Kastor and Pollux are twin towers in Frankfurt am Main. They bear the names of an inseparable pair of brothers from Greek mythology. The two towers form the "Forum" high-rise complex on the Platz der Einheit and are part of the Frankfurt skyline. In mid-January, a crane boom with a length of over 120 metres was added to the silhouette – an LTM 1650-8.1 from crane and heavy haulage contractor Eisele AG replaced chiller units on Kastor. Assembly and removal of the eight-axle crane, as well as all the lifting work, had to be completed over one weekend.
Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage is one of the main roads in Frankfurt. The road had to be fully closed for the crane operation, as it was the only place where the LTM 1650-8.1 could be set up for the lifts onto the tower block. A tight schedule was specified in order to minimise traffic disruption.
On Friday at 2.30 p.m., assembly of the special support plates and the access ramp for the LTM 1650-8.1 began during the partial road closure. To ensure exact positioning of the support plates, a surveyor marked the dimensions of the LTM 1650-8.1's supports in the area of the pavement and the road on the basis of the approved structural installation plan.
Then, at 23:00 on Friday evening, work began on erecting the LTM 1650-8.1 in the T3YV2EN configuration with 150 tonnes of ballast and a 77-metre-long luffing jib.
Due to the presence of an underground railway line under the crane site, the support pressure was limited to two tonnes per square metre. The chosen solution was a combination of steel plates and bongossi timbers – around 100 load distribution plates were placed under the crane and the outriggers.
The lifting work began at eight o'clock on Saturday morning – the telescopic boom was extended to 51 metres. With a lattice extension and luffing jib, the LTM 1650-8.1 reached the required lifting height of 120 metres to remove the old chillers from the 95-metre-high Kastor tower and install the new units. The purpose of the lifting work was to modernise the air conditioning system in the high-rise building, which was completed in 1997. The heaviest components weighed five tonnes. During the assembly work, the LTM 1650-8.1 had to cope with a radius of up to 62 metres.
All the work had to be completed on Sunday and the crane had to be dismantled immediately to ensure that traffic could flow again on this important road on Monday morning. A logistical masterstroke!
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