Fiber rope

Abstract

To provide a fiber rope having a layer that improves breakage resistance and is configured to follow the elongation of the rope. [Solution] A fiber rope 1 comprising an inner layer strength base 11 composed of one or more fiber ropes, an outer layer blade 12, and a trauma prevention protective layer 13 provided between the inner layer strength base 11 and the outer layer blade 12, wherein the trauma prevention protective layer 13 is composed of a woven sheet FS (or knitted sheet) made of yarn made of a trauma prevention protective material and configured to be stretchable in at least one direction, and the direction in which it can be stretched is the longitudinal direction of the rope.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a fiber rope, and more particularly to a fiber rope with improved trauma prevention performance.

Background Art

[0002] Ropes are widely used for mooring objects, and there are also ropes used in the sea. As a technology related to such ropes used in the sea, Patent Document 1 discloses a mooring rope (fiber rope) used for mooring fishing reefs and buoys in the ocean, and prevents accidents such as fish biting the rope (fish bite) and accidents where fishing materials such as longlines and bottom trawls contact the mooring rope and the mooring rope is cut. A fiber rope provided with a reinforcing wire strip layer is disclosed. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a mooring rope (wire rope) for a buoy in which a fiber tape made of aramid fiber or the like is wound around the inner covering of the outer periphery of a wire rope.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] According to the technology of Patent Document 1, while maintaining the lightweight property and non-corrosive property of the fiber rope against seawater, the strength against fish bite and contact with fishing materials is high, and unexpected cutting accidents can be prevented, which is very suitable. However, if the winding of steel wires or the like forming the reinforcing wire strip layer is rough, gaps will occur. On the other hand, if the winding of steel wires or the like is made dense to prevent a decrease in the protection function in this gap portion, it becomes difficult to follow the elongation of the rope, or the weight tends to increase. Furthermore, according to Patent Document 2, having a layer formed of fiber tape made of aramid fibers or the like can prevent accidents such as abrasion and cutting caused by fishing gear such as fishing lines on fishing boats, making it highly suitable. Patent Document 2 states that since the core material is a wire rope and does not undergo large stretching, there is no problem in using fiber tape made of aramid fibers or the like (one with low elasticity). However, when attempting to use this with a fiber rope, a problem arises in that the fiber tape does not follow the stretching of the rope.

[0005] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a fiber rope having a layer that improves its damage prevention performance and is configured to follow the elongation of the rope. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (Composition 1) A fiber rope comprising: an inner layer strength base composed of one or more fiber ropes; an outer layer blade; and a trauma prevention protective layer provided between the inner layer strength base and the outer layer blade, wherein the trauma prevention protective layer is composed of a woven or knitted sheet made of yarn made of a trauma prevention protective material and configured to be stretchable in at least one direction, and the direction in which it can be stretched is the longitudinal direction of the rope.

[0007] (Configuration 2) The fiber rope according to configuration 1, wherein the knitted sheet is constructed by forming loops with warp or weft threads made of the trauma-preventing protective material, and repeatedly connecting the loops with the next loops formed by warp or weft threads made of the trauma-preventing protective material, and the knitted sheet is stretchable due to the presence of the loops.

[0008] (Composition 3) The fiber rope according to configuration 1, wherein the woven sheet is composed of a warp thread and a weft thread, one of which is made of the trauma-preventing protective material and the other of which is made of an extendable member, and the woven sheet is extendable because either the weft thread or the warp thread is the extendable member.

[0009] (Composition 4) A fiber rope according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the aforementioned injury prevention protective material is a super fiber.

[0010] (Composition 5) The fiber rope according to configuration 4, wherein the super fiber is one of aramid fiber, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, polyarylate fiber, poly(p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole) fiber, or carbon fiber.

[0011] (Composition 6) A fiber rope according to any of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the aforementioned injury prevention protective material is a metal wire.

[0012] (Composition 7) The fiber rope according to any one of configurations 3 to 6, wherein the elongation member is a member with an elongation rate of 10% or more.

