Cranes and chains give Le Mans a lift
December 1st 2007 Bouyer Manutention, a
member of the Verlinde
Europont network, installed
the handling systems in the
maintenance centre for the
Le Mans tramway (France).
"Bouyer Manutention was
the sole manufacturer to
proposed a solution which
corresponded completely to
the specifications, in
particular for the special
automatic safety systems.
Moreover, the Europont
equipment guarantees a very
good level of reliability,
necessary for this type of
equipment," says Mr Boulaire,
works foreman at building
contractor, Heulin.
The maintenance centre
has three single-girder
overhead travelling cranes
installed equipped with
electric chain hoists with a
capacity of 1000kg and a
profiled double-girder crane
with a cable hoist with a
capacity of 6500kg. The first
ones were intended to
handle the elements on the
trams' roofs: air-conditioning
units and pantographs.
Ultrasound sensors were
added by Bouyer to detect
the opened-up pantographs
and ensure hoisting is carried
out only when it is in the
folded down position.
Manipulating an open
pantograph would in fact run
the risk of catching and and
tearing off the catenary
system. Thee 6500kg crane,
it is used for handling the
bogies between the pit and
the workshop when wheels
have to be reprofiled.
Another safety system was
added to all the cranes to
ensure that, when
pantographs, air-con units, or
bogies are handled, the LAC
(Catenary Power Supply Line)
is not carrying current. The
cranes cannot move when
the catenary system is
carrying current. More articles from Verlinde Lifting Equipment: | 
