Wire Rope End Sleeve With Soft Intermediary to Prevent Breakage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power transmission units, particularly those using high-strength steel wire ropes, are prone to damage and breakage at the end connection due to mechanical stresses, leading to reduced service life.
Innovation Solution
A power transmission unit design featuring a sleeve with a wall thickening at one end to encase a connecting member of softer material, such as an aluminum or copper alloy, which provides a positive fit and reduces mechanical stress on the cable, thereby preventing damage and extending the unit's service life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a steel sleeve is pressed directly onto a high-strength steel wire rope, then the connection strength is improved, but the rope is damaged leading to breakage
Solution Approach 1:
A connecting element made of softer material (aluminum or copper alloy) is introduced as an intermediary between the steel sleeve and the wire rope. This connecting element has a lower strength than both the sleeve and the rope, allowing it to deform preferentially during the pressing process. The softer connecting element protects the high-strength wire rope from damage while still providing adequate connection strength, and the sleeve can be pressed onto the connecting element without directly contacting and damaging the rope strands.
2Reliability
If the sleeve wall thickness is increased to protect the connecting element, then the protective function is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sleeve features a localized wall thickening at the end where the connecting element is inserted, rather than uniformly increasing the wall thickness throughout. This local reinforcement provides enhanced protection for the connecting element at the critical area where mechanical stresses are highest during installation and use, while maintaining a simpler and lighter overall sleeve structure. The wall thickening creates a reinforced chamber that completely encloses the connecting element without requiring complex overall redesign of the sleeve.
Data Source
Figure 1~2(c)
Figure 3(a)~3(c)
Figure 4(a)~4(c)
AI summary
The invention relates to a force transmission unit (10) that has a rope (3), particularly a wire rope, and a device for introducing a force into the rope (3), comprising a sleeve (1) enclosing the rope (3) and connected to the rope (3) under deformation. The force transmission unit (10) according to the invention is characterised by a connecting member (2) which is arranged between the sleeve (1) and the rope (3) and formed from a material that has a lower strength than the materials from which the sleeve (1) and the outer strands of the rope (3) are formed and which preferably has a hollow cylindrical shape.