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Journal
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Terramechanics
Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168
www.elsevier.com/locate/jterra

The design process of a self-propelled floor crane

Daryoush Safarzadeh a,⇑, Shamsuddin Sulaiman a,1, Faieza Abdul Aziz a,2,
Desa Bin Ahmad b,3, Gholam Hossein Majzoobi c,4
a
Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
b
Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM, Serdang,
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
c
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bu Ali Sina University, Hamadan, Iran

Received 28 August 2010; received in revised form 5 December 2010; accepted 9 December 2010
Available online 7 January 2011

Abstract

In order to prevent the hazards associated with the crane application in workshops and factories, a self-propelled hydraulic floor crane
with wire remote control was designed. The main focus was directed on remote control of the crane operations such as rotation of
booms, rear and forward movements, changing travel speed, steering, braking and hook rotation. This configuration prevents the haz-
ards and damages which may be created due to the proximity of operator to crane and provides the feasibility of utilizing the crane in
crowded manufacturing areas, fields and hazardous environments. Research into the stability of crane on a slope route was also per-
formed to obtain the equations of stability in static and dynamic conditions and recognition of the ways to enhance the stability. To
validate the research work, a scale-model prototype was built to test the manner of controlling the crane operations from afar.
Ó 2010 ISTVS. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Crane; Hazards; Hydraulic; Remote control; Self-propelled

1. Introduction injuries and death from cranes, for instance Hakkinen

Cranes are devices utilized for loading, unloading and
transmitting the loads. They are profitable devices but haz-
ardous in nature. Aneziris et al. [7] knew the crane activi-
ties responsible for 4% of the reported accidents and
according to OSHA regulations, about 15.2% of crane
events are occurred in manufacturing environments. Many
researches have been performed regarding the causes of
⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +98 811 8233690.
E-mail addresses: daryoushs9@gmail.com, dasafarzadeh@yahoo.com
(D. Safarzadeh), suddin@eng.upm.edu.my, suddin1331@yahoo.com
(S. Sulaiman), faieza@eng.upm.edu.my (F.A. Aziz), kbp@eng.upm.edu.
my, dean@eng.upm.edu.my (D.B. Ahmad), gh_majzoobi@basu.ac.ir, gh_
majzoobi@yahoo.co.uk (G.H. Majzoobi).
1
Tel.: +60 3 89466334; fax: +60 3 86567122.
2
Tel.: +60 3 89466346; fax: +60 3 86567122.
3
Tel.: +60 3 89466262; fax: +60 3 86567099.
4
Tel.: +98 811 8257410; fax: +98 811 8257400.
[6]; Neitzel et al. [10]; Suruda et al. [1]; Yow et al. [9].
Crane accidents have been grouped in the following cate-
gories according to NIOSH (National Institute of Occupa-
tional Safety and Health) report, including: swinging
loads, overturning of cranes, falling loads, crushing
between moving parts of cranes, falls of people from
cranes, power line contact, overloading, contact the hook
assembly with boom tip, obstruction of vision, assembly
and disassembly of boom. Crane hazards are normally
related to design and crane use. From a safety point of
view, one of the most important issues in design of a crane
is determination of stability. Stability of cranes has been
studied by some researchers such as Sochacki [11];
Towarek [12]; Klosinski and Janusz [4]. Weak segments,
stress, strain, displacement, critical points and strength of
parts under definite loads are determined by computer
aided finite element analyses. Strength of the components
versus the applied loads is determined based on FOS

0022-4898/$36.00 Ó 2010 ISTVS. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

doi:10.1016/j.jterra.2010.12.002
158 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168

