An alternative boom design and welding technique to minimize energy consumption during boom production

This paper presents an alternative boom design for mobile cranes and a method to produce it for minimizing the energy consumption during its production. The main change in the production of the crane booms is the shape of the booms. Normally, two symmetric boom parts are manufactured and, then, these parts are welded by two welding processes. In the proposed design, only one part is manufactured and bended at first. Therefore, one welding will be sufficient and a more energy-friendly process is achieved. With the proposed shape, the corner joints are eliminated when forming the boom shape, without any need to produce them beforehand. Single welding process is applied to minimize energy consumption during the manufacturing of the boom; thus, the welding quality becomes more important. In order to satisfy the welding quality, a welding manipulator is designed and manufactured. By using this welding manipulator, used in a closed area, and the applied filter devices, the harmful gases are not released to the operator and the environment. Finally, the energy and time required during the plasma-cutting process of boom parts are decreased by about 41% and the energy consumption during the welding process is decreased by about 53% compared to the traditional methods. (C) 2017 Sharif University of Technology. All rights reserved.