GB2028249A - Winch - Google Patents

Abstract

A cable traction winch (10) comprises mutually relatively inclined cable carrier discs (13) mounted on a common axis (16') and linked by rods (28) extending parallel to the common axis (16') and through the discs (13). Idler wheels (31) guide a cable (36) over the outer peripheries of the discs (13) and hydraulic motors (33, 34) drive the rods (28) around the common axis (16') by way of gear wheels (22, 23) thereby to rotate the carrier discs (13) synchronously each about its own axis of rotation so that the cable (36) is driven through the winch (10) being transferred between adjacent discs (13) at the regions (21) of closest approach between the discs (13). In an alternative embodiment the discs are toothed at the periphery, the teeth intermeshing at the regions of closest approach between the discs. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Winch The invention concerns winches.

Traction winches are known for lifting or drawing cable, the cable being stored in a state of tension on a spool of the winch. However some types of cable such as electrical cable or arrays with soft outer casings cannot be stored under tension.

An aim of the present invention is to provide a cable handling traction winch which enables the cable after being drawn or lifted to be stored in a state of little or no tension.

A further aim of the present invention is to provide a cable handling traction winch which subjects the cable to less wear and fatigue than do known traction winches.

According to the present invention there is provided a cable handling traction winch comprising a plurality of carrier discs mounted adjacent one another on a common axis, a plurality of cable guide members mounted circumferentially of the discs, and means for driving each carrier disc about its respective axis of rotation, the axis of rotation of each disc being inclined to the common axis and to the axis of rotation of each immediately adjacent disc, the guide members being disposed such that a cable introduced into the winch is carried on a circumferential portion of each disc during the rotation of the disc and successive portions of the cable are transferred from one disc to another after being turned through a predetermined angle.

Preferably the axes of rotation of the discs lie within a common plane and each such axis is advantageously inclined at the same angle to the common axis but alternately on the opposite sides of the common axis.

The means for driving each carrier disc about its respective axis of rotation may comprise a separate independent device for each disc. Preferably howeverthe means comprises a single device operative to drive the discs synchronously and with the same angular velocity.

The guide means disposed circumferentially about the carrier discs may comprise idler wheels such as pulley wheels with the groove of each pully wheel having a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the cable being handled by the winch. The wheels may be mounted on fixed common axes but advantageously each wheel is independently mounted and sprung to facilitate the passage of cable connectors through the winch and to provide a degree of automatic adaptation to different cable sizes.

The present invention will hereinafter be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a partial cross-section through a first embodiment of a cable handling winch in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the upper portions of two discs of a second embodiment of a cable handling winch in accordance with the invention; and Figure 4 is a vertical cross section through the upper portions of the discs shown in Figure 3.

The winch of Figures 1 and 2, designated as a whole by the numeral 10, comprises a housing 11 in which is disposed a central shaft 12 fixed relative to the housing 11. Eight carrier discs 13 are mounted for rotation on the shaft each by way of a respective bearing assembly 14. Each bearing assembly 14 comprises a sleeve 15, fixed relative to the shaft 12 by engagement with a keyway 16 of the shaft, and a plurality of rollers 16. The sleeves 15 are inclined on the shaft 12 so that the axes of rotation of the discs 13 each make a small angle of approximately 50 with the axis of the shaft 12. As will be clear from Figure 1, the axes of rotation of the discs 13 are inclined relative to the axis of shaft 12 alternately above and below the shaft axis (as seen in the drawing) when considered in sequence along the shaft 12 so as to present a zig-zag cross-section.

Cast iron sealing housings 17 and 18 are disposed on either side of the respective bearing 14 of each disc 13 and house external lip seals 19 and internal felt seals 20 for the bearing. The sealing housings 17 and 18 further serve to secure and locate the angled positions of the discs 13 on the shaft 12. Any two immediately adjacent discs 13 are inclined relative to one another by an angle of approximately 100 and come into contact or near contact at a common point 21 on their respective circumferences.

Two spur gear wheels 22 and 23 are rotatably mounted on bronze bearing sleeves 24 and 25 at opposite ends of the shaft 12. Four stainless steel rods 26 are mounted between the gear wheels 22 and 23 so as to be rotatable with the gear wheels.

Each of the rods 26 extends through respective apertures 27 (see Figure 2) in the discs 13. Each rod 26 has flat surfaces 28 milled on opposite sides, and respective pair 29 of nylon shoes disposed in each of apertures 27 ensures firm engagement between the rods 26 and the discs 23 in respect of circumferential movement whilst allowing relative sliding movement therebetween.

