The Evolution of the AIST Cranes Technology Committee: Ambitions, Membership and Collaborations
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50 Technical Article The Evolution of the AIST Cranes Technology Committee: Ambitions, Membership and Collaborations The Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers was organized in 1907. In October 1909, Technical Report No. 6 was adapted, originally titled “The General Crane Specification,” as a bidders’ specification for electrical overhead traveling cranes. From this 107-year history, the AIST Cranes Technology Committee has successfully maintained a healthy membership and traveled through constantly changing technological advancements. The evolution, ambitions, membership and collaborations of this group will be revealed. Author t the turn of the 20th century, also the lowest-cost producer and Charles A. Totten the United States became the the future demand for steel seemed sales engineer, A T&M Equipment Co., dominant world steel market sup- inexhaustible. In 1901, it became Leavenworth, Ind., USA plier, providing more than 40% of United States Steel Corporation. [email protected] the world’s steel. At Carnegie Steel, The Association of Iron and people found that, by installing Steel Electrical Engineers, AISEE, electric overhead traveling (EOT) was organized in 1907. In October cranes, they could speed up produc- 1909, the “The General Crane tion, therefore boosting the capacity Specification,” as a bidders’ speci- of the mills. This steel company, the fication for electrical overhead largest in the U.S. at the time, was traveling cranes was created and Figure 1 AIST.ORG I Crane trolley built to Technical Report No. 6 specification. IRON & STEEL TECHNOLOGY I 2018 JUN This article is available online at AIST.org for 30 days following publication. 51 approved. It was six pages long, including the cover Collaborations – Technical Report No. 6 sheet, plus three sheets for bidders’ data information. The Carnegie Steel Company Crane Specification Since 1910, AIST and its predecessors have sponsored was the basis of this new document. The goal of a series of empirically and technologically advancing this document was to become the standard for steel specifications for electric overhead traveling cranes mills and ensure each bidding crane manufacturer for steel mill service. Such specifications have been was quoting the equivalent machine in all its char- required since it has long recognized that steel mill acteristics and design features. This effort continues cranes must be of strong, rugged construction for today as the first priority of the current AIST Crane 24-hour service, 7 days a week. It was required that two Technology Committee (CTC), and in Technical Report complete sets of detail drawings of the “as built” crane No. 6, “Specification for Electrical Overhead Traveling be delivered to the customer before final payment Cranes for Steel Mill Service.” is made. These specifications, which were originally In 1917, the first record of a formal crane committee issued in 1910, have been reissued in 1916, 1919, 1929, was listed as AISEE Standardization Committee with 1938, 1942, 1949, 1968, 1969, 1991 and 2005. six divisions, and Division 5 — Cranes was included. In 1918, the divisions were changed to subcommit- 1919: Crane Specification — This specification further tees and the subcommittee on cranes was created. modernized crane data by including strength of mate- In 1936, the AISEE was renamed the Association of rials, factors of safety, rolled or forged steel wheels, Iron and Steel Engineers (AISE). This renaming was diametrical pitch for gearing, box-type girders, mag- due to the natural development of the organization netic shoe brakes and magnetic controls. into a more comprehensive and expanded coverage of the entire steel industry and the specialized divisions 1929: Association for Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers — of manufacturing that are included. Electrical Overhead Traveling Crane Specifications — This During 1968, as had happened in the past, the specification included details and information sheets crane subcommittee was broken up into various com- for the purchaser for a uniform proposal. Safety items ponent subcommittees for standardizing of compo- were added and provision for using anti-friction bear- nents. Eventually, three sections became the practice: ings included. electrical, mechanical and structural. These groups further mastered the development of the crane’s design of components, equipment and structure. On 1 January 2004, the AISE joined with the Iron & Steel Society (ISS), another steel-dedicated organi- zation and the new consolidated organization is now Figure 2 named the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST). The crane committee was named the Cranes Operating Committee. In November 2008, the name was changed to the Cranes Technology Committee and remains so today. The mission of AIST is “to advance the technical development, production, processing and applica- tion of iron and steel.” There is the vision “to be a global leader in networking, education and sustain- ability programs for advancing iron and steel technol- ogy.” Today, the organization has a formal annual internal review with all its Technology Committees and Member Chapters, called the AIST Leadership JUN Conference, to evaluate the goals and processes are 2018 currently up to date to insure it evolves so it is the best I the organization it can be. IRON & STEEL TECHNOLOGY This Association is a non-profit organization with 18,000 members from more than 70 countries, with 30 Technology Committees and 22 local Member Chapters. AIST represents an incomparable network of steel industry knowledge and expertise. I AIST.ORG First Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers (AISEE) meeting proceedings. 