Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products supplies special Pfaff-silberblau screw jacks and drives for bridge construction in Kazakhstan

Last year saw the start of a major construction project in Kazakhstan designed to establish the ferry terminal in Kuryk on the shores of the Caspian Sea as the hub for the transhipment-free transportation of goods to Europe. Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products, working closely on this construction site with the local company in St. Petersburg/Russia, is now fitting the two giant loading bridges out each with 24 Pfaff-silberblau special screw jacks SHE 150.1 in addition to 48 special gear motors and, in doing so, is creating the technical basis that will allow entire freight trains to quickly drive in and out of the ferries before the end of the year. Redundant drives ensure safe operation The bridge with a dead load of 400 tons is raised with a total of 12 worm gear screw jacks SHE150.1. Altogether, some 180 kW actuating power is required for this. With an actuating power of 15 kW and a maximum lifting capacity of 1500 kN, each individual SHE from Pfaff-silberblau can lift and lower around 40 tons dynamically with lifting speeds of up to 5 mm/s. When the bridge is loaded (including the weight of a freight train), the load comes to around 900 tons. In this case, the screw jacks must be capable of supporting a maximum load of up to 150 tons, whilst the technical design also takes account of an uneven weight distribution of up 40 %. A slave-master system with absolute encoders ensures the precisely synchronised running of the screws with a maximal stroke of up to 3500 mm. The operator's safety requirements stipulated a high degree of availability, which is only possible by using a redundant concept. Consequently, the gear motors and stroke limitations are installed redundantly. In the event of a drive failing, the redundant motor can raise and lower the bridge fully on its own. As regards safety, besides a self-locking special screw, redundant drives and stroke limitations, the screw jacks protected according to IP 66 are also characterised by additional d.c.-operated magneto-electric disc brakes on the motors. A safety nut integrated with a positive fit in the worm gear screw jack serves as a visual wear monitor. In the event of an emergency, this nut system would be capable of supporting the entire load. A flexible protection boot from a material suitable for outdoor use and a special lubricating grease protect the screws of the SHE against the extremely harsh conditions at the Caspian Sea. Standstill heating ensures reliable operation in sub-zero temperatures as low as -20 °C. Ferry operations in new dimensions Kuryk is situated about 70 km to the south of Aktau, the largest seaport on the Caspian Sea. It is expected that the new construction will treble ferry capacity and that the handling of goods such as polyethylene, oil and iron ore will be up to five times faster than at present in the port of Aktau. Five ferries are expected to depart each day, when they will then be transporting four million tons of freight a year. With this new construction, Kazakhstan is aiming to increase its transit-transport from the current 18 million tons of freight to 50 million tons by 2030. For further information on worm gear screw jacks of the Pfaff-silberblau brand from Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products, please visit: http://www.pfaff-silberblau.com/components-products/Screw-Jacks/SHE-range/

About Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, Kissing/Germany, ranks with its brand Pfaff-silberblau amongst the technology leaders in components and system solutions for mechanical motion and lifting technology. The product portfolio ranges from high quality worm gear screw jacks to powerful lifting tables and rope winches. Based on these components, Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products also offers customer specific solutions for all kinds of applications. Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products GmbH, Kissing/Germany, is a company of the listed Columbus McKinnon Corporation (CMCO), Getzville/USA, a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of material handling products, systems and services. Worldwide, the corporation has around 3,300 employees at 20 manufacturing facilities in seven countries and in 47 sales and service offices in 21 countries. For more information about Columbus McKinnon Engineered Products and the brand Pfaff-silberblau please visit www.pfaff-silberblau.com.