US20140272409A1 - Fiber structures, systems, and methods for fabricating rope structures with improved lubricity - Google Patents
Fiber structures, systems, and methods for fabricating rope structures with improved lubricity Download PDFInfo
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- US20140272409A1 US20140272409A1 US13/831,472 US201313831472A US2014272409A1 US 20140272409 A1 US20140272409 A1 US 20140272409A1 US 201313831472 A US201313831472 A US 201313831472A US 2014272409 A1 US2014272409 A1 US 2014272409A1
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- Prior art keywords
- fiber
- lubricity
- forming
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- rope
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D07—ROPES; CABLES OTHER THAN ELECTRIC
- D07B—ROPES OR CABLES IN GENERAL
- D07B1/00—Constructional features of ropes or cables
- D07B1/14—Ropes or cables with incorporated auxiliary elements, e.g. for marking, extending throughout the length of the rope or cable
- D07B1/141—Ropes or cables with incorporated auxiliary elements, e.g. for marking, extending throughout the length of the rope or cable comprising liquid, pasty or powder agents, e.g. lubricants or anti-corrosive oils or greases
- D07B1/142—Ropes or cables with incorporated auxiliary elements, e.g. for marking, extending throughout the length of the rope or cable comprising liquid, pasty or powder agents, e.g. lubricants or anti-corrosive oils or greases for ropes or rope components built-up from fibrous or filamentary material
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- D—TEXTILES; PAPER
- D02—YARNS; MECHANICAL FINISHING OF YARNS OR ROPES; WARPING OR BEAMING
- D02G—CRIMPING OR CURLING FIBRES, FILAMENTS, THREADS, OR YARNS; YARNS OR THREADS
- D02G3/00—Yarns or threads, e.g. fancy yarns; Processes or apparatus for the production thereof, not otherwise provided for
- D02G3/22—Yarns or threads characterised by constructional features, e.g. blending, filament/fibre
- D02G3/36—Cored or coated yarns or threads
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
- Y10T428/29—Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand, strand portion, rod, filament, macroscopic fiber or mass thereof
- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2916—Rod, strand, filament or fiber including boron or compound thereof [not as steel]
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
- Y10T428/29—Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand, strand portion, rod, filament, macroscopic fiber or mass thereof
- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2918—Rod, strand, filament or fiber including free carbon or carbide or therewith [not as steel]
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
- Y10T428/29—Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand, strand portion, rod, filament, macroscopic fiber or mass thereof
- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2918—Rod, strand, filament or fiber including free carbon or carbide or therewith [not as steel]
- Y10T428/292—In coating or impregnation
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
- Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
- Y10T428/29—Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand, strand portion, rod, filament, macroscopic fiber or mass thereof
- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
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- Y10T428/00—Stock material or miscellaneous articles
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- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
- Y10T428/294—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core including metal or compound thereof [excluding glass, ceramic and asbestos]
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
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- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
- Y10T428/294—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core including metal or compound thereof [excluding glass, ceramic and asbestos]
- Y10T428/2958—Metal or metal compound in coating
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
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- Y10T428/29—Coated or structually defined flake, particle, cell, strand, strand portion, rod, filament, macroscopic fiber or mass thereof
- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
- Y10T428/294—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core including metal or compound thereof [excluding glass, ceramic and asbestos]
- Y10T428/296—Rubber, cellulosic or silicic material in coating
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
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- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
- Y10T428/2962—Silane, silicone or siloxane in coating
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
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- Y10T428/2913—Rod, strand, filament or fiber
- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
- Y10T428/2964—Artificial fiber or filament
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
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- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
- Y10T428/2964—Artificial fiber or filament
- Y10T428/2965—Cellulosic
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
- Y10T—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION
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- Y10T428/2933—Coated or with bond, impregnation or core
- Y10T428/2964—Artificial fiber or filament
- Y10T428/2967—Synthetic resin or polymer
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
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- Y10T428/2964—Artificial fiber or filament
- Y10T428/2967—Synthetic resin or polymer
- Y10T428/2969—Polyamide, polyimide or polyester
Definitions
- the present invention relates to fibers for forming rope structures and, in particular, fibers for forming rope structures having a desirable lubricity.
- Rope structures are made of fibers that extend at least partly along the length of the rope structure.
- the fibers may be natural or synthetic.
- the present invention is of particular significance when applied to synthetic fibers, and that application of the present invention will be described herein in detail. However, the present invention may, in some forms, have application to natural fibers used in rope structures.
- the operating characteristics of the fibers forming a rope structure will form the basis of the operating characteristic of the rope structure formed thereby.
- operating characteristics of a particular rope structure such as tensile (or ultimate) strength (maximum tensile load that the rope structure can withstand before failing or breaking), modulus of elasticity (tendency of the rope structure to be deformed under tensile loads), tenacity (breaking strength of the rope structure divided by the denier), weight per unit length, and wear resistance, are all determined at least in part by the same characteristics of the fiber structure or fiber structures used to form the rope structure.
- the surface characteristics of a rope structure will be determined at least in part by the surface characteristics of the fibers used to form that rope structure.
- the coefficient of friction of the fibers used to form a rope structure will, in large part, determine the coefficient of friction of the rope structure itself.
- fibers made of a material having a low coefficient of friction may be used to form the rope structure.
- materials having a low coefficient of friction do not necessarily yield fibers and/or rope structures having other properties, such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, weight per unit length, and wear resistance, required for a particular use environment.
- materials having the lowest coefficient of friction such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tend to be expensive, and rope structures made of PTFE fibers are thus correspondingly expensive.
- PTFE polytetrafluoroethylene
- the surface characteristics of the materials forming fibers used to form a rope structure affects the interaction of fibers within the rope structure.
- fibers within a rope structure mechanically engage each other such that, when the rope structure is used, these fibers move can abrade each other, especially at bend regions. Fibers having a high coefficient of friction may thus wear on each other on the interior of the rope structure, possibly reducing the useful life of the rope structure.
- a number of techniques have been developed to create a rope structure having surface characteristics that differ at least in part from that of at least some of the fibers forming the rope structure. While some of these techniques are designed to improve surface characteristics such as wear resistance, techniques designed to improve coefficient of friction associated with the rope structure are most relevant to the present invention.
- a rope structure may be made of a blend of fibers having different operating characteristics.
- a rope may be made of a first fiber selected primarily based on tensile strength and a second fiber selected primarily based on coefficient of friction.
- the effectiveness of the second fibers at decreasing the coefficient of friction of the rope structure may be increased by forming the rope structure such that the second fibers are concentrated on the surface of the rope structure.
- Rope structures comprises of blends of fibers require the use of at least some of the expensive, low coefficient of friction fibers and may limit construction techniques available to the rope designer. And unless the proportion of second fibers to the first fibers reaches a critical portion (or volume), the second fibers may not improve the interactions among the first fibers within the rope structure.
- a core rope structure comprising fibers selected primarily based on strength may be jacketed by a second rope structure comprising fibers selected primarily based on surface characteristics such as coefficient of friction.
- Rope structures comprised of a core rope structure and a jacket rope structure require the use of at least some of the expensive, low coefficient of friction fibers, limit construction techniques available to the rope designer, and may yield a rope structure that is not suitable for many use environments. The use of a jacket rope structure further does not affect the interaction of fibers within the core rope structure.
- Another method of altering the surface characteristics of the rope structure is to apply a coating to the rope structure.
- the rope structure is made of fibers selected for a desired set of operating characteristics such as tensile strength and/or modulus of elasticity and the coating is formulated to yield desirable surface characteristics such as coefficient of friction.
- Application of a coating to a rope structure may undesirably change other operating characteristics of the rope structure such as weight per unit length and does not affect the interaction of fibers within the rope structure.
- the present invention may be embodied as a fiber structure for forming a rope structure has a base matrix of base fiber material and at least one lubricity portion of lubricity material.
- the lubricity material determines a lubricity of at least a portion of a surface of the fiber structure.
- the present invention may also be embodied as a method of forming a fiber structure for forming a rope comprising the following steps.
- a base fiber material and a lubricity material are provided.
- a fiber structure is formed such that the fiber structure comprises a base matrix formed of the base fiber material and at least one lubricity portion formed of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material defines a lubricity of at least a portion of the base matrix.
- the present invention may also be embodied as a method of forming a rope structure comprising the following steps.
- a base fiber material and a lubricity material are provided.
- a plurality of fiber structures are provided, where each fiber structure comprises a base matrix formed of the base fiber material and at least one lubricity portion formed of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material defines a lubricity of at least a portion of the base matrix.
- the fiber structures are combined to form a plurality of yarns.
- the plurality of yarns are combined to form the rope structure.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a section view of a first example fiber manufactured using the first example fiber manufacturing system
- FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a second example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention.
- FIG. 4 is a section view of a feed particle used by the second example fiber manufacturing system
- FIG. 5 is a section view of a second example fiber manufactured using the second example fiber manufacturing system
- FIG. 6 a schematic view of a third example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention.
- FIGS. 7 , 8 , and 9 are section views of third, fourth, and fifth example fibers manufactured using the third example fiber manufacturing system.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a fourth example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention.
- FIG. 11 is a section view of a sixth example fiber manufactured using the fourth example fiber manufacturing system.
- Rope structures of the present invention may be manufactured using a number of manufacturing systems and methods, and several example rope manufacturing systems and example fibers and rope structures created by those manufacturing systems will be discussed herein.
- the first example manufacturing system 20 comprises a fiber formation system 30 having a material hopper 30 a , a yarn formation system 32 , and a rope formation system 34 .
- the material hopper 30 a contains a base fiber material in the form of first pellets, grains, or powder 40 (hereinafter referred to as “base pellets 40 ” and indicated by right cross-hatching) and a lubricity material.
- the lubricity material may be in solid, liquid, or flowable form in the material hopper 30 a .
- the lubricity material takes the form of second pellets, grains, powder, or liquid 42 (hereinafter referred to as “lubricity pellets 42 ” and indicated by left cross-hatching).
- the example base pellets 40 of base fiber material and lubricity pellets 42 of lubricity material are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size in FIG. 1 , but the base and lubricity pellets 40 and 42 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes.
- the lubricity material may take the form of a flowable liquid or paste having similar or lower volume relative to that of the lubricity pellets 42 .
- the example material hopper 30 a comprises a higher percentage by weight and/or volume of the base pellets 40 than the lubricity pellets 42 .
- the present invention is of primary significance when applied to man-made or synthetic fibers
- the example base fiber material may be at least one material selected from the group of materials: Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene (PP), Olefin, Polyolefin, Polyethylene (PE), Polyacrylonitrile, Carbon, Aramid, PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo(4,5-b:4′,5′-e) pyridinylene-1,4(2,5-dihydroxy)phenylen]), PBI (Polybenziadazole), PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate), Glass, Basalt, Metals and metal alloys, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PVDC (Polyvinylidene Chloride), Polyurethane-polyurea, Polyvinyl Alcohol, PPS (Polyphylene Sulfide).
- the lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone.
- materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like.
- the example base fiber material is typically in granular, powder, or liquid form when in the example material hopper 30 a.
- the fiber formation system 30 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from the base pellets 40 of base fiber material.
- lubricity material may be combined (e.g., as an additive or blended with) with the base fiber material using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process.
- the example fiber formation system 32 is an extrusion system capable of converting the base pellets 40 of base fiber material into elongate fibers.
- the example fiber formation system 32 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from the base pellets 40 of base fiber material.
- the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing the base pellets 40 and lubricity pellets 42 such as in a screw press (not shown).
- the mechanical processing converts the granular or powderized base pellets 40 and lubricity pellets 42 into a flowable, plastic mass comprising both base fiber material and lubricity material that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous fiber structure or fiber structures 50 of desired dimensions.
- the fiber structure or fiber structures 50 so formed will thus comprise both the base fiber material and the lubricity material.
- the fiber structure(s) 50 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in FIG. 1 ) to facilitate subsequent handling. At this point, the fiber structure(s) 50 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the yarn formation system 32 and the rope formation system 34 .
- FIG. 1 further illustrates that the fiber structure or fiber structures 50 are subsequently combined to form one or more yarn structures 52 comprising a plurality of the fibers 50 using the yarn formation system 32 .
- the yarn structure(s) 52 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the rope formation system 34 .
- a plurality of the yarn structures 52 is combined using the rope formation system 34 to form a rope structure 54 .
- the rope structure 54 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving the yarn structures 52 or rope sub-components formed of the yarn structures 52 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure.
- the yarn structures 52 or rope sub-components formed of the fiber structures 50 may be combined with other types of yarns such that the yarn structure 52 is a blended yarn structure.
- the yarns structures 52 formed solely of the fiber structures 50 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity.
- the fiber structures 50 may provide lubricity to the yarn structure 52
- the other types of yarns in the yarn structure 52 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength.
- the rope structure 54 formed at least in part of the yarn structures 52 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by the example fiber structures 50 to provide lubricity to the rope structure 54 .
- FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section of the fiber 50 formed using the fiber formation system 30 .
- the example fiber 50 depicted in FIG. 2 comprises a base matrix portion 60 formed by the base fiber material and lubricity portions 62 formed by the lubricity material.
- the base matrix portion 60 is a structure that is continuous along the entire length of the fiber 50 .
- the base matrix portion 60 generally takes the form of a solid cylinder, except that the lubricity portions 62 represent voids in the solid cylinder formed by the base matrix portion 60 .
- the lubricity portions 62 are represented as circular (or spherical) in FIG. 2 for clarity but, may in practice be irregular and perhaps elongate (i.e., extending into and/or out of the paper in FIG. 2 ) after becoming deformed while passing through the fiber formation system 30 . Some lubricity materials may, however, maintain their original granular or powderized form after passing through the fiber formation system 30 .
- the lubricity portions 62 will be adjacent to, in contact with, or form a surface 64 of the fiber 50 .
- the lubricity portions 62 rather than the base matrix portion 60 of the fibers 50 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber.
- the base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of the fiber 50
- the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of the surface 64 of the fiber 50 .
- the lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the rope structure 54 comprising the yarn structures 52 and fibers 50 , at least a portion of some of the lubricity portions 62 diffuses or otherwise migrates out the fibers 50 .
- the lubricity portions 62 comprised of wax or oil may diffuse or otherwise migrate out of the body of the fibers 50 such that the lubricity material at least partly coats the fibers 50 .
- the lubricity material will thus reduce the coefficient of friction of the fibers 50 over a wider portion of the fiber surface 64 of the fibers 50 .
- Friction between the fibers 50 in a yarn 60 or rope structure 54 may create pressure and heat that will further encourage flowing or migrating of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material coats the fiber surface 64 of the fibers 50 and/or is otherwise arranged between adjacent fibers.
- the lubricity material may be a solid or brittle material selected such that, during use of the rope structure 54 comprising the yarn structures 52 and fibers 50 , at least a portion of some of the lubricity portions 62 may become separated from the fibers 50 in a granular or powder form.
- the selected lubricity material is in the form of a brittle solid, the solid lubricity portions 62 may fall or wear off of the body of the fibers 50 such that a granular or powderized form of the lubricity material becomes entrapped between the fibers 50 forming the rope structure 54 .
- the lubricity material in granular or powderized form will effectively reduce the coefficient of friction between the fibers 50 over a wider portion of the fiber surface 64 of the fibers 50 than that defined by the lubricity portions 62 alone. Further, friction between the fibers 50 in a yarn 60 or rope structure 54 will abrade the lubricity portions 62 on the fiber surface 64 such that the granular or powderized lubricity material is arranged between the surfaces 56 of adjacent fibers 50 and/or any other fiber forming the rope structure 54 .
- the presence of the lubricant material on the fiber surface 64 yields a fiber surface 64 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of the fiber surface 64 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of the rope structure 54 with any contacting surface that rope structure 54 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance.
- the second example manufacturing system 120 comprises a fiber formation system 130 having a material hopper 130 a , a yarn formation system 132 , and a rope formation system 134 .
- the material hopper 130 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 140 (hereinafter referred to as “pellets 140 ”).
- FIG. 4 illustrates that the pellets 140 comprise a base fiber material portion 142 (indicated by right cross-hatching) and a lubricity material portion 144 (indicated by left cross-hatching).
- the pellets 140 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size in FIGS. 2 and 3 , but the pellets may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes.
- the example lubricity material portion 144 takes the form of a coating of lubricity material formed on a core of base fiber material formed by the base fiber material portion 142 .
- Each of the pellets will typically comprise more of the base fiber material than the lubricity material.
- the use of pellets 140 having a base fiber material portion 142 and an lubricity portion 144 ensures that the proportion of base fiber material to lubricity material in the material hopper 130 a is consistent and that this proportion is maintained in as the pellets 140 are processed in the fiber formation system 130 .
- the example pellets 140 are typically in granular or powder form when in the example material hopper 130 a.
- the present invention is of primary significance when applied to man-made or synthetic fibers, so the example base fiber material may be formed by at least one material selected from the group of materials: Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene (PP), Olefin, Polyolefin, Polyethylene (PE), Polyacrylonitrile, Carbon, Aramid, PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo(4,5-b:4′,5′-e)pyridinylene-1,4(2,5-dihydroxy)phenylen]), PBI (Polybenziadazole), PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate), Glass, Basalt, Metals and metal alloys, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PVDC (Polyvinylidene Chloride), Polyurethane-polyurea, Polyvinyl Alcohol, PPS (Polyphylene Sulfide
- the lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone.
- materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like.
- the fiber formation system 130 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from the pellets 140 .
- lubricity material may be combined (e.g., as an additive or blended with) with the base fiber material using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process.
- the example fiber formation system 132 is an extrusion system capable of converting the pellets 140 into elongate fibers.
