Rail Crane Column Brackets
Rail Crane Column Brackets
(OP)
Is there any possible way to support heavy (100kip reactions) rail cranes, by any means other than dedicated columns located directly under the rail beams? I'm well aware of weld fracture issues, and many manuals say not to bracket above 50kip loads. Just wondering if anyone has overcome this as I have a client wanting to use overlapping high/low rails.






RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
I guess anything can be designed.
You have two cranes running one over top the other?
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
I'm just not sure you can design anything enough to prevent fracture
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
most of the time you see a single gantry on the lower level.
I know I would be most comfortable with independent columns or a column right along side the crane shaft for upper crane....of course this would mean very tight side clearances on the lower crane.
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
In that case I felt comfortable in analyzing them for more than 50 kips.
They were so deep, they were almost hard to consider as brackets.
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
Were the 6-8' brackets actually fabricated as a bracket, or was it a 6-8' section of beam attached to the columns flange like a column segment?
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
I wasn't really a stepped column in the classical sense of a step-column.
It literally was a giant bracket....but I guess once a bracket gets that big, it can be view a little differently.
I guess I had no criteria and I'm not sure one exists.
It was not a new design and the capacity increase was not a large percentage.
Is his a new building?
Is there no room for extra columns?
I'd advise the owner than it is in his best interest to avoid brackets.
Is there a particular fracture issue that is of concern for the welds?
I'm thinking that with very large brackets, the weld stresses would be low?
RE: Rail Crane Column Brackets
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA