Guide Mandrel Twisting for Uniform Cable Lay Length
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional devices for twisting individual cables into bundles often result in undesirable oscillations and irregular impacts during the twisting process, especially with longer cables, leading to a non-uniform twist lay length and quality issues.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring individual rotating units, a twisting unit, and a guide device with a guide mandrel that includes a thickening section to separate and stabilize the cables, reducing oscillations by providing a secure guide area and limiting movement during the twisting process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If individual wires are twisted together during the twisting process, then a cable bundle is formed, but unwanted vibrations occur especially with longer wires leading to irregular lays and uneven lay length
Solution Approach 1:
A guide mandrel is introduced as an intermediary element between the twisting unit and the individual wires. The guide mandrel provides a stable reference surface that the wires follow during twisting, preventing unwanted vibrations and ensuring uniform lay length. The guide mandrel mediates the interaction between the twisting motion and the wires, particularly for long wires that are prone to vibration.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide mandrel changes the geometric parameters of the twisting process by providing a fixed reference radius. This ensures that the wires maintain a consistent distance from the twisting axis throughout the process, preventing variations in lay length and reducing vibrations that would otherwise occur with long wires.
2Manufacturing precision
If the guide mandrel is made longer to standardize wires, then lay length can be controlled, but vibrations increase leading to irregular lays
Solution Approach 1:
The guide mandrel acts as a mediator that provides just enough guidance to control lay length without excessive length that would cause vibrations. By positioning the guide mandrel appropriately and using its surface to guide the wires, the system achieves lay length control with minimal mandrel engagement, preventing oscillations.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than making the entire guide mandrel long, the invention applies guidance locally at the critical region where wires transition from untwisted to twisted state. The guide mandrel provides localized guidance where it is most needed for lay length control, without the excessive length that would induce vibrations throughout the entire wire length.
3Device complexity
If conventional twisting units are used without individual twisting units, then device complexity is reduced, but wire pairs twist around their own axis causing quality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The twisting function is segmented into individual twisting units, each responsible for a specific wire or wire pair. This segmentation allows each unit to control the twisting of its assigned wire independently, preventing unwanted self-twisting and ensuring uniform twist distribution. The guide mandrel coordinates these segmented units to work together as a system.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
A device (100) and a method for twisting individual conductors (11, 12) around a twisting axis (V) to form a conductor bundle (10) along an extension axis (A) are provided. The device (100) comprises spaced-apart individual rotary units (41, 42) for separately holding conductor ends (15, 16) at one end of the individual conductors (11, 12), a twisting unit (30) for holding and twisting conductor ends at the other end of the individual conductors (11, 12), and a guide device (35) to which a guide mandrel (360) is attached for at least partially separating the individual conductors 11, 12 during a twisting process by means of the twisting unit in a region where there is a transition from an untwisted region to a twisted region.The guide mandrel (360) includes on one side opposite its attachment to the guide device (35) a thickening (361) which has larger dimensions in a direction transverse to the direction of travel of the guide mandrel (360) than in most of the guide mandrel (360).