Bending Stiffness Detection for High-Strength Fiber Rope Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-strength fibre ropes used in cranes lack distinct warning signs of wear, making it difficult to detect their discard state before failure, unlike steel wire ropes, which complicates reliable monitoring and can jeopardize safety.
Innovation Solution
A device that monitors and determines the discard state of high-strength fibre ropes by measuring their bending stiffness, using a shear force stamp and rope support elements to apply pressure and measure deflection, providing a discard signal when the stiffness exceeds a threshold, ensuring reliable and precise detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If high-strength fibre ropes are used instead of steel wire ropes, then weight is reduced and payload capacity is increased, but the ability to detect wear and discard state is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces visual inspection methods with an automated mechanical measurement system that quantifies bending stiffness. The device uses a measurement wheel and force sensors to objectively measure rope properties, substituting subjective visual assessment with precise mechanical measurement to detect wear in fibre ropes that lack visible wear indicators.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous monitoring with feedback by measuring bending stiffness at regular intervals and comparing against threshold values. The evaluation unit provides feedback signals when wear thresholds are exceeded, enabling proactive replacement before failure occurs, thus maintaining reliability while using lightweight fibre ropes.
2Reliability
If multiple rope parameters are monitored to detect discard state, then detection reliability is improved, but device complexity and monitoring process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and focuses on a single critical parameter - bending stiffness - that correlates strongly with rope wear and remaining service life. By concentrating on this one key parameter rather than monitoring multiple parameters simultaneously, the system achieves reliable wear detection while keeping the device and monitoring process simple and economical.
3Measurement precision
If rope bending stiffness is measured continuously, then discard state detection precision is improved, but measurement time and operational downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs bending stiffness measurements periodically at predetermined intervals rather than continuously. This periodic measurement approach maintains sufficient detection precision to identify wear trends and predict failure while minimizing operational downtime and allowing normal crane operations to proceed between measurements.
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
Enables early and reliable detection of the discard state, utilizing the remaining service life of the fibre rope without compromising safety, even under heavy-duty conditions, by continuously monitoring bending stiffness changes.
Implementation Method 1
the rope is subjected to curvature... whereby the pressure head or engagement head of the shear force stamp can be moved toward the said connecting line and advantageously across this connecting line
Data Source
AI summary
An arrangement for detecting the discard state of a high-strength fiber rope when used on such hoists, with a device for determining at least one rope parameter and an evaluation unit for evaluating the rope parameter, and providing a discard signal depending upon the evaluation of the rope parameter. The determination device comprises bending stiffness determination means for determining the bending stiffness of the rope, whereby the evaluation unit provides the discard signal depending on the determined bending stiffness of the rope.