(factor of safety). For a safe performance, FOS is typically

considered more than 1. Hydraulic floor crane is a kind of
crane which has been used in workshops and factories
from olden times. Basically, it is composed of a base, a col-
umn, a boom and a hydraulic cylinder for hoisting the
boom. Nowadays, its application has been limited because
of innumerable defects. The major research contribution
of this paper is the use of CAD to design and develop a
wire remote control hydraulic floor crane for the aims of
decreasing the hazards, improving the performance and
efficiency compared to the existing types and application
in various locations such as hazardous environments and
fields. Hence the main focus was directed on hazards
reduction. Furthermore, the design has been also accom-
plished based on the required functions to perform the cor-
responding operations and employing peculiarities of the
existing types considering their defects including hand-
Fig. 1. Design flow diagram. operated actuation, lacking of motor supplies, low safety,
slow response and low speed as Fig. 1 shows. Table 1
denotes the specifications of the crane.
Table 1
Crane specifications. 2. Modeling of the crane
Description Specification
1 Total mass (kg) 840 Solid Works and Cosmos were used for CAD modeling
2 Rated capacity (kN) 13 of the crane and finite element analyses to determine the
3 Max. grade ability laden (%) 9.7 – field configuration strength of components respectively. Fig. 2 represents
4 Max. grade ability unladen (%) 33 two computer models of the crane.
5 Max. travel speed (km/h) 2.88
Finite element analyses were performed based on the
6 Electromotor output (drive system) 24v  4000w  1400 rpm
7 Electromotor output (hydraulic system) 24v  4000w  1400 rpm static and dynamic forces applied to the components in
8 Batteries 2 pcs  12 V  200 AH various situations of the booms. A lot of analyses were per-
9 Speed reduction ratio of drive system 45.79 formed on the components using the maximum forces. The
10 Capacity of hydraulic reservoir (l) 35 allowable stress method based on ISO 8686 standard 1989
11 Rear wheel size (W  D) (mm) 150  500
was used to assess the strength of the components. The
12 Front wheel size (W  D) (mm) 100  400
13 Angle of static longitudinal stability Laden 40°, Unladen 15° weak locations were fortified in several stages to enhance
14 Angle of static lateral stability Laden 48°, Unladen 40° the factor of safety up to the optimum values. Table 2 rep-
15 Material Steel AISI 1045 resents the results of analyses after finial fortification of the
16 Overall dimensions (L  W  H) (mm) 1940  1516  2391 components.

Fig. 2. Computer models of the crane: (a) solid 3 D and (b) wire frame.
 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168
Table 2
Results of the finite element analyses after final fortification of the components.
Stress Displacement
Boom 3
Boom 2
Boom 1
Base and column
Crane
3. Design process
Fig. 3 depicts a model for design strategy. One of the
approaches to decrease the hazards in the crane is to reduce
sway of the payload which is created by various factors
arising mostly from crane maneuvers and the motions of
crane components for performing the desired operations.
Kim and Singhose [2] believed that the natural sway of
crane payload causes safety hazards, time delay and diffi-
culty in positioning payload.
The proposed solution to control the sway is to install a
platform for placing the payload during displacement
(Fig. 4). Another benefit of this measure is to reduce over-
turning of the crane due to the pendulum motion of pay-
load during displacement. Overturning issue can also be
controlled by increasing the stability of crane through the
appropriate static and dynamic analyses and fortification
of the components as well as the correct selection of the
159
Strain FOS
crane dimensions. The other approach to decrease the haz-
ards is to control the crane performance from a distance by
utilizing a wire remote control system. This system prevents
the hazards which are created by the fall of payload and
objects on the operator or the fall of operator off the crane.
Increasing visibility is another approach to reduce hazards
and to increase safety. According to OSHA regulations [8],
safe use of a crane is compromised when the vision of an
operator is blocked and employees cannot see what the
others are doing. The crane size alone limits the operator’s
range of vision and creates blind spots. The crane boom
may obstruct the operator’s range of vision. Often a load
is lifted several stories high and the crane operator must
rely upon others to ensure safe movement of the load being
handled. The accidents due to the visibility problems are
also occurred by other transporting devices such as lift
trucks. Collins et al. [5] found that visibility problems
account for more than 80% of forklift truck related
160 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168

(b) Installing the wired or wireless camera in various

spots of the crane helps the operator to control the
entire crane operations in out of reach and hidden
areas from afar (Fig. 5).

The entire crane systems are covered by a body to pro-

tect the moving parts and to prevent event to people. To
enhance flexibility and maneuverability of the crane, a
compacted size and a three-piece boom were proposed. A
combination of an inverter and a DC electromotor with
4 kW power was utilized to control the rear and forward
movement and changing speed of the crane from remote
distance. However, in this system by varying the speed of
rotation, torque will be maintained constant. Thus a
mechanical system consists of several pulleys and belts were
designed to reduce the initial speed and to raise the torque
(Fig. 6).
Therefore, changing speed by inverter will be accom-
plished in a limited range to give a travel speed between
0 and 2.88 km/h. The normal speed of travel is 2 km/h so
that the operator can walk along with the crane. The max-
imum speed is 2.88 km/h. For the speeds more than 2 km/h
in traveling, the operator can sit on the body. The main

Fig. 3. The model of design strategy.

Fig. 5. Wireless cameras to control crane operations.

Fig. 4. Placing the load on the platform during displacement.

accident such as striking pedestrians or other vehicles, fall-

ing-off a ramp or loading dock and turning over by hitting
obstacles.
The visibility can be increased in two ways:

(a) Movement of the operator slightly far from the crane

increases his visibility to control the crane operations
from every side. That is a significant issue especially
in busy locations or when the crane is carrying a huge
load which limits the operator visibility. Fig. 6. Drive system.
 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168
part of the hydraulic system is directional control valve
assembly consists of several four-way valves with three
positions (Fig. 7a). These valves are solenoid operated so
that the port opening can be achieved by a current flow
through the coils. A magnetic field provides electromotive
force to move the especially shaped valve spool. This
motion is opposed by a centering spring. The ports are rep-
resented by pump P, the return tank T, the actuator inlet
chamber A and the actuator outlet chamber B (Fig. 7b).
Solenoid valves should be used in open-center system that
in neutral, oil flows through the control valve and back to
the reservoir.
The appropriate performance of the hydraulic system is
based on the kind of connection among solenoid valves.
For an open-center system, the series connection is the sole
way; otherwise the system cannot operate properly (Fig. 8).
As Fig. 8 shows, the entire crane systems except for
drive system are equipped with solenoid valves which actu-
ate the double-action hydraulic cylinders. Each solenoid
valve runs by receiving the current flow from two push but-
ton switches located in control box to open the ports A an
B. The oil flows to the corresponding hydraulic cylinder
through the open port and performs one of the crane oper-
ations. For instance, in steering system, the hydraulic cylin-
der moves the tie rod which is connected to the front
wheels. Accordingly, two switches in control box are used
to steer the front wheels to left or right. For braking sys-
tem, two hydraulic cylinders are used to stick the brake
Fig. 7. (a) Solenoid valve assemblies and (b) solenoid valve symbol.
Fig. 8. Hydraulic circuit modules.
161
shoes to the internal surface of the rear wheels. In this case,
two switches are also used for braking and releasing the
brakes. Similarly, other operations such as raising and low-
ering the booms are achieved in this manner.
To take the load from remote distance, an articulated
hook consists of a hydraulic cylinder, a micro switch and
a magnetic lock for safety operation was designed (Fig. 9).
From the viewpoint of power supply, two configurations
of DC and AC are proposed. In DC type, two batteries
with the capacity of 200 AH are required for the crane.
However, it needs to be charged permanently. In AC type,
the weight and expense of the batteries are omitted but the
cable which is connected to the power outlet port may be a
trouble as well as limits its application only for indoors.
The use of electromotor instead of combustion engine will
make the device fumeless and noiseless that is appropriate
for enclosed areas. The maximum grade ability of the crane
in unladen condition was obtained equal to 15°.
4. Field application
Development of the crane for application on fields and