- the example fiber formation system 132 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from the pellets 140 .
- the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing the pellets 140 such as in a screw press (not shown). While a screw press may not completely melt the base fiber material and lubricity material forming the pellets 140 , the mechanical processing converts at least a portion of the granular or powderized pellets 140 into a flowable, plastic mass that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous second example fiber structure or fiber structures 150 of desired dimensions.
- the second example fiber(s) 150 so formed will be comprised of the base fiber material and the lubricity material.
- the fiber structure(s) 150 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in FIG. 3 ) to facilitate subsequent handling. At this point, the fiber structure(s) 150 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the yarn formation system 132 and the rope formation system 134 .
- FIG. 3 further shows that the fiber structure or fiber structures 150 are subsequently combined to form one or more second example yarn structures 152 comprising at least a plurality of the second fibers 150 using the yarn formation system 132 .
- the yarn structure(s) 152 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the rope formation system 134 .
- a plurality of the second example yarn structures 152 is combined using the rope formation system 134 to form a second example rope structure 154 .
- the second rope structure 154 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving at least the yarn structures 152 or rope sub-components formed of at least the yarn structures 152 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure.
- the yarn structures 152 or rope sub-components formed of the fiber structures 150 may be combined with other types of yarns such that the yarn structure 152 is a blended yarn structure.
- the yarns structures 152 formed solely of the fiber structures 150 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity.
- the fiber structures 150 may provide lubricity to the yarn structure 152
- the other types of yarns in the yarn structure 152 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength.
- the rope structure 154 formed at least in part of the yarn structures 152 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by the example fiber structures 150 to provide lubricity to the rope structure 154 .
- FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section of the fiber 150 formed using the fiber formation system 130 .
- the example fiber 150 depicted in FIG. 5 comprises a base matrix portion 160 formed by the base fiber material and lubricity portions 162 formed by the lubricity material.
- the base matrix portion 160 is an elongate fiber structure that is continuous along the entire length of the fiber 150 .
- the base matrix portion 160 generally takes the form of a solid cylinder, except that the lubricity portions 162 represent voids in the solid cylinder formed by the base matrix portion 160 .
- the lubricity portions 162 are represented as circular (or spherical) in FIG. 12 for clarity but will in practice be irregular and perhaps elongate (i.e., extending into and/or out of the paper in FIG. 12 ) after passing through the fiber formation system 130 .
- Some lubricity materials may, however, maintain a granular or powderized form after passing through the fiber formation system 130 .
- the lubricity portions 162 will be adjacent to, in contact with, or form a surface 164 of the fiber 150 .
- the lubricity portions 162 rather than the base matrix portion 160 of the fibers 150 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber.
- the base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of the fiber 150
- the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of the surface 164 of the fiber 150 .
- the lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the rope structure 154 comprising the yarn structures 152 and fibers 150 , at least a portion of some of the lubricity portions 162 diffuses or otherwise migrates out the fibers 150 .
- the lubricity portions 162 comprised of wax or oil may diffuse or otherwise migrate out of the body of the fibers 150 such that the lubricity material at least partly coats the fibers 150 .
- the lubricity material will thus reduce the coefficient of friction of the fibers 150 over a wider portion of the fiber surface 164 of the fibers 150 .
- Friction between the fibers 150 in a yarn 160 or rope structure 154 may create pressure and heat that will further encourage flowing or oozing of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material coats the fiber surface 164 of the fibers 150 and/or is otherwise arranged between adjacent fibers.
- the lubricity material may be a solid or brittle material selected such that, during use of the rope structure 154 comprising the yarn structures 152 and fibers 150 , at least a portion of some of the lubricity portions 162 may become separated from the fibers 150 in a granular or powder form.
- the selected lubricity material is in the form of a brittle solid, the solid lubricity portions 162 may fall or wear off of the body of the fibers 150 such that a granular or powderized form of the lubricity material becomes entrapped between the fibers 150 forming the rope structure 154 .
- the lubricity material in granular or powderized form will effectively reduce the coefficient of friction between the fibers 150 over a wider portion of the fiber surface 164 of the fibers 150 than that defined by the lubricity portions 162 alone. Further, friction between the fibers 150 in a yarn 152 or rope structure 154 will abrade the lubricity portions 162 on the fiber surface 164 such that the granular or powderized lubricity material is arranged between the surfaces 156 of adjacent fibers 150 and/or any other fiber forming the rope structure 154 .
- the presence of the lubricant lubricity material on the fiber surface 164 yields a fiber surface 164 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of the fiber surface 164 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of the rope structure 154 with any contacting surface that rope structure 154 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance.
- FIG. 6 of the drawing depicts a third example manufacturing system 220 constructed in accordance with, or embodying, the principles of the present invention.
- the third example manufacturing system 220 comprises a fiber formation system 230 having a first material hopper 230 a , a coating system 232 having a second material hopper 232 a , a yarn formation system 234 , and a rope formation system 236 .
- the first material hopper 230 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 240 (hereinafter referred to as “base pellets 240 ”).
- the base pellets 240 comprise a base fiber material (indicated by right cross-hatching).
- the base pellets 240 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size in FIG. 6 , but the pellets 240 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes.
- the second material hopper 232 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 242 (hereinafter referred to as “lubricity pellets 240 ”).
- the lubricity pellets 242 comprise a lubricity material (indicated by left cross-hatching).
- the lubricity pellets 242 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size in FIG. 6 , but the pellets 242 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes.
- the present invention is of primary significance when applied to fibers made of man-made or synthetic materials
- the example base fiber may be one or more of the following fibers: Nylon fiber, Polyester fiber, High Modulus Polypropylene (HMPP) fiber (e.g., Innegra), Olefin fiber, Polyolefin fiber; High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber (e.g., Dnyeema, Spectra), Polyacrylonitrile fiber (e.g., Orlon), Carbon fiber, Aramid fiber (e.g., Twaron, Kevlar, Technora, Teijinconex), PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) fiber (e.g., Zylon), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) fiber (e.g., Vectran), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo(4,5-b:4′,5′-e)pyridinylene-1,4(
- the lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone.
- materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like.
- the fiber formation system 230 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from the base pellets 240 .
- the base fiber material may be manufactured using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process.
- the raw fibers (e.g., core or base matrix portion 260 ) produced by the fiber formation system 230 may be a commodity fiber without any special or desirable lubricity properties procured from an outside fiber manufacturer.
- the outside fiber manufacturer may be responsible for operating the extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process to make the raw fibers.
- the treatment of the raw fibers (e.g., the core or base portion 260 ) to obtain the coating 262 a of lubricity material may be performed at another time and at another location by a manufacturer other than the fiber producer (e.g., a the rope manufacturer).
- a manufacturer other than the fiber producer e.g., a the rope manufacturer.
- the fiber formation system 230 and the step of using that fiber formation system 230 need not be performed in certain forms of the present invention.
- the example fiber formation system 230 is an extrusion system capable of converting the base pellets 240 into elongate fibers.
- the example fiber formation system 230 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from the base pellets 240 .
- the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing the base pellets 240 such as in a screw press (not shown). While a screw press may not completely melt the base fiber material forming the base pellets 240 , the mechanical processing converts at least a portion of the granular or powderized base pellets 240 into a flowable, plastic mass that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous fiber structure or fiber structures 250 of desired dimensions.
- the fiber structure(s) 250 so formed define a core or base matrix portion 260 comprised of the base fiber material.
- the fiber structure(s) 250 may be taken up on a spool or bobbin and shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the coating system 232 , yarn formation system 234 , and/or the rope formation system 234 .
- the example coating system 232 is any coating system capable of forming a coating or sheath 262 of the lubricity material on the core or base matrix portion 260 formed by the fiber structure(s) 250 .
- the fiber formation system 230 employs an extrusion, pultrusion, or spray process capable of forming, from the lubricity pellets 242 , a coating 262 over the core or base matrix portion 260 as shown in FIGS. 7 , 8 , and 9 .
- the coating 262 defines or forms at least a part of a surface 264 of the fiber 250 .
- the fiber 250 may be made of a porous material such that the surface 264 extends within the matrix portion 260 forming the fiber 250 .
- High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber e.g., Dnyeema
- Dnyeema is an example of a porous fiber at least a portion of the surface 264 of which defines an interior surface 264 capable of absorbing the coating 262 of lubricity material.
- the fiber structure(s) 250 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in FIG. 6 ) to facilitate subsequent handling.
- the coated or coated fiber structure(s) 250 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using yarn formation system 234 and/or the rope formation system 234 .
- a fiber manufacturer may make the fiber structure(s) 250 , and these fiber structures may be shipped to a rope manufacturer for coating using the coating system 232 .
- FIG. 3 further shows that the fiber structure or fiber structures 250 are subsequently combined to form one or more yarn structures 252 comprising a plurality of the fibers 250 using the yarn formation system 234 .
- the yarn structure(s) 250 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the rope formation system 234 .
- a plurality of the yarn structures 252 is combined using the rope formation system 236 to form a rope structure 254 .
- the rope structure 254 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving the yarn structures 252 or rope sub-components formed of the yarn structures 252 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure.
- the yarn structures 252 or rope sub-components formed of the fiber structures 250 may be combined with other types of yarns such that the yarn structure 252 is a blended yarn structure.
- the yarns structures 252 formed solely of the fiber structures 250 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity.
- the fiber structures 250 may provide lubricity to the yarn structure 252
- the other types of yarns in the yarn structure 252 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength.
- the rope structure 254 formed at least in part of the yarn structures 252 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by the example fiber structures 250 to provide lubricity to the rope structure 254 .
- FIG. 7 illustrates that a third example fiber structure 250 a has a first example coating 262 a of lubricity material that takes the form of discrete grains or particles 270 that adhere themselves to the core or base matrix portion 260 .
- the grains or particles 270 will have sufficient adhesion or surface tension to bond themselves to the core or base matrix portion 260 for processing of the fibers into the yarns 252 and rope 254 and then subsequent use of the rope 254 .
- FIG. 8 illustrates that a fourth example fiber structure 250 b has a second example coating 262 a of lubricity material taking the form of a thin coating 280 that is adhered to the core or base matrix portion 260 .
- the coating 280 may be formed by a binder matrix.
- the binder forming the binder matrix may be water or oil soluble when liquid, and the water solvent and/or oil solvent may evaporate as the wet coating dries to form the binder matrix.
- the binder may also be formed by chemical reaction (e.g., 2 -part epoxy).
- the thin coating 280 has lubricant properties that lubricate the fibers 250 during subsequent processing of the fibers 250 into the yarns 252 and rope 254 and then, ultimately, during use of the rope 254 .
- FIG. 9 illustrates that a fifth example fiber structure 250 c has a third example coating 262 of lubricity material that takes the form of discrete grains or particles 290 of lubricity material that are adhered to the core or base matrix portion 260 by a matrix 292 of binder.
- the binder matrix 292 may be formed by solvent removal or by chemical reaction. In this case, the binder matrix 292 binds the grains or particles 290 to the core or base matrix portion 260 to lubricate the fibers 250 during subsequent processing of the fibers into the yarns 252 and then rope 254 and also during use of the rope 254 .
- the first, second, and third coatings 262 a , 262 b , and 262 c define the surfaces 264 a , 264 b , and 264 c of the third, fourth, and fifth fibers 250 a , 250 b , and 250 c , respectively. Accordingly, when the fiber 250 is in contact with an adjacent structure such as another fiber, the coating 262 rather than the core or base matrix portion 260 of the fibers 250 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber.
- the base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of the fiber 250 , and the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of the surface 264 of the fiber 250 .
- the lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the rope structure 254 comprising the yarn structures 252 and fibers 250 , the lubricity material will reduce the coefficient of friction of the fibers 250 to reduce friction between the fibers 250 in the yarn 252 and/or rope structure 254 .
- the presence of the lubricant lubricity material on the fiber surface 264 yields a fiber surface 264 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of the fiber surface 264 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of the rope structure 254 with any contacting surface that rope structure 254 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance.
- FIG. 10 of the drawing depicts a fourth example manufacturing system 320 constructed in accordance with, or embodying, the principles of the present invention.
- the fourth example manufacturing system 320 comprises a fiber formation system 330 having a first material hopper 330 a , a coating system 332 having a second material hopper 332 a , a yarn formation system 334 , and a rope formation system 336 .
- the first material hopper 330 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 340 (hereinafter referred to as “base pellets 340 ”).
- the base pellets 340 comprise a base fiber material (indicated by right cross-hatching).
- the base pellets 340 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size in FIG. 6 , but the pellets 340 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes.
- the second material hopper 332 a contains additive liquid 342 (hereinafter referred to as “additive liquid 340 ”).
- the additive liquid 342 comprise a lubricity material (indicated by left cross-hatching).
- the present invention is of primary significance when applied to man-made or synthetic fibers, so the example base fiber material will typically be formed of at least one synthetic material, including one or more of the following fibers: Nylon fiber, Polyester fiber, High Modulus Polypropylene (HMPP) fiber (e.g., Innegra), Olefin fiber, Polyolefin fiber, High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber (e.g., Dnyeema, Spectra), Polyacrylonitrile fiber (e.g., Orlon), Carbon fiber, Aramid fiber (e.g., Twaron, Kevlar, Technora, Teijinconex), PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) fiber (e.g., Zylon), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) fiber (e.g., Vectran), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo (4,5-b:4′,5′-e)pyr
- the lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone.
- materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like.
- These example lubricity materials may be configured in liquid form for storage in the second example material hopper 332 a and application by the coating system 332 or may be suspended by or dissolved within a carrier liquid.
- the carrier liquid may evaporate to leave the lubricity material and/or a binder, or the carrier liquid may contain the lubricity material and a chemically curable binder.
- the fiber formation system 330 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from the base pellets 340 .
- lubricity material the base fiber material may be manufactured using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process.
- the raw fibers (e.g., core or base matrix portion 360 ) produced by the fiber formation system 330 may be a commodity fiber without any special or desirable lubricity properties procured from an outside fiber manufacturer.
- the outside fiber manufacturer may be responsible for operating the extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process to make the raw fibers.
- the treatment of the raw fibers (e.g., the core or base portion 360 ) to obtain the coating 362 a of lubricity material may be performed at another time and at another location by a manufacturer other than the fiber producer (e.g., the rope manufacturer).
- the fiber formation system 330 and the step of using that fiber formation system 330 need not be performed in certain forms of the present invention.
- the example fiber formation system 330 is an extrusion system capable of converting the base pellets 340 into elongate fibers.
- the example fiber formation system 330 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from the base pellets 340 .
- the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing the base pellets 340 such as in a screw press (not shown). While a screw press may not completely melt the base fiber material forming the base pellets 340 , the mechanical processing converts at least a portion of the granular or powderized base pellets 340 into a flowable, plastic mass that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous fiber structure or fiber structures 350 of desired dimensions.
- the fiber structure(s) 350 so formed define a core or base matrix portion 360 comprised of the base fiber material.
- the fiber structure(s) 350 may be taken up on a spool or bobbin and shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the coating system 332 , yarn formation system 334 , and/or the rope formation system 334 .
- a fiber manufacturer may make the fiber structure(s) 350 , and these fiber structures 350 may be shipped to a rope manufacturer for coating using the coating system 332 .
- the example coating system 332 is any coating system capable of forming a coating or sheath 362 of the lubricity material on the core or base matrix portion 360 formed by the fiber structure(s) 350 as shown in FIG. 11 .
- the fiber formation system 330 employs an extrusion, pultrusion, or spray process capable of forming, from the additive liquid 342 , a coating 362 over the core or base matrix portion 360 as shown in FIG. 11 .
- the coating 362 defines or forms at least a part of a surface 364 of the fiber 350 .
- the fiber 350 may be made of a porous material such that the surface 364 extends within the matrix portion 360 forming the fiber 350 .
- High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber e.g., Dnyeema
- HMPE fiber is an example of a porous fiber at least a portion of the surface 364 of which defines an interior surface 364 capable of absorbing the coating 362 of lubricity material.
- the fiber structure(s) 350 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in FIG. 10 ) to facilitate subsequent handling.
- the sheathed or coated fiber structure(s) 350 may be taken up on a spool or bobbin and shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the yarn formation system 334 and/or the rope formation system 334 .
- the fiber structure or fiber structures 350 are subsequently combined to form one or more yarn structures 352 comprising a plurality of the fibers 350 using the yarn formation system 334 .
- a plurality of the yarn structures 352 is combined using the rope formation system 336 to form a rope structure 354 .
- the rope structure 354 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving the yarn structures 352 or rope sub-components formed of the yarn structures 352 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure.
- the yarn structures 352 or rope sub-components formed of the fiber structures 350 may be combined with other types of yarns such that the yarn structure 352 is a blended yarn structure.
- the yarns structures 352 formed solely of the fiber structures 350 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity.
- the fiber structures 350 may provide lubricity to the yarn structure 352
- the other types of yarns in the yarn structure 352 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength.
- the rope structure 354 formed at least in part of the yarn structures 352 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by the example fiber structures 350 to provide lubricity to the rope structure 354 .
- FIG. 11 illustrates that the coating 362 of lubricity material may take the form of a thin coating 370 that is adhered to the core or base matrix portion 360 .
- the coating 370 may be formed by the lubricity material alone, or a binder matrix may be formed.
- the binder forming the binder matrix may be water or oil soluble when liquid, and the water solvent and/or oil solvent may evaporate as the wet coating dries to form the binder matrix.
- the binder may also be formed by chemical reaction (e.g., 2 -part epoxy) to facilitate adherence of the binder material to the core or base matrix portion 360 .
- the thin coating 380 has lubricant properties that lubricate the fibers 350 during subsequent processing of the fibers 350 into the yarns 352 and rope 354 and then, ultimately, during use of the rope 354 .
- the coating 362 formed at least partly of the lubricity material forms at least a portion the surface 364 of the fiber 350 . Accordingly, when the fiber 350 is in contact with an adjacent structure such as another fiber, the coating 362 rather than the core or base matrix portion 360 of the fibers 350 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber.
- the base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of the fiber 350
- the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of the surface 364 of the fiber 350 .
- the lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the rope structure 354 comprising the yarn structures 352 and fibers 350 , the lubricity material will reduce the coefficient of friction of the fibers 350 to reduce friction between the fibers 350 in the yarn 352 and/or rope structure 354 .
- the presence of the lubricant lubricity material on the fiber surface 364 yields a fiber surface 364 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of the fiber surface 364 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of the rope structure 354 with any contacting surface that rope structure 354 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance.
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to fibers for forming rope structures and, in particular, fibers for forming rope structures having a desirable lubricity.
- Rope structures are made of fibers that extend at least partly along the length of the rope structure. The fibers may be natural or synthetic. The present invention is of particular significance when applied to synthetic fibers, and that application of the present invention will be described herein in detail. However, the present invention may, in some forms, have application to natural fibers used in rope structures.
- In general, the operating characteristics of the fibers forming a rope structure will form the basis of the operating characteristic of the rope structure formed thereby. As examples, operating characteristics of a particular rope structure, such as tensile (or ultimate) strength (maximum tensile load that the rope structure can withstand before failing or breaking), modulus of elasticity (tendency of the rope structure to be deformed under tensile loads), tenacity (breaking strength of the rope structure divided by the denier), weight per unit length, and wear resistance, are all determined at least in part by the same characteristics of the fiber structure or fiber structures used to form the rope structure.
- In this context, it should be apparent that the surface characteristics of a rope structure will be determined at least in part by the surface characteristics of the fibers used to form that rope structure. For example, the coefficient of friction of the fibers used to form a rope structure will, in large part, determine the coefficient of friction of the rope structure itself. To obtain a rope structure with a particular coefficient of friction, it is known to provide fibers made of material having a corresponding coefficient of friction.
- Accordingly, to obtain a rope structure with a low coefficient of friction, it is known that fibers made of a material having a low coefficient of friction may be used to form the rope structure. However, materials having a low coefficient of friction do not necessarily yield fibers and/or rope structures having other properties, such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, weight per unit length, and wear resistance, required for a particular use environment. In addition, materials having the lowest coefficient of friction, such as polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), tend to be expensive, and rope structures made of PTFE fibers are thus correspondingly expensive.
- It should be noted that, in addition to affecting the interaction with the rope structure and an external structure, the surface characteristics of the materials forming fibers used to form a rope structure affects the interaction of fibers within the rope structure. In particular, fibers within a rope structure mechanically engage each other such that, when the rope structure is used, these fibers move can abrade each other, especially at bend regions. Fibers having a high coefficient of friction may thus wear on each other on the interior of the rope structure, possibly reducing the useful life of the rope structure.
- A number of techniques have been developed to create a rope structure having surface characteristics that differ at least in part from that of at least some of the fibers forming the rope structure. While some of these techniques are designed to improve surface characteristics such as wear resistance, techniques designed to improve coefficient of friction associated with the rope structure are most relevant to the present invention.
- Initially, it may be possible to combine fibers such that the mechanical properties of the rope structure yield an effective coefficient of friction that differs from the coefficient of friction of the material forming the fibers. This approach may limit the techniques for combining the fibers and is only of marginal effectiveness at reducing the coefficient of friction of the rope structure relative to that of the fibers.
- As another example, a rope structure may be made of a blend of fibers having different operating characteristics. For example, a rope may be made of a first fiber selected primarily based on tensile strength and a second fiber selected primarily based on coefficient of friction. In this case, the effectiveness of the second fibers at decreasing the coefficient of friction of the rope structure may be increased by forming the rope structure such that the second fibers are concentrated on the surface of the rope structure. Rope structures comprises of blends of fibers require the use of at least some of the expensive, low coefficient of friction fibers and may limit construction techniques available to the rope designer. And unless the proportion of second fibers to the first fibers reaches a critical portion (or volume), the second fibers may not improve the interactions among the first fibers within the rope structure.
- As yet another example, a core rope structure comprising fibers selected primarily based on strength may be jacketed by a second rope structure comprising fibers selected primarily based on surface characteristics such as coefficient of friction. Rope structures comprised of a core rope structure and a jacket rope structure require the use of at least some of the expensive, low coefficient of friction fibers, limit construction techniques available to the rope designer, and may yield a rope structure that is not suitable for many use environments. The use of a jacket rope structure further does not affect the interaction of fibers within the core rope structure.
- Another method of altering the surface characteristics of the rope structure is to apply a coating to the rope structure. The rope structure is made of fibers selected for a desired set of operating characteristics such as tensile strength and/or modulus of elasticity and the coating is formulated to yield desirable surface characteristics such as coefficient of friction. Application of a coating to a rope structure may undesirably change other operating characteristics of the rope structure such as weight per unit length and does not affect the interaction of fibers within the rope structure.
- The need thus exists for rope structures, systems, and methods having desirable blend of the following design considerations: surface characteristics; fiber to fiber interaction within the rope; full range of rope construction techniques; operating characteristics; and low cost.
- The present invention may be embodied as a fiber structure for forming a rope structure has a base matrix of base fiber material and at least one lubricity portion of lubricity material. The lubricity material determines a lubricity of at least a portion of a surface of the fiber structure.
- The present invention may also be embodied as a method of forming a fiber structure for forming a rope comprising the following steps. A base fiber material and a lubricity material are provided. A fiber structure is formed such that the fiber structure comprises a base matrix formed of the base fiber material and at least one lubricity portion formed of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material defines a lubricity of at least a portion of the base matrix.
- The present invention may also be embodied as a method of forming a rope structure comprising the following steps. A base fiber material and a lubricity material are provided. A plurality of fiber structures are provided, where each fiber structure comprises a base matrix formed of the base fiber material and at least one lubricity portion formed of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material defines a lubricity of at least a portion of the base matrix. The fiber structures are combined to form a plurality of yarns. The plurality of yarns are combined to form the rope structure.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a first example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a section view of a first example fiber manufactured using the first example fiber manufacturing system; -
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a second example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention; -
FIG. 4 is a section view of a feed particle used by the second example fiber manufacturing system; -
FIG. 5 is a section view of a second example fiber manufactured using the second example fiber manufacturing system; -
FIG. 6 a schematic view of a third example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention; and -
FIGS. 7 , 8, and 9 are section views of third, fourth, and fifth example fibers manufactured using the third example fiber manufacturing system. -
FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a fourth example fiber manufacturing system of the present invention; and -
FIG. 11 is a section view of a sixth example fiber manufactured using the fourth example fiber manufacturing system. - Rope structures of the present invention may be manufactured using a number of manufacturing systems and methods, and several example rope manufacturing systems and example fibers and rope structures created by those manufacturing systems will be discussed herein.
