EP3854461A1 - Flipline with chain in rope core - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a flipline (1), in particular for workplace positioning on a tree, comprising a rope core (2) and a textile sheath (3) arranged around the rope core (2), the rope core (2) being a chain (4) and at least a preferably textile rope element (5), and wherein the rope element (5) is arranged between the chain (4) and the sheath (3) and the rope core (2) is so tightly braided by the sheath that the flipline (1) a Has a stiffness of at least 1.0, measured according to the knotability test method according to EN1891: 1998.

Description

The invention relates to a flipline, in particular for workplace positioning on a tree, comprising a rope core and a textile jacket arranged around the rope core.

In the field of tree care in particular, fliplines, also known to those skilled in the art as a special form of lanyards / connecting means, are used as part of personal protective equipment for people working on trees. In general, such fliplines comprise a rope that has an eye at at least one end. On the flipline, especially if the rope has only one eye, a mechanical rope shortener or a clamping knot is also guided, each of which has an additional eye.

In order to secure themselves on the tree with the flipline, the person working on the tree wears a belt with two fastening elements, one on the left and one on the right. The flipline is then led around the tree so that the tree is between the flipline and the person. The eye of the flipline is then hooked into one fastening element of the belt with a carabiner and the eye of the rope shortener in the same way in the other. Depending on the thickness of the tree, the rope shorter can be moved along the flipline to adjust it. After the flipline has been anchored in the harness, the person can lean back to be secured to the tree by the flipline. To be able to use the rope shorteners, the flipline also needs an even surface that enables the rope shortener or the clamping knot to slide and reliably grip or brake.

To move up or down the tree, the person leans forward to loosen the flipline from the tree and swings ("flips") it up or down before climbing up or down and then himself lean back again to cover yourself. Since flipping only works in a targeted manner if the flipline has adequate rigidity, according to the prior art it has a steel cable core which is surrounded by a textile jacket for more comfortable handling of the flipline.

In addition to the requirements of the even surface and the particularly high rigidity, the Flipline should also have a special cut resistance, since hand saws and chainsaws are used in tree care. The arborist can do that when slipping Damage the lanyard. In order to make the flipline cut-resistant, it should be designed in such a way that it still offers sufficient safety against falling even if damaged or that the arborist has enough time to break off the sawing before the lanyard is completely severed.

The as yet unpublished European patent application AZ 19173790.7 discloses a flipline in which the cut resistance is increased in that two steel cable strands are surrounded by the cable sheath. Even if one of the neighboring rope sections is damaged, this flipline is able to secure the arborist using the remaining rope section. However, there is a need for a flipline with an even higher cut resistance.

From the non-generic technical field of bicycle locks is from the document WO 2019/115430 A1 known that a steel chain is surrounded by a large number of strands of rope and loosely wrapped in a jacket. This bicycle lock should be designed to be particularly flexible, so that such bicycle locks are not particularly suitable as fliplines. The bicycle lock disclosed in the cited publication is sold under the name "tex-lock" and is freely available in stores. Measurements have shown that this bicycle lock has a stiffness of 0.5, measured according to the knotability test method of EN1891: 1998.

The aim of the invention is to create a flipline which has a particularly high cut resistance, high rigidity and easy handling.

This goal is achieved with a flipline, which is particularly suitable for workplace positioning on a tree and which comprises a rope core and a textile sheath arranged around the rope core, the rope core comprising a chain and at least one preferably textile rope element, and the textile rope element between the chain and the sheath and the rope core is so tightly braided by the sheath that the flipline has a stiffness of at least 1.0, measured according to the test method for knotability according to EN1891: 1998.

The flipline according to the invention has a cut resistance, that is to say the duration until it is completely severed, which is higher than the cut resistance of a traditional flipline with a steel cable in the cable core. By using the chain in combination with the rope elements it can thus be achieved that this on the one hand a has particularly high cut resistance, but at the same time offers a cross-section that is as circular as possible, so that the Flipline is also easy to handle.

According to the invention, the high rigidity of the flipline is achieved through the particularly tight braiding of the rope core and not or not only through the choice of a particularly stiff chain or particularly stiff rope elements. This enables the chain and the rope elements to be freely selected with regard to the other requirements of the Flipline in order to achieve the high cut resistance.

In an advantageous embodiment, the rigidity of the flipline is greater than 1.5, preferably greater than 1.8. Due to the increased rigidity, the flipline can be "flipped" upwards even more easily, which makes it easier for the arborist to secure and move around the tree. In order to achieve the increased rigidity, the sheath can be braided even more tightly around the rope core, for example, or a stiffer rope core can be used.

The jacket is particularly preferably connected to the rope core in a force-fitting manner. This ensures that the sheath rests particularly closely on the rope core and prevents the sheath from slipping on it. The advantageous embodiment therefore enables both increased rigidity of the flipline and improved stability.