rough lands may satisfy some of the field requirements such
as loading, unloading and displacement of the field imple-
ments and boxes of the crops and fertilizer. The conditions
of the crane operation on fields differ from the smooth
lands. These differences are related to the required power,
traction force, wheel slip, rolling resistance, wind effect
162 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168
Fig. 9. Articulated hook for remote loading.
and stability of the crane which is exposed to the perpetual
variations due to the irregularities of the ground and may
eventually result in overturning of the crane. Hence, to
adapt the crane for field application, some modifications
in the wheel size and power would be required. For a driv-
ing wheel moving on the soil (Fig.10), the soil reaction G is
resolved into horizontal and vertical components. The hor-
izontal component is assumed to act at a distance (r) below
the wheel center and is divided into two forces, a gross trac-
tion force Ft and a rolling resistance force Rr.
Summing forces in the horizontal direction gives
H = Ft  Rr where H is the drawbar pull or net traction
force. Summing the moments acting on the wheel,
T  ðF t  Rr Þr  Ve ¼ 0
In a towed wheel there is no axle torque and
Rrr  Ve = 0 [3]. Substituting this equation into Eq. (1)
results in T = Ftr Thus, the wheel torque T is assumed
equal to the gross traction force Ft acting at a moment
arm equal to the rolling radius r. For the condition that
H = 0, the traction force is equal to the rolling resistance
and T = Rrr. This equation can be used to determine the
required power for moving the crane. However, to increase
the drawbar pull, the required power was obtained based
on the gross traction force in accordance with ASAE
S296 standard using the following equation,
F t ¼ 0:75W r ð1  e0:3Cn S Þ
where Wr is the weight on the rear wheels, S is wheel slip, e
is the base of natural logarithms, Cn is wheel numeric and is
obtained from the equation C n ¼ CIbdWr
, CI is cone index of
the soil, b is the width of wheel, d is wheel diameter.
Fig. 10. Free-body diagram of a driving wheel.
Assuming CI = 1000 kN/m2 and S = 0.15, the gross trac-
tion force for the crane with b = 0.15 m, d = 0.5 m,
Wr = 18.32 kN is Ft = 4.2 kN. The value of Wr was deter-
mined for the crane with a 2 ton load located on the plat-
form. Assuming r equal to the wheel radius, the required
power was obtained equal to 3.38 kW for the travel speed
of 2.88 km/h using the following equation,
P ¼ 1:046  104 nF t r ð3Þ
where n represents the number of wheel revolution per min-
ute, P represents the power (kW). Considering 15% power
loss at the electromotor and transmission, the power was
raised to 4 kW. For field application, the power losses for
slippage, slop of the ground and the wind effect should
be taken into consideration. The wind effect on the compo-
nents has been already considered in the process of finite
element analyses in accordance with ISO 8686 standard
1989. The wheel slip was also considered in Eq. (2) for
determination of the traction force. The power loss due
to the slop of the ground was considered to increase the
grade ability of the crane and obtained using the equation,
N m ¼ W sin a:V =270 ð4Þ
where W is the mass of the crane (kg), V is velocity (km/h),
Nm is the power loss due to slop (Hp), a is the slop angle.
For a = 15°, W = 840 kg and V = 2.88 km/h, the value of
Nm would be equal to 1.73 kW. The angle a was determined
based on the limit angle of the longitudinal stability with
no payload and the location of the crane’s mass center.
ð1Þ
Thus, the required power of the crane for field application
was increased up to 5.73 kW. The value of the net traction
force is less than Ft due to the rolling resistance force. The
rolling resistance is calculated with the equation:
 
1 0:5  S
Rr ¼ W þ 0:04 þ pffiffiffi ð5Þ
Bn Bn
The wheel numeric Bn is given by the relation:
" #
Z
CI:b:d 1 þ 5  hp
BN ¼
W 1 þ 3  db
where h is the section height of tire (m), Zp is tire deflec-
ð2Þ tion (m). The value of rolling resistance for the rear wheels
with the above specifications was Rrr = 2 kN and for the
front wheels with b = 0.1 m, d = 0.4 m and Wf = 9.53 kN
was Rrf = 0.845kN. Wf is the weight on the front wheels
when a 2 ton load is located on the platform. According
to ASAE S296, the tractive efficiency is calculated with
the following equation,
 
