Low Friction Sheave Bracket for Mining Cable Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheave brackets for mining shuttle cars cause excessive friction and drag on cables due to direct contact with metal edges and accumulated debris, leading to reduced cable life and increased maintenance.
Innovation Solution
The use of horizontal bearing rollers to elevate the cable above the metal plate, reducing friction and allowing debris to fall away, while replacing larger sheave wheels with smaller vertical rollers to minimize freezing issues and enhance cable management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the cable runs directly across the metal sheave plate, then the bracket structure is simple, but friction and drag on the cable increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces rollers as intermediary elements between the cable and the metal sheave plate. These rollers serve as a mediator that transfers the cable movement function while eliminating direct frictional contact. The rollers are mounted on the bracket and rotate as the cable passes through, providing a low-friction interface that significantly reduces drag on the cable while maintaining the structural simplicity of the bracket.
2Ease of manufacture
If the cable contacts the metal plate directly, then the bracket design is straightforward, but cable life is reduced due to friction and debris accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The rollers act as a protective intermediary barrier between the cable and the metal plate. This intermediary layer prevents the cable from直接接触 the metal surface, thereby eliminating the harmful effects of friction and debris accumulation. The rollers can be made from materials that are more cable-friendly, such as polymer or composite materials, further protecting the cable from damage while maintaining ease of manufacture for the bracket assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the friction-generating contact surface (metal plate) from the cable path by introducing rollers that carry the cable. The harmful metal-to-cable contact is taken out of the system, replaced by a rolling contact mechanism. This extraction of the problematic interface significantly extends cable life by eliminating the primary sources of wear and damage.
3Reliability
If larger sheave wheels are used, then cable support is improved, but freezing issues occur that increase friction and tension
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the size parameter of the sheave components by using smaller diameter rollers instead of large sheave wheels. This parameter change has two beneficial effects: first, smaller rollers are less prone to freezing issues because they have less surface area exposed to cold temperatures and can rotate more freely; second, the smaller size reduces the moment of inertia, allowing the rollers to start and stop more easily, thereby maintaining reliable cable support without the freezing problems that plague larger wheels.
4Device complexity
If the cable drags across the rounded metal edge, then the bracket is simpler to construct, but tension and drag on the cable increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rollers serve as an intermediary that eliminates the cable's direct contact with the rounded metal edge of the bracket. Instead of dragging across the sharp edge, the cable now rolls on the roller surface. This intermediary mechanism transforms the harmful sliding friction at the metal edge into beneficial rolling friction on the roller, significantly reducing cable tension and drag while adding minimal complexity to the bracket construction.
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
This solution significantly reduces cable tension and drag, extends the life of trailing cables, and improves cable management by minimizing contact with metal surfaces and facilitating the passage of splices with less resistance.
Implementation Method 1
The rollers raise the cable off the edge of the sheave plate and allow the cable to run through the bracket without dragging on the metal sheave plate. This may reduce the friction on the cable
Data Source
AI summary
An electrically powered mining vehicle including a frame rollingly supported on a surface for movement over the surface. An electric motor is coupled to the frame for proving power to the vehicle. A cable is electrically coupled to the electric motor for supplying electricity thereto and a cable management system is coupled to the frame and arranged to receive and payout the cable as the vehicle moves over the surface. A sheave bracket is coupled to the frame and arranged to direct the cable into the cable management system and includes a lower plate arranged substantially horizontally, a plurality of vertical rollers that are coupled to the lower plate and are arranged to guide the cable into the cable management system, and a horizontal roller that is coupled to the lower plate and arranged to elevate the cable above the lower plate.