Chinese company Zoomlion has developed the R2000-720, the largest and strongest tower crane in the world. It is capable of lifting up to 720 tons and has a height of 1,312 feet, making it possible to lift 500 cars to 130 stories. The R2000-720 was completed in just eight months, from conception to completion, at Zoomlion’s Changde facility on April 20. It will be used to build the Ma’anshan Yangtze River Highway-Railway Bridge, the tallest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.
Innovative Technologies and Breakthroughs
The Zoomlion R2000-720 has made several advancements and innovations in a variety of technologies, including intelligent control, structure, and weight balancing. It has overcome a variety of difficulties that ultra-large tower cranes have faced around the world when operating in difficult situations like high humidity, strong winds, and big loads.
Mobile Balancing Weight Technology
The R2000-720 uses mobile balancing weight technology, improving lifting performance by over 60%. The clever technology invested in the intelligent control system uses 50 technologies to achieve a millisecond response.
Heavy-duty Split Structure
The tower crane is designed with a heavy-duty split structure and a high load-bearing, lightweight structure, reducing the top structure of tower cranes by more than 20%. This reduces the shipping, installation, and disassembly process.
Building the World’s Tallest Bridge
The Ma’anshan Yangtze River Highway-Railway Bridge in China will use the R2000-720 tower crane. According to Bridge Design & Engineering, the two major spans will set the record for the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world with a combined length of.7 miles. The world’s largest tower crane will work on what will eventually be the longest continuous cable-stayed deck in the world at nearly 2 miles. Construction began in August 2020, and this year saw the start of construction on the main span. It will become the sixth railway and highway over the 800-mile Anhui River to cross the Yangtze River, with upper and lower decks making up the structure. The upper deck will act as a six-lane motorway, and the lower deck will be a four-track railway for high-speed trains.