US2430071A

US2430071A - Sling and method of making same

Info

Publication number: US2430071A
Application number: US653394A
Authority: US
Inventors: Irvin R Mitchell
Original assignee: Leschen & Sons Rope Co A
Current assignee: A Leschen & Sons Rope Co; Leschen & Sons Rope Co A
Priority date: 1946-03-09
Filing date: 1946-03-09
Publication date: 1947-11-04
Anticipated expiration: 1964-11-04

Description

Nov. 4, 1947. 1. R. MITCHELL 2,430,071

SLI'NG ANdMETHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed March 9, 1946 v 2 She ets-Sheet 1 5 I I! I1 I V 4; Q 4- 4 v n INVENTOR I. R. MITCHELL R/VEY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H T 2 N 0 E .1 C VT T Wm A I. J Y 5 SLING' AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Nov. 4, 1947.

Patented Nov. 4, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLING AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Irvin R. Mitchell, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to A. Leschen & Sons Rope Company, St. Louis,

Mo, a corporation of Missouri Application March 9, 1946, Serial No. 653,394

(o1.-s7-s Claims.

- forming the sling from a single piece of material which I manipulate in a novel manner to form the sling, instead of forming it in the manner common to rope slings heretofore .made. erally in braiding a sling having any reasonable multiple of four members, a twist develops'in the braided members, and in order to get the twist out it is necessary at intervals to reverse the direction of braiding, which leaves short, unbraided sections in the braided material, known as cross-overs. I overcome this by weaving the sling from the center, through which I get more equal weaving without any twist, so that through my invention the material is woven in a manner not heretofore practiced in the art, which automatically eliminates the twisting tendency and avoids cross-overs.

The present invention differs from other rope slings in the method of weaving, or braiding, or plaiting. For convenience I have illustrated and will describe an eight member device. It consists of manipulating a single length of material so.

as to form eight members, which are separated into four pairs, and when these have been manipulated into a certain position, the remainder of the operation is performed from the center in opposite directions in such a manner as to weave both ends of the sling at the same time, and then the material is locked in this posi tion with two temporary pins and then the two free ends of the material are unwoven to the sling-center, just past the locking pins, reinserted through the sling body, which looks them through the center, and then they are rewoven back into the sling.

Another important advantage of my invention is that through its use the sling attains theform of a flexible, cohesive unit, and the capacity of the eight strands of material which form the sling is very little less than the aggregate capa-- city of eight separate units of the material.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 illustrates a single length of material coiled before the weaving of the sling is commenced.

Fig. 2 illustrates'the separation and grouping of the members just prior'to the commencement of the weaving operation.

Figs; 3 and 4 illustrate the first two repetitive steps in th weaving process.

Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate the method of looking I the weave of the assembly, just prior to the insertion of the temporary locking pins at the center.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate the preferred treatment of the free ends of the members.

Fig. 9 illustrates the manner of holding the woven members from unweaving by the insertion of two temporary locking pins. v

The method of forming a sling as herein illustrated and described applies to any reasonable multiple of four members. For convenience of description, I preferably show eight members which clearly illustrates my method of weaving.

The invention preferably comprises a singl length of material, of a single unit or a number of units, having two free ends A and B. The first step in the manipulation consists in coiling the material preferably to form eight parallel members l to 8, inclusive, with the ends A and B extending beyond the same end of the coil, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The eight members are then separated to form four pairs, or groups, 9, H), H, and I2, respectively, as illustrated in Fig. 2. Assume that the flat plane of the coils is relatively horizontal. In Fig. 2 the groups or pairs I0 and II are in a horizontal plane, and the groups or pairs 9 and I! are in a vertical plane. It is preferred that the members or groups 9 lead from opposite sides of the end loops, and likewise the members ofthe pair or group I2 lead from opposite sides of the end loops. However, as also pre-- ferred, the members of the pair or group I0 lead from the same side of the end loops, and themembers of the pair or group H also lead from the same side of the end loops. The free ends A and B are in opposite pairs in the same plane.

The pairs or groups 9, It, H, and 12 are now progressively manipulated as shown in Figs. 3

and 4. It is preferred to do it by first crossing one of the horizontal pairs through its opposite horizontal pair, then crossing one of the vertical pairs through its opposite Vertical pair. process is repeated as to horizontal and vertical sequence until weaving is completed. This continued sequence produces a better appearing sling. When the pairs or groups 9, I0, I i, and 12 have assumed the position illustrated in Fig-.4,

This 7 3 the weaving of the sling is continued by repeating the operation illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, by weaving the pair 1 I through the pair Ill, then weaving the pair l2 through the pair 9. It is to be under stood that the weaving of the respective pairs 9 and I2 through each other may be reversed, if desired. It is preferred that the weaving operation be as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, but this might also be accomplished by passing any one pair between the members of any opposite pair in the same plane. This might also be accomplished by passing opposite pairs or groups of members in the same plane past each other instead of through each other. The weaving is continued until the center of th sling is reached, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and as compact as is desired by the operator, when it will have a multiplicity of nodes I3. At this time the Weaving is completed. Then the Weave is temporarily locked by inserting two pins 16 and I! to retain all pairs in such last woven position.

