Terex Cranes' Boom Booster Kit named finalist for 2015 Swedish Steel Prize

With its innovative Boom Booster Kit, global crane manufacturer Terex Cranes can dramatically increase the performance of its existing cranes. The Boom Booster Kit is an easy-to-assemble and transport boom system that increases crane load capacity more than 90%. Terex Cranes Germany is one of four finalists for this year’s Swedish Steel Prize.

The Swedish Steel Prize is awarded annually by SSAB, the global leader in high-strength steel and wear plate, to recognize the most innovative and creative products and solutions utilizing high-strength steels. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in Stockholm on November 19.

Terex Cranes Germany wanted to create a new boom system that could be retrofitted onto existing crane models. It would eliminate the need to buy an entirely new, larger crane. The Boom Booster is a highly innovative design unlike any other boom system on the market. It was developed without the need for additional reinforcements on the base crane and is easy to assemble. Setup of such a system takes about two days. It is also easy to transport.

“Think of it like chip tuning a car, which instantly increases the performance,” explains Harald Riedinger, Director Technology & Innovation, Terex Cranes Group. “The Terex Boom Booster is an add-on boom structure that can almost double the efficiency in steep and long boom configurations of our CC 8800-1 crane model.”

The Boom Booster can be partially or completely disassembled, depending on the specific road transportation regulations, thanks to the pin bolt structure. It fits in standard 40-foot open top containers. This leads to an improved handling and transportation functionality with better utilization of standard means of transport, with the need for fewer trucks, which decreases fuel consumption.

The Boom Booster utilizes a variety of high-strength steels for components like the trusses, tube members and bolted joints, including Strenx 700MC, 770QL and 960QL, Strenx 700 profiles and SSAB Domex 460NL.

The Boom Booster Kit is built up of two 11-meter adapters and five intersection parts that are 10 m long. When completely assembled, the add-on boom length is 72 m. With the boom booster attachment, a total height of 156 m and 234 m with a jib configuration can be easily realized. Production of the Boom Booster takes place in Zweibrücken, Germany.

Swedish Steel Prize jury

Terex has developed an adaptable crane section (Boom booster) that significantly increases the load capacity of its crane model CC 8800-1. Since the alternative would be to replace the entire crane, this is a very cost effective solution. High-strength steel is used for the booster truss, with tube members and bolted joints. Ease of assembly is facilitated by transport of components in standard containers, which leads to optimized transportation and both, decreased fuel consumption and emission rates. The increased cross section dimensions of the booster truss improve buckling resistance and bending stiffness.

First awarded in 1999, the Swedish Steel Prize exists to inspire and increase knowledge about the use of high-strength steel to develop lighter, safer and more sustainable products.

The winner of the Swedish Steel Prize will receive a stipend of SEK 100,000 and a trophy by artist Jörg Jeschke. The award ceremony is part of a three-day event during which approximately 600 international representatives from the global manufacturing and steel industry will participate in seminars and site visits at SSAB.