Ideas & Applications
ALAN HITCHCOX | Editor
At work in Hyundai Steel’s facility in South Korea, the Kamag’s 3503 ladle transporter relies on a hydrostatic drive for tight control of speed,
torque, and power; articulated steering for high maneuverability; and hydraulic cylinders for precise linear positioning to keep the molten
steel level within the ladle.
GENTLE GIANT
Transports Molten Steel
TRANSPORTING MOLTEN STEEL can be extremely dangerous
because any sudden movement can cause an accident with seri-
ous consequences. So, whenever a ladle of molten steel must be
transported within a steel plant, it must be done slowly and by
a vehicle with precise drive, steering, braking, and level con-
trol. The longer the travel distance, and the slower the vehicle
speed, the more money it costs to transfer a ladle. So if a vehicle
can transport a ladle faster without sacrificing safety, it would
improve a steel plant’s productivity.
Because they move so slowly, most ladle carriers are used
only for short distances. Not so with Kamag’s 3503 ladle car-
rier. Manufactured by Kamag Transporttechnik (www.kamag.
com), Ulm, Germany, the 3503 has a payload of 180 tons and
is nearly 16 meters long. A ladle is placed in the transporter’s
payload platform, which can be hydraulically lowered onto
the ground for crane loading. An extensive range of protec-
tive measures ensures that the driver’s cabin and the drive
components are protected from the heat.
The transporter can be maneuvered from the driver’s cab
clearly and easily despite the vehicle’s large size. Hydraulic
axle compensation corrects irregularities from uneven ground
12
surfaces. Furthermore, articulated steering allows the opera-
tor to maneuver around obstacles throughout the plant. The
hydrostatic drive can scale gradients up to 8% when fully
loaded and reaches a speed of up to 6 km/h with the dangerous
cargo. The high maneuverability and relatively high speed of
the transporter cuts transportation time, thereby increasing
productivity over conventional machines.
FIVE FEATURES for
Safe Hydraulic Drives
TODAY’S ELECTRONIC CONTROLS advanced hydraulic drives
allow self-propelled machines to reach high speeds even
when working in the most arduous conditions. But speed isn’t
worth anything unless the vehicle operates safely. That’s where
designing the drive layout and specifying the hydraulic motor
can mean the difference between a machine that operates
safely under all conditions and one that must go back to the
drawing board.
One of the great advantages of hydraulic drives is the
AUGUST 2015 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS
Ideas & Applications

absence of axles that would otherwise traverse a vehicle’s
undercarriage. Hydraulic drives allow designers to place more
mass between the wheel centers, rather than above them. The
result is a lower center of gravity, which makes the vehicle
more stable on uneven ground. Another big plus for hydrau-
lics is independent drive control. Speed, torque, or power can
be directed to individual wheels to match the specific ground
conditions. The result is optimum traction control. Keeping
wheel engaged with the ground gives the operator greater con-
trol and helps keep loads from shifting.
Matteo Michelin, of SAI Hydraulics, Modena, Italy, expands
on these concepts with five factors that should be considered
when designing a safe, compact, and efficient hydraulic drive:
Center of gravity — A compact hydraulic motor keeps the
drive’s center of gravity lower than with purely mechanical
drive trains, resulting in high stability, even when operating on
very steep slopes. The vehicle’s overall
performance is thereby improved, and
the risk of overturning reduced.
Furthermore, a drive layout using

HOW DO I KNOW hydraulic wheel motors allows greater

flexibility of cabin design and engine
placement, resulting in more flexible

IF I’M TALKING TO equipment designs and greater comfort

and safety.
Traction distribution — Distribut-
ing traction means simply transmitting
AN ENGINEER OR the available torque to the ground in the
most efficient way possible. Flow divid-
ers or connecting motors in series are

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THE ENGINEER’S CHOICE
venting a wheel from spinning, nor do
they give the fastest reaction times.
The best solution is to balance each
individual wheel torque output to the
torque transmissible to the ground.
SAI’s variable-displacement motors
adjust their displacement continuously
in full power, thereby limiting torque
to each individual wheel (even down to
zero displacement) to prevent spinning.
Traction control — Safety is also a
major benefit of traction control. SAI’s
variable-displacement wheel drive units
allow fine independent output torque
distribution from every individual
motor. By using a continuously variable
wheel motor, the machine makes the
most efficient use of the power available
dependent upon specific soil conditions.
Also, when maneuvering on steep
slopes, increasing the displacement of
motors driving the more heavily loaded
wheels provides safe traction. There-
fore, the hydraulic circuit will use the
same power or the same flow setting and
route more flow to the front or rear axle,
as required by the working conditions.
Assisted braking torque — The con-
tinuously variable displacement motors

14 AUGUST 2015 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS

 torque on any individ-
ual wheel as needed.
Auxiliary traction
— SAI motors used
for au x i l i ar y t r a c -
tion can work at high
speeds by modulat-
ing the displacement.
Therefore, they can
be used for driving
t o r q u e at l ow a n d
medium speeds but
Low center of gravity and precise traction control under even on set to zero displace-
steep, unstable surfaces are hallmarks of hydraulic drives for off- ment if the is towed
highway machines. towed. Motors without
this capability must be
produ­c ed by SAI have high mechani- mechanically disengaged from the drive
cal efficiency that supply high braking train to prevent damaging the motor or
torque from the moment the vehicle hydraulic system.
starts to decelerate, thereby guarantee-
ing rapid and controlled stopping. Fur- FOR MORE INFORMATION on SAI’s
thermore, the operator can continuous- fixed-, dual-, and variable-displacement
ly reduce or increase the displacement as motors and other components, call (610)
required, thereby boosting the braking 497-0190, or visit www.saispa.com.

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