Liftech provided the structural design of the steel float for a new ferry terminal located at Treasure Island. The design included the float structure, support and connection to the gangway ramp, guide pile collars to restrain the ramp laterally while permitting vertical motion, access for future battery systems, and berthing, mooring, and access systems compatible with WETA ferry vessels and…
Archives: Projects
San Francisco Public Works, Fire Boat Station 35 at Port of San Francisco Piers 22.5 and 24, San Francisco, California
This project is for the design and fabrication of a floating fire station in San Francisco. Liftech was the lead marine design consultant for this design-build project and designed a steel pier next to the embarcadero; a steel access ramp between the pier and steel float; a steel float and associated items, such as fender supports and pile collards; and…
Moffett Field Hangar, Overall Project, Mountain View, California
At more than 1,000 feet long, 250 feet wide, and 170 feet tall each, two blimp hangars constructed in the 1940s at Moffett Field are among the world’s largest clear-span timber structures. One of these hangars had significant damage to many of its timber truss arches, and the damage was progressing along the length of the hangar to the extent that…
Moffett Field Hangar, Access Shoring Tower System, Mountain View, California
Liftech designed an access shoring tower system and strand jack assembling system. The access system is 80 feet x 80 feet x 130 feet tall. It is designed to shore and jack the hangar roof from its deck and facilitate access to the roof with an array of equipment on its deck including lifts and cranes. It is designed for asymmetric…
Moffett Field Hangar, Beam Jacking Procedure, Mountain View, California
A 20-foot-wide, 22-foot-tall, 200-foot-long wooden box beam above the hangar doors had deteriorated and sagged down onto the nested sliding door system. Liftech designed a jacking procedure and jacking system so Power could raise and repair the box beam. The jacking system included lifting and holding jacks. The lifting jacks had low friction bearings to allow the distorted box beam…
Manzanillo International Terminal Crane Raises, Republic of Panama
Manzanillo International Terminal (MIT) hired Global Rigging and Transport (GRT) to increase the lift height of eight ZPMC ship-to-shore (STS) cranes located in Panama, and potentially for other terminals in Mexico and Chile. Liftech provided design review for structural modifications to increase the lift height of two STS crane designs. Earlier, Liftech assisted MIT with the initial procurement of these…
Maher ZPMC Crane Raise, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Maher Terminals planned to increase the lift height of their 2006 ZPMC STS cranes from 120 ft to 165 ft (36.6 m to 50.3 m), an increase of 45 ft (13.7 m), to accommodate larger vessels calling at their Elizabeth, New Jersey, terminal. Liftech helped Maher by providing structural engineering services including reviewing wheel loads and stability, preparing structural and…
Articulated Balance Crane Design
Liftech conceptualized and designed the Articulated Balance Crane (ABC) concept, a design that reduces the weight and wheel loads of ship-to-shore (STS) cranes. Operationally, the ABC functions similar to a conventional STS crane. For stowage, the elongated boom and apex rotate as a unit about hinges near the top of the waterside legs, providing vessel clearance, while the machinery house…
Truss Boom Crane Design
The client operates terminals at a port in southern China and wanted to procure five new super post-Panamax cranes for a terminal with limited wheel load and tie-down load capacity. ZPMC proposed a truss boom and girder design to reduce wheel loads and tie-down loads. Liftech assisted the client by participating in the conceptualization and design of the upper works structure…
Ro-Ro Ramp Design, Matson Navigation, Oakland and Hawaii
Matson retained Liftech to design roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) ramps suitable for transporting automobiles and light trucks onto and off ships. Liftech provided analysis, design, and fabrication audit of the ramps, which were fabricated in China. We designed the primary structure, the articulation, structures to support the wheeled dollies, and collaborated with naval architects to design the ship interface structure. The ramps latch…