Expandable heavy equipment, elongated pull element, and use of expandable heavy equipment

1. Expandable heavy equipment, comprising:

a frame with a first frame element,

a connector,

at least one elongated pull element, and

further frame elements, the further frame elements comprising at least a second frame element,

wherein

the connector is arranged for connecting the first frame element and the second frame element,

the elongated pull element comprises a first coupler at a first end and a second coupler at a second end opposite of the first end and has a length between the first end and the second end, and the elongated pull element is connected at the first end to the first frame element with the first coupler and at the second end to one of the further frame elements with the second coupler,

the first frame element and the second frame element are arranged compact together in a transport condition, and the first frame element and the second frame element occupy more space in at least one direction than in the transport condition in a working condition,

the connector allows a movement of the first frame element and the second frame element with respect to each other from the transport condition to the working condition,

the elongated pull element is in a folded state in the transport condition and in an extended state in the working condition,

the elongated pull element is configured to transfer a pull force in the working condition from the first frame element to the one of the further frame elements,

the elongated pull element comprises load bearing fibers extending from the first coupler to the second coupler,

the elongated pull element comprises at least one flexible part and at least two stiff parts along the length of the elongated pull element, the at least one flexible part having a lower bending stiffness than the two stiff parts and the at least one flexible part being arranged between the two stiff parts, and

wherein the flexible part enables the elongated pull element to be arranged in the folded state by bending over, so that the at least two stiff parts are arranged one over the other, and the at least two stiff parts have such a bending stiffness that they do not bend substantially when the elongated pull element is in the folded state.

2. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the elongated pull element comprises a sleeve, tape or wrap configured to compress at least a first and second section of the load bearing fibers extending through the at least two stiff parts into a more compact arrangement than a section of the load bearing fibers extending through the flexible part.

3. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the elongated pull element comprises tape helically arranged around the load bearing fibers in at least the two stiff parts.

4. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 3 , wherein the tape is arranged to compress a section of the load bearing fibers extending through the at least two stiff parts into a more compact arrangement than a section of the load bearing fibers extending through the flexible part.

5. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 4 , wherein the tape which is provided in the at least two stiff parts is different from a second tape in the flexible part.

6. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 4 , wherein the tape which is provided in the at least two stiff parts is wider and/or thicker than the tape which is provided in the flexible part.

7. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , further comprising a sleeve arranged circumferentially around the elongated pull element.

8. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 7 , wherein the sleeve has a lower bending stiffness in the flexible part than in the at least two stiff parts.

9. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 8 , wherein the sleeve in the at least two stiff parts comprises a fibre-reinforced plastic.

10. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the elongated pull element comprises a resin between the load bearing fibers which is cured in the at least two stiff parts.

11. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the expandable heavy equipment is self-erecting, and further comprises a drive for erecting the heavy equipment.

12. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 11 , wherein the expandable heavy equipment is a self-erecting tower crane, comprising a tower and a jib, and wherein the one of the further frame elements is a base, or head of the tower, and the first frame element is a part of the jib.

13. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the load bearing fibers of the elongated pull element extend from the first coupler to the second coupler, turn around the second coupler, then extend from the second coupler to the first coupler, and turn around the first coupler, such as to form a semi-continuous loop.

14. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 13 , wherein at least one of the first coupler and the second coupler comprises a thimble, and further comprises a matching pin.

15. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the load bearing fibers comprise fibers selected from the group consisting essentially of: carbon fibers, synthetic fibers, Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene fibers, aramid fibers, and aramid fibers coated with a wax.

16. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the connector is configured for a movable connection between the first frame element and the second frame element with respect to each other.

17. The expandable heavy equipment according to claim 16 , wherein the connector is selected from the group consisting essentially of: a pivot and a slider.

18. A method for expanding the expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 from a transport condition to a working condition, comprising the steps of:

providing the expandable heavy equipment in the transport condition with the elongated pull element in the folded state, followed by

moving the first frame element and the second frame element with respect to each other from the transport condition to the working condition, and substantially simultaneously

unfolding the elongated pull element from the folded state in the transport condition to the extended state in the working condition.

19. A method for retracting the expandable heavy equipment according to claim 1 from the working condition to the transport condition, comprising the steps of:

providing the expandable heavy equipment in the working condition with the elongated pull element in the extended state, followed by

moving the first frame element and the second frame element with respect to each other from the working condition to the transport condition, and substantially simultaneously

folding the elongated pull element from the extended state in the working condition to the folded state in the transport condition.

20. Expandable heavy equipment, comprising:

a frame with a first frame element,

a connector,

at least one elongated pull element, and

further frame elements, the further frame elements comprising at least a second frame element,

wherein

the connector is arranged for connecting the first frame element and the second frame element,

the elongated pull element comprises a first coupler at a first end and a second coupler at a second end opposite of the first end and has a length between the first end and the second end, and the elongated pull element is connected at the first end to the first frame element with the first coupler and at the second end to one of the further frame elements with the second coupler,

the first frame element and the second frame element are arranged compact together in a transport condition, and the first frame element and the second frame element occupy more space in at least one direction than in the transport condition in a working condition,

the connector allows a movement of the first frame element and the second frame element with respect to each other from the transport condition to the working condition,

the elongated pull element is in a folded state in the transport condition and in an extended state in the working condition,

the elongated pull element is configured to transfer a pull force in the working condition from the first frame element to the one of the further frame elements,

the elongated pull element comprises load bearing fibers extending from the first coupler to the second coupler,

the elongated pull element comprises at least one flexible part and at least two stiff parts along the length of the elongated pull element, the flexible part having a lower bending stiffness than the two stiff parts and with the flexible part being arranged between the two stiff parts, wherein at least a first section and a second section of the load bearing fibers extending through the at least two stiff parts are compressed into a more compact arrangement than a section of the load bearing fibers extending through the flexible part so that the elongated pull element folds at the flexible part to arrange the elongated pull element in the folded state.