WO2004097334A1 - Wire rope gauges - Google Patents
Wire rope gauges Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2004097334A1 WO2004097334A1 PCT/GB2004/001730 GB2004001730W WO2004097334A1 WO 2004097334 A1 WO2004097334 A1 WO 2004097334A1 GB 2004001730 W GB2004001730 W GB 2004001730W WO 2004097334 A1 WO2004097334 A1 WO 2004097334A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- wire rope
- tubes
- gauge
- diameter
- bores
- Prior art date
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01B—MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- G01B3/00—Measuring instruments characterised by the use of mechanical techniques
- G01B3/34—Ring or other apertured gauges, e.g. "go/no-go" gauge
Definitions
- the present invention relates to gauges for measuring the diameter of wire rope. It has application for all wire ropes, but is especially useful in the oil industry.
- wire ropes are made up of a number of strands of wire, their outer surfaces are uneven, and the strands can move slightly relative to each other. This can make taking an accurate measurement of their outer diameter difficult. For example if a standard micrometer screw gauge is used different readings will often be obtained for the same piece of wire rope.
- the present invention therefore aims to provide a method for accurately and consistently measuring the diameter of wire rope.
- the present invention provides a gauge for measuring the diameter of wire rope, the gauge comprising a body having a plurality of bores therethrough the bores being of circular cross section and of different diameters whereby the wire rope can be passed through a number of the bores to determine in which bore it fits most closely, thereby to measure the diameter of the wire rope.
- each of the bores is at least eight times as long as it is in diameter. This ensures that a sufficient length of the rope will be within the bore at one time for an 'average' diameter of the rope to be measured. More preferably each of the bores is at least ten times as long as it is in diameter.
- Wire rope generally comprises a helical coil of, for example, six strands, around a core.
- the length of bore required to give an accurate measurement therefore depends on the nature of the wire rope.
- the length of the bore is at least a quarter of the helical length of the wire rope, more preferably at least half of the helical length.
- each bore has a main section of constant diameter and an end section which is tapered outwards to guide the end of the wire rope into the bore. This helps to guide the end of the wire rope into the bores.
- the body comprises a support member and a plurality of tubes supported in the support member, each tube having one of the bores therethrough.
- each of the tubes may be supported in an aperture in the support member.
- the tubes have been inserted into the apertures when the tubes were at a temperature lower than that of the support member, and the temperatures of the tubes and the support member have been allowed to equalize thereby to secure the tubes in the apertures.
- This method fixes the tubes very securely in place.
- the support member may comprise a support plate.
- the tubes are formed of hardened steel, and the support member is preferably formed of aluminium. This combination gives a good combination of strength and low total weight.
- the gauge body could be formed from a single block of hardened steel.
- the present invention further provides a method of measuring the diameter of a wire rope comprising passing the wire rope through a plurality of the bores of a gauge according to the invention, selecting one of the bores through which the wire is the closest fit, and using the diameter of the bore as an indication of the diameter of the wire rope.
- the present invention further provides a method for passing a wire rope into a volume of high pressure fluid comprising providing a gauge according to the invention, providing a plurality of sealing tubes having different inner diameters corresponding to those of the tubes of the gauge, passing the wire rope through a number of the tubes of the gauge to select one of those tubes that the wire rope fits most closely, selecting one of the sealing tubes having a diameter corresponding to the selected tube, and forming a seal from the selected sealing tube with the wire rope extending through it such that the wire rope can be passed into or out of said volume through the seal.
- the volume of high pressure fluid may be an oil well.
- Figure 1 is a plan view of a gauge according to the invention.
- Figure 2 is a side view of the gauge of Figure 1 ;
- Figure 3 is a schematic section through an oil well having a wire rope extending into it which has been sealed according to the invention.
- a gauge 8 for wire rope comprises a body 10 formed from a number of gauge tubes 12, in this case ten, supported in a support plate 14.
- Each of the gauge tubes 12 is formed from hardened steel and has a bore 16 through it comprising a main section 16a which is approximately eight times as long as it is in diameter and is of constant circular cross section along its length, and an end section 16b at each end of the main section 16a, the end sections 16b tapering outwards towards the ends 18 of the gauge tube 12.
- the bores 16 are all of different diameters, in this example the diameters being at intervals of 0.002 (two thousandths) of an inch with the largest one being 3/16 (three sixteenths) of an inch.