- I. First Example Manufacturing System, Fiber, and Rope Structure
- Referring initially to
FIG. 1 of the drawing, depicted therein is a first example manufacturing system 20 constructed in accordance with, or embodying, the principles of the present invention. The first example manufacturing system 20 comprises afiber formation system 30 having amaterial hopper 30 a, ayarn formation system 32, and arope formation system 34. - The
material hopper 30 a contains a base fiber material in the form of first pellets, grains, or powder 40 (hereinafter referred to as “base pellets 40” and indicated by right cross-hatching) and a lubricity material. The lubricity material may be in solid, liquid, or flowable form in the material hopper 30 a. In the first example manufacturing system as depicted, the lubricity material takes the form of second pellets, grains, powder, or liquid 42 (hereinafter referred to as “lubricity pellets 42” and indicated by left cross-hatching). - The
example base pellets 40 of base fiber material and lubricity pellets 42 of lubricity material are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size inFIG. 1 , but the base andlubricity pellets 40 and 42 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes. As generally discussed above, the lubricity material may take the form of a flowable liquid or paste having similar or lower volume relative to that of the lubricity pellets 42. Theexample material hopper 30 a comprises a higher percentage by weight and/or volume of thebase pellets 40 than the lubricity pellets 42. - As generally described above, the present invention is of primary significance when applied to man-made or synthetic fibers, so the example base fiber material may be at least one material selected from the group of materials: Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene (PP), Olefin, Polyolefin, Polyethylene (PE), Polyacrylonitrile, Carbon, Aramid, PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo(4,5-b:4′,5′-e) pyridinylene-1,4(2,5-dihydroxy)phenylen]), PBI (Polybenziadazole), PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate), Glass, Basalt, Metals and metal alloys, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PVDC (Polyvinylidene Chloride), Polyurethane-polyurea, Polyvinyl Alcohol, PPS (Polyphylene Sulfide). The
example base pellets 40 of base fiber material is typically in granular or powder form when in theexample material hopper 30 a. - The lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone. Examples of materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like. The example base fiber material is typically in granular, powder, or liquid form when in the
example material hopper 30 a. - The
fiber formation system 30 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from thebase pellets 40 of base fiber material. As examples, lubricity material may be combined (e.g., as an additive or blended with) with the base fiber material using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process. - The example
fiber formation system 32 is an extrusion system capable of converting thebase pellets 40 of base fiber material into elongate fibers. The examplefiber formation system 32 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from thebase pellets 40 of base fiber material. In general, the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing thebase pellets 40 and lubricity pellets 42 such as in a screw press (not shown). While a screw press will not completely melt thebase pellets 40, the mechanical processing converts the granular orpowderized base pellets 40 and lubricity pellets 42 into a flowable, plastic mass comprising both base fiber material and lubricity material that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous fiber structure orfiber structures 50 of desired dimensions. The fiber structure orfiber structures 50 so formed will thus comprise both the base fiber material and the lubricity material. - In any fiber formation system used to form the fiber structure(s) 50, the fiber structure(s) 50 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in
FIG. 1 ) to facilitate subsequent handling. At this point, the fiber structure(s) 50 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using theyarn formation system 32 and therope formation system 34. -
FIG. 1 further illustrates that the fiber structure orfiber structures 50 are subsequently combined to form one or more yarn structures 52 comprising a plurality of thefibers 50 using theyarn formation system 32. Again, the yarn structure(s) 52 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using therope formation system 34. - In turn, a plurality of the yarn structures 52 is combined using the
rope formation system 34 to form arope structure 54. Therope structure 54 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving the yarn structures 52 or rope sub-components formed of the yarn structures 52 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure. - When fabricating the yarn structures 52 or rope sub-components formed of the
fiber structures 50, other types of yarns may be combined with theexample fiber structures 50 such that the yarn structure 52 is a blended yarn structure. In addition or instead, the yarns structures 52 formed solely of thefiber structures 50 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity. In any such blended structure, thefiber structures 50 may provide lubricity to the yarn structure 52, and the other types of yarns in the yarn structure 52 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength. Therope structure 54 formed at least in part of the yarn structures 52 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by theexample fiber structures 50 to provide lubricity to therope structure 54.FIG. 2 illustrates a cross section of thefiber 50 formed using thefiber formation system 30. Theexample fiber 50 depicted inFIG. 2 comprises abase matrix portion 60 formed by the base fiber material andlubricity portions 62 formed by the lubricity material. Thebase matrix portion 60 is a structure that is continuous along the entire length of thefiber 50. Thebase matrix portion 60 generally takes the form of a solid cylinder, except that thelubricity portions 62 represent voids in the solid cylinder formed by thebase matrix portion 60. Thelubricity portions 62 are represented as circular (or spherical) inFIG. 2 for clarity but, may in practice be irregular and perhaps elongate (i.e., extending into and/or out of the paper inFIG. 2 ) after becoming deformed while passing through thefiber formation system 30. Some lubricity materials may, however, maintain their original granular or powderized form after passing through thefiber formation system 30. - As generally depicted in
FIG. 2 , at least a portion of some of theselubricity portions 62 will be adjacent to, in contact with, or form asurface 64 of thefiber 50. When thefiber 50 is in contact with an adjacent structure such as another fiber, thelubricity portions 62 rather than thebase matrix portion 60 of thefibers 50 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber. The base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of thefiber 50, and the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of thesurface 64 of thefiber 50. - The lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the
rope structure 54 comprising the yarn structures 52 andfibers 50, at least a portion of some of thelubricity portions 62 diffuses or otherwise migrates out thefibers 50. As an example, if a wax or oil is selected as the lubricity material, thelubricity portions 62 comprised of wax or oil may diffuse or otherwise migrate out of the body of thefibers 50 such that the lubricity material at least partly coats thefibers 50. The lubricity material will thus reduce the coefficient of friction of thefibers 50 over a wider portion of thefiber surface 64 of thefibers 50. Friction between thefibers 50 in ayarn 60 orrope structure 54 may create pressure and heat that will further encourage flowing or migrating of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material coats thefiber surface 64 of thefibers 50 and/or is otherwise arranged between adjacent fibers. - Alternatively, the lubricity material may be a solid or brittle material selected such that, during use of the
rope structure 54 comprising the yarn structures 52 andfibers 50, at least a portion of some of thelubricity portions 62 may become separated from thefibers 50 in a granular or powder form. As an example, if the selected lubricity material is in the form of a brittle solid, thesolid lubricity portions 62 may fall or wear off of the body of thefibers 50 such that a granular or powderized form of the lubricity material becomes entrapped between thefibers 50 forming therope structure 54. The lubricity material in granular or powderized form will effectively reduce the coefficient of friction between thefibers 50 over a wider portion of thefiber surface 64 of thefibers 50 than that defined by thelubricity portions 62 alone. Further, friction between thefibers 50 in ayarn 60 orrope structure 54 will abrade thelubricity portions 62 on thefiber surface 64 such that the granular or powderized lubricity material is arranged between the surfaces 56 ofadjacent fibers 50 and/or any other fiber forming therope structure 54. - The presence of the lubricant material on the
fiber surface 64 yields afiber surface 64 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of thefiber surface 64 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of therope structure 54 with any contacting surface thatrope structure 54 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance. - II. Second Example Manufacturing System, Fiber, and Rope Structure
- Referring now to
FIG. 3 of the drawing, depicted therein is a secondexample manufacturing system 120 constructed in accordance with, or embodying, the principles of the present invention. The secondexample manufacturing system 120 comprises afiber formation system 130 having amaterial hopper 130 a, a yarn formation system 132, and a rope formation system 134. - The
material hopper 130 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 140 (hereinafter referred to as “pellets 140”).FIG. 4 illustrates that thepellets 140 comprise a base fiber material portion 142 (indicated by right cross-hatching) and a lubricity material portion 144 (indicated by left cross-hatching). Thepellets 140 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size inFIGS. 2 and 3 , but the pellets may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes. - In the
example pellets 140, the example lubricity material portion 144 takes the form of a coating of lubricity material formed on a core of base fiber material formed by the basefiber material portion 142. Each of the pellets will typically comprise more of the base fiber material than the lubricity material. The use ofpellets 140 having a basefiber material portion 142 and an lubricity portion 144 ensures that the proportion of base fiber material to lubricity material in thematerial hopper 130 a is consistent and that this proportion is maintained in as thepellets 140 are processed in thefiber formation system 130. Theexample pellets 140 are typically in granular or powder form when in theexample material hopper 130 a. - As generally described above, the present invention is of primary significance when applied to man-made or synthetic fibers, so the example base fiber material may be formed by at least one material selected from the group of materials: Nylon, Polyester, Polypropylene (PP), Olefin, Polyolefin, Polyethylene (PE), Polyacrylonitrile, Carbon, Aramid, PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo(4,5-b:4′,5′-e)pyridinylene-1,4(2,5-dihydroxy)phenylen]), PBI (Polybenziadazole), PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate), Glass, Basalt, Metals and metal alloys, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), PVDC (Polyvinylidene Chloride), Polyurethane-polyurea, Polyvinyl Alcohol, PPS (Polyphylene Sulfide).
- The lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone. Examples of materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like.