[0013] (Composition 8) The fiber rope according to any one of configurations 3 to 7, wherein the elongation member is a member having an elongation rate equal to or greater than that of the inner layer strength base.

[0014] (Composition 9) The fiber rope according to any one of configurations 3 to 8, wherein the extension member is made of urethane fiber, nylon fiber, or polyester fiber.

[0015] (Composition 10) A fiber rope according to any one of configurations 1 to 9, further comprising a particle intrusion prevention material composed of a soil filter for preventing the intrusion of particulate matter between the inner layer strength base and the outer layer blade.

[0016] (Composition 11) The fiber rope according to any one of Configurations 3 to 10, wherein the warp of the fabric sheet is composed of an anti-trauma protective material and the weft is composed of an extension member.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fiber rope having a layer that improves the folding resistance performance and is configured to follow the elongation of the rope.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram showing the structure of the fiber rope of an embodiment according to the present invention [Figure 2] Explanatory drawing for explaining the outline of the structure of the fabric sheet [Figure 3] Explanatory drawing for explaining the outline of the structure of the knitted fabric sheet

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are one form when embodying the present invention and do not limit the present invention within its scope.

[0020] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the fiber rope of an embodiment according to the present invention. The fiber rope 1 of the present embodiment is used as a mooring cable of a floating offshore wind power generation device, and connects between a floating offshore wind power generation device floating on the sea and an anchor or sinker on the seabed via a chain or a connecting member. The fiber rope as a mooring cable of a floating offshore wind power generation device has, for example, a diameter of 60 mm or more and a length of 15 m or more (the fiber rope 1 of the present embodiment has a diameter of 200 mm and a length of 500 m or more).

[0021] The fiber rope 1 of the present embodiment an inner layer strength matrix 11 composed of seven fiber ropes, Outer layer blade 12, A protective layer 13 for injury prevention is provided between an inner layer strength base 11 and an outer layer blade 12, and is a woven sheet configured to be stretchable in at least one direction while using threads made of an injury prevention protective material, wherein the warp threads are made of an injury prevention protective material and the weft threads are made of an stretchable member, and the protective layer 13 for injury prevention is configured such that the direction in which the weft threads become stretchable due to being the stretchable member is the longitudinal direction of the rope, Between the inner layer strength base 11 and the outer layer blade 12 is a particle intrusion prevention material 14 composed of a soil filter SF for preventing the intrusion of particulate matter, It is equipped with.

[0022] The inner layer strength base 11 is responsible for the rope strength of the fiber rope 1, and in this embodiment, it is composed of seven fiber ropes arranged parallel to each other along the length of the rope. The fiber ropes constituting the inner layer strength base 11 are made using nylon fibers, polyester fibers, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, polyarylate fibers, or aramid fibers. The inner layer strength base 11 produces a predetermined elongation (the elongation rate varies depending on the rope's composition (material, weaving method, number of ropes constituting the inner layer strength base, whether or not they are twisted, etc.)). The outer layer blade 12 protects the inner layer strength base 11 and maintains its cross-sectional shape as roughly circular, and is constructed using either nylon fibers or polyester fibers (the outer layer blade 12 has greater extensibility than the inner layer strength base 11). The particle intrusion prevention material 14 is constructed by wrapping a soil filter SF around the inner layer strength base 11. The particle intrusion prevention material 14 prevents particulate matter from entering the inner layer strength base 11. "Particulate matter" refers to things like sand and marine organisms attached to the rope, and marine organisms in particular may damage the rope if they enter the rope and grow inside, so this is prevented. Furthermore, the fiber ropes that constitute the inner layer strength base and the outer layer braid can be any type with the necessary strength and other properties depending on the application, so a detailed explanation is omitted here. Similarly, the soil filter SF (particle intrusion prevention material 14) can be any filter with the necessary mesh size depending on the application, so a detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0023] The trauma-preventing protective layer 13 is a layer that has trauma-preventing properties, or fracture-resistant properties and abrasion-resistant properties, and is intended to reduce the cutting and abrasion of ropes (especially the inner layer strength base) caused by fishing gear such as fishing lines (or by fish bites). As can be seen from Figure 1, the trauma prevention protective layer 13 is constructed by wrapping a woven sheet FS over the particle penetration prevention material 14 (in this embodiment, the wrapping is done so that the wrapping pitch is half the width of the woven sheet FS). In this embodiment, the woven sheet FS is composed of aramid fibers, which are super fibers, for the warp threads and nylon fibers for the weft threads. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the woven sheet FS. Each warp thread 131 is composed of polyarylate fiber, which is a protective material and super fiber, and has high protective performance against injuries, breakage, and abrasion (on the other hand, it is almost immobile). The weft thread 132 is composed of nylon fiber, which is an expandable material, and is therefore expandable. A woven sheet FS with this configuration hardly stretches in the direction along the warp threads 131 (up and down in Figure 2), but stretches well in the direction along the weft threads 132, which are composed of stretchable members (left and right in Figure 2). Furthermore, because the warp threads 131 are composed of a protective material to prevent damage, it has high damage prevention performance, breakage resistance, and abrasion resistance. The woven sheet FS is formed as a sheet that is long in the direction along the warp threads 131. The trauma-preventing protective layer 13 is formed by winding the woven sheet FS, as shown in Figure 1. Therefore, the woven sheet FS is positioned such that the direction in which it can be stretched due to the weft threads 132 being stretchable is the longitudinal direction of the rope. Thus, the trauma-preventing protective layer 13 is formed as a layer that can be stretched in the longitudinal direction of the rope. Furthermore, the trauma-preventing protective layer 13 has high trauma prevention performance, breakage resistance performance, and abrasion resistance performance.

