having a plural number of hook trolleys (3) attached thereto and movable along the beam, each hook trolley (3) located at an item to be lifted being arranged to grab the strapping means of the item when grabbing members (4) belonging to the trolleys are made to approach one another, the strapping means being thus suspended from the grabbing members (4), wherein the hook trolleys (3) are provided with either one or two grabbing member pairs at a fixed distance from one another, their grabbing movement being a parallel movement,
characterised by each hook trolley (3) being suspended at an adjustable distance from the other
- by a slot arrangement (2) from said horizontal beam (1), the slot arrangement (2) permitting each hook trolley (3) to move separately in a vertical direction for a predetermined distance and to tilt to a predetermined angle in the slot arrangement (2); or

- by means of an intermediate beam (8) from said horizontal beam (1), each intermediate beam (8) being attached to suspend from the horizontal beam (1) by means of a slot arrangement (2), the intermediate beam (8) being transverse to the horizontal beam (1) and the slot arrangement (2) permitting each hook trolley (3) or hook trolley pair to move separately in a vertical direction for a predetermined distance and to tilt to a predetermined angle in the slot arrangement.
A lifting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a load is being lifted, the horizontal beam (1) having then risen to the top position of the slot arrangement (2), a counter surface arranged to the horizontal beam (1) together with a counter surface of the slot arrangement is arranged to turn the hook trolley (3) or hook trolley pair to a horizontal position.
A lifting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the intermediate beam (8) is attached to suspend from the horizontal beam (1) by means of the slot arrangement (2), at least two hook trolleys (3) are attached to the intermediate beam (8).
A lifting apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the arrangement for the parallel movement of the grabbing members (4) includes guide bars (18) on which opposite grabbing members (4) are movable by means of a hydraulic cylinder (19), or some other moving device, and a mechanism (20), (21) attached thereto to open and close the grabbing members (4) simultaneously.
A lifting apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein, guided by the guide bars (18), the grabbing members (4) are movable in the direction of the guide bars (18) to and from one another.