Turning Beam and Clamping Device

[leejosepho]

Greetings to everyone!

I have been working on a rather unique project for about three months. The project is now near its completion, but I am still looking for any insight, advice or turning experience anyone here might have to offer.

The overall challenge here is to fabricate one clamping device and a turning beam for stripping from their forms and turning five (5) different sizes of concrete tanks ranging from 2500 to 6000 lbs. each. My dilemma at the moment has to do with needing to revise my configurations of the lifting lugs (engaging the tank ends) and turning lugs (hanging in the slings) in order to get the clamping device down around the tanks while they are still in their forms.

Here is a picture from one of my 100%-successful turning tests with the smallest of the five tank sizes, and I can post more details or answer some questions if anyone here would like to help me consider certain balance and turn-control issues while I decide about lug configurations ... and I thank you in advance!

Joe

[Glenn]

I can't really help you, but WOW! That is an impressive looking setup!

[leejosepho]

I thank you for your comment!

Since that picture was taken, we have successfully lifted and turned the largest tank ... and some modifications we will be doing should address the minor difficulties we discovered.

[MXtras]

I think I speak for the group here - we would like to see more. I don't know about everyone else, but I am interested.

Scott

[leejosepho]

At this site you can see more of this kind of equipment in action:
http://www.positurner.com/
Click on the little picture for "Product Info" and it will animate. Then, there are pictures of specific applications available under "Applications" at the bottom of the home page.

I should be able to take some more pictures of my own project around the middle of next week after some modifications to the "clamping device" (around the tank) so it will slip down into the forms for the initial lift.

I thank you for your interest, and I gladly listen to suggestions.

Joe

[leejosepho]

I had finished this project quite some time ago, and I am ashamed to say I had forgotten about this thread. And while I know I took more pictures at the end, now I cannot find them. So, I have turned one of the older pictures sideways to at least offer a closer look at the tank clamp.

The lifting sockets cast into the ends of the tanks ended up needing to be slightly farther apart than the clamp's lugs so the weight of the tank would always be on the lowest lugs (and not break the tank with stress at the higher ones). That was not an issue with the smaller tanks like in this picture, but it immediately appeared the first time an attempt was made to lift and turn the largest tank.

In this picture you can see the straps, pins and clips that hold the clamp's width, and then their holes that allow a change in width for larger tanks can also be seen. Changing clamping widths turned out to be fairly easy by hanging the clamp in the slings and using the hoist to raise or lower one side at a time, but changing the clamp's length requires more physical effort while the clamp is sitting flat on the floor.

Air cylinders with locks slide one end of the clamp for a total of just under 6" in order to allow the clamp to slip down over a tank and then engage it, and the air for those cylinders comes down from a small 12V compressor on the turning beam. Overall, there is 480V (for the turning motor) coming down to the beam from the hook, and then a transformer supplies 120V for control voltage and a battery charger.

I could talk on and on about this project and the many things learned along the way, and I would gladly answer any questions anyone might have!

[Cebby]

Can you post a video of this in action? I'd love to see in working...

[leejosepho]

Can you post a video of this in action? I'd love to see in working...

Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S_c_...w3S2Jw5bm_Hug7

You will see me touch the system a couple of times to keep the wind coming in the open door from blowing things away from view, and the wind must have also been bothering my not-so-steady "camera man" just a bit! Overall, however, and as you will be able to see as the clamping device rolls, the biggest challenge here is to hold the load in a proper balance -- toggling the hydraulics at the hook -- so the contact/lift points are/remain aligned with the straps as the two come together during rotation.

This entire project began on the business owners' desire for a safer way to flip tank bottoms (and without damage) than had always been done in the past.

[Cebby]

That's awesome!! Thanks for posting!