FRANCE
Common Tower Crane Anti-Collision Systems Mandatory [cont]

Crane Installation Approval

Prior to any contractor installing a crane, each contractor has to provide CICAD with a detailed tower crane plan which must meet the rigorous demands of the master coordination document which all contractors are required to sign.

Details checked include position, installed height, height-under-hook, position relative to adjacent buildings and other cranes as well as compliance with French law which requires a 2 m clearance. It is only after the tower crane plan has been approved that the contractor can erect it.

Key features of the AC243 are:

• A function that prevents over-sailing of critical zones and static obstacles such as high-voltage lines, railway tracks, public highways, etc.
• An anti-collision system, which detects dynamic obstacles, such as crane hoist cable, jib, counter-jib or mast.
• An inter-crane communication system using cabled connections for up to 30 cranes or a wireless connection for up to 9 cranes.

The AC243 is easily modified to suit all makes and all types of tower cranes including saddle jib, luffing jib, fixed cranes, travelling cranes, PLC controlled cranes and relay controlled cranes.

In many parts of the world, regulations require operators to demonstrate quality control procedures including operating security. To aid compliance and commissioning, SMIE provides documentation that is more detailed and installations that exceed requirements. The AC243 also makes start-up testing of the systems as simple as possible for the crane operator.
To meet demands of the project managers and, in some parts of the world, regulations, the anti-collision supervisor is able to provide a well-documented record of the status and crane operating parameters at any time for any crane. Check and maintenance procedures are also made as easy as possible. SMIE builds into its systems check procedures to enable accurate system verification and easy tracing of faults. A data log maintained by the AC243 allows detailed evaluation of any incident.

Total Protection and Flexibility

The AC243 constantly measures the position, speed of the jib and trolley for each crane. The unit calculates status at a rate of three times per second and takes into consideration the braking capacity of each movement in determining the collision risk. Without operator intervention, the system implements a braking procedure as, and only if, a collision risk is identified.
To work, each crane needs to be fitted with an AC243 or compatible SMIE product as the system requires full communication between the various cranes.

The SMIE AC243 is a universal system suitable for all types of cranes and it can be easily transferred from crane to crane. The system can be extended progressively as more tower cranes come on to a specific site.

A Modern City Under Construction

Already the site is showing evidence of the futuristic environment that is being created with buildings designed by leading architects including Norman Foster Partners, Jean Nouvel, Jean-Paul Viguier, Ateliers 234, MAP Architects and Dominique Perrault. The Island will become, for a large part, the new American University of Paris.

SMIE Tower Crane Anti-Collision & Zoning Systems