
Reid Lifting gantry cranes for Bloodhound Project
The 3,000kg Porta-Gantry has a maximum height of 5,027mm and an 8,000mm-long beam.
Date 02 October 2018
Two lightweight gantry cranes from Reid Lifting play an integral role in the ongoing construction and testing in the Bloodhound Project, an international education initiative focused around a 1,609kmh world land speed record attempt.
Two lightweight gantry cranes from Reid Lifting continue to play an integral role in ongoing construction and testing as the world’s most advanced straight-line car, Bloodhound SSC, is prepared for its landmark world record attempt.
The Bloodhound Project is an international education initiative focused around a 1,609kmh world land speed record attempt. The main goal is to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers by showcasing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in the most exciting way possible.
The project acquired the first Reid unit, a 2000kg Porta-Gantry with integrated 360 chain block and geared trolley, from a third party. It has a maximum height of 5,829mm and a 4,570mm-long beam. The second gantry that was supplied is a custom 3000kg capacity crane, offering 5,027mm of height and an 8,000mm-long beam. It was also fitted with a rope control system for movement of the trolley and wind-up jack legs for uneven ground and load spreading for use when in the desert during testing.
Bloodhound SSC is a combination of fast jet, F1 car, and spaceship. At full speed it will cover 1.6km in 3.6 seconds. The next milestone will be reached in Q2 2019 when the car will run for the first time on its specially created racetrack at Hakskeen Pan, South Africa.
The gantries have already been widely used at Bloodhound’s technical centre in Bristol, lifting the upper chassis and jet engine (weighing up to 1.5 tonnes) on and off the car during the key assembly phases of the build. When complete, Bloodhound SSC is 2m tall, 13.5m long, and weighs 7.5 tonnes.
Nick Battersby, managing director at Reid, said: “It has been a great project to be associated with as it is at the forefront of automotive and aerospace engineering. The project is very high profile and the Reid gantries are frequently in clear view on project media images, exposing us to a wide audience in the engineering world. The gantry lifting the Rolls-Royce [EJ 200] jet engine has been used in much of our marketing materials and has led to some great opportunities for us in the aerospace sector.”
He added: “We have also embraced the project’s ethos of inspiring the next generation of engineers and we have two young Reid engineers that present to local schools as STEM ambassadors for the Bloodhound SSC, which is a great way for us to engage with the community.”
Source Reid Lifting
Photos Stefan Marjoram
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