On the one hand, the chain could be made of fiber-reinforced plastic, for example, which has a corresponding cut resistance. In order to further increase the cut resistance, however, it is preferred to manufacture the chain from metal, preferably steel.

In a preferred embodiment, the chain has a breaking force of at least 12 kN, preferably at least 15 kN, particularly preferably at least 24 kN. These values can be achieved in particular with a steel chain and enable the Flipline to be particularly resistant to cuts.

The rope core preferably comprises at least two rope elements. This enables the rope elements to be arranged around the chain so that the flipline has an even surface and the jacket does not rest on the chain or only in a few places. In principle, however, it could also be provided to use only one rope element, whereby the chain and the rope element can be arranged essentially parallel to one another.

Furthermore, the chain preferably comprises chain links between which at least three gussets are formed, with exactly one rope element being arranged in each of the gussets. This enables, on the one hand, that a flipline with an even surface is achieved and, on the other hand, that a relative movement of the chain links is prevented in order to increase the rigidity of the flipline.

The chain preferably has chain links arranged essentially perpendicular to one another and the rope core comprises four rope elements, each of which lies in one of the gussets enclosed between the chain links. The rope elements located in the four gussets block the relative movement of the chain links by this construction to increase the rigidity. In this embodiment, the chain can be designed as a round steel chain, so that the flipline can be designed particularly inexpensively and a cross-section that is as circular as possible is achieved.

In particular in the aforementioned embodiment, at least one of the rope elements, preferably all rope elements, can have a diameter of at least 1.25 ^* k, where k is the protrusion of the chain links from the chain. This has the effect that the chain is spaced apart from the jacket by the cable elements and does not come into contact with it. As a result, a flipline can be achieved which has a regular surface finish and is easy to handle.

In a preferred embodiment, the rope core comprises additional filler material, preferably textile filler material, particularly preferably loose fibers. The effect of the filling material is that, on the one hand, the cut resistance is further increased and, on the other hand, the surface of the flipline can be designed even more regularly, since the filling material can be introduced into the spaces between the jacket, chain and rope elements. This enables a cross-section of the rope core and thus the flipline that is as circular as possible.

The filler material particularly preferably comprises loose fibers, because these particularly stop the cutting movement of a saw such as a chainsaw.

In an advantageous embodiment, the flipline has an even outer surface. In order to achieve this, the rope core can be designed in such a way that the jacket does not lie directly on the chain. For this purpose, the rope elements can be arranged accordingly or filler material can be provided in the rope core as described above.

In a further preferred embodiment, the jacket and the rope elements have a different color. This is used to visually identify whether the sheath is damaged in such a way that it makes the rope core visible. This allows the arborist to easily see the degree of damage to the flipline and arrange for the flipline to be replaced before it breaks completely. Particularly preferably, the rope elements can have signal colors, for example, in order to signal a cut in the flipline as clearly as possible.

The flipline can be designed in such a way that a pin is inserted through the last link of the chain at both ends of the flipline in order to form an end connection. This enables a particularly robust end connection of the chain in the flipline and at the same time a connection for a carabiner or a swivel joint. For this reason, the flipline preferably comprises a carabiner connected to the pin or a swivel joint connected to the pin at at least one end.

To prevent the jacket from fraying, the jacket is attached to the ends of the flipline. The setting of a whipping, welding by means of a heat cutter or gluing by means of an adhesive have proven particularly useful here.

In a further aspect, the invention relates to the use of the flipline according to one of the aforementioned embodiments for workplace positioning on a tree.

• Fig. 1 zeigt eine erfindungsgemäße Flipline im Querschnitt.
• Fig. 2 zeigt eine alternative Ausführungsform der erfindungsgemäßen Flipline im Querschnitt.

Advantageous and non-limiting embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

• Fig. 1 shows a flipline according to the invention in cross section.
• Fig. 2 shows an alternative embodiment of the flipline according to the invention in cross section.

Figure 1 shows the cross-section of a flipline 1, which is particularly suitable for workplace positioning and rope-supported access to a tree, but also for any other activity in which a person is to be secured to an essentially vertical structure. This can include, for example, sporting activities such as climbing, maintenance work on masts or cleaning work on artificial objects such as pillars.

Fliplines 1 generally have a length that is between 1.5 m and 15 m, preferably between 2 m and 10 m, and the fliplines 1 also have a diameter that is generally more than 12 mm. In principle, however, fliplines 1 are not limited to these dimensions, but can also be configured differently depending on the application. In particular, the flipline 1 can meet the requirements of at least one of the standards EN358, EN354 and ANSI Z133, which stipulate a static load capacity of at least 15 kN or at least 22 kN or at least 24.02 kN.

