GB2305192A - Rope connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To connect ropes, e.g. aramid fibre ropes, to form a longer length or, as shown, a loop, metal or plastics plate 5 having spikes 6 is placed between the rope parts. Spikes 6 extend through the rope and are encased in metal or moulded plastic ferrule 7 which may be filled with sealant. The spikes may slide in plate 5. The spikes may be nail-like, and provided with a common head. Two such heads may oppose one another, the spikes on one head passing through holes in the opposing head. Impregnated fibre tape may be wound to encase the pins. The spikes may be of steel or of carbon fibre.

Description

ELONGATE FIBROUS MEMBERS This invention relates to elongate fibrous members and in particular is concerned with the connection of lengths of such members to provide a greater length, or in the altemative, to connect one free end of the member to the member at a distance from its end to create a loop.

In a circumstance where an elongate member is a conventional multi-strand rope, two lengths of rope can most effectively be secured in end-to-end relationship to provide a greater length, by splicing together the ends of the rope. Equally, and in the circumstance where a loop is required at one end or both ends of a rope, the free end can be separated into its individual strands and then spliced into the rope body at a distance from its end. Where an elongate member is a chain, a greater length can be created by the connecting together of two lengths, either by breaking a link and resecuring the link around a link of the other length, or by the employment of separate connecting member, such as, for example, bolts to pass through end links of each length.

Whilst arrangements such as the above are most effective, they have acknowledged disadvantages. With ropes of conventional construction, considerable skill and expertise is required to create an effective and secure connection either between lengths of rope, or to form a loop at one end. There are numerous usages of rope in boating contexts, and with conventional rope when wet it becomes heavy and dificult to handle, and can stretch, and stretching of the rope in the vicinity of a spliced joint can affect the integrity of the spliced connection. With chains, they are inherently heavy and difficult to handle, and where used in the open, are prone to attack by rust.

These considerations have led to the development of elongate members formed of, for example, aramid fibres that can be formed into a rope-like configuration, with a sheath embracing the fibrous material in a densely packed condition, and with the sheath formed from an appropriate plastics material. Such a rope-like construction has considerable advantages.

It exhibits exceedingly high strength characteristics, is lightweight, is able to float on water, and does not wet in the same manner as rope. Equally, problems of high weight and rusting are eliminated.

A disadvantage of such rope-like constructions is the difficulty of effectively attaching one length to another or the attaching of one end to the length partway from the end to form a loop.

The object of the present invention is to provide an effective means of connecting lengths of fibrous rope-like constructions together either to create a longer length or to form a loop at one end of the length.

According to the present invention,a connection for the attaching of one length of elongate fibrous member to another, either to form a longer length or to form a loop, comprises at least one rigid spike-like member adapted to be driven through adjacent elongate fibrous members, and means associated with the spike-like member(s) to prevent the release of the spike-like members from the adjacent elongate fibrous members.

The spike-like members may be nail-like with a head to engage an elongate fibrous member, its point passing through the two elongate fibrous members to emerge therefrom, and to be attached to a keeper means to hold the nail-like member in place.

Preferably, a number of such spike-like members are provided in spaced relationship across the overlapping lengths of elongate fibrous members. As an altemative to nail-like members and an attendant keeper means, a number of spikes can be provided on a common head and two such heads brought into engagement with diametrally opposite sectors of the overlapping lengths, each head having receiver holes through which can pass the ends of the spikes of the other head and when each head acts as a keeper.

As a further desirable feature, a ferrule of metal or of plastics material may be provided to surround the connection whereby to enhance considerably its visual appearance, and the ferrule may be filled with an appropriate sealant, plastics or polyurethane material to further enhance the integrity of the connection. With a plastics ferrule, a heat shrinkable plastics material would be preferred.

A further possibility is to provide a number of spike-like members in the form of pins attached to or slidable mounted on a keeper plate, the keeper plate being adapted to be located between adjacent lengths of elongate fibrous members, and the pins to extend through and emerge from opposite sides of the adjacent lengths of elongate fibrous members, there being a means provided to engage the emerging ends of the pins and hold the pins in their engaging relationship with the elongate fibrous members. The means may be a plastics or the like sheath that may be moulded onto the fibrous members and to encase the adjacent lengths and their attendant pins. This has the advantage of guaranteeing the maintenance of the pins in position and at the same time result in a structure of pleasing appearance.Equally, the pins may be positively locked by taking a fibre tape of, e.g., woven glass fibre, carbon fibre or polyester fibre impregnated with for example bonding adhesive, the impregnated tape being wrapped around the adjacent elongate members and their protruding pins, to provide a rigid encasement when the bonding adhesive sets. Preferably, a plastics or the like sheath is provided to overlay the wrapped joint to enhance its appearance.

