Hoisting Winch Safety System with Pre-loaded Brake Caliper
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current safety systems for rotating parts under high torque, such as hoisting winch drums, face challenges including non-zero tripping times, potential for accidents during brake activation, and risk of damage to components during load lowering, especially when handling heavy loads.
Innovation Solution
A safety system comprising a hollow toothed wheel integral with the drum, an endless screw, and a follower drive system, combined with a rotatable braking disc and a brake caliper with a controlled jaw for precise clamping and opening, allowing for controlled energy dissipation and load lowering without damaging the wheel/screw connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a brake system is used to stop the load in the event of drive system failure, then the load can be stopped, but the system has non-zero tripping times during which the load moves and acquires kinetic energy requiring oversized brakes
Solution Approach 1:
The brake caliper is pre-positioned and pre-loaded against the braking disc, so that when the drive system fails and desynchronization occurs, the brake is already in place and can immediately engage without any tripping delay. The follower drive system continuously maintains the brake caliper in a ready-to-engage state, eliminating the time lag between failure detection and brake activation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a braking disc positioned between the drum and the brake caliper that can absorb and dissipate the kinetic energy of the load before it causes damage. The friction material on the braking disc provides a cushioning effect during the brief engagement period, protecting both the brake components and the load from the effects of sudden stopping while maintaining immediate response capability.
2Loss of time
If a worm screw and hollow wheel connection is used to block rotation immediately upon failure, then response time is eliminated, but particularly high stresses damage the teeth of the hollow wheel or the thread of the screw making recommissioning impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The braking disc acts as an intermediary component between the hollow wheel and the brake caliper. It provides a friction-based energy dissipation mechanism that protects the worm screw and hollow wheel teeth from direct impact stresses. The friction material on the braking disc absorbs the shock loads during emergency stopping, preventing damage to the precision meshing components while maintaining immediate response capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful kinetic energy and impact stresses into useful friction heat through the braking disc. The friction material is specifically designed to dissipate the energy generated during emergency stopping, transforming the harmful mechanical stresses that would damage the worm screw and hollow wheel into thermal energy that can be safely dissipated, thereby protecting the critical components.
3Strength
If shock absorption systems allowing axial movement of the endless screw are used, then component damage is reduced, but such systems are particularly difficult to dimension and require complex design
Solution Approach 1:
The braking disc serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides immediate energy dissipation during emergency stopping, protects the worm screw and hollow wheel from impact stresses, and enables controlled lowering of loads without requiring separate shock absorption mechanisms. This multi-functional design achieves component protection without adding the complexity of dedicated shock absorption systems with axial movement capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the shock absorption function from the overall system design and integrates it directly into the brake assembly through the braking disc. Rather than adding a separate complex shock absorption mechanism, the friction-based energy dissipation is built into the existing brake structure, simplifying the overall system while maintaining component protection.
4Ease of operation
If the wheel/screw connection is used to lower heavy loads, then load control is achieved, but irreversible damage occurs to the screw and hollow wheel due to friction under load
Solution Approach 1:
The braking disc serves as a protective intermediary during load lowering operations. When the follower drive system operates to lower loads, the braking disc's friction material absorbs and dissipates the heat and stresses generated by the interaction between the worm screw and hollow wheel, preventing the irreversible damage that would otherwise occur during prolonged or heavy load lowering operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the energy dissipation mechanism by using a friction-based braking disc with controllable friction characteristics. This allows the system to handle the thermal and mechanical parameters generated during load lowering without exceeding the damage thresholds of the worm screw and hollow wheel, enabling safe operation under heavy loads.
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
The system provides immediate and secure stopping of the load with reduced risk of component damage, flexible sizing options, and reliable operation even under heavy loads, enabling safe lowering of loads without compromising the integrity of the winch components.
Implementation Method 1
a brake caliper which is fixed to the chassis and which comprises at least one jaw controlled in position clamping of the disc
Implementation Method 2
an endless screw meshing the hollow wheel and being driven in rotation by a follower drive system
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a hoisting winch including: a frame (1) supporting (i) a drum (2) that can be rotated about an axis ? in order to wind a cable or the like and (ii) a main drive system (5) for rotating the drum (2) in accordance with an instruction; a safety system (S) comprising a so-called hollow toothed wheel (12) rotatably secured to the drum (2) and a worm gear (13) that engages with the hollow wheel (12) and is rotated by a follower drive system; and control means designed to control the follower drive system in order to rotate the screw, allowing the rotation of the hollow wheel (12) according to the instruction for rotating the drum (2). According to the invention, the safety system (S) further includes: at least one brake disk (10) which can rotate about a rotational axis and supports the worm gear (13) and the follower drive system; and at least one brake caliper (25) which is attached to the frame (1) and includes a jaw (26) that is locked in a position in which it is clamped to the disk (10), but can be opened.