Introduction
Cranes are indispensable for industries and working landscapes. They are most commonly used in the automotive, construction, and shipbuilding industries. They are used to lift and handle heavy objects and materials that are not possible manually. They make the work easier and enhance productivity. There are different types of cranes used for various purposes. The industries use them as per their requirements. Each type of crane is crafted with unique features to meet the requirements of the users. Here, we will discuss one of the most common and popular types of cranes, the EOT crane also known as Electric Overhead Traveling Cranes.
What is EOT crane?
EOT crane stands for electric overhead traveling crane. This is the most commonly used crane for lifting and shifting heavy loads. These cranes are electrically powered and operated by a control pendant, radio/IR remote pendant, or an operator cabin attached to the crane itself. These cranes have the capacity to lift both heavy and light weights. It is also known as bridge cranes as it consists of a parallel runway connected with a traveling bridge. The hoist is mounted on the traveling bridge. It has three functional movements- Crane Hook Up and Down Lifting Trolley Lateral Movement, and Crane Long Traveling Longitudinal Motion.
Features of EOT cranes
EOT (Electric Overhead Traveling) cranes are different from other types of overhead cranes because of their unique features-
it has a heavy-duty cast steel rope guide.
It has a sturdy construction.
It is easy to operate with low maintenance.
It also consists of an upper and lower hook travel limit switch.
The motors of EOT cranes are TEFC motors with F-class insulation. TEFC here stands for totally enclosed, fan closed.
It is also corrosion-resistant.
PROBLEM IDENTIFIED at HZL :In industrial environments process of molten metal transfer via ladles presents significant safety risks. The unloading of a ladle by an EOT crane involves precise positioning, monitoring, and timing to prevent accidents such as spillage, equipment damage, or worker injury. Traditional monitoring methods rely heavily on manual supervision, which may result in human error, delays in identifying hazards, and slow responses to safety issues.
SOLUTION DEVELOPED
Installation of computer vision based ladle monitoring system,if any one out of four lock found open during ladle lifting the camera will detect and system will lock the up-motion of EOT crane & notify the operator immediately through audio & visual alarms minimizing the response time to potential hazards.
Benefits & Results :By ensuring that the ladle is properly locked before every operation, we are mitigating the risk of accidental spill or lock failures. Advanced image recognition is utilized to detect lock conditions, automatically alerting Operators if there are any issues. This whole work and R&D carried in house collectively by Engineers Priyajit Das, Sagar Dhaker & Vishal Bhimrao Gahvane for which they awarded Excellency award by DEF on Engineers day 2024.
