Landmark wind turbine up in Cleveland
13 December 2011
All Erection & Crane Rental in the USA used two Manitowoc cranes to install a wind turbine tower in Cleveland, Ohio over four days. The 443 foot (135 metre) turbine is outside the headquarters of Lincoln Electric, a leader in arc welding and a long-term supplier to the wind tower industry.
The turbine is one of the largest urban wind towers in North America and will provide up to 10 percent of the energy used at Lincoln Electric's manufacturing plant. Lincoln estimates it will save US$500,000 a year in energy costs.
All Erection chose a Manitowoc 16000 crawler crane and a Grove GMK5120B all terrain crane to erect the 2.5 MW turbine.
The first task was offloading and erecting the four tower sections from their delivery trucks. These sections were lifted and then walked into position using the 16000, with the GMK5120B providing tailing support. Each section weighed about 70 US tons (64 metric tons).
With the tower sections installed, the cranes then worked together to install the 99 ton (90 metric ton) nacelle and drive train, which was handled in two lifts. Finally, three rotor blades were bolted together at ground level before the entire 64 ton (58 metric ton) assembly was lifted into place.
Following completion of the $5.9 million project, Lincoln Electric held an inauguration ceremony to celebrate its success. George Blankenship, president of Lincoln Electric North America, said: "This project has been three years in the making and embodies our company's commitment to renewables and the wind tower industry."
A third crane, a 30 ton capacity Grove RT530E-2 rough terrain, was also used in the early stages of construction for land preparation.
The 440 ton (400 metric ton) capacity Manitowoc 16000 was rigged with 157 feet (48 m) of main boom and 177 feet (54 m) of luffing jib. The crane can accommodate a maximum of 432 feet (132 m) of main boom. All Erection sent the crane to site on 22 trucks.
The 120 ton (109 metric ton) capacity GMK5120B was rigged with 167 feet (51 m) of boom and is mounted on a five-axle carrier.