[0024] As described above, the fiber rope 1 of this embodiment, by having the above-described protective layer 13 for preventing damage, can reduce the cutting and abrasion of the rope caused by fishing gear such as fishing line (or by fish bites), and the protective layer 13 for preventing damage can follow the elongation of the rope. Therefore, it is possible to impart a function to reduce cutting and abrasion to the fiber rope without significantly affecting the function of the original rope itself (without making it too heavy), which is very preferable.

[0025] <Embodiment 2> Embodiment 2 is a fiber rope used as a mooring rope for a floating offshore wind power generation device, similar to Embodiment 1. The fiber rope of this embodiment is the same as Embodiment 1, except that the protective layer 13 for preventing damage is made using a knitted sheet KS instead of a woven sheet FS. Therefore, only the knitted sheet KS will be described below, and the other components will not be described.

[0026] Figure 3(a) is a diagram illustrating the general structure of the knitted sheet KS. The knitted sheet KS is a knitted sheet made of polyarylate fibers, which are a protective material for preventing injuries and are super fibers. It is constructed using warp knitting (a method in which loops are created with warp threads, and these loops are repeatedly connected to loops formed by the next warp thread to form a surface). Note that "warp knitting" itself is a conventional knitting method (there are many types of "warp knitting" methods, and any of these can be used), so a detailed explanation is omitted here. The knitted sheet KS is a protective material for preventing injuries and is knitted with warp threads 131-1 made of polyarylate fibers, which are super fibers. As a result, it has high injury prevention performance, breakage resistance, and abrasion resistance. Furthermore, although the knitted sheet KS is made of warp threads 131-1 formed of polyarylate fibers that do not stretch much, the warp threads 131-1 have loops (excess length), so the sheet has elasticity.

[0027] As described above, the fiber rope of this embodiment is equipped with a protective layer 13 made of a knitted sheet KS, which reduces cutting and abrasion of the rope caused by fishing gear such as fishing line (or by fish bites), similar to Embodiment 1, and the protective layer 13 can follow the elongation of the rope. Therefore, it is possible to impart a function to reduce cutting and abrasion to the fiber rope without significantly affecting the function of the original rope itself (without making it too heavy), making it very suitable.