- The
fiber formation system 130 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from thepellets 140. As examples, lubricity material may be combined (e.g., as an additive or blended with) with the base fiber material using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process. - The example fiber formation system 132 is an extrusion system capable of converting the
pellets 140 into elongate fibers. The example fiber formation system 132 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from thepellets 140. In general, the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing thepellets 140 such as in a screw press (not shown). While a screw press may not completely melt the base fiber material and lubricity material forming thepellets 140, the mechanical processing converts at least a portion of the granular orpowderized pellets 140 into a flowable, plastic mass that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous second example fiber structure orfiber structures 150 of desired dimensions. The second example fiber(s) 150 so formed will be comprised of the base fiber material and the lubricity material. - In any fiber formation system used to form the second example fiber(s) 150, the fiber structure(s) 150 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in
FIG. 3 ) to facilitate subsequent handling. At this point, the fiber structure(s) 150 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the yarn formation system 132 and the rope formation system 134. -
FIG. 3 further shows that the fiber structure orfiber structures 150 are subsequently combined to form one or more secondexample yarn structures 152 comprising at least a plurality of thesecond fibers 150 using the yarn formation system 132. The yarn structure(s) 152 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the rope formation system 134. - In turn, a plurality of the second example yarn structures 152 (and possibly other yarn structures) is combined using the rope formation system 134 to form a second
example rope structure 154. Thesecond rope structure 154 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving at least theyarn structures 152 or rope sub-components formed of at least theyarn structures 152 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure. - When fabricating the
yarn structures 152 or rope sub-components formed of thefiber structures 150, other types of yarns may be combined with theexample fiber structures 150 such that theyarn structure 152 is a blended yarn structure. In addition or instead, theyarns structures 152 formed solely of thefiber structures 150 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity. In any such blended structure, thefiber structures 150 may provide lubricity to theyarn structure 152, and the other types of yarns in theyarn structure 152 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength. Therope structure 154 formed at least in part of theyarn structures 152 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by theexample fiber structures 150 to provide lubricity to therope structure 154. -
FIG. 5 illustrates a cross section of thefiber 150 formed using thefiber formation system 130. Theexample fiber 150 depicted inFIG. 5 comprises abase matrix portion 160 formed by the base fiber material andlubricity portions 162 formed by the lubricity material. Thebase matrix portion 160 is an elongate fiber structure that is continuous along the entire length of thefiber 150. Thebase matrix portion 160 generally takes the form of a solid cylinder, except that thelubricity portions 162 represent voids in the solid cylinder formed by thebase matrix portion 160. Thelubricity portions 162 are represented as circular (or spherical) inFIG. 12 for clarity but will in practice be irregular and perhaps elongate (i.e., extending into and/or out of the paper inFIG. 12 ) after passing through thefiber formation system 130. Some lubricity materials may, however, maintain a granular or powderized form after passing through thefiber formation system 130. - As generally depicted in
FIG. 5 , at least a portion of some of theselubricity portions 162 will be adjacent to, in contact with, or form asurface 164 of thefiber 150. When thefiber 150 is in contact with an adjacent structure such as another fiber, thelubricity portions 162 rather than thebase matrix portion 160 of thefibers 150 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber. The base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of thefiber 150, and the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of thesurface 164 of thefiber 150. - The lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the
rope structure 154 comprising theyarn structures 152 andfibers 150, at least a portion of some of thelubricity portions 162 diffuses or otherwise migrates out thefibers 150. As an example, if a wax or oil is selected as the lubricity material, thelubricity portions 162 comprised of wax or oil may diffuse or otherwise migrate out of the body of thefibers 150 such that the lubricity material at least partly coats thefibers 150. The lubricity material will thus reduce the coefficient of friction of thefibers 150 over a wider portion of thefiber surface 164 of thefibers 150. Friction between thefibers 150 in ayarn 160 orrope structure 154 may create pressure and heat that will further encourage flowing or oozing of the lubricity material such that the lubricity material coats thefiber surface 164 of thefibers 150 and/or is otherwise arranged between adjacent fibers. - Alternatively, at least a portion of the lubricity material may be a solid or brittle material selected such that, during use of the
rope structure 154 comprising theyarn structures 152 andfibers 150, at least a portion of some of thelubricity portions 162 may become separated from thefibers 150 in a granular or powder form. As an example, if the selected lubricity material is in the form of a brittle solid, thesolid lubricity portions 162 may fall or wear off of the body of thefibers 150 such that a granular or powderized form of the lubricity material becomes entrapped between thefibers 150 forming therope structure 154. The lubricity material in granular or powderized form will effectively reduce the coefficient of friction between thefibers 150 over a wider portion of thefiber surface 164 of thefibers 150 than that defined by thelubricity portions 162 alone. Further, friction between thefibers 150 in ayarn 152 orrope structure 154 will abrade thelubricity portions 162 on thefiber surface 164 such that the granular or powderized lubricity material is arranged between the surfaces 156 ofadjacent fibers 150 and/or any other fiber forming therope structure 154. - The presence of the lubricant lubricity material on the
fiber surface 164 yields afiber surface 164 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of thefiber surface 164 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of therope structure 154 with any contacting surface thatrope structure 154 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance. - III. Third Example Manufacturing System, Fiber, and Rope Structure
-
FIG. 6 of the drawing depicts a third example manufacturing system 220 constructed in accordance with, or embodying, the principles of the present invention. The third example manufacturing system 220 comprises a fiber formation system 230 having afirst material hopper 230 a, acoating system 232 having a second material hopper 232 a, ayarn formation system 234, and arope formation system 236. - The
first material hopper 230 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 240 (hereinafter referred to as “base pellets 240”). Thebase pellets 240 comprise a base fiber material (indicated by right cross-hatching). Thebase pellets 240 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size inFIG. 6 , but thepellets 240 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes. - The second material hopper 232 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 242 (hereinafter referred to as “
lubricity pellets 240”). The lubricity pellets 242 comprise a lubricity material (indicated by left cross-hatching). The lubricity pellets 242 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size inFIG. 6 , but the pellets 242 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes. - As generally described above, the present invention is of primary significance when applied to fibers made of man-made or synthetic materials, so the example base fiber may be one or more of the following fibers: Nylon fiber, Polyester fiber, High Modulus Polypropylene (HMPP) fiber (e.g., Innegra), Olefin fiber, Polyolefin fiber; High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber (e.g., Dnyeema, Spectra), Polyacrylonitrile fiber (e.g., Orlon), Carbon fiber, Aramid fiber (e.g., Twaron, Kevlar, Technora, Teijinconex), PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) fiber (e.g., Zylon), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) fiber (e.g., Vectran), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo(4,5-b:4′,5′-e)pyridinylene-1,4(2,5-dihydroxy)phenylen]) fiber (e.g., M5), PBI (Polybenziadazole) fiber, PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate) fiber (e.g., Pentex), Glass fiber, Basalt fiber, Metallic fiber, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) fiber (e.g., Vinyon), PVDC (Polyvinylidene Chloride) fiber (e.g., Saran), Polyurethane-polyurea fiber (e.g., Spandex, Lycra), Polyvinyl Alcohol fiber (e.g., Vinalon), PPS (Polyphylene Sulfide) fiber (e.g. Ryton), and the like.
- The lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone. Examples of materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like.
- The fiber formation system 230 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from the
base pellets 240. As examples, the base fiber material may be manufactured using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process. In an implementation of the present invention such as the second example manufacturing system 220 depicted inFIG. 6 , the raw fibers (e.g., core or base matrix portion 260) produced by the fiber formation system 230 may be a commodity fiber without any special or desirable lubricity properties procured from an outside fiber manufacturer. The outside fiber manufacturer may be responsible for operating the extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process to make the raw fibers. The treatment of the raw fibers (e.g., the core or base portion 260) to obtain the coating 262 a of lubricity material may be performed at another time and at another location by a manufacturer other than the fiber producer (e.g., a the rope manufacturer). In this context, the fiber formation system 230 and the step of using that fiber formation system 230 need not be performed in certain forms of the present invention. - The example fiber formation system 230 is an extrusion system capable of converting the
base pellets 240 into elongate fibers. The example fiber formation system 230 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from thebase pellets 240. In general, the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing thebase pellets 240 such as in a screw press (not shown). While a screw press may not completely melt the base fiber material forming thebase pellets 240, the mechanical processing converts at least a portion of the granular orpowderized base pellets 240 into a flowable, plastic mass that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous fiber structure orfiber structures 250 of desired dimensions. As perhaps best shown inFIGS. 7 , 8, and 9, the fiber structure(s) 250 so formed define a core orbase matrix portion 260 comprised of the base fiber material. - At this point, the fiber structure(s) 250 may be taken up on a spool or bobbin and shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the
coating system 232,yarn formation system 234, and/or therope formation system 234. - The