Rr
gtr ¼ ð1  SÞ 1  ð6Þ
Ft
Substituting the magnitudes of Rr = Rrf + Rrr and Ft in the
Eq. (6), gtr = 0.274.
According to ASAE S296 standard, the net traction
force is H = Ft  Rr = 4.2–2.845 = 1.355 kN. Thus the
crane would be adapted for field application by replacing
 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168 163

Table 3
Effect of the wheel size on some of the crane specifications.
Item Wheel size (width  diameter), m
R = 0.15  0.5 R = 0.15  1 R = 0.3  0.5 R = 0.3  1
F = 0.1  0.4 F = 0.1  0.8 F = 0.2  0.4 F = 0.2  0.8
Gross traction force (kN) 4.2 7.1 7.1 10.59
Rolling resistance (kN) 2.84 1.89 3.19 1.9
Tractive efficiency 0.274 0.623 0.467 0.7
Required power (kW) 5.73 14.7 7.35 20.2
Speed (km/h) 2.88 5.76 2.88 5.76
Net traction force (kN) 1.35 5.2 3.9 8.7

the electromotor with a stronger one (4–5.73 kW) since the
adequate space had been anticipated for this alteration.
Other variations in total weight, stability and capacity of
batteries were waived due to their slight effect. However,
to improve the tractive efficiency and net traction force,
one of the approaches is to increase the wheel size espe-
cially in sticky soils such as heavy clay and loam. In this
case, the sufficient power must be supplied to obtain the
maximum traction force. Modification of the wheel size
affects on some of the crane parameters. Table 3 represents
the relationship between these parameters with four differ-
ent wheel sizes in 15% slip.
As Table 3 denotes, the maximum tractive efficiency is
obtained when both the width and the diameter of wheel
are increased. Increasing the wheel diameter alone dimin-
ishes the rolling resistance considerably. However, the
required power would be high due to increment in wheel
radius. The travel speed is also increased because the wheel
traverses longer distance in lieu of a revolution. The mag-
nitude of the rolling resistance is enhanced with increasing
the wheel width but the required power is low compared to
the attained tractive efficiency. On the whole, the use of the
bigger and wider wheels enhances the tractive efficiency
and the lateral stability. It also raises the height of the
crane’s frame-work and prevents the contact between the
soil and the lower section of the crane in rough lands.
The increment of the power, size and weight of the electro-
motor for field applications must be taken into consider-
ation in the design process to allocate the sufficient space
for placing the electromotor and to determine their corre-
sponding effects on the calculations of stability and total
weight. Fig. 11 shows a crane for field application.
5. Stability analyses
The most important process in design of a crane is sta-
bility considerations to satisfy the safety issues. This pro-
cess includes the proper selection of dimensions, weight
and shape in addition to analyze the status of the lateral
and longitudinal stability of the crane. Stability analyses
and determination of the rated capacity have been achieved
in accordance with ISO 4305 standard 1991.
5.1. Dynamic analysis of the longitudinal stability
Longitudinal stability of the crane while it moves on a
slope route and carries a heavy load which is located on
the platform could be analyzed based on the forces acting
on two centers of gravity of crane and payload (Fig. 12).
In the rearward overturning condition, the front wheels
of the crane leave the ground and forces FF and TFF will
be 0. According to the D’Alembert’s principle, the crane
may be considered to be in static equilibrium, allowing
moments to be summed about any point [3]. Eq. (7) is
obtained by taking moment about the rear axle and elimi-
nating the internal forces acting on the rear axle.
X
M R ¼ I R €h
X
I R ¼ I C þ mh2 ! M R ¼ ðI C þ mh2 Þ€h
! T R þ W L hL cosð£1 þ b þ hÞ þ mL Z€ L hL cosð£1 þ hÞ
þ mL X€ L hL sinð£1 þ hÞþ
W t hC cosð£2 þ b þ hÞ þ mt Z€ t hc cosð£2 þ hÞ
   
