Tower cranes, robust lifting and transport equipment widely used in industries such as construction and transportation, play a pivotal role in various applications. Due to their massive steel structures, the stability of the tower crane foundation is of utmost importance. A significant proportion of tower crane accidents, particularly collapses, can be attributed to inadequate foundations. To prevent such accidents, what considerations should be taken into account during the construction of tower crane foundations?
Preventing Tower Crane Collapse Accidents: Considerations for Foundation Construction
Based on an analysis of tower crane production and usage experiences, the causes of tower crane foundation accidents can be categorized into three types:
1. Inadequate Concrete Strength:
Some construction sites, driven by the urgency to meet deadlines, hastily install tower cranes without ensuring sufficient concrete strength. This results in the crane bearing loads beyond the ground stress limits, leading to unfortunate incidents of collapse and tipping.
2. Excavation Near Foundations:
Certain construction units conducting excavation work near tower crane foundations can cause landslides or displacement, triggering accidents involving tower cranes.
3. Uneven Settlements:
Excessive groundwater extraction in many area in recent years has led to the formation of underground water funnels, causing uneven settlements. This, in turn, affects the operation and construction of tower cranes.
Preventive Measures: To prevent tower crane collapse accidents, construction units must ensure that the soil bearing capacity meets design requirements, and the concrete strength is at least 80% of the design value.
For tower crane foundations in basement projects, special measures should be taken.
These include pile driving beneath the foundation and securely welding the pile-end reinforcement to the foundation anchor bolts.
The concrete foundation bottom should be level and compacted, avoiding a concave shape.
The size deviation of foundation anchor bolts must strictly adhere to the foundation drawing requirements.
Each anchor bolt should maintain sufficient exposed length above the ground, and double nuts should be pre-tightened for each bolt
Surface treatment of the foundation should ensure a horizontal deviation not exceeding 1/1000.
Additionally, tower crane foundations should not accumulate water, as water pooling can result in uneven settling.
No digging or trenching should be conducted arbitrarily near the tower crane foundation.
Post time: Jan-17-2024