- the support plate 14 comprises an annular aluminium sheet 20 having ten circular apertures 22 through it, equally spaced from each other.
- the apertures 22 are all of the same size which is just smaller than the outer diameter of the gauge tubes 12, which are also equal to one another.
- the gauge tubes 12 are cooled so that they contract and the support plate 14 is heated so that it expands, so that the gauge tubes 12 can be inserted into the apertures 22. The temperatures are then allowed to equalize so that the gauge tubes 12 expand again and the support plate 14 contracts so that the gauge tubes 12 are held tightly in the apertures.
- each of the gauge tubes 12 is engraved next to it on the support plate.
- an oil well 30 comprises a well head 32 over the well bore 34, and further apparatus 36 over the well head, the details of which are not relevant to the present invention.
- an instrument pack 38 is lowered into the bore on a wire rope 40 which passes through a number of sealing tubes 42.
- the sealing tubes 42 form a seal around the wire rope 40 to contain the mud which is at very high pressures within the well bore 34. It is therefore essential that the rope is a very good fit within the sealing tubes 42.
- the sealing tubes 42 are therefore provided in a number of different sizes so that they can be selected to fit the wire rope 40.
- the gauge of Figures 1 and 2 is therefore designed such that the different bore sizes in the gauge tubes 12 correspond to the different sizes of sealing tube 42 which are available.
- the wire rope 40 in position it is first pushed through a number of the gauge tubes 12 until one of them can be selected which is the closest fit around the wire rope 40.
- the inner diameter of that gauge tube 12 is noted and the sealing tubes 42 selected to be of the same diameter.
- the selected sealing tubes 42 are then put in place over the well head 32, the wire rope 40 passed through them and the instrument pack attached to the wire rope 40 so that it can be lowered into the well bore 34.
- the gauge 8 can also be used for measuring wire rope in applications other than the forming of a seal around the wire rope.
Landscapes
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- A Measuring Device Byusing Mechanical Method (AREA)
Abstract
A gauge (8) for measuring the diameter of wire rope (40) comprises a body (10) having a plurality of bores (16) therethrough. The bores (16) are of circular cross section and are of different diameters. The wire rope (40) can be passed through a number of the bores (16) to determine in which bore (16) it fits most closely, thereby measuring the diameter of the wire rope (40).
Description
WIRE ROPE GAUGE
The present invention relates to gauges for measuring the diameter of wire rope. It has application for all wire ropes, but is especially useful in the oil industry.
Because wire ropes are made up of a number of strands of wire, their outer surfaces are uneven, and the strands can move slightly relative to each other. This can make taking an accurate measurement of their outer diameter difficult. For example if a standard micrometer screw gauge is used different readings will often be obtained for the same piece of wire rope.
The present invention therefore aims to provide a method for accurately and consistently measuring the diameter of wire rope.
The present invention provides a gauge for measuring the diameter of wire rope, the gauge comprising a body having a plurality of bores therethrough the bores being of circular cross section and of different diameters whereby the wire rope can be passed through a number of the bores to determine in which bore it fits most closely, thereby to measure the diameter of the wire rope.
Preferably each of the bores is at least eight times as long as it is in diameter. This ensures that a sufficient length of the rope will be within the bore at one time for an 'average' diameter of the rope to be measured. More preferably each of the bores is at least ten times as long as it is in diameter.
Wire rope generally comprises a helical coil of, for example, six strands, around a core. The length of bore required to give an accurate measurement therefore depends on the nature of the wire rope. Preferably
the length of the bore is at least a quarter of the helical length of the wire rope, more preferably at least half of the helical length.
Preferably each bore has a main section of constant diameter and an end section which is tapered outwards to guide the end of the wire rope into the bore. This helps to guide the end of the wire rope into the bores.
Preferably the body comprises a support member and a plurality of tubes supported in the support member, each tube having one of the bores therethrough. For example each of the tubes may be supported in an aperture in the support member.
Preferably the tubes have been inserted into the apertures when the tubes were at a temperature lower than that of the support member, and the temperatures of the tubes and the support member have been allowed to equalize thereby to secure the tubes in the apertures. This method fixes the tubes very securely in place. Conveniently the support member may comprise a support plate.