þ mt X€ t hC sinð£2 þ hÞ ¼ I CL þ mCL h2 €h þ I CC þ mCC h2 €
L h C

Fig. 11. A crane for field application.
ð7Þ
€ € € €
where mt X t ; mt Z t ; mL X L and mL Z L denote the inertial forces
acting at the center of gravity of crane and center of gravity
of the load, I CL €h and I CC €h are moments applied to the load
and crane in center of gravity, h denotes the angle of rotation
of the crane about the rear wheels, Wt is the weight of crane
and WL is the weight of the load. Eq. (7) indicates that the
moment arms hL cosð£1 þ b þ hÞ and hC cosð£2 þ b þ hÞ
decrease as the rotation angle (h) increases.
164 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168

Fig. 12. The dynamic model of the longitudinal stability.

Furthermore, these moment arms are also decreased by
operation on a slope and are influenced by the height of
the centers of gravity. When the angles ð£1 þ b þ hÞ
and ð£2 þ b þ hÞ reach 90°, the longitudinal stability of
the crane decreases. However, in a dynamic condition,
the crane may become unstable at a considerably smaller
angle and the angular velocity h° may be enough to allow
the crane to become statically unstable even though, the
rear axle torque may be reduced to 0. In this situation,
TR, X€ L ; X€ t ; Z€ L and Z€ t are assumed to be 0 and Eq. (7)
becomes:
   
I CL þ mCL h2L € h þ I Ct þ mCt h2C €h
¼ W L hL cosð£1 þ b þ hÞ þ W t hC cosð£2 þ b þ hÞ
Multiplying both sides of the above equation by dh and
using the identities; € _ h;
hdh ¼ hd _ dh ¼ dð£ þ b þ hÞ; dh ¼
1 when h_ becomes 0). Integrating the Eq. (8) with the above
dð£2 þ b þ hÞ, the following equations are obtained:
   
I CL þ mCL h2L þ I Ct þ mCt h2C €hdh
¼ ½W L hL cosð£1 þ b þ hÞ þ W t hc cosð£2 þ b þ hÞdh
   
! I CL þ mCL h2L þ I Ct þ mCt h2C hd _ h_
¼ W L hL cosð£1 þ b þ hÞdð£1 þ b þ hÞ
þ W t hC cosð£2 þ b þ hÞdð£2 þ b þ hÞ ð8Þ
For a given angle of rotation h0, it is desirable to find the
angular velocity h_ 0 just sufficient to cause the crane to be-
come statically unstable. Therefore, both sides of Eq. (8)
can be integrated by use of appropriate limits of
U2 + b + h = U2 + b + h0 and U1 + b + h = U1 + b + h0
when h_ ¼ h_ 0 and U1 + b + h = U2 + b + h = p/2 when
h_ ¼ 0 (in this case, the crane becomes statically unstable
limits results in,
 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168 165

   
I CL þ mCL h2L þ I Ct þ mCt h2C h_ 20 =2  W L cos bð0:93Þ þ W L sin bY L  W t cos bð0:93Þ þ W sin bY t ¼ 0

¼ W L hL sinð£1 þ b þ
U1 þbþh0
hÞjp=2 WL 0:93 cos b  Y t sin b
¼
U þbþh
W t 0:93 cos b þ Y L sin b
þ W t hC sinð£2 þ b þ hÞjp=2
2 0
ð10Þ
   