According to Figure 1 the flipline 1 comprises a rope core 2 and a jacket 3 which is arranged around the rope core 2 and consists of any desired textile fiber material. According to the invention, the rope core 2 comprises a chain 4 and at least two rope elements 5, which can be designed as textile rope elements 5, for example. This structure of the flipline 1 enables a particularly high cut resistance, so that the flipline 1 can withstand the cut of a chainsaw over a short period of time. In other embodiments, however, only one rope element 5 can be used, for example if the chain 4 is designed as a flat patented chain as described below. The rope element also does not necessarily have to be made of textile material, so that the rope element 5 can be made of extruded plastic, for example.

So that the flipline 1 is suitable for workplace positioning and enables an arborist to "flip" the flipline 1, it has a correspondingly high rigidity. The rigidity of the flipline 1 is achieved in particular by the fact that the cable core 2 is tightly braided by the jacket 3. In particular, the sheath 3 can braid around the rope core 2 so tightly that the sheath 3 is non-positively connected to the rope core 2. In most embodiments it is provided that the jacket 3 has only a single jacket layer.

The stiffness of a flipline 1 can, for example, be measured using the knotability test method according to EN1891: 1998. Here, an unused rope pattern is used and two individual cross-laps are knotted at a predetermined distance. The knots are then loaded by applying an appropriate force to the rope. This load is maintained for a predetermined period of time. The load is then reduced and the inner diameter of the knot is measured with a suitable measuring device, without changing the width of the knot by applying pressure to the measuring device. The knotability, ie rigidity, is then calculated from the quotient of the average inner diameter of the knot and the Rope diameter. With regard to the details of this measuring method, reference is made to the named EN1891: 1998, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

The stiffness of the flipline 1 determined by means of the measurement method mentioned should be at least 1.0. The rigidity of the flipline 1 is preferably greater than 1.5, particularly preferably greater than 1.8, so that the flipline 1 is particularly stiff.

The structure of the individual components of the flipline 1 to achieve high rigidity in combination with high cut resistance is now explained in detail below.

A particularly high cut resistance can be achieved if the chain 4 is made of steel. However, other metals or, in general, other materials are also suitable for the chain 4 if they offer sufficient cut resistance. The material and the structure of the chain 4 can be selected such that the chain 4 has a breaking force of at least 12 kN, preferably at least 15 kN, particularly preferably at least 24 kN.

The chain 4 consists of a large number of chain links 6, 7. Depending on the embodiment of the chain 4, all chain links 6, 7 can be of the same design and arranged at a predetermined angle to one another, for example if the chain 4 is designed as a round steel chain or bridge chain. In these embodiments, the chain links 6, 7 are each arranged essentially perpendicular to one another. However, other types of chains 4 with unequal and / or non-perpendicular chain links 6, 7, as is the case with patent chains, for example, can also be used for the flipline 1.

The preferably textile rope elements 5 are, for example, braided or twisted and can be arranged in the rope core 2 complementary to the chain links 6, 7. For example, two textile rope elements 5 can be provided and the textile rope elements 5 are located on a respective other side of the chain 4. If more than two textile rope elements 5 are provided, these can be arranged evenly around the chain 4.

In most embodiments, the rope elements 5 are each structurally the same. In other embodiments, the cable elements 5 can have the same diameter, but at least one cable element 5 can be rotated and at least one other cable element 5 can be braided. In still others Embodiments can all rope elements 5, for example, be braided, but each have different diameters. All rope elements 5 could also be braided and have the same diameter, but made from a different material.

Depending on the embodiment of the chain 4, gussets 8 are formed between the chain links 6, 7. How out Figure 1 it can be seen that in a round steel chain in which essentially flat chain links 6, 7 are each arranged perpendicular to one another, four gussets 8 are formed between the chain links 6, 7. In this embodiment, a cable element 5 can be arranged in each of the four gussets 8 in order to prevent mutual movement of the chain links 6, 7 and to further increase the rigidity of the chain 4.

In particular, the rope elements 5 are not subject to any special requirements with regard to rigidity, because this is primarily achieved by the tight braiding of the rope core 2 with the jacket 3. For example, the preferably textile rope elements 5 can consist of the same material as the jacket 3. Preferably, however, the rope elements 5 and the sheath 3 have different colors, so that it can be visually recognized when the sheath 3 is damaged.

The rope elements 5 can have a diameter d of at least d = 1.25 ^* k, where k is the protrusion of the chain links 6, 7 from the chain 4. This enables the rope elements 5 to be at least so large that the chain 4 does not rest on the jacket 3. The flipline 1 is given an even surface and the structure of the chain 4 cannot be seen from the outside.

The even surface, in which the structure of the chain 4 cannot be seen from the outside, can also be achieved independently of the above-described calculation of the diameter d of the rope elements. For example, many rope elements 5 with a smaller diameter d than described above can be used. Even with chains 4 that do not have regular gussets 8 as described above, the even surface can be achieved by means of correspondingly thick or correspondingly many rope elements 5.

Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the chain 4 according to the invention, in which additional textile filling material 9 is provided in the rope core 2. The filling material 9 can be provided, for example, in an intermediate space which is formed between the chain 4, the cable elements 5 and the jacket 3. It can thereby be achieved that the chain 4 does not comes to lie directly on the jacket 3, which improves the handling of the flipline 1.

In Figure 2 four different possibilities are shown how the filling material 9 can be configured. The filling material 9 on the upper side of the rope core 2 is a single yarn with a circular cross-section, which enables the flipline 1 to be manufactured particularly easily. The filling material 9 on the right-hand side of the rope core 2 is a hollow braid with an oval cross-section, as a result of which more space is filled compared to a yarn with a circular cross-section.

The filling material 9 on the lower side of the rope core 2 is a combination of three yarns with a circular cross section and on the left side of the cable core 2 is a combination of two yarns with a circular cross section. In still other embodiments, more than three yarns can also be provided in an intermediate space.

It goes without saying that the flipline 1 does not have to include four different embodiments of filler material 9, as exemplified in FIG Figure 2 is shown. Usually, the spaces between the flipline 1 are filled with one of the above-mentioned options, although mixed variants with a combination of the above-mentioned options can also be provided.

The filler material 9 can on the one hand consist of tensioned yarns, but on the other hand also comprise loose fibers, which further helps to increase the cut resistance of the flipline 1. Embodiments in which the filler material 9 does not consist of textile material are also conceivable, for example if the filler material 9 consists of profiled plastic strips. The filling material 9 can have a different color than the jacket 3 and / or than the cable elements 5. This also helps to be able to visually better assess the degree of damage to the flipline 1. If the filling material 9 itself comprises textile or at least rope-shaped material, it is preferred if this has a diameter which is, for example, less than half the diameter of the rope elements 5.

The ends of the flipline 1 can be made in different ways. In particular, the jacket 3 can be fixed at the ends of the flipline 1 in order to prevent the jacket 3 from fraying. This can be done, for example, by setting a whipping, welding by means of a heat cutter or gluing by means of an adhesive.

The chain 4 can be fixed at the ends of the flipline 1 by inserting a pin through the respective last chain link 6 or 7 of the chain 4 in order to form an end connection. A carabiner or swivel joint can then be connected to one or both of the pins. The swivel joint can in turn be connected to a carabiner as a result.

Claims (14)

Flipline (1), in particular for workplace positioning on a tree, comprising a rope core (2) and a textile jacket (3) arranged around the rope core (2), characterized in that
the rope core (2) comprises a chain (4) and at least one preferably textile rope element (5), wherein the rope element (5) is arranged between the chain (4) and the sheath (3) and the rope core (2) is so close from the The jacket (3) is braided around so that the flipline (1) has a stiffness of at least 1.0, measured in accordance with the knotability test method according to EN1891: 1998. Flipline (1) according to claim 1, wherein the rigidity is greater than 1.5, preferably greater than 1.8. Flipline (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the chain (4) is made of metal, preferably steel. Flipline (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 3, the chain (4) having a breaking force of at least 12 kN, preferably at least 15 kN, particularly preferably at least 24 kN. Flipline according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rope core (2) comprises at least two rope elements (5). Flipline according to one of Claims 1 to 5, the chain (4) comprising chain links (6, 7) between which at least three gussets (8) are formed, with exactly one rope element (5) being arranged in each of the gussets (8) . Flipline (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the chain (4) has chain links (6, 7) arranged essentially perpendicular to one another and the rope core (2) comprises four rope elements (5), each in one of the between the Chain links (6, 7) enclosed gussets (8) lie. Flipline (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein at least one of the rope elements (5), preferably all rope elements (5), have a diameter of at least 1.25 ^∗ k, where k is the protrusion of the chain links (6, 7) from the chain (4). Flipline (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 8, the rope core (2) comprising additional filler material (9), preferably textile filler material, particularly preferably loose fibers. Flipline (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 9, the rope core (2) being designed in such a way that the jacket (3) does not lie directly on the chain (4). Flipline (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the jacket (3) and the rope element (5) have a different color. Flipline (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 11, a pin being inserted through the respective last chain link (6, 7) of the chain (4) at both ends of the flipline (1) in order to form an end connection, the flipline (1) preferably further comprises a carabiner connected to the pin or a swivel joint connected to the pin at at least one of the ends of the flipline (1). Flipline (1) according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the jacket (3) is fixed at the ends of the flipline (1), preferably by setting a whipping, welding by means of a heat cutter or gluing by means of an adhesive. Use of the flipline (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 13 for workplace positioning on a tree.

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