Preferably the tubes are formed of hardened steel, and the support member is preferably formed of aluminium. This combination gives a good combination of strength and low total weight. Alternatively the gauge body could be formed from a single block of hardened steel.
The present invention further provides a method of measuring the diameter of a wire rope comprising passing the wire rope through a plurality of the bores of a gauge according to the invention, selecting one of the bores through which the wire is the closest fit, and using the diameter of the bore as an indication of the diameter of the wire rope.
The present invention further provides a method for passing a wire rope into a volume of high pressure fluid comprising providing a gauge according to the invention, providing a plurality of sealing tubes having different inner diameters corresponding to those of the tubes of the gauge, passing the wire rope through a number of the tubes of the gauge to select one of those tubes that the wire rope fits most closely, selecting one of the sealing tubes having a diameter corresponding to the selected tube, and forming a seal from the selected sealing tube with the wire rope extending through it such that the wire rope can be passed into or out of said volume through the seal.
The volume of high pressure fluid may be an oil well.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a plan view of a gauge according to the invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the gauge of Figure 1 ; and
Figure 3 is a schematic section through an oil well having a wire rope extending into it which has been sealed according to the invention.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2 a gauge 8 for wire rope comprises a body 10 formed from a number of gauge tubes 12, in this case ten, supported in a support plate 14. Each of the gauge tubes 12 is formed from hardened steel and has a bore 16 through it comprising a main section 16a which is approximately eight times as long as it is in diameter and is of constant circular cross section along its length, and an end section 16b at each end
of the main section 16a, the end sections 16b tapering outwards towards the ends 18 of the gauge tube 12. The bores 16 are all of different diameters, in this example the diameters being at intervals of 0.002 (two thousandths) of an inch with the largest one being 3/16 (three sixteenths) of an inch. The support plate 14 comprises an annular aluminium sheet 20 having ten circular apertures 22 through it, equally spaced from each other. The apertures 22 are all of the same size which is just smaller than the outer diameter of the gauge tubes 12, which are also equal to one another.
In order to assemble the gauge, the gauge tubes 12 are cooled so that they contract and the support plate 14 is heated so that it expands, so that the gauge tubes 12 can be inserted into the apertures 22. The temperatures are then allowed to equalize so that the gauge tubes 12 expand again and the support plate 14 contracts so that the gauge tubes 12 are held tightly in the apertures.
The inner diameter of each of the gauge tubes 12 is engraved next to it on the support plate.
Referring to Figure 3 an oil well 30 comprises a well head 32 over the well bore 34, and further apparatus 36 over the well head, the details of which are not relevant to the present invention. In order to measure various parameters within the bore 34 an instrument pack 38 is lowered into the bore on a wire rope 40 which passes through a number of sealing tubes 42. The sealing tubes 42 form a seal around the wire rope 40 to contain the mud which is at very high pressures within the well bore 34. It is therefore essential that the rope is a very good fit within the sealing tubes 42. The sealing tubes 42 are therefore provided in a number of different sizes so that they can be selected to fit the wire rope 40.
The gauge of Figures 1 and 2 is therefore designed such that the different bore sizes in the gauge tubes 12 correspond to the different sizes of sealing tube 42 which are available. Then in order to seal the wire rope 40 in position it is first pushed through a number of the gauge tubes 12 until one of them can be selected which is the closest fit around the wire rope 40. The inner diameter of that gauge tube 12 is noted and the sealing tubes 42 selected to be of the same diameter. The selected sealing tubes 42 are then put in place over the well head 32, the wire rope 40 passed through them and the instrument pack attached to the wire rope 40 so that it can be lowered into the well bore 34.
It will be appreciated that, although the example described above relates to the sealing of wire rope into an oil well, the method of using the gauge 8 to measure the diameter of the wire rope and to match it to a suitably sized bore to form a seal could be used in other applications where a wire rope needs to be inserted into a volume of high pressure fluid.
Furthermore, the gauge 8 can also be used for measuring wire rope in applications other than the forming of a seal around the wire rope.
Claims
1. A gauge for measuring the diameter of wire rope, the gauge comprising a body having a plurality of bores therethrough the bores being of circular cross section and of different diameters whereby the wire rope can be passed through a number of the bores to determine in which bore it fits most closely, thereby to measure the diameter of the wire rope.
2. A gauge according to claim 1 wherein each of the bores is at least 8 times as long as it is wide.
3. A gauge according to any foregoing claim wherein each bore has a main section of constant diameter and an end section which is tapered outwards to guide the end of the wire rope into the bore.
4. A gauge according to any foregoing claim wherein the body comprises a support member and a plurality of tubes supported in the support member, each tube having one of the bores therethrough.
5. A gauge according to claim 4 wherein each of the tubes is supported in an aperture in the support member.
6. A gauge according to claim 5 wherein the tubes have been inserted into the apertures when the tubes were at a temperature lower than that of the support member, and the temperatures of the tubes and the support member have been allowed to equalize thereby to secure the tubes in the apertures .
7. A gauge according to any of claims 4 to 6 wherein the support member comprises a support plate.
8. A gauge according to any of claims 4 to 7 wherein the tubes are formed of hardened steel.
9. A gauge according to any of claims 4 to 8 wherein the support member is formed of aluminium.
10. A method of measuring the diameter of a wire rope comprising passing the wire rope through at least one of the bores of a gauge according to any foregoing claim, selecting one of the bores through which the wire is the closest fit, and using the diameter of the bore as an indication of the diameter of the wire rope.
11. A method of passing a wire rope into a volume of high pressure fluid comprising providing a gauge according to any of claims 1 to 9, providing a plurality of sealing tubes having different inner diameters corresponding to those of the tubes of the gauge, passing the wire rope through a number of the tubes of the gauge to select one of those tubes that the wire rope fits most closely, selecting one of the sealing tubes having a diameter corresponding to the selected tube, and forming a seal from the selected sealing tube with the wire rope extending through it such that the wire rope can be passed into or out of said volume through the seal.
12. A method according to claim 11 wherein the volume of high pressure fluid is an oil well.
13. A gauge substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings.
14. A method of measuring the diameter of a wire rope substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
15. A method of passing a wire rope into a volume of high pressure fluid substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0310164.9 | 2003-05-02 | ||
| GB0310164 | 2003-05-02 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2004097334A1 true WO2004097334A1 (en) | 2004-11-11 |
Family
ID=33397053
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/GB2004/001730 WO2004097334A1 (en) | 2003-05-02 | 2004-04-23 | Wire rope gauges |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| WO (1) | WO2004097334A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE202006010526U1 (en) * | 2006-07-07 | 2007-11-15 | Pfeifer Holding Gmbh & Co. Kg | Wedge for use in a wedgelock clamp, combination of a housing with multiple wedges and wedgelock clamp with a wedge |
| CN110243261A (en) * | 2019-07-19 | 2019-09-17 | 福建省特种设备检验研究院宁德分院 | Elevator wire rope calliper |
| CN112595212A (en) * | 2021-01-15 | 2021-04-02 | 成都钟晟盛羽商贸有限公司 | Portable PVC pipe diameter detection device that is used for |
Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US987703A (en) * | 1908-11-27 | 1911-03-28 | Peter A Curtin | Combination measuring-tool. |
| FR2434365A3 (en) * | 1978-08-22 | 1980-03-21 | Scintilla Ag | Depth gauge combined with pin gauge - comprises graduated bar with circular plate handle containing calibrated holes |
| DE3119962A1 (en) * | 1981-05-20 | 1982-12-16 | Remmers, Hans-Joachim, 2100 Hamburg | Rule/folding meter-rule (-stick) having measuring holes/measuring bushes |
| US4837936A (en) * | 1987-11-30 | 1989-06-13 | The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy | Underwater measuring gage |
| US5617644A (en) * | 1995-05-26 | 1997-04-08 | Bonelli; Dennis | Cigar measuring device |
-
2004
- 2004-04-23 WO PCT/GB2004/001730 patent/WO2004097334A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US987703A (en) * | 1908-11-27 | 1911-03-28 | Peter A Curtin | Combination measuring-tool. |
| FR2434365A3 (en) * | 1978-08-22 | 1980-03-21 | Scintilla Ag | Depth gauge combined with pin gauge - comprises graduated bar with circular plate handle containing calibrated holes |
| DE3119962A1 (en) * | 1981-05-20 | 1982-12-16 | Remmers, Hans-Joachim, 2100 Hamburg | Rule/folding meter-rule (-stick) having measuring holes/measuring bushes |
| US4837936A (en) * | 1987-11-30 | 1989-06-13 | The United States Of America As Represented By The United States Department Of Energy | Underwater measuring gage |
| US5617644A (en) * | 1995-05-26 | 1997-04-08 | Bonelli; Dennis | Cigar measuring device |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE202006010526U1 (en) * | 2006-07-07 | 2007-11-15 | Pfeifer Holding Gmbh & Co. Kg | Wedge for use in a wedgelock clamp, combination of a housing with multiple wedges and wedgelock clamp with a wedge |
| CN110243261A (en) * | 2019-07-19 | 2019-09-17 | 福建省特种设备检验研究院宁德分院 | Elevator wire rope calliper |
| CN110243261B (en) * | 2019-07-19 | 2021-11-30 | 福建省特种设备检验研究院宁德分院 | Elevator steel wire rope caliper gauge |
| CN112595212A (en) * | 2021-01-15 | 2021-04-02 | 成都钟晟盛羽商贸有限公司 | Portable PVC pipe diameter detection device that is used for |
| CN112595212B (en) * | 2021-01-15 | 2022-12-16 | 深圳市中安测标准技术有限公司 | Be used for PVC pipe diameter detector |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CN102445384B (en) | Clamp for testing annular tensile property of tubular product | |
| EP1780540A1 (en) | Buried pipe examining method | |
| EP1840501B1 (en) | Curvature sensor | |
| CN202256041U (en) | Combined clamp for hoop tensile test of pipes | |
| JP2010530957A (en) | Tube test method and apparatus | |
| NO341718B1 (en) | Distributed optical pressure and temperature sensors | |
| US10612947B2 (en) | Distributed pressure, temperature, strain sensing cable using metal wires with slot grooves and optical fibers in the slot grooves | |
| CN104280158A (en) | Multi-layer force value sensor for tension tester and measuring method of multi-layer force value sensor | |
| CN102679900A (en) | Method for calibrating strain parameters of optical fiber sensor and optical fiber grating | |
| US4542655A (en) | Borehole stress-meter and method and apparatus for the installation thereof | |
| US20200025339A1 (en) | Sensor for a high-pressure line, and method for producing same | |
| CN112161582A (en) | Combined range-adjustable optical fiber multipoint delayer and measuring method | |
| WO2004097334A1 (en) | Wire rope gauges | |
| CN113365748A (en) | Method for determining a property of a strip guided via a measuring roller | |
| US4216586A (en) | Pipe inside diameter measurement gauge | |
| EP2606309B1 (en) | Method and device for inspecting a threading of a tubular connection used in the oil industry | |
| US4288901A (en) | Method of manufacturing and calibrating a displacement measuring sensor | |
| CN114486526A (en) | Measuring instrument for detecting pressure-bearing limit value of steel pipe and using method thereof | |
| CN110940284B (en) | Manufacturing method of embedded fiber bragg grating reinforcement corrosion sensor | |
| CN107621208B (en) | Reducing pipe string centering and measuring clamp | |
| CA1085609A (en) | Displacement measuring sensor | |
| CN207095769U (en) | Large-tonnage oil well pipe combined loading test platform load transducer on-line proving device | |
| US20230280149A1 (en) | Clamp-on pressure and flow metering system | |
| CN109469110B (en) | Rigid connection device for pile and bearing platform for pile foundation model test and assembling method | |
| US20230408781A1 (en) | Armored dss cable |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| AK | Designated states |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): AE AG AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BW BY BZ CA CH CN CO CR CU CZ DE DK DM DZ EC EE EG ES FI GB GD GE GH GM HR HU ID IL IN IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MA MD MG MK MN MW MX MZ NA NI NO NZ OM PG PH PL PT RO RU SC SD SE SG SK SL SY TJ TM TN TR TT TZ UA UG US UZ VC VN YU ZA ZM ZW |
|
| AL | Designated countries for regional patents |
Kind code of ref document: A1 Designated state(s): BW GH GM KE LS MW MZ SD SL SZ TZ UG ZM ZW AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR HU IE IT LU MC NL PL PT RO SE SI SK TR BF BJ CF CG CI CM GA GN GQ GW ML MR NE SN TD TG |
|
| 121 | Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application | ||
| 122 | Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase |