US3181291A - Wire rope configuration - Google Patents

Description

May 4, 1965 G. H. CARPENTER WIRE ROPE CONFIGURATION Filed NOV. 13, 1962 INVENTOR GRANTFLCARPENTER MSATTORNEY United States Patent 3,181,291 WIRE ROPE CONFIGURATION Grant H. Carpenter, Montoursville, Pa., assignor to Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 236,951

2 Claims. (Cl. 57-148) This invention relates to wire ropes. It is more particularly concerned with wire ropes formed principally or entirely from a plurality of strands of different diameters each of which is formed from a plurality of solid wires.

It is an object of my invention to provide a wire rope structure which will exhibit maximum service life for a given cross section area. To this end it is an object of my invention to provide a wire rope which will wear uniformly in service. It is also an object to provide a wire rope which possesses maximum resiliency under shock load. It is another object of my invention to provide a wire rope which will have improved resistance to crushing. It is still another object to provide a wire rope which in cross section will have a relatively large metal area. It is yet another object of my invention to provide a Wire rope of high flexibility. Qther objects of my invention will appear in the course of the description thereof which follows.

An embodiment of my invention presently preferred by me is illustrated in the attached figures to which reference is now made.

FIGURE 1 is a cross section through a rope of my invention having outer strands of alternating larger and smaller diameter.

FIGURE 2 is a cross section of an alternate structure for the larger diameter outer strands of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an alternate structure for the smaller diameter outer strands of FIGURE 1.

It will be seen from FIGURE 1 that the rope there illustrated has a core comprised of three strands 3 which are helically laid together without a center core wire or strand. Each strand 3 comprises a center wire 4 which is surrounded by six outer wires 5, helically laid together. The direction of lay of the three strands 3 is the same as that of outer strands 1 and 2. Wire 4 is about 4% larger in diameter than wires 5-5, to provide clearance between the latter wires when the rope is flexed.

The core formed by strands 3-3 is surrounded with three strands 1 of larger diameter which are helically laid alternately with three strands 2 of smaller diameter so that each strand 1 makes contact with a pair of strands 3-3 and each strand 2 makes contact with one strand 3 only of the core. Each strand 1 is of the same diameter as the other strands 11, and each strand 2 is also of the same diameter as the other strands 22. The relative diameters of strands 1-1 and strands 22 are adjusted so that strands 1-1 and strands 2-2 are tangent to a circumscribed circle having its center at the center of the core comprised by strands 3-3. Strands 1-1 and 2-2 are laid together helically in the same direction as the lay of strands 3-3.

Each strand 1 comprises a center wire 6 around which are helically laid six wires 7. Around the intermediate wires 7-7 are helically laid twelve wires 8. Wires 6, 7-7 and 8-8 are laid up in the same direction.

Each strand 2 comprises a center wire 9 around which 3,181,291 Patented May 4, 1965 are helically laid nine wires 10. Around these intermediate wires are helically laid nine wires 11. Wire 9 is about 12% larger in diameter than wires 11-11, but wires 10-10 are of smaller diameter than either wires 9 or 11-11. Wires 10-10 and 11-11 are helically laid up in the same direction. Wires 11-11 are of the same diameter as wires 8-8 of strand 1.

FIGURE 2 illustrates an alternative structure for larger diameter strands 1. In the structure a center wire 13 is surrounded by eight helically laid strands 14 which in turn are surrounded by eight helically laid strands 15 of larger diameter. In the valleys between the wires 15-15 are helically laid eight filler wires 16. The strand is completed by an outer layer of sixteen helically laid wires 17. Filler Wires 16-16 are of relatively smaller diameter, wires 13 and 17-17 are of the same diameter, and wires 15-15 are of larger diameter than Wires 17-17.

FIGURE 3 illustrates an alternative structure for strand 2. In this structure a center wire 18 is surrounded by six helically stranded wires 19. The valleys between wires 19-19 are occupied by six filler wires 20-20. The strand is completed by an outer layer of twelve wires 21. All the wires in the strand are helically laid up in the same direction around center wire 18. Wire 18 is slightly larger in diameter than wires 19-19, and those wires are slightly larger in diameter than Wires 21-21. Filler wires 20-20 are smaller than wires 18, 19 and 21. Outer wires 17-17 of the strand of FIGURE 2 are of the same diameter as outer wires 21-21 of the strand of FIGURE 3. The alternate strands of FIGURES 2 and 3 are used together to replace strands 1 and 2 of FIGURE 1.

It will be observed that all the outer Wires of my rope are of the same diameter whether the outer strands are those shown in FIGURE 1 or the alternate structures shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The outer wires 8-8 of strand 1, therefore, wear down in service at the same rate as the outer wires 11-11 of strand 2. In like fashion, the outer wires 17-17 of the strand shown in FIGURE 2 wear down at the same rate as outer wires 21-21 of the strand shown in FIGURE 3. In this way, my wire rope wil provide the maximum service life possible for a rope of a given outside diameter. Likewise, my wire rope structure provides maximum resistance to crushing because of the inherent stability of the three strand core. My rope also exhibits maximum resiliency under shock load because of the absence of a straight center wire or core. Strands 3-3 are laid up helically just as are outer strands 1-1 and 2-2 so that under shock they can untwist and elongate in the same way as the outer strands. As all the strands comprising my rope are helically laid together, the rope has greater flexibility than a rope in cluding a center wire or center strand.

I have described and illustrated one alternative structure of strand 1 and a companion alternative structure for strand 2, but my invention is not limited to the alternatives described and illustrated. Those skilled in the art will be able to devise other structures for strands 1 and 2 in which the outside wires of strand 1 are of the same diameter as the outside wires of strand 2. Those structures can be satisfactorily embodied in rope of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a wire rope having an outer rope layer of strands of alternating larger and smaller diameter spirally laid together, the improvement comprising an outer strand 3 layer of solid Wires of uniform diameter, that wire diameter being the same in the strands of larger and smaller diameter, the outer rope layer strands being tangent to a circumscribed circle.

2. A Wire rope comprising a core of three strands of the same diameter spirally laid together surrounded by six outer strands of alternating larger and smaller diameter spirally laid together, the outer strands being tangent to a circumscribing circle, and having an outer strand layer of solid wires of uniform diameter, that wire diameter being the same in the strands of both larger and smaller diameter.

4 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 7 55 Canada. 6/34 Great Britain. 8/ 3 3 Switzerland.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

Claims (1)

1. IN A WIRE ROPE HAVING AN OUTER ROPE LAYER OF STRANDS OF ALTERNATING LARGER AND SMALLER DIAMETER SPIRALLY LAID TOGETHER, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN OUTER STRAND LAYER OF SOLID WIRES OF UNIFORM DIAMETER, THAT WIRE DIAMETER BEING THE SAME IN THE STRANDS OF LARGER AND SMALLER DIAMETER, THE OUTER ROPE LAYER STRANDS BEING TANGENT TO A CIRCUMSCRIBED CIRCLE.

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