Braided Locking Sheath for Rope Slippage and Diameter Adaptability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical devices for blocking and unlocking slender tubular elements, such as ropes in boating, face issues like rope slippage, mechanical degradation, limited adaptability to specific rope diameters, and insufficient slip resistance, especially with high-performance materials like Dyneema, leading to unreliable blocking and sudden tension release.
Innovation Solution
A tubular braided or knitted blocking sheath with a significant distance between inlet and outlet orifices, allowing for manual tensioning and deactivation, which provides enhanced friction and adaptability to various rope diameters without crushing the rope, ensuring reliable blocking and controlled sliding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical crushing is used to block the rope, then the rope is secured, but the rope accelerates mechanical and chemical degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical crushing system with a friction-based system using a braided oversheath. This substitution eliminates the mechanical degradation caused by crushing while maintaining blocking reliability. The rope retains its original circular cross-section and is not subjected to stress concentrations from crushing.
Solution Approach 2:
The braided oversheath acts as an intermediary between the blocking device and the rope. Instead of the blocking device directly crushing the rope, the oversheath mediates the interaction through friction, protecting the rope from mechanical and chemical degradation while enabling reliable blocking.
2Strength
If high-performance materials like Dyneema are used on the rope, then rope performance is improved, but the rope slides due to very low coefficient of friction
Solution Approach 1:
The braided oversheath serves as an intermediary between the low-friction Dyneema rope and the blocking device. The oversheath's high-friction braided surface prevents slippage, allowing the Dyneema rope's strength advantages to be fully utilized without compromising blocking reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the friction parameter at the blocking interface by introducing the braided oversheath. This allows the use of low-friction high-strength materials like Dyneema while maintaining adequate friction for reliable blocking through the oversheath's textured surface.
3Reliability
If mechanical devices are designed for specific rope diameters, then effective blocking is achieved, but adaptability to various rope diameters is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The braided locking sheath design provides universal adaptability to different rope diameters. The braided structure can accommodate various rope sizes without requiring precise diameter matching, as the friction-based mechanism adapts to the rope's dimensions while maintaining effective blocking across multiple rope types.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves significant sliding resistance with a compact design, suitable for high-tension applications, preventing rope degradation and ensuring controlled tension release, thus improving the durability and reliability of the blocking device.
Implementation Method 1
The solution achieves significant sliding resistance with a compact design, suitable for high-tension applications, preventing rope degradation and ensuring controlled tension release
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a device (1) for locking and unlocking an elongate tubular element (2), including: a. a locking sleeve (3) having first (3a) and second (3b) braided or knitted ends and comprising an inlet hole (4) for the insertion of the elongate tubular element (2) and an outlet hole (5) for the release of the elongate tubular element (2); b. securing means (6) for securing the locking sleeve (3) to a support (7); and c. tensioning means (8) for tensioning the locking sleeve (3) along a substantially straight path (L), allowing the elongate tubular element (2) to be locked in the locking sleeve (3) between the inlet (4) and outlet (5) holes, and said tensioning means (8) can be manually deactivated in order to unlock the elongate tubular element (2) so that it can slide inside the internal volume of the locking sleeve (3) and through the inlet (4) and outlet (5) holes, and/or with the aid of deactivation means (9).