WO2015001199A1

WO2015001199A1 - Traction rope comprising a one-piece core

Info

Publication number: WO2015001199A1
Application number: PCT/FR2013/000176
Authority: WO
Inventors: Benjamin Coutaz; Marc COURTEBRAS; Pierre-François BARON
Original assignee: Arcelomittal Wire France
Priority date: 2013-07-04
Filing date: 2013-07-04
Publication date: 2015-01-08
Also published as: PL3017108T3; EP3017108B1; CY1124598T1; LT3017108T; ES2895303T3; SI3017108T1; RS62424B1; EP3017108A1; HUE056839T2; HRP20211549T1; DK3017108T3; PT3017108T

Abstract

The invention relates to a traction rope (1) comprising a one-piece core (2) comprising a central kernel (4) provided on its periphery with a set of regularly spaced fins (5) that form between one another receiving grooves (6) having an at least partially circular section, and strands (3) disposed around the core (2) by insertion into each of the receiving grooves (6), such that the combination of the core and the strands (3) has an outer envelope with a substantially cylindrical shape, the strands (3) being embedded in the receiving grooves (6) without otherwise making the fins (5) that separate them creep. The invention also relates to a one-piece core (2, 7) for a traction rope and also to the use of this rope (1) purely as a traction rope or as a carrying-hauling rope.

Description

The present invention relates to a stranded cable wound on a central core, more particularly intended to be integrated in a cable transport installation, without being limited thereto. The cable object of the present invention is thus specifically able to effectively withstand the fixation of vehicles (cabs, seats) carrying persons or goods by means of fixed or disengageable forceps, or jaws, these fasteners enclosing its surface of to support the weight of these vehicles and their contents, while ensuring their translation throughout the installation, without slippage between the cable and the aforementioned fasteners. This directly implies a short and long-term resistance of the cable object of the present invention, and its core, to the pressure exerted by the forceps or mordaches mentioned above.

In a number of systems using one or more cables, the scrolling thereof at constant speed speed may be of a nature to generate noise and / or vibrations harmful to the environment of the installation, as well as to the mechanical strength of some of the constituent components thereof.

This situation is particularly noticeable for cable transport installations, whether for people or materials, such as ski lift installations, for which operation with a very high service rate is frequent, and whose expected lifetime can reach several tens of years.

The outer layer of a traction cable or tractor-carrier according to the most common state of the art, assembled helically around a core, is composed of a number of strands, typically from 3 to 16 strands . Such a helical assembly of strands around a core necessarily generates a "valley" between each pair of adjacent strands, valleys that constitute throughout the cable as many geometric deviations from an ideal cylindrical envelope of the outer surface thereof.

The passage of each of these valleys on each roller of the installation will therefore generate a movement thereof that can reach an amplitude of several millimeters. As can be seen, as a function of the running speed of the cable, each of the rollers of the installation will therefore be animated by a periodic oscillation movement, the frequency of which may rise, depending on the case, to several tens of Hz, or, in some cases, several hundred Hz.

These vibrations, the generation of which is inherent to the structure of the traction cables or tractor-carriers according to the most common state of the art, although hampered by a judicious choice of materials of the guide rollers lining of the concerned, may nevertheless be likely to disturb the environment of the cable (for example: noise generation near dwellings) and / or to accelerate the wear or fatigue of some of its components. .

To solve this problem, it is known from FR 2,769,027 which describes a gondola cable comprising a central core extended by peripheral inserts between which are interposed the strands during wiring. However, the document FR 2 769 027 emphasizes the need for extensive compaction of the cable during its manufacture, with the aim of ensuring a "mutual interweaving of the strands, the inserts and the central core of the cable. ", Which directly implies a very strong pinching action of each fin between the two strands that border, this making the manufacturing process very unstable. This technical choice of a high compaction is also likely to cause in the short or medium term either the ejection or the complete shear fins. Such a high compaction operation is therefore very delicate and generally does not allow to obtain a homogeneous cross section cable, the vibrations are then not reduced and the cable does not have the required durability. In addition, the devices of the prior art also pose a problem in terms of sliding resistance, since they are generally not sufficiently capable of withstanding the vertical pressure of the clamps of the transport cabs.

The object of the present invention is therefore to overcome these drawbacks by proposing a strand cable to minimize or even eliminate the vibrations and noise generated by its passage over the guide rollers of a towed or teleported type installation, and that a method of manufacturing such a cable and a suitable soul.

For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a traction cable comprising a monobloc core comprising a central core provided on its periphery with a series of regularly spaced fins forming between them receiving grooves of at least partly circular cross-section and strands disposed around said core by insertion into each of said grooves, so that the association of said core and said strands has an outer shell of substantially cylindrical shape, the strands being embedded in the receiving grooves, without coming to do flute the fins that separate them.

The cables according to the invention may further incorporate the following characteristics, taken separately or in combination:

the fins may have a compression module different from that of the central core, whether it is lower or higher

- The central core further comprises a strand embedded in the core, the strand being sized to participate in the recovery of tensile forces transmitted by the cable or to ballast,

- The central core further comprises fibers, selected to participate in the recovery of tensile forces transmitted by the cable or for ballast,

the materials constituting the core are polymers comprising fillers intended to improve their mechanical characteristics in compression, and / or to confer on them properties resistance to UV radiation and / or rendering them electrically conductive, and / or giving them lubricating properties,

the number of strands is between 3 and 16 and is preferably equal to 6,

- The strands are compacted individually before assembly with the monobloc core.

The invention will be better understood with the aid of the description which follows, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a cable according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the core of the cable corresponding to FIG. 1,

- Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a core according to the invention.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, in a first embodiment, a cable 1 according to the invention comprises a one-piece core 2 and a series of six strands 3, with round wires, or preferably compacted, helically wound around this soul 2.

The choice of compacted type strands ensures the direct interchangeability of the cable according to the invention in terms of diameter, mass metric, and minimal breaking load with conventional construction cables, already in place on existing devices.

In the context of the present invention, the term "monobloc" designates an element that can not be disassembled into several subassemblies without being damaged.

As can be seen more specifically in FIG. 2, the core 2 itself consists of a central core 4 provided on its periphery with six evenly spaced fins 5 whose lateral walls form between them as many receiving grooves 6 of substantially circular shape. The fins 5 may be made of the same material as that of the central core 4 or in one or more materials whose modulus of compression is preferably lower than that of the central core 4, which means that these fins will then be more easily compressible than the core 4.

The peripheral end of each fin 5 is shaped in a circular arc, so that when the strands 3 are inserted into each of the receiving grooves 6, by temporarily deforming the fins 5, the cable 1 thus obtained has an outer envelope of substantially cylindrical shape, which therefore has almost no valleys.

In addition, the inner diameter of the circular portion of the receiving grooves 6 is chosen to be close, and preferably slightly less than that of the strands 3 that they must receive so that the contact is as close as possible between the walls. Lateral fins 5 and strands 3, without compaction operation pushed according to the prior art while ensuring the achievement of a uniform section and a profile of great uniformity over the entire length of the cable.

The monoblock core 2 may be manufactured by any method adapted to the nature of the material or materials that compose it. It will preferably be made of synthetic materials, a term which covers here all the thermoplastic compounds, thermosetting compounds, elastomers and vulcanizable compounds. Polymers such as polyolefins and, in particular, polyethylene, may be mentioned in particular.

In a preferred embodiment, these materials may be added with fillers, so as to give them particular properties, for example resistance to UV radiation, electrical conductivity, compressive strength, or lubrication.

The strands 3 may conventionally be constituted by an assembly of wires of different diameters wound helically around a central wire. They are preferably metal and more preferably steel. They can be individually compacted, so as to increase the metal section of a given diameter cable. In a second embodiment described in FIG. 3, a core 7 according to the invention furthermore comprises a strand 8 embedded in its central core 4. This strand 8 may conventionally consist of an assembly of wires of different diameters wound helically. around a central wire. It is preferably metallic and more particularly preferably steel. Its dimensioning is generally carried out so that it participates in the recovery of traction forces transmitted by the cable, but may also have the sole purpose of ballasting it.

In a third embodiment (not shown), the cores according to the invention may also comprise fibers, metal or not, inserted longitudinally in the central core 4. As before, their dimensioning is generally carried out in such a way that they participate in the recovery of tensile forces transmitted by the cable, but may also have the sole purpose of the ballast.

The cable according to the invention can be spliced to form a closed loop by coupling the opposite ends of its strands.

It is compatible with the different principles of clamps fixed or disengageable according to the state of the art, the interface thereof with the metal part of the cable being unchanged from the cables of the prior art.

The cable according to the invention is more particularly intended to be integrated as a pure traction cable or as a tractor carrying cable in a person transport installation by cables such as a ski lift installation such as for example, but non-limiting way a gondola or a cable car.

The transport facilities such as the lifts are in fact held by a carrier-tractor cable, that is to say that the cable ensures the reach of the cabin but also its drive up.

For installations such as cable cars, there are two cable systems, namely one or two carrying cables and one or more traction cables. The carrying cable is fixed and stretched between the departure station and arrival station of the facility and do not move. The traction cable, which provides cab traction, is attached to the cab carriage and forms a tight drive loop between the two stations.

In addition to these applications, the cable according to the invention can be used in many other applications such as an urban transport system, for example, and is therefore not limited to these uses.

Claims

Traction cable (1) comprising a single-piece core (2) comprising a central core (4) provided on its periphery with a series of regularly spaced fins (5) forming between them reception grooves (6) with at least a section partially circular and strands (3) arranged around said core (2) by insertion into each of said receiving grooves (6), so that the association of said core (2) and said strands (3) has an envelope outer substantially cylindrical shape, the strands (3) being embedded in the receiving grooves (6), without coming to flute the fins (5) separating them.

Cable according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the receiving grooves (6) is less than or equal to that of the strands (3).

Cable according to claim 2, wherein the diameter of the receiving grooves (6) is smaller than that of the strands (3).

Cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said fins (5) have a compression module different from that of said central core (4).

Cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the central core (4) further comprises a strand (8) embedded in said core (4), said strand (8) being sized to participate in the recovery of the efforts of traction transmitted by the cable or to ballast it.

Cable according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the central core further comprises fibers, selected to participate in the recovery of tensile forces transmitted by the cable or for ballast.

Cable according to any one of claims 1 to 6, for which the materials constituting said core (2) are polymers comprising fillers intended to improve their mechanical properties in compression, and / or to give them properties of resistance to UV radiation and / or rendering them electrically conductive, and / or giving them lubricating properties.

8. Cable according to any one of claims 1 to 7, whose number of strands is between 3 and 16 and is preferably equal to 6.

9. Cable according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the strands (3) are individually compacted before assembly with the integral core (2).

10. Use of a cable according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as a pure traction cable or as a carrier-tractor cable.

11. A one-piece core (2, 7) for traction cable (1) as defined in any one of claims 1 to 8.