example coating system 232 is any coating system capable of forming a coating orsheath 262 of the lubricity material on the core orbase matrix portion 260 formed by the fiber structure(s) 250. In particular, the fiber formation system 230 employs an extrusion, pultrusion, or spray process capable of forming, from the lubricity pellets 242, acoating 262 over the core orbase matrix portion 260 as shown inFIGS. 7 , 8, and 9. Thecoating 262 defines or forms at least a part of a surface 264 of thefiber 250. In addition to or instead of thecoating 262 being on an exterior surface of thefiber 250, thefiber 250 may be made of a porous material such that the surface 264 extends within thematrix portion 260 forming thefiber 250. High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber (e.g., Dnyeema) is an example of a porous fiber at least a portion of the surface 264 of which defines an interior surface 264 capable of absorbing thecoating 262 of lubricity material. - In any fiber formation system used to form the fiber structure(s) 250, the fiber structure(s) 250 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in
FIG. 6 ) to facilitate subsequent handling. At this point, the coated or coated fiber structure(s) 250 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing usingyarn formation system 234 and/or therope formation system 234. As one example, a fiber manufacturer may make the fiber structure(s) 250, and these fiber structures may be shipped to a rope manufacturer for coating using thecoating system 232.FIG. 3 further shows that the fiber structure orfiber structures 250 are subsequently combined to form one ormore yarn structures 252 comprising a plurality of thefibers 250 using theyarn formation system 234. - At this point, the yarn structure(s) 250 may be shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the
rope formation system 234. - In turn, a plurality of the
yarn structures 252 is combined using therope formation system 236 to form arope structure 254. Therope structure 254 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving theyarn structures 252 or rope sub-components formed of theyarn structures 252 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure. - When fabricating the
yarn structures 252 or rope sub-components formed of thefiber structures 250, other types of yarns may be combined with theexample fiber structures 250 such that theyarn structure 252 is a blended yarn structure. In addition or instead, theyarns structures 252 formed solely of thefiber structures 250 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity. In any such blended structure, thefiber structures 250 may provide lubricity to theyarn structure 252, and the other types of yarns in theyarn structure 252 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength. Therope structure 254 formed at least in part of theyarn structures 252 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by theexample fiber structures 250 to provide lubricity to therope structure 254. -
FIG. 7 illustrates that a thirdexample fiber structure 250 a has a first example coating 262 a of lubricity material that takes the form of discrete grains orparticles 270 that adhere themselves to the core orbase matrix portion 260. In this case, the grains orparticles 270 will have sufficient adhesion or surface tension to bond themselves to the core orbase matrix portion 260 for processing of the fibers into theyarns 252 andrope 254 and then subsequent use of therope 254. -
FIG. 8 illustrates that a fourth example fiber structure 250 b has a second example coating 262 a of lubricity material taking the form of athin coating 280 that is adhered to the core orbase matrix portion 260. Thecoating 280 may be formed by a binder matrix. The binder forming the binder matrix may be water or oil soluble when liquid, and the water solvent and/or oil solvent may evaporate as the wet coating dries to form the binder matrix. The binder may also be formed by chemical reaction (e.g., 2-part epoxy). After the binder matrix has dried, cured, or set on or bonded to thebase matrix portion 260, thethin coating 280 has lubricant properties that lubricate thefibers 250 during subsequent processing of thefibers 250 into theyarns 252 andrope 254 and then, ultimately, during use of therope 254. -
FIG. 9 illustrates that a fifth example fiber structure 250 c has athird example coating 262 of lubricity material that takes the form of discrete grains or particles 290 of lubricity material that are adhered to the core orbase matrix portion 260 by amatrix 292 of binder. Thebinder matrix 292 may be formed by solvent removal or by chemical reaction. In this case, thebinder matrix 292 binds the grains or particles 290 to the core orbase matrix portion 260 to lubricate thefibers 250 during subsequent processing of the fibers into theyarns 252 and then rope 254 and also during use of therope 254. - As generally depicted in
FIGS. 7 , 8, and 9, the first, second, and third coatings 262 a, 262 b, and 262 c define thesurfaces 264 a, 264 b, and 264 c of the third, fourth, andfifth fibers 250 a, 250 b, and 250 c, respectively. Accordingly, when thefiber 250 is in contact with an adjacent structure such as another fiber, thecoating 262 rather than the core orbase matrix portion 260 of thefibers 250 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber. The base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of thefiber 250, and the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of the surface 264 of thefiber 250. - The lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the
rope structure 254 comprising theyarn structures 252 andfibers 250, the lubricity material will reduce the coefficient of friction of thefibers 250 to reduce friction between thefibers 250 in theyarn 252 and/orrope structure 254. - The presence of the lubricant lubricity material on the fiber surface 264 yields a fiber surface 264 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of the fiber surface 264 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of the
rope structure 254 with any contacting surface thatrope structure 254 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance. - IV. Fourth Example Manufacturing System, Fiber, and Rope Structure
-
FIG. 10 of the drawing depicts a fourthexample manufacturing system 320 constructed in accordance with, or embodying, the principles of the present invention. The fourthexample manufacturing system 320 comprises a fiber formation system 330 having a first material hopper 330 a, a coating system 332 having a second material hopper 332 a, ayarn formation system 334, and arope formation system 336. - The first material hopper 330 a contains pellets, grains, or powder 340 (hereinafter referred to as “
base pellets 340”). Thebase pellets 340 comprise a base fiber material (indicated by right cross-hatching). Thebase pellets 340 are indicated by round or oval figures of equal size inFIG. 6 , but thepellets 340 may be provided as solids of different or irregular sizes and shapes. - The second material hopper 332 a contains additive liquid 342 (hereinafter referred to as “
additive liquid 340”). Theadditive liquid 342 comprise a lubricity material (indicated by left cross-hatching). - As generally described above, the present invention is of primary significance when applied to man-made or synthetic fibers, so the example base fiber material will typically be formed of at least one synthetic material, including one or more of the following fibers: Nylon fiber, Polyester fiber, High Modulus Polypropylene (HMPP) fiber (e.g., Innegra), Olefin fiber, Polyolefin fiber, High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber (e.g., Dnyeema, Spectra), Polyacrylonitrile fiber (e.g., Orlon), Carbon fiber, Aramid fiber (e.g., Twaron, Kevlar, Technora, Teijinconex), PBO (Poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) fiber (e.g., Zylon), LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) fiber (e.g., Vectran), PIPD (Poly[2,6-diimidazo (4,5-b:4′,5′-e)pyridinylene-1,4(2,5-dihydroxy)phenylen]) fiber (e.g., M5), PBI (Polybenziadazole) fiber, PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate) fiber (e.g., Pentex), Glass fiber, Basalt fiber, Metallic fiber, PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) fiber (e.g., Vinyon), PVDC (Polyvinylidene Chloride) fiber (e.g., Saran), Polyurethane-polyurea fiber (e.g., Spandex, Lycra), Polyvinyl Alcohol fiber (e.g., Vinalon), PPS (Polyphylene Sulfide) fiber (e.g. Ryton), and the like.
- The lubricity material is a material that may be combined with the base fiber material such that a coefficient of friction of fibers formed of the base fiber material and the lubricity material is different from a coefficient of friction of fibers made from the base fiber material alone. Examples of materials that may be used as the example lubricity material include one or more of the following materials: Wax, Hydrogenated polyolefins, Silicones, Fluorocarbons, Graphite, Molybdenum Disulfide, Tungsten disulfide, Polyalpha-olefin (PAO), Synthetic esters, Polyalkylene glycols (PAG), Phosphate esters, Alkylated napthalenes (AN), Hexagonal boron nitride, Silicate esters, Glycerin, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), Cellulose ether, and the like.
- These example lubricity materials may be configured in liquid form for storage in the second example material hopper 332 a and application by the coating system 332 or may be suspended by or dissolved within a carrier liquid. The carrier liquid may evaporate to leave the lubricity material and/or a binder, or the carrier liquid may contain the lubricity material and a chemically curable binder.
- The fiber formation system 330 is or may be any conventional system for forming fibers from the
base pellets 340. As examples, lubricity material the base fiber material may be manufactured using systems for forming fibers including extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process. - In an implementation of the present invention such as the third
example manufacturing system 320 depicted inFIG. 10 , the raw fibers (e.g., core or base matrix portion 360) produced by the fiber formation system 330 may be a commodity fiber without any special or desirable lubricity properties procured from an outside fiber manufacturer. The outside fiber manufacturer may be responsible for operating the extrusion systems, dry spin systems, wet spin systems, gel spin systems, or other fiber production process to make the raw fibers. The treatment of the raw fibers (e.g., the core or base portion 360) to obtain the coating 362 a of lubricity material may be performed at another time and at another location by a manufacturer other than the fiber producer (e.g., the rope manufacturer). In this context, the fiber formation system 330 and the step of using that fiber formation system 330 need not be performed in certain forms of the present invention. - The example fiber formation system 330 is an extrusion system capable of converting the
base pellets 340 into elongate fibers. The example fiber formation system 330 employs a combination of heat and pressure to develop an elongate fiber structure from thebase pellets 340. In general, the heat and pressure are typically generated by mechanically processing thebase pellets 340 such as in a screw press (not shown). While a screw press may not completely melt the base fiber material forming thebase pellets 340, the mechanical processing converts at least a portion of the granular orpowderized base pellets 340 into a flowable, plastic mass that may be forced through an extrusion opening and pulled to obtain a continuous fiber structure orfiber structures 350 of desired dimensions. As perhaps best shown inFIG. 11 , the fiber structure(s) 350 so formed define a core orbase matrix portion 360 comprised of the base fiber material. - At this point, the fiber structure(s) 350 may be taken up on a spool or bobbin and shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using the coating system 332,
yarn formation system 334, and/or therope formation system 334. As one example, a fiber manufacturer may make the fiber structure(s) 350, and thesefiber structures 350 may be shipped to a rope manufacturer for coating using the coating system 332. - The example coating system 332 is any coating system capable of forming a coating or
sheath 362 of the lubricity material on the core orbase matrix portion 360 formed by the fiber structure(s) 350 as shown inFIG. 11 . In particular, the fiber formation system 330 employs an extrusion, pultrusion, or spray process capable of forming, from theadditive liquid 342, acoating 362 over the core orbase matrix portion 360 as shown inFIG. 11 . Thecoating 362 defines or forms at least a part of asurface 364 of thefiber 350. In addition to or instead of thecoating 362 being on an exterior surface of thefiber 350, thefiber 350 may be made of a porous material such that thesurface 364 extends within thematrix portion 360 forming