The crane runway is not a piece of equipment that can be added to the hall. It is a design parameter of the entire building — and it is decided before the first column is installed.
Why can't it be added later?
The bridge crane is not hanging on the roof. It travels along a track supported by the pillars of the hall — and the load is neither small nor static.
With every drive and stroke, it acts dynamically, changes direction and tries to twist the structure. Therefore, the columns must be dimensioned not only for the roof and the wind, but also for the crane. And the foundations under them too.
Adding a track to the finished hall means strengthening the columns, adjusting the foundations and interfering with the construction in operation. It tends to be more expensive than the difference in price if the crane was calculated from the beginning.
How the crane determines the height of the hall
The height of the hall with the crane is not calculated from the floor to the roof, but from the bottom up:
- the height of the load being handled
- space for binding means — ropes, chains, crossbars
- height of the hook in the highest position
- crane and track construction
Only the sum of these numbers gives the height under the truss. That's why halls with cranes have a different height than halls without them — and that's why the height can't be determined before it's clear what will be lifted in the hall.
Carrying capacity: it's not just about weight
The crane automatically determines how many tons it can carry. However, the size of the load, not its weight, is often the deciding factor.
- A pool or a large bathtub is light, but huge and fragile — the crane is there so that it can be handled whole and not deformed.
- A wooden truss weighs little, but must remain horizontal to avoid damage to the joints.
- The laser cutting machine weighs several tons and must be lifted, rotated and disassembled for repair.
The carrying capacity is therefore derived from the heaviest load, but the track geometry from the most dimensional one.
Two cranes in tandem
When long members need to be handled, one crane is not enough — it lifts the load at one point and the long beam would bend or twist under its own weight.
The solution is two cranes on one track, which can be connected in tandem. They lift the load at two points at once.
In practice, this means that a weld over twenty meters long can be manufactured and moved in one piece — without assembly joints, which would otherwise have to be made on site.
What else will the track affect
Column layout. The track runs along the columns, so their spacing and position are not arbitrary. Reinforcement of the hall. The dynamic load from the crane must be absorbed — usually by bracing in the roof plane and in the gables. Color differentiation. A practical detail: it is a good idea to distinguish the track from the rest of the structure by color. In operation, it is then clear at first glance where the crane is passing.
Questions to ask before building
- What's the heaviest thing I'm going to lift?
- What will I be lifting the most dimensionally?
- Do I need a crane in the entire hall or only in one part?
- Will one be enough or will I need two in tandem?
- How much space do I need under the hook?
The answers to these questions will determine the height, columns and foundations. When you know them at the beginning, nothing costs extra. When halfway through construction, it stops.
We build halls with crane runways
We have covered halls with cranes from 3 to 10 tons, runways across the entire length of the building, and tandem sets. Look at steel halls a technological construction.
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