Mining, construction, energy exploration, and infrastructure groups are becoming ever nimbler in moving plant, people, and resources over major distances as opportunities decline at one site and open up in more profitable areas.
This has led to a new generation of transportable technologies and plant, including portable buildings and transportable facilities that need to be safely lifted for trucking to new destinations.
"Such vital facilities can include accommodation, maintenance, engineering, testing, and medical facilities, extending through to containerised energy management and electronic technologies associated with electrification and automation of sites," says Pronal elastomer engineering specialist Vinh Lam, of Pronal exclusive Australian national distributor Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd.
A problem associated with such lift and shifts is creating access gaps under loads for safe lifts onto transport, particularly where space around the load may be limited, or site conditions may involve soft or variable substrates that preclude the initial use of hydraulic or mechanical lifts with high point loads.
Even on hard surfaces, using crane or forklifting techniques to create the initial lifting gap may damage hard concrete or tarmac surfaces, unless a working gap is first created for optimally safe access beneath heavy structures, or structures that may have been in place for some time.
"Heavy processing equipment and portable structures often need to be raised to a low height to enable safe clear access so forklift tynes, crane strops, or standard lifting equipment or vehicles can do their work of loading onto transport," says Vinh Lam. "The lifting gap is important, because it enables heavy lifting equipment to get through beneath the base of the load to ensure a balanced and safe lift".
One solution to such issues is provided by Pronal seamless inflatable lifting cushions, incorporating the strength of aramid fibre coated with rubber, a combination featuring the same super-tough fibre used in body armour, racing tyres, and racing sails.
Low profile, high capacity
The Pronal CLT series of such cushions, in individual capacities of 1-65 tons, is engineered to offer lower profiles than conventional lifting bags (down to 20-25mm, depending on application). The Pronal cushions, inflated at up to 8 bar, also offer 20 per cent greater lift capacity, because of their robust construction from thread layers coated with chemical-resistant elastomer, hot vulcanised, under pressure, in one operation.
The interlocking surfaces of the lifting bags also deliver stronger gripping when bags are stacked to increase their lifting range beyond individual bags' strokes of 85-500mm, depending on the model chosen.
They are designed for ease of handling and use, with inflation either by compressors of the type found on worksites or simple air cylinders. Removeable inflation connectors can also be fitted.
"They are an optimally safe lifting technique that spreads the load of the initial lift by conforming with irregular surfaces and load shapes during inflation while providing controllable and powerful lifting in accordance with standard lifting techniques, including:
- Progressive controlled lifting (recognising optimum lifting power of airbags is attained before they reach maximum stroke. (So, the lower the stroke, the higher the load that can be supported, in accordance with typical practice of adopting repeated low stroke lifts where necessary).
- Stabilising load at each planned lift point, typically with wedging, cribbing or chocking, after which the lift is advanced incrementally to enable capture of the load.
- Capture the entire load at each planned new height level, typically with chocking to ensure maximum stability and safety as the lift moves through each of its cycles.
All Pronal high-pressure lifting bags meet or exceed European and international standards for such bags. They are essentially the same types of Pronal cushions used internationally for lifting and rescue work during local and international emergencies, when they have been used to hoist entire aircraft, trucks, and locomotives, as well as heavy rock and debris.
Vinh says the Pronal CLT cushions' construction of aramid textile coated by rubber, further increases their safety co-efficient and resistance to penetration. Weight for weight, aramid textile is five times stronger than steel and superbly suited for repetitive work in harsh environments, including construction, energy, industrial, resources, and civil engineering sites.
With profiles down to 20mm, and a maximum operating pressure of 8 bar, Pronal cushions can be used in confined spaces underneath inaccessible loads ranging from engines and containerised plant, through to foundations of bridges, buildings, machinery, pipeline structures, and resource development rigs requiring lifting for inspection and repair.
"Instead of considerable investments in custom-engineering a conventional lifting platform, it may be well worth considering the simple principle of pneumatic actuation," said Vinh. "This can be particularly so when working in confined spaces, such as gullies, trenches, mines and construction sites where there is little room to manoeuvre.
Pronal's latest cushions – featured on its new Australian website are also easily transportable by road or air, and reusable when relocating plant and machinery into new sites.
Features of the product include:
- Strokes from 85-500mm, with longer strokes provided by combinations of cushions
- Weights for standard cushions range from .6-22kg, making them readily transportable by land, sea or air.
- In addition to standard sizes, specific sizes and shapes can be made to order to suit particular applications.
- Inflation pressures up to eight bar, regardless of stroke (CLT models – CPB pressures vary from under one bar, depending on model)
- Non-slip surface providing maximum friction when stacking two cushions
- Cross-marked for easy centring of the cushion under load
- As well as straight lifting, they can be used for pressing, clamping, tilting and guiding
- Control systems tailored to particular uses. With a large selection of optional accessories designed for different applications
- Basic safety rules inscribed on the cushions.
About us:
About Pronal Founded in 1961 and headquartered near Lille in the north of France, PRONAL builds standard and customised flexible products from fabrics coated with elastomer and/or plastomer. In addition to extensive industrial expertise, Pronal also works in the defence, aerospace, civil emergency, and maritime/harbour sectors. Pronal's Australian distributor, Air Springs Supply, is Australia's leading supplier of air springs and associated pneumatic technology for the industrial and transport sectors. Air Springs Supply has more than 50 years' experience in actuation, isolation, and suspension, with a national distribution and technical service network.