Disposed at equal intervals around the housing 11 are six pulley wheel shafts 30, each shaft carrying several idler pulley wheels 31. In the present case one of the shafts 30 (uppermost in Figure 1) carries five pulley wheels 31 whilst the remaining five shafts each carry four pulley wheels. Each pulley wheel 31 is mounted for free rotation on its respective one of shafts 30 and the pulley wheels are separated from one another by means of spacing sleeves 32 on the shafts 30. The pulley wheels 31 are so located on the shaft 30 that the groove of each pulley wheel is located directly over the circumferential surface of that one of the discs 31 to which it corresponds except where the pulley wheel is opposite a point of close contact of two adjacent discs 31, in which case the centre of the groove of that pulley wheel lies over the said point of close contact.From Figure 1 it will be apparent that four of the five pulley wheels 31 mounted on the upper shaft 30 (as seen in the drawing), and all of pulley wheels 31 mounted on the lowermost shaft, have their grooves centred above the respective points of intersection of adjacent discs. Every other pulley wheel 31 mounted on the other four shafts 30, however, has its groove located directly above the circumferential surface of a corresponding one of the discs 13.

The spur gear wheels 22 and 23 are driven by slow speed hydrauiic motors 33 and 34 by way of a respective one of pinion wheels 35 (Figure 2), and the gear wheels 22 and 23 drive the discs 13 by way of the stainless steel rods 26. Thus with the motors 33 and 34 in operation the discs 13 are rotated synchronously and in so rotating about their respective axes relative oscillatory sliding movement occurs between the rods 26 and discs 13 at the apertures 27.

In operation a cable 36 is inserted into the winch, portion 37 of the cable entering at the top left of the winch as seen in both Figures 1 and 2, and runs between one of the pulleys 31 and the outer circumferential surface of one of the discs 13.

Successive pulley wheels 31 locate the cable 36 on the first of the discs 13 so that the position 37 of the cable entering the winch is carried round this disc 13 and turned through 1800 whereupon the cable portion is transferred to the next successive one of the discs 13 for a further rotation of 1800. In this way the cable is transferred through the winch along a helical path on the outer surfaces of the discs 13 and is guided in this helical path by the pulley wheels 31.

Although the rotation given to any point on the cable 36 by any one of discs 13 is 1800 in this instance, it will be appreciated that other angles are possible, for example 120 or 240 , in which case the axes of rotation of the discs 13 will not all lie in the same plane as they do in the case of the present example.

It is desirable, however, whatever the arrangement that the point at which two adjacent discs come into their closest proximity is overlaid by the central portion of the groove of one of the pulley wheels to facilitate the transfer of the cable from one disc 13 to the next.

It will be clear that the portion 37 of the cable 36 entering the winch 10 is under greatest tension, whilst the portion 38 of the cable emerging from the winch is under no tension and may be stored in such condition for example on a storage winch.

In the second embodiment of a winch in accordance with the invention the construction is very similar to that described hereinabove with reference to Figures 1 and 2 except that the discs are toothed around their peripheries, the respective teeth being interleaved at the intersection of the discs. The discs 40 of this second embodiment are illustrated in their portion of closest proximity in Figures 3 and 4 from which it will be seen that each disc has a plurality of equally spaced teeth 41, the widened outermost portion 42 of each tooth being located adjacent a corresponding space between teeth of the opposite disc. It will be appreciated that in this second embodiment the cable 36 (indicated in Figure 4) will be more smoothly transferred from disc to disc during its passage through the winch and that in the region of transfer between adjacent discs the cable is more fully supported.

Although in both examples the pulley wheels 31 are mounted on common shafts 30 it is desirable to have each pulley wheel independently mounted and sprung to ease the passage of straight cable connectors as well as to provide for various cable diameters.

Claims (11)

1. A cable handling traction winch comprising a plurality of carrier discs mounted adjacent one another on a common axis, a plurality of cable guide members mounted circumferentially of the discs, and means for driving each carrier disc about its respective axis of rotation, the axis of rotation of each disc being inclined to the common axis and to the axis of rotation of each immediately adjacent disc, the guide members being disposed such that a cable introduced into the winch is carried on a circumferential portion of each disc during the rotation of the disc and successive portions of the cable are transferred from one disc to another after being turned through a predetermined angle.

2. A winch as claimed in Claim 1 in which the axes of rotation of the discs lie within a common plane.

3. A winch as claimed in Claim 2 in which the axes of rotation of the discs are inclined equally to the common axis alternately on opposite sides of said common axis.

4. A winch as claimed in any preceding claim in which the means for driving each carrier disc about its respective axis of rotation comprises a device operative to drive the discs synchronously with the same angular velocity.

5. A winch as claimed in Claim 4 in which the carrier discs are linked by one or a plurality of rods extending through the discs parallel to the common axis, the discs being arranged for sliding movement axially relative to the or each rod.

6. A winch as claimed in any preceding claim in which the guide means disposed circumferentially about the carrier discs comprise idler wheels.

7. Awinch as claimed in Claim 6 in which the idler wheels are grooved in their peripheries to receive an outer portion of the cable handled by the winch.

8. A winch as claimed in Claim 6 or 7 in which each idler wheel is independently mounted and sprung.

9. A winch as claimed in any preceding claim in which the peripheries of the carrier discs are toothed or segmented so that adjacent discs come together in interleaved relationship at the region of transfer of the cable from one disc to the next thereby facilitating said transfer.

10. A winch substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

11. Awinch substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.