52 Technical Article Figure 3 up bridge motor horsepower requirements. The ques- tion was how much crane service is actually per- formed. Until that time, each man’s estimate was all that was available to go on, and those estimates widely varied and were based on casual observations. Before individual crane classes could be adapted, it was sug- gested that a crane survey be performed. Eleven steel companies became involved and this survey covered more than 50% of the ingot capacity of the United States steel industry. This crane service data repre- sents a rational approach to logically designing the various parts of the crane. This 1949 crane specifica- tion was the basis for manufacturing many cranes currently operating in the United States and was not revised with a new specification for 20 years. 1 May 1969: Technical Report No. 6 (Tentative) — Up until the 1950s, the design of the overhead cranes was a somewhat pragmatic basis — if it works, fine; if a component fails, beef it up. Then two things hap- pened that caused problems. The first was welded construction instead of rivets, which made cranes more rigid. This increased the effect of horizontal impact, but also created stress concentrations and complicated the stress analysis of such things as girder end connections. The second item was an increase in capacity, span and speed to the point it became attrac- Technical Report No. 6 specification, 1949. tive to use new and stronger materials such as shafts and gears in order to keep the weight down. After the 1949 specification was issued, the Crane Committee continued year by year working on the 1949: Association for Iron and Steel Engineers Specification crane specification items with the goal of updating for Electrical Overhead Traveling Cranes for Steel Mill a new edition. Work on wheel standardization com- Service — AIST Standard No. 6 — For the first time, pleted by the Wheel Committee in 1954 was decided the crane specification project has been assigned a to be part of the next-issued specification. Canvassing standard number and adapted by the AIST Board to get information from the industry on current crane of Directors, AIST Standard No. 6. There was a 1942 problems being experienced was accomplished. More revision to the specification, and this 1949 specifica- information on wheel failures and welding problems tion included a new, improved procedure for specify- were investigated, as it was evident most crane prob- ing crane gears based on a minimum set by either a lems in this period were related to the welding pro- strength or durability requirement. Major revisions cess. The plan for introducing an AC Cranes section to the roller bearing tables included a variable bore was also explored and the adapted report was pub- as an addition to the old specification. There was lished in the 1960 Annual Proceedings. In 1962, the the addition of standards for solid couplings, crane American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) pub- wheels and sheaves. These three were adapted since lished new specifications for structural design, which the last revision. Also, the 135 lb./yard section was necessitated redoing much of the structural section. added for crane usage, and the 105, 135 and 175 lb. In 1963, the progress of the committee was noted as AIST.ORG I sections were now available. A new method of select- being very slow due to the lack of manpower available ing motors was introduced and has been extensively by the producers. The AISE staff and the Research revised. This method was based on characteristic Committee made efforts to engage someone to carry curves of the motor and attempts to select the motor out this work. Mr. Livingston of U. S. Steel had for sev- to meet its actual load. Consideration of these items eral years worked on accomplishing this update and means more information will have to be given to the he retired in 1965. In 1966, the new chairman from control manufacturer. J&L Steel agreed to continue this work with an April IRON & STEEL TECHNOLOGY I In March 1947, when the Crane Committee was 1968 estimated as a completion date. Three working 2018 going over the specification, the question of crane ser- groups — Electrical, Mechanical, and Structural — JUN vice came up to see if it could be applied when setting were established and were in charge of reviewing their 53 Figure 4 class limits.