In October 2024, the focus of the global construction machinery industry will converge on two top Chinese companies - Zoomlion and XCMG Group.
In just two days, the two giants have successively produced and delivered record breaking super large tower cranes. Zoomlion's 22000 ton meter level tower crane and XCMG's 23000 ton meter level tower crane have appeared one after another. This is not only a competition of numbers, but also a powerful witness to China's manufacturing industry and even the country's comprehensive strength.
Behind this' Great Tower 'dispute lies the magnificent pace and glorious achievements of China's rise.
Tower crane, also known as tower crane, is a rotating crane with a boom mounted on the upper part of a tall tower. Ordinary tower cranes are mainly used for vertical and horizontal transportation of materials and installation of building components in building construction.
In recent years, China has built a series of super projects and won the title of "infrastructure maniac" with the speed and efficiency of infrastructure construction. Behind these super projects, large tower cranes have become absolute heroes!
In order to meet the new demand for large-scale development of engineering construction modules, China's large tower cranes have developed rapidly. Among them, the competition between XCMG and Zoomlion is particularly fierce.
Tracing back to October 25, 2021, Zoomlion first launched the world's first 10000 ton meter tower crane W12000-450, which is not only a milestone in the history of Chinese construction machinery, but also a revolutionary breakthrough in the global construction industry.
The W12000-450 tower crane has a rated lifting moment of 12000 tons · meters, a maximum arm length of 75 meters, a maximum lifting weight of 450 tons, and a maximum lifting height of 400 meters. This data means that it can lift 300 small cars to a height of 130 floors at once. The birth of this' super tower crane 'not only represents Zoomlion's leading position in the research and development of super large tower cranes, but also indicates China's strong competitiveness in the field of high-end equipment manufacturing.
At that time, this ten thousand ton meter tower crane was put into the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge project. This river crossing channel integrating expressway, intercity railway and first-class highway, its main channel bridge was designed as a steel truss cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 1176 meters, which is the largest span cable-stayed bridge for both highway and railway under construction in the world. The main tower is 352 meters high, making it the tallest cable tower in the world. With the assistance of the W12000-450 tower crane, the construction of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge has made rapid progress, demonstrating China's outstanding capabilities and technological innovation in the field of bridge construction.
The timeline continues to move forward. On June 2, 2022, the XGT15000-600S tower crane jointly developed by XCMG Group and China Railway Bridge Bureau was officially delivered. This tower crane also serves world-class bridge construction projects - the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge and the Chaoma Intercity Railway Ma'anshan Dual use Yangtze River Bridge.
The XGT15000-600S tower crane has a maximum lifting height of 400 meters and a maximum lifting capacity of 600 tons. During its research and development process, it has broken through more than 60 key core technologies and more than 20 world-class technical problems, solving the lifting difficulties in large-scale bridge construction and becoming an indispensable tool in the field of bridge construction.
The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge has a main span of 1176 meters and was the world's largest cable-stayed bridge under construction at that time, capable of serving both public and railway purposes. The main tower is designed to have a total height of 352 meters. Unlike the previous construction method of pouring concrete in sections for the middle and lower tower columns, the upper tower column adopts a comprehensive plan of "steel tower block integral lifting and on-site welding", which is divided into 10 sections and requires 33 lifting operations. The maximum lifting block weighs 323 tons.
On April 20, 2023, Zoomlion once again launched the world's largest tower crane R20000-720. This tower crane has a rated lifting torque of 20000 tons per meter and a maximum lifting capacity of 720 tons, which is equivalent to lifting 500 small cars to a height of 130 floors at once.
R20000-720 integrates 158 innovative scientific research achievements and 305 invention patents, including more than 60 core key technologies and 12 world first technologies, pushing the technical level of Chinese tower cranes to a new peak.
R20000-720 is under construction on the Ma'anshan dual-use Yangtze River Bridge. After going offline, it participated in the construction of projects such as the Ma'anshan dual-use Yangtze River Bridge and the Shiziyang Bridge. As the world's largest three tower cable-stayed bridge with a span, the construction difficulty and technical requirements of the Ma'anshan dual-use railway bridge can be imagined. The outstanding performance of the R20000-720 tower crane undoubtedly adds another highlight to China's infrastructure.