! I CL þ mCL h2L þ I Ct þ mCt h2C h_ 20 =2
where WL is the weight of payload, Wt is the weight of
¼ W L hL ½sinð£1 þ b þ hs Þ  1 crane, Y t is vertical distance between centers of gravity of
þ W t hC ½sinð£2 þ b þ hS Þ  1 ð9Þ crane and the ground, Y L is vertical distance between center
of gravity of payload and the ground and b is angle of sta-
This equation is used to estimate the angular velocity h_ 0 re-
bility.
quired for rotation of the crane to the point of static insta-
Eq. (10) describes the lateral stability of the crane based
bility starting from a given angle of rotation h0.
on the angle of inclination. For the crane with Wt =
8240.4 N, WL = 19762.54 N, Y t ¼ 1:05m;Y L ¼ 0:76m, b
5.2. Static analysis of the lateral stability
can be obtained:
Lateral stability of the crane in static condition is stud- 19762:54 0:93 cos b  1:054 sin b
ied when the crane is in a steep surface and the payload is ¼ ! b ffi 48
8240:4 0:93 cos b þ 0:76 sin b
located on the platform (Fig. 13). Taking moment about
point (s) will give,

For WL = 0 ? b ffi 40°
X 1:06
M s ¼ 0 ! F yR ð1:73Þ  W L cos b þ 0:15 þ 0:25
2 5.3. Dynamic analysis of the lateral Stability

1:06
þ W L sin bY L  W t cos b þ 0:15 þ 0:25 In this situation, the lateral stability is studied when the
2
payload is hanging to the hook and the crane is located on
þ W t sin bY t ¼ 0 a steep plane (Fig. 14). The payload is assumed to have the
When the left rear wheels leave the ground and the crane pendulum motion.
is overturned, the magnitude of FyR will be 0. Therefore, by By taking the moment about point (s), the Eq. (11) is
eliminating FyR, obtained,

Fig. 13. Static model of the lateral stability.

166 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168
Fig. 14. Dynamic model of the lateral stability.
X X
M s ¼ Ia þ ad ! F yR ðd 1 Þ þ W t ½A1 Y t  0:5B1 d 1 
m
þ W L ½A1 Y L  B1 d 2  ¼ €h½I t þ I L þ C 1 þ C 2 
þ h3 ½I L  A2 Y L  B2 d 2  þ C 1 þ 2C 2 þ h_ 2 ½B2 d 2  A2 Y L 
€
3 Compared to the designed model, in this process some mod-
ð11Þ
where A1 ¼ sinðb þ hÞ;A2 ¼ mLrL sinðb þ h3 þ hÞ;B1 ¼ cosðbþ
hÞ; B2 ¼ mLrL cosðb þ h3 þ hÞ; C 1 ¼ mtr2t ; C 2 ¼ mLr2L ; d 2 ¼
rL sinð£ þ bÞ, h denotes the angle of rotation of the crane
about the point s, rL denotes the distance between center
of gravity of the payload and point (s), rt denotes the dis-
tance between center of gravity of the crane and point
(s). In lateral overturning condition FyR = 0. Thus Eq.
(12) is obtained,
€
h ¼ ½W t ðA1 Y t  0:5B1 d 1 Þ þ W L ðA1 Y L  B1 d 2 Þ
€h3 ðI L  A2 Y L  B2 d 2 Þ  C 1  2C 2
 h_ 23 ðB2 d 2  A2 Y L Þ=½I t þ I L þ C 1 þ C 2  ð12Þ
Eq. (12) may be used to estimate the angular acceleration €h
required for rotation of the crane to the point of instability
starting from a given angle of rotation h. As h and u in-
crease, h3 and rL sin (U + b) decrease and stability of the
crane is reduced.
6. Manufacturing process
To ensure of the crane function, in addition to an initial
scale-model, a small model of AC crane at a scale of 1:2.5
was also manufactured and the operations such as forward
and rear movements, changing speed, rotation of booms,
steering and hook rotation from remote distance were tested.
ifications were applied to drive system and location of sole-
noid valves due to the limitations at the provision of parts
or lack of adequate space. The platform and body were
not installed so that the internal sections of the crane to be
in full view (Fig. 15). To control the hook operation, a wire-
less camera (model 803 color CMOS) with a receiver (A/V
fine tuning type) was connected to the boom. The details
were observed on a laptop. The entire crane operations could
be controlled properly from remote distance via a control
box which was located at the operator’s hands.
7. Results and discussion
Results indicate that the factors such as weight and cen-
ter of gravity of the crane and payload affect on the stabil-
ity. As Fig. 16 shows, placing the payload on the platform
augments the crane lateral stability where as hanging the
payload to the hook during displacement may cause the
stability to lessen intensely due to the pendulum motion
of payload. Increment of the weight of crane is a factor
to diminish the longitudinal and lateral stability. Eqs. (9)
and (12) denote the relationship between stability and
factors such as weight and center of gravity of payload
and crane. To improve the crane stability, one of the
 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168 167

