Rope Eye Splice Method Using Reverse-Strand Threading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rope eye splices are prone to damage, require extensive time and labor, and often necessitate additional components, leading to increased weight, cost, and complexity, while also compromising the original integrity and strength of the rope.
Innovation Solution
A spliced-connection method for forming an eye in a rope where strands are reverse-oriented and rethreaded through the eye portion, allowing the splice to be integrated within the eye, thereby reducing the length and weight of the rope needed and minimizing the loss of original rope strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional splicing techniques (tuck-and-bury, full splice, Lankhorst A3) are used to form an eye in a rope, then the eye can be formed securely, but the rope must be unwound or disassembled extensively, sacrificing original integrity and requiring significant time and labor
Solution Approach 1:
The splicing process is segmented into distinct phases: forming a loop at the rope end, threading strands through the loop in specific patterns, and securing the splice. This segmentation allows for systematic execution while preserving rope integrity by avoiding complete unwinding of the entire rope length.
Solution Approach 2:
The method performs preliminary actions by first forming a loop at the rope end before proceeding with the actual splicing. This preliminary loop formation establishes the eye structure early, allowing subsequent threading and securing steps to follow a predetermined path that minimizes disruption to the rope's original structure.
2Reliability
If traditional splicing techniques are used, then the eye can be formed, but extra components (jacket and/or cover) are required to provide strength and structure, increasing cost, weight, and complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for additional jacket and cover components that were traditionally required. By redesigning the splicing method to use the rope's own strands in a specific threading pattern through the eye loop, the splice achieves necessary strength and structure using only the rope material itself, thereby removing extra components and reducing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rope strands serve multiple functions: they provide the structural body of the rope, form the eye loop, and create the securing splice pattern all without requiring separate components. This multi-functionality of the strands eliminates the need for additional jackets or covers, reducing both weight and structural complexity.
3Reliability
If traditional splicing techniques are used, then the eye can be formed, but the splice extends along a substantial portion of the rope body, increasing weight, length, and handling difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The splicing method applies local quality by concentrating the splice structure within a localized region at the rope end where the eye is formed. Rather than extending the splice along a substantial portion of the rope body, the threading pattern is designed to secure the eye within a compact area, minimizing the affected length and reducing overall weight while maintaining eye formation reliability.
4Reliability
If traditional splicing techniques are used, then the eye can be formed, but the original rope integrity, internal configuration, and strength are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies inversion by reversing the traditional approach: instead of unwinding the rope and reweaving strands, the method forms an eye loop first and then threads strands through this loop in a controlled pattern. This inverted sequence allows the rope's original structure to be preserved while the eye is formed by routing existing strands through the loop, maintaining internal configuration and strength.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus, systems and methods of forming an eye in a rope are provided. Various embodiments involve a braided splice extending through the entire eye and formed with at least one strand extending through the entire eye toward the forward end of the rope and at least one other strand extending through the entire eye in the opposite direction.