Rail cranes such as overhead crane and gantry crane are installed on crane rails. Crane rail installation can affect the travelling of your overhead and gantry cranes. Check rail installation tips for your rail crane now!
For overhead crane, the crane rail are paved on supporting beam, which include steel beam and concrete beam.
According to overhead crane drawing, settle down the position, altitude. Before install rail, firstly inspect groove, section, straight line, and warp of the crane rail, after qualified, pave the crane rail. And find out rail datum line.
If the crane rail is paved on supporting beam, the crane rail center distance and supporting beam center distance, their deviation should be within 10mm, and not bigger than beam half thickness.
Crane rail installed on supporting beam of overhead crane
Crane rail is fixed on supporting beam, rail bottom should be sole laying on beam top. If there is space and long is more than 200mm, there should be padded, pad length is more than 100mm, width is 10—20mm wider than rail bottom. Each set of pad must not more than 3 layers. Pads are welded to supporting beam.
The deviation between cane rail center distance and installing datum line, should be not more than 5mm for general gantry crane.
If the crane span length is not more than 10m, rail center distance allow a deviation of ±3.0 mm.
if crane span is more than 10m, rail center distance allow a deviation of ±15 mm. Following is formula:
△S=±[3+0.25(S－10)] : △S: crane span deviation（mm） S—rail center distance deviation（m）
The crane rail connecting joint should be stagger, the staggered distance is not same as wheel gauge. And on joint, the supporting point should be at span’s 1/3～1/4. Crane rail i-beam flange weld bevel butt weld, web has same strength through welding butt weld, after welding, the welding surface is leveling. Artifacts correction for the inclination of the I beam flange delta < / 80 b, b is I beam flange width. Torsion of Angle steel, i-beam vector △h≤L/1000 or less, but shall not be bigger than 5 mm. Local buckling of steel plate rise within a certain range f≤1.5mm.
Some steel plate is out of shape, you can correct it by hammer. For some structural steel, there is special Jack to do gagging. If it is difficult, heat straightening is possible, but the heat temperature should be not more than 900°C.
Then make holes for bolts on end of crane rail used to connecting by clamps. You should make holes by mechanical not instead of gas cutting. Bolts can’t have crack, rag or nick.
At last, pave the crane rail and fix it on supporting beam with welding or bolts platens. The welding is inspected by ultrasonic, require I grade.
Welded platens and clamps Bolted platens
If the crane rail is paved on concrete beam, firstly, there should be embedded steel plate on top of concrete beam. Crane rail is fixed on the embedded steel plate, which is similar as gantry crane rail foundation. Other work is same as above.
Embedded steel plate on top of concrete beam
If the gantry cranes work in factory, storage or yard, usually the crane rail is sunken in a groove. For some big working space such as port / dock, crane rail is salient on ground. No matter what condition it is, there should be foundation under the gantry crane rail to make sure the ground can bearing the gantry cane and wheel Max. loading pressure.
Foundation for gantry crane rail
The solid foundation for gantry crane is safety base of gantry crane operation. In the following, the 5 Ton gantry crane rail foundation drawing is presented for your reference:
Crane rail foundation for 5Ton gantry crane
Rail repair for rail crane is necessary to ensure crane safety. For your overhead crane and gantry crane, the following repair tip is worthy for your reading.
1,Remove Existing Crane rail: loose the bolts &nuts and for reserve, or cut the platens by gas cutting, these platens will be waste. Lifting crane rail drop to ground by hoisting.
2,Inspect supporting beam:
3, Check if crane rail top tread is smaller/ deformation because of wheel’s friction. And inspect if crane rail is straight still.
Pave crane rail correctly, operate your overhead crane and gantry crane safely. Contact Dongqi Hoist and Crane for more information on
As a hoist and crane manufacturer, Dongqi hoist and crane offers types of cranes and other lifting equipment for material handling market. In the following are the main products for for your reference. (Please click the picture for detailed information.)
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3 Way Adjustable Gantry Crane
Small Portable Gantry Crane
European gantry crane with FEM crane standards 
Single Girder Overhead Crane with FEM crane standard