[0028] In Embodiment 2, a warp-knitted knitted sheet is used as an example, but a knitted sheet made by weft knitting (where loops are created with weft threads, and these loops are repeatedly connected to loops formed by the next weft thread to form a surface) may also be used. Figure 3(b) is a diagram illustrating the general structure of the weft-knitted fabric sheet KS2. "Weft knitting" itself is a conventional knitting method (there are many types of weft knitting methods, and any of these can be used), so a detailed explanation will be omitted here. Note that "weft knitting" includes "flat knitting (which results in a single piece of fabric)" and "circular knitting (which results in a tubular shape)," but both can be used in this invention (in the concept of this invention, "knitted sheet" includes tubular shapes). The knitted sheet KS2, which is weft-knitted with polyarylate fiber 132-1, a super fiber that serves as a protective material to prevent injuries, possesses high injury prevention, breakage resistance, and abrasion resistance, similar to the knitted sheet KS, while also being elastic as a sheet (weft knitting offers better elasticity than warp knitting). Knitted sheet KS and knitted sheet KS2 are "knitted sheets configured to be stretchable in at least one direction while using yarn made of trauma-preventing protective material," and are "constructed by forming loops with warp or weft threads made of trauma-preventing protective material, and repeatedly connecting the said loops with loops formed by the next warp or weft threads made of trauma-preventing protective material to form a surface, and the presence of the said loops makes the knitted sheet stretchable." Furthermore, the protective layer for preventing injuries, which is made of knitted sheets, only needs to be "configured so that the direction in which the knitted sheets can be stretched is the longitudinal direction of the rope." The "direction in which the knitted sheets can be stretched" is determined by the knitting method used for the knitted sheets (for example, weft knitting stretches well in the weft direction), and it is sufficient that the "direction in which they can be stretched" is configured to align with the longitudinal direction of the rope.

[0029] In Embodiment 1, polyarylate fibers are used as an example of super fibers constituting the warp threads of the woven sheet constituting the trauma-preventing protective layer, and in Embodiment 2, polyarylate fibers are also used as an example of super fibers constituting the warp threads (or weft threads) of the knitted sheet constituting the trauma-preventing protective layer. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and the super fibers may be any of high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, poly(p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibers, aramid fibers, or carbon fibers. Furthermore, the warp threads of a woven sheet or the warp threads (or weft threads) of a knitted sheet may be constructed using metal wires, such as steel wires.

[0030] In Embodiment 1, the weft threads of the woven sheet constituting the trauma-preventing protective layer are made of nylon fibers as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be made of urethane fibers or polyester fibers. The weft threads are preferably made of a material with an elongation rate of 10% or more in order to impart stretchability to the woven sheet. Furthermore, it is preferable that the woven sheet can follow the elongation of the inner layer strength matrix, and therefore, it is preferable that the weft threads of the woven sheet are made of materials with an elongation rate equal to or greater than that of the inner layer strength matrix.

[0031] Embodiment 1 uses a woven sheet in which the warp threads are composed of an injury-preventing protective material and the weft threads are composed of an extendable member as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an injury-preventing protective layer may be constructed using a woven sheet in which the warp threads are composed of an extendable member and the weft threads are composed of an injury-preventing protective material. In this case, when winding the woven sheet, the warp threads, being the extendable member, are positioned so that the direction in which they can be stretched is the longitudinal direction of the rope. When weaving the woven sheet, it is easier to make it as a sheet that is long in the direction along the warp threads. Considering that an injury-preventing protective layer is constructed by winding such a sheet, it is preferable to have the warp threads composed of an injury-preventing protective material and the weft threads composed of an extendable member (the configuration described in Embodiment 1).

[0032] In the embodiment, the example shows a woven sheet (or knitted sheet) being wrapped so that the winding pitch for forming the trauma-preventing protective layer is half the width of the woven sheet (or knitted sheet) (thus resulting in a double layer of woven sheet (or knitted sheet) overall). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the woven sheet (or knitted sheet) may be wrapped at any pitch. Furthermore, the trauma-preventing protective layer is not limited to being formed by a single winding of the woven sheet (or knitted sheet), but may be formed by winding the woven sheet (or knitted sheet) multiple times. Furthermore, as the winding pitch of the woven sheet increases, the inclination of the weft threads relative to the longitudinal direction of the rope tends to increase. However, since the woven sheet will still stretch in that direction, there is no particular problem (it is not strictly necessary for the direction of the weft threads to be aligned with the longitudinal direction of the rope; there is no particular problem as long as the woven sheet is arranged such that the direction in which it can be stretched due to the weft or warp threads being stretchable is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the rope).

