Smelter crane accident - video

[CharlesWaugh]

That looks like a design error to me.

Why the blazes (literally) the Crane Op has to execute such a fiddly procedure with a bridge crane is a bizarre design.

Auto-releasing claw-type hook designs are ancient and well-proven.

[BuckhornLogging]

What, exactly, was the vessel sitting on the platform supposed to do when the crane operator was tugging on it laterally? I'm assuming not that.
Am guessing worker on floor has pressed a release which locked the yoke from tipping. Crane operator was to lower yoke to side, operation clearly se
en prior to mishap. However, the hook was NOT lowered sufficiently to do so, thus causing the spill. The "device" the crucible was lowered onto is a trailer. As the hook pulls away, one can see the tongue of the hitch fall slightly to it's right and the front axle of the trailer steers the same way. Leastwise, THAT'S what I THINK I SAW!!

[Hoosiersmoker]

Either the crane operator didn't lower the hook far enough or the yoke didn't drop all the way. If this was an automated process, which would be stupid, there should be limit switches or resistance sensors to stop the process BEFORE disaster. How do you "clean up" something of that magnitude!

[olmike]

How do they clean up something like that?

[DIYSwede]

How do they clean up something like that?

With great difficulty.
Suggestions: Prybars, power cutters and shovels for starters.
Then add a fork lift for speed and biggie dumpsters for some recycling...

I haven't personally experienced that - but I think the hopefully NOT clean floor
and the shrinking of aluminum when solidifying should help loosening.

There was a similar "spill" one early morning back in the seventies in a foundry not far from where I grew up,
but that was 50 metric tons of red-hot glowing pig iron @ 2000-ish deg F...
Enuff to ruin the coming day's sleep for the whole swing shift.
Put the shop outta commission for two weeks...



From https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sp%C3%...stransporterna

"The Melt", as the 600 ton cargo train was nicked:



Pic: Roger Lundberg, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/gamla_...n/photostream/



From: https://digitaltmuseum.se/0210180776.../media?slide=0

[Moldyjim]

I witnessed something similar at a bronze foundry, 0n a much smaller scale thankfully.
75-100 bs f br0nze in the crucible, Iifted 0ut 0F THE FURNACE with crucible gripping t00I.
When moving 0ver t0 m0Id the crucibIe feII 0ut 0f THE t0ngs and burst 0pen.
I climbed the sand piLe everyone else ran.
F0undrymen were suited up, s0 they were 0k.
N0 0ne was hurt, just embarrassed.
The pr0bIem was caused by the t0ngs 0verheating in the furnace 1 t00 many times.

Excuse the f0rmatting and speIIing, my keyb0ard is crapping 0ut.

[hemmjo]

Snip...

Excuse the f0rmatting and speIIing, my keyb0ard is crapping 0ut.

Stand your keyboard on end, bang it, (not TOO hard) on the table, see if you can shake the crumbs out of it!!! Then get your shop vac and suck out the debris.

Seriously, that is the most common problem with keys. not working. If it does not work bang it on the other end.

[Moldyjim]

I just t00k it apart, rinsed the keys with water, aIc0h0I, bIew it u0t with air.
Keys mechanicaLLy m0ve, circuit b0ard must be bad, the Letters L, & 0, are dead.
0h, IT...pease bring me a new keybard.

[marksbug]

oh crap, so I can blame it on the key bored? sweet!!!

[Duke_of_URL]

So it's not hard to see why so many critical operations these days are transitioning over to robotics. I sure would hope the crane operator wasn't texting his girlfriend when this happened.