At this point the free ends A and B are unwoven to the sling center, or just a short distance past the center, and past the two pins [6 and IT, as shown in Fig. 6, their paths being marked by inserting tracers (not shown). The free end A is unwoven to the center or a little past the center and past pin l6 (Figs. 5 and 6), inserted through the opening formed by the locking pin I6 that had been adjacent to A, and is then rewoven back into the sling body in the path formerly occupied by the end B. Likewise, the free end B is unwoven to the center or a little past the center of the sling and past pin I! (see Figs. 5 and 6), preferabl inserted through the opening formed by the locking pin I! that had been adjacent to B, and is then re-woven back into the sling body in the path formerly occupied by the end A. When the end A has been re-inserted into the sling next to temporary locking pin I6, and the end B has been re-inserted into the sling next to temporary locking pin [1, both pins may then be withdrawn from the sling as the ends A and B are now the permanent locking members for preventing the unweaving of the sling. At this point-the free ends A and B have reversed their positions, as illustrated in Fig. 6. The free ends A and B may now be secured in any one of various ways. The method illustrated in Figs, '7 and 8 is the preferred form, which is carried out as follows: i

In a manner that is customary in the art, the free end A is now spliced into the body of the end B, as shown at the point I4, and secured tightly in position, and the free end B is looped and inserted, or tucked, into the sling at the point where the sling body commences. The sling has now assumed the position shown in Fig. 8, preferably having complete end loops l5 and [6, respectively.

From the above it will be obvious that my method of weaving does not put any twist into the members and therefore it is not necessary to take out any twist, therefore there are no "crossovers. An equal tension is placed upon the members throughout all parts of the sling, andthe members in one end thereof will have the same tension as the members in the opposite end,

By having the locking sectionat the longitudinal center of the sling, it is my belief that I thereby provide an equalizing section for absorbing all or any unequal strain or strains that might develop during the use of the sling.

I claim:

1. The method of forming integrally from a,

4 single length of material a flexible sling, which consists in coiling said length of material into a plurality of straight parallel portions and connecting end sections, said coiling providing two free ends of the coiled material, grouping said straight portions into a plurality of pairs, the two free ends being at the same end of the coil, weaving said pairs together from the center, unweaving said two free ends to the center of the sling and reinserting them back into the woven structure in such manner as to securely lock the weave, and returning said free ends back to the same end of the coil they occupied before they were unwoven.

2. The method of forming integrally from a single length of material a flexible sling, which consists in coiling said length of material into a plurality of straight parallel portions and connecting end sections, said coiling providing two free ends of the coiled material, grouping said straight portions into a plurality of pairs, the two free ends being at the same end of thecoil, weaving said pairs together from the center, unweavin said two free ends to the center of the sling and reinserting them back into the woven structure in such manner as to securely lock the weave, returning said free ends back to the same end of the coil they occupied before they were unwoven, and splicing said two free ends into the sling.

3. The method of forming integrally from a single length of material a flexible sling, which consists in coiling said length of material into a plurality of horizontal, straight, parallel portions and a plurality of connecting end sections, separating said straight portions into a plurality of groups of pairs in horizontal and vertical planes, respectively, weaving said horizontal and vertical pairs together from the center, locking the completed weave at the center and providing a section at the center of the sling to equalize any unequal strains that might develop during the use of the sling.

4. The method of forming a flexible sling of a single length of material, which consists in grouping said material into eight members and again dividing said members into four pairs with the free ends of said length of material extending beyond the same end of said sling, simultaneously interweaving the four pairs of the sling, unweaving the free end portions of said material approximately to the center of said sling, passing said free ends through the center of said sling so as to lock the weave, re-weaving said end portions back into said sling, and securing the free ends of said members.

5. A flexible braided sling comprising four groups of members interwoven and permanently locked at the sling center, and having two end portions terminating at one end of said sling, said two end portions being in crossed position at the sling center so that each of said two end portions occupies the path originally occupied by the other of said two end portions through half the length of the sling.

IRVIN R. MITCHELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,901,439 Drew Mar. 14, 1933 2,142,6 i1 Garris Jan. 3, 1939