On October 11th, the 22000 ton meter level ultra large tower crane was produced at the Zhonglian Heavy Industry Science and Technology Changde Tower Crane Intelligent Factory and officially delivered to China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Group Co., Ltd. This is another self breakthrough by Zoomlion after creating world-class star products such as the world's first 10000 ton meter level tower crane and 20000 ton meter level tower crane.
The tower crane delivered offline this time was jointly developed by Zoomlion and China Railway Construction Bridge Bureau, with a rated lifting moment of 22000 tons · meters. The maximum lifting capacity of the tower crane is 730 tons, the maximum independent height is 144.6 meters, and the maximum lifting height is 400 meters, which is equivalent to lifting more than 600 small cars weighing 1.2 tons to a height of 130 floors at once.
After the delivery of the 22000 ton meter super large tower crane, it will be immediately sent to Nansha District, Guangzhou to assist in the construction of the world's largest self anchored suspension bridge - Wanlong Bridge, for the lifting of steel structures for bridge towers. The main bridge of Wanlong Bridge is a self anchored suspension bridge with double elliptical bridge towers and a main span of 608 meters. It is currently the world's largest self anchored suspension bridge in terms of span.
On October 14th, the 23000 ton meter level ultra large tower crane was produced by XCMG Heavy Industries, marking another upward acceleration after a series of large towers such as XCMG XGT7300-260S, XGT8300-320S, XGT15000-600S, etc.
The XGT23000-760S tower crane has a rated lifting torque of 23000 tons per meter, a maximum lifting capacity of 760 tons, and an independent lifting height of 145 meters. The XGT23000-760S has achieved the world's highest performance indicators in five aspects, including rated lifting torque and maximum lifting capacity, and has broken through more than 60 key technologies.
After the production of XCMG XGT23000-760S, it will also join the construction of the Wanlong Bridge in Nansha, Guangzhou, effectively solving multiple world problems such as heavy lifting components, high hanging attachments, strong typhoons in the region, and easy corrosion of steel in extremely complex working conditions of the Wanlong Bridge project in Nansha. These 'super tower cranes' are not only symbols of China's high-end equipment manufacturing capabilities, but also a microcosm of China's infrastructure strength. Behind them lies China's increasingly sophisticated industrial system and continuously improving technological innovation capabilities.
From the 10000 ton meter level to the 20000 ton meter level, and then to the feat of breaking through the 23000 ton meter level, every leap in China's tower crane technology embodies the wisdom and sweat of countless engineers and technical workers, and is also a microcosm of China's rapid economic development. In the fierce competition of the global construction market, Chinese tower crane manufacturing enterprises have gradually taken the leading position with technological innovation and excellent quality. From the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge, Ma'anshan Dual use Yangtze River Bridge, Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge, to Wanlong Bridge, these world-class bridge projects all rely on the strong support of Chinese tower cranes. They are not only the pride of China's construction machinery technology, but also a shining business card for China's infrastructure to step onto the world stage.
It is worth noting that the rapid development of tower crane technology in China is not an isolated phenomenon. It is closely related to the improvement of China's overall scientific and technological strength, the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry, and the promotion of the "the Belt and Road" initiative. In the wave of globalization, China has not only become the "world factory", but also achieved a historic leap from "following" to "running in parallel" and even "leading" in the field of high-end equipment manufacturing.
Looking ahead to the future, with the deepening implementation of the "new infrastructure" strategy and the continuous expansion of the global construction market, Chinese tower crane manufacturing enterprises will usher in broader development space and more intense market competition. In this global competition, Chinese enterprises will continue to carry forward the spirit of innovation, continuously improve their technological level and service quality, and contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the sustainable development of the world's construction industry.
Behind the 'Great Tower' dispute lies a magnificent picture of China's rise. On this vibrant land, countless Chinese enterprises and workers are bravely climbing towards the top of the world with even more determined steps. We have reason to believe that in the future, Chinese tower cranes will continue to write new legends in the global construction market, making greater contributions to the prosperity and development of China and even the world.