A world leader in the manufacture of massive steel columns for constructing offshore rigs and wind farms is using precision welding and positioning rigs developed by UK specialist Key Plant and employing advanced gear technology from David Brown Engineering, part of Textron Fluid & Power.
Key Plant supplied a £500 000 turnkey solution for the Dutch manufacturing giant, SIF Group in Roermonde near Maastrich, Holland; designing, building and commissioning onsite the various positioning and welding rigs used to manipulate the columns which can weigh up to 450 tonnes each.
The steel column sections are placed on rail-mounted carriages that move the sections together for welding while rotators on the power carriages turn the sections in perfect synergy to enable traversing boom welders to complete the fabrication process. The powered traversing drive unit must be capable of moving the massive column sections laterally, and transferring the 450 tonne pipe from inside the fabrication plant to the waiting barge on the canal for onward transport. Both drive and idler carriages are fitted with powered wheel carriage adjustment via a lead screw and geared motor with a digital display giving the position to accommodate various column or pipe diameters.
David Brown gear units fulfil crucial roles in carrying out these various operations. The largest of the Series A Midrange worm drive quadruple reduction gear units with a reduction of 847:1 are linked to 5,5 kW motors to rotate the steel cylinders. Series F shaft mounted helical units specified with a reduction of 1400:1 coupled to 5,5 kW motor inverters deliver a soft start and move the carriages and their massive loads at up to 2 m per minute. Series K shaft mounted helical geared motors (with reductions ranging from 100:1 to 45:1) are used to drive the screw gear to raise and lower the steel sections with millimetre precision.
Series M helical in-line geared motors were also specified as the primary drives in the modification of existing smaller 150 tonne rotation/drive units, with a reduction of 17:1. The Series M units employ a Textron close-coupled double engagement coupling with two flex halves to accommodate both offset and angular misalignment.
Key Plant is the UK's leading specialist in the development, supply and servicing of welding and positioning equipment for major engineering and manufacturing projects. Their customer base includes pressure vessel and pipeline manufacturers, gas, mining, offshore, energy generation, transportation, shipbuilding, automotive and nuclear industries.
Key Plant director, Jon Grigg, comments: "The SIF project is typical of the critical, heavy duty operations we undertake on behalf of major players and because we deliver a turnkey solution, as well as service support, we rely on the integrity of the components in the equipment we provide. David Brown gear units are quite simply the best on the market in terms of performance, durability and reliability, and that makes them our first choice."
The key element in the class-leading versatility of the Series M, F and K ranges of inline, right angle and shaft mount geared motor units is the unique David Brown motor connection which offers the option of fitting any standard electric motor. The motor adapter system allows the range to accept all sizes of standard NEMA and IEC flange mounted electric motors without the need for expensive modifications or interface connectors. This flexibility means that the original motor and any replacements may be sourced at competitive prices from a wide range of suppliers or distributors, reducing downtime and cost at plant level.
Customers can also fit standard motors in all types (AC, DC, single phase, energy efficient, washdown, explosion proof, etc, without incurring the high costs traditionally associated with gearboxes designed to accept special motor flange and shaft interfaces. All units are dimensionally interchangeable with major European manufacturers.
The Series K right angle drive helical bevel helical geared motors are designed with integral cast feet for base or end mounting and can be offered with single or double extended output shafts. Units are also available shaft mounted or with output flanges and are available for mounting horizontally or vertically. All variants are available either motorised or with an input shaft assembly. The Series F geared motor is primarily designed as a shaft mounted unit and incorporates an integral torque reaction bracket. The units are also available with bolt-on feet or output flanges and output shafts of single and double extension. All variations are available either motorised or with input shaft assemblies.
The Series A worm gear units and geared motors are offered in Junior, Midrange, and Heavy Duty ranges. Units can be mounted in the 'worm under', 'worm over' and gear shaft vertical mounting positions and provide a choice of shaft arrangements. Series A gives a choice of 12 standard ratios from 5:1 to 70:1, with a further 14 standard ratios in the Heavy Duty from 5:1 to 70:1.
David Brown Series M inline geared motors and reducers provide what it claims is the industry's most versatile, cost effective and user friendly drive solutions. The Series M geared motors can meet most requirements up to 90 kW or 120 HP with maximum output torque capacity of 11 kNm. Twelve unit sizes give a ratio coverage of 1,2:1 to 12 000:1 in single, double, triple and combined reduction formats, and innovative modular construction maximises product availability.
The torsionally rigid, lubricated design of the special couplings used for the Series M by Key Plant offers high torque capacity, application versatility, and where high torque loads exist or shaft diameters exceed 100 mm, the lowest initial cost. The coupling is available in 28 sizes, all featuring triple-crowned teeth.
For more information contact David Brown Engineering SA, +27 (0) 11 748 0000, www.textronpt.com
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