Fig. 15. An AC model of the crane.

Fig. 16. Effect of the weight and gravity center of the crane and payload on the stability angle.

approaches is to bring the center of gravity near the ground

surface and rear axle. This can be achieved through
decreasing the weight of the upper section of the crane,
for instance by substituting composite materials with steel
in fabricating the booms. The weight of the drive and
hydraulic systems located in the backward section of the
crane has approached the center of gravity of the crane
to the ground surface and rear axle, consequently enhanced
the stability.
One of the important issues that have been considered in
this research is to displace the huge loads. Loading and
unloading huge loads are feasible by use of flexible booms.
For conveying process, the payload is placed on the plat-
form and the frontal section of the base legs (Fig. 17).
In this case, the operator is able to move beside the
crane and control the movement. This is an appropriate Fig. 17. Carrying the huge loads.
168 D. Safarzadeh et al. / Journal of Terramechanics 48 (2011) 157–168
Fig. 18. Loading of the huge loads.
solution for visibility problem in transmitting the huge
loads. The payload should be equipped with the legs to
insert the crane base (Fig. 18).
In conditions that the operator cannot interfere, for
example hazardous environments or out of reach locations
such as tall shelves, roofs and etc., an articulated hook
which is observed through a camera is used to take and
release the payload. Other cameras are used to control
the forward and rear movement of the crane. Dispatched
images could be viewed through a laptop, television or a
small monitor at the control box. Two discrete electro
motors are used for drive and hydraulic systems to decrease
the energy consumption while they don’t operate simulta-
neously. In material selection, the aspects such as strength,
availability and cost have been considered to make the
crane justifiable from an economic point of view. The
results of testing the fabricated crane showed that it could
fulfill the proposed requirements. The entire crane opera-
tions could be controlled from afar via a 30  1mm2 cable.
The length of the cable would be adjustable based on the
kind of activities. To enhance the tractive efficiency for field
use, one of the approaches is to increase the wheel size and
the power. Moreover, the use of the bigger and wider
wheels enhances the lateral stability and raises the height
of the crane’s frame-work to prevent the contact between
the soil and the lower section of the crane in rough lands.
8. Conclusions
This paper presents different aspects to design of a crane
with the aim to decrease the hazards associated with the
crane application in manufacturing and crowded environ-
ments. The design process was essentially focused on
remote control of the crane operations. This permits the
operator to control the crane functions from a definite dis-
tance to prevent presumptive damages by reason of falling
the payload, power line contact, falls of operator, overturn-
ing, crushing the parts and collision which may be created
by swinging of payload during operation. Furthermore,
other recommendations have been also presented to reduce
the hazards during the crane performance. For instance,
installation of a platform to place the payload during
transmission to stop the sway, utilization of camera to
avoid collision where the visibility is limited and augmenta-
tion of the stability through the selection of appropriate
dimensions, materials, load distribution and factor of
safety. Results of the stability analyses denote the possible
ways to improve the stability condition of the crane. Other
considerations were also achieved to improve the crane
performance, including selection of a three-piece boom
and a compacted size to enhance flexibility and maneuver-
ability. Performance rapidity could be also raised through
the use of two discrete electro motors for hydraulic and
drive systems. The design is promising for the future devel-
opment in crane industry and control systems for robotic
applications.
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