Braided Jacket for Mooring Lines Resolving Stiffness Trade-off
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing protective jackets for load-bearing mooring equipment and ropes fail to provide adequate protection against tensile forces, abrasion, penetration of particles, buckling, and cuts while maintaining flexibility and preventing foreign bodies from entering the equipment.
Innovation Solution
A braided jacket comprising braid elements formed by braided ribbons with interlaced elements extending in the longitudinal direction, which can include textile or metal fibers, providing enhanced resistance to cuts, abrasion, and mechanical damage while maintaining flexibility and allowing for reinforcement and fairing coatings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a protective jacket is provided for mooring equipment, then protection against mechanical damage is improved, but the stiffness or bend radius of the mooring equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective jacket is divided into multiple braid elements (typically 6-12) that are braided around the mooring equipment. This segmentation allows the jacket to flex and bend more easily while still providing comprehensive protection, as each individual braid element can move independently rather than a single rigid shell
Solution Approach 2:
The braid elements are constructed from composite structures combining yarns with high-tensile-strength fibres (such as aramid or polyethylene) and matrix fibres. This composite material approach provides excellent mechanical protection and cut resistance while maintaining flexibility and pliability of the overall jacket structure
2Strength
If reinforcement threads are incorporated in the braiding, then resistance against cuts is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcement threads are merged into the braid elements themselves during the braiding process, rather than being added as separate components. The reinforcement threads are laid in the axial direction and integrated with the yarns forming the braid elements, creating a unified structure that resists cuts while maintaining a relatively simple single-step braiding construction
Solution Approach 2:
The reinforcement threads are strategically positioned within the braid elements at locations most susceptible to cut damage. This localized reinforcement approach provides maximum cut resistance where needed most without requiring reinforcement throughout the entire jacket structure, thereby limiting complexity increase
3Reliability
If the protective jacket is made tight to prevent penetration, then protection against particle penetration is improved, but the pliability of the jacket deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective jacket is constructed as a flexible braided structure rather than a rigid shell or tight wrapping. The braided configuration with interconnected braid elements creates a flexible yet enclosing structure that maintains particle penetration protection through its tight braided construction while inherently allowing bending and movement due to the flexible nature of the braid elements and their interlacing pattern
Data Source
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AI summary
A jacket (2) for a load-bearing, lengthy body (3), wherein the jacket (2) is comprised of a plurality of braid elements (12) which, when braided, enclose at least a portion of the lengthy body (3), and wherein the braid element (12) is comprised of a braided ribbon. A method of forming the jacket (2) is also described.