[0033] In this embodiment, a protective layer 13 made of a woven sheet (or knitted sheet) is provided on top of (outside of) the particle intrusion prevention material 14 made of soil filter SF. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the protective layer 13 made of a woven sheet (or knitted sheet) may be placed as the lower layer (however, in this embodiment, the protective layer 13 also has the function of protecting the particle intrusion prevention material 14, so this embodiment is preferred). In addition, other functional layers may be provided. Furthermore, depending on the intended use of the rope, a soil filter (particle intrusion prevention material) is not necessarily required, and in the application of this invention, a soil filter (particle intrusion prevention material) is not essential.

[0034] In the embodiment, the inner layer strength base is shown as being composed of seven fiber ropes, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of fiber ropes constituting the inner layer strength base may be any number that can obtain the required strength (for example, the inner layer strength base may be composed of one fiber rope). Furthermore, while this embodiment uses an example where seven fiber ropes are arranged in parallel to form the inner layer strength base, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the inner layer strength base may be formed by twisting together multiple fiber ropes.

[0035] In the embodiments, the invention was described as a fiber rope used as a mooring rope for a floating offshore wind power generation device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the concept of the present invention as understood from the above description can be applied to fiber ropes used for any application (fiber ropes that require damage prevention performance, breakage resistance, or abrasion resistance). When applying the concept of the present invention to fiber ropes for other applications, the structure and materials of the inner layer strength base and outer layer braid should be appropriate for each application (other applications) (the application of the present invention is not limited to fiber ropes having the inner layer strength base and outer layer braid as described in the embodiments). [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1... Fiber rope 11...Inner layer strength matrix 12...Outer layer blade 13...Anti-trauma protective layer 14...Particle intrusion prevention material FS...Textile sheet KS...Knitting Sheet 131, 131-1...warp threads 132, 132-1...weft thread SF...Soil filter

Claims

1. An inner layer strength base composed of one or more fiber ropes, Outer blade and A fiber rope comprising: an inner layer strength base and an outer layer blade, wherein the protective layer is provided between the inner layer strength base and the outer layer blade, and is composed of a woven or knitted sheet made of yarn made of a protective material that is stretchable in at least one direction, and is arranged such that the direction in which it can be stretched is the longitudinal direction of the rope.

2. The fiber rope according to claim 1, wherein the knitted sheet is constructed by forming loops with warp or weft threads made of the trauma-preventing protective material, and repeatedly connecting the loops with the next loops formed by warp or weft threads made of the trauma-preventing protective material, and the knitted sheet is stretchable due to the presence of the loops.

3. The fiber rope according to claim 1, wherein the woven sheet is such that one of the warp threads and the weft thread is composed of the injury-preventing protective material and the other is composed of an extendable member, and the woven sheet is extendable because either the weft thread or the warp thread is the extendable member.

4. The fiber rope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the trauma prevention protective material is a super fiber.

5. The fiber rope according to claim 4, wherein the super fiber is any one of aramid fiber, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber, polyarylate fiber, poly(p-phenylenebenzobisoxazole) fiber, or carbon fiber.

6. The fiber rope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the trauma prevention protective material is a metal wire.

7. The fiber rope according to claim 3, wherein the elongation member is a member with an elongation rate of 10% or more.

8. The fiber rope according to claim 3, wherein the elongation member is a member having an elongation rate equal to or greater than that of the inner layer strength base.

9. The fiber rope according to claim 3, wherein the extension member is one of urethane fiber, nylon fiber, or polyester fiber.

10. The fiber rope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a particle intrusion prevention material composed of a soil filter for preventing the intrusion of particulate matter between the inner layer strength base and the outer layer blade.

11. The fiber rope according to claim 3, wherein the warp threads of the woven sheet are made of the trauma-preventing protective material and the weft threads are made of the stretching member.

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