The spike-like members may be metallic but may equally be any other material of high sheer strength such as, for example, carbon fibre.

By the very nature of such as aramid fibrous structures, particularly when densely packed and in a sheath, there is a massive resistance to the longitudinal movement of the structure relative to such as a spike-like means pushed through the member. Thus, by providing such a spike-like member pushed through adjacent fibrous structures a relative movement as between one structure and the adjacent structure can be substantially eliminated, even under heavy load.

When, therefore, two lengths of such fibrous structures are connected in longitudinal configuration the joint exhibits load-bearing characteristics commensurate with the loadbearing characteristics of the structure itself. Equally, when it is formation of a loop at the end of such a fibrous structure, there is again provided a connection that has considerable load-bearing characteristics, ensuring the integrity of the loop even under heavy load, for which the fibrous structures themselves are suited.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a part sectional side elevation of a loop formed from a fibrous rope-like member with a connection in accordance with the invention; and Figure 2 is a view in the direction of arrow A of Figure 1.

In the drawings a rope-like member 1 formed from densely packed aramid fibres has a loop 2 formed at one end, the main length 3 of the rope-like member lying in close spaced and parallel relationship to the end section 4 of the loop.

A plate 5 of appropriate metal or rigid plastics material is located between the lengths 3 and 4, and extending through the plate and through the lengths of rope like member are three pins 6 of high tensile steel.

The overlapping length 3 and end section 4 of the rope-like member are encased in a plastics sleeve 7, and in which the ends of the pins 6 are embedded, to guarantee the retention of the pins in their positions passing through the length 3 and end section 4 of the rope-like material, whilst at the same time producing a structure of good aesthetic quality.

Claims (14)

1. A connection for the attaching of one length of elongate fibrous member to another, either to form a longer length or to form a loop, comprising at least one rigid spike-like member adapted to be driven through adjacent elongate fibrous members, and means associated with the spike-like member(s) to prevent the release of the spike-like members from the adjacent elongate fibrous members.

2. A connection as in Claim 1, wherein the spike-like members are nail-like with a head to engage an elongate fibrous member, its point passing through the two elongate fibrous members to emerge therefrom, and to be attached to a keeper means to hold the nail-like member in place.

3. A connection as in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein a number of such spike-like members are provided in spaced relationship across the overlapping lengths of elongate fibrous

4. A connection as in any of Claims 1 to 3, wherein a number of spikesare provided on a common head and two such heads brought into engagement with diametrally opposite sectors of the overlapping lengths, each head having receiver holes through which can pass the ends of the spikes of the other head and when each head acts as a keeper.

5. A connection as in any of Claims 1 to 4, wherein a ferrule of metal or of plastics material is provided to surround the connection whereby to enhance considerably its visual appearance.

6. A connection as in Claim 5, wherein the ferrule is filled with an appropriate sealant, plastics or polyurethane material to further enhance the integrity of the connection.

7. A connection as in Claim 6, wherein with a plastics ferrule, a heat shrinkable plastics material is employed.

8. A connection as in Claim 1, wherein a number of spike-like members in the form of pins are provided attached to or slidable mounted on a keeper plate, the keeper plate being adapted to be located between adjacent lengths of elongate fibrous members, with the pins extending through and emerging from opposite sides of the adjacent lengths of elongate fibrous members, there being a means provided to engage the emerging ends of the pins and hold the pins in their engaging relationship with the elongate fibrous members.

9. A connection as in Claim 8, wherein the means is a plastics or the like sheath that is moulded onto the fibrous members to encase the adjacent lengths and their attendant pins.

10. A connection as in Claim 8, wherein the pins are positively locked by a fibre tape of, e.g., woven glass fibre, carbon fibre or polyester fibre impregnated with for example bonding adhesive, the impregnated fibre tape being wrapped around the adjacent elongate members and their protruding pins, to provide a rigid encasement when the bonding adhesive sets.

11. A connection as in Claim 10, wherein a plastics or the like sheath is provided to overlay the wrapped joint to enhance its appearance.

12. A connection as in any of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the spike-like members or pins are metallic.

13. A connection as in any of Claims 1 to 11, wherein the spike-like members or pins are formed from carbon-fibre.

14. A connection substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.