Pivotable Shoe Safety Device for Aerial Cable Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerial cable transportation systems face challenges in stably maintaining supporting cables in shoes, especially during adverse weather conditions such as strong lateral winds, which can cause the cables to come out of their seats and derail.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an innovative shoe assembly with a safety device featuring a pivotable cylindrical arm with blocking heads, which can be configured to inhibit transversal movements of the supporting cable during stop phases without obstructing the passage of trolleys during operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a shoe assembly supports a supporting cable in an aerial cable transportation system, then the cable can be maintained in position during normal operation, but strong lateral winds can cause the cable to come out of the seat and derail
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe assembly incorporates lateral blocking elements that preemptively prevent the supporting cable from moving laterally under wind load. These elements create a preliminary counter-action force that opposes any potential lateral displacement before it can occur, thereby preventing cable derailing during adverse weather conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The shoe assembly design allows for dynamic adjustment of cable retention characteristics. The blocking elements are positioned to provide rigid constraint during normal operation while permitting controlled movement during maintenance phases, adapting the system's mechanical constraints to different operational states without compromising cable stability under wind load.
2Device complexity
If the shoe assembly structure is simplified to reduce complexity, then manufacturing and maintenance become easier, but the ability to prevent cable derailment under adverse weather conditions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shoe assembly is divided into functional segments: a base structure for support, lateral blocking elements for cable retention, and maintenance access features. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design relatively simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The shoe assembly design integrates multiple functions into a single structure: it provides cable support, lateral constraint, and maintenance access. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining reliable cable retention capabilities under adverse weather conditions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A shoe assembly (4) for an aerial cable transportation system (1) comprising at least one supporting cable (2) and at least one transport unit (3) moved on the supporting cable (2); wherein the shoe assembly (4) comprises: an inlet (5); an outlet (6); at least one seat (7) extending from the inlet (5) to the outlet (6) to support the at least one supporting cable (2); at least one safety device (8) to hold the at least one supporting cable (2) at the corresponding at least one seat (7); wherein each safety device (8) comprises: a supporting arm (9) pivotable about a substantially vertical axis (A1) and passing at one end thereof at the side of the at least one seat (7); and at least one blocking head (10) coupled to the supporting arm (9); wherein in a first configuration the supporting arm (9) is orthogonal to and above the at least one seat (7) and the at least one blocking head (10) is at the at least one seat (7) to hold the at least one supporting cable (2); in a second configuration the supporting arm (9) is parallel to and at the side of the at least one seat (7) so that the supporting arm (9) and the at least one blocking head (10) do not represent an obstacle to the transit of the at least one transport unit (3) along the shoe assembly (4).