Handling concrete elements of the $72m Riverwalk project in Brisbane

Some of the most advanced high-precision, high-safety hydraulics are being deployed on the new $72 million Brisbane Riverwalk project to lift, shift and position the complex and heavy concrete castings involved.

The John Holland project will involve the application of the new wireless-controlled and diesel-powered version of the Enerpac SyncHoist load hoisting and positioning system, which provides precision load manoeuvring vertically and horizontally using one crane instead of needing multiple cranes.

Enerpac SyncHoist technology is used to handle concrete elements of the Riverwalk project.

This latest version of the PLC controlled SyncHoist technology was developed for heavy lift and transport specialists Universal Cranes by Enerpac Integrated Solutions to safely control irregularly shaped and uneven loads weighing up to hundreds of tonnes, while reducing the risk of damage from oscillations of wire rope due to sudden crane starts and stops.

Universal Cranes’ SyncHoist technology is an evolution of the SyncHoist technology already used to ensure optimum accuracy and safety in the hoisting and positioning of key components of one of the largest ships ever built for the Royal Australian Navy, the 28,000 tonne Helicopter Deck (LHD) vessel project under way at Williamstown, Victoria.

At Riverview, the technology is being used in conjunction with a series of Enerpac Integrated Solutions lifting, pulling and skidding technologies employed on different parts of the project to manoeuvre concrete elements weighing up to 385 tonnes that will make up the 850 m Riverwalk link between new Farm and the Howard Smith wharves.

Due for completion by the middle of this year, the Riverwalk replaces the floating walkway that was swept away in the 2011 Brisbane floods. Unlike the previous floating structure, the Riverwalk will be fixed in place, sitting about 3.4 m above mean sea level. It will feature a rotating span to allow access for boats moored within the confines of the Riverwalk, 24-hour lighting, separated pedestrian and cycle areas and shaded rest stops.

Mounted on a 280-tonne barge with crane and 130-tonne piling rig, Universal Cranes’ SyncHoist system employs intelligent hydraulics to monitor and guide compact but powerful 700 bar double-acting push-pull cylinders integrated into four lifting points above loads. The SyncHoist SHS system can also be used for pre-programmed positioning, tilting and aligning of loads and for counterweighting and determining their centre of gravity.

“A beauty of its application on the Riverwalk project is that Universal Cranes achieves maximum precision through wireless operation, with the crane operator doing the positioning while driving,” says Enerpac Integrated Solutions Manager for Australasia, Richard Verhoeff.

“The synchronous lifting controls each of the four lifting points to within minute tolerances, so he can pick up the load evenly with optimum balance and safety. The driver can also see what load is on each point and it enables him to do some point loading to enhance stability. Wireless control of the latest SyncHoist enables a crane driver to more simply perform complex load lifting, shifting and positioning manoeuvres from his cab, ensuring loads remain evenly poised during the process and performing point-load indications and checks where required.”

Available in load capacities customised to individual tasks, with system reach of 1500 mm from each of several lifting points, SyncHoist is claimed to have high accuracies (±1.0 mm), less dependence on weather conditions and improved operating speed and worker safety