Grooved Composite Elevator Rope for Single-Pass Pultrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing technology of composite-structured elevator ropes is costly and inefficient, requiring multiple phases and storage of load-bearing parts on reels, which hampers productivity and increases costs, while also complicating the coating process and integration of condition monitoring sensors.
Innovation Solution
A rope with a load-bearing part of rectangular cross-section, featuring glass or aramid fiber reinforcements in a polymer matrix, with longitudinal grooves to divide it into smaller parts, allowing for single-pass pultrusion manufacturing and improved coating uniformity, enabling cost-effective and efficient production, storage, and integration of optical fibers for condition monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If composite-structured ropes are manufactured using conventional methods with multiple phases and polymer layer coating, then the ropes achieve required strength and durability, but manufacturing costs increase and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing part is divided into multiple parallel elements (first, second, and third load-bearing parts) that are manufactured separately and then combined. This segmentation allows each element to be produced independently using pultrusion technology, improving manufacturing efficiency while maintaining the required longitudinal strength through the composite structure of multiple load-bearing elements working together
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple separately manufactured load-bearing parts are merged into a single integrated structure by combining them with polymer layers to form the complete rope. This merging process achieves the required strength and durability while avoiding the need for complex multi-phase manufacturing of a single monolithic component, thereby improving productivity
2Strength
If multiple load-bearing parts are manufactured separately and bound together with polymer layers, then the required longitudinal strength is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rope structure is segmented into distinct load-bearing parts (first, second, and third parts) that can be manufactured independently using standardized pultrusion processes. This segmentation simplifies the manufacturing process by allowing parallel production of components rather than complex multi-phase manufacturing of a single component, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while achieving required strength
Solution Approach 2:
The polymer layers serve multiple functions: they bind the load-bearing parts together, provide structural integrity, and contribute to the rope's durability. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components or processes, simplifying the overall manufacturing approach while maintaining required strength properties
3Ease of manufacture
If load-bearing parts are stored on multiple reels, then the manufacturing process can proceed in phases, but handling and storage costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple load-bearing parts are combined into a single integrated rope structure during the manufacturing process, eliminating the need for separate storage of individual components on multiple reels. This merging approach maintains phased manufacturing capability while significantly reducing storage space requirements by consolidating components into one continuous structure
4Shape
If the rope width is increased to reduce bending radius, then the bearing surface area is maintained, but the structural complexity and coating difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The load-bearing part is segmented into parallel elements with a width-to-thickness ratio of at least 2, creating a wider but thinner structure that achieves the required bending radius. This segmentation allows the coating process to be applied uniformly to each element rather than to a complex three-dimensional structure, reducing coating complexity while maintaining the beneficial shape properties
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a rope (R) of a lifting device, more particularly of a passenger transport elevator and/or freight transport elevator, an elevator, and a method for manufacturing the rope, which rope comprises an unbroken load-bearing part (P), the profile of which is essentially of rectangular shape, and the width of the cross-section is greater than the thickness and which load-bearing part comprises glass fiber reinforcements and/or aramid fiber reinforcements and/or carbon fiber reinforcements and/or polybenzoxazole fiber reinforcements and/or polyethylene fiber reinforcements and/or nylon fiber reinforcements in a polymer matrix material, and that the long sides of the cross-section of the load-bearing part (P) comprise one or more grooves (G) symmetrically or asymmetrically in the longitudinal direction of the rope, which grooves (G) divide the load-bearing part (P) into smaller parts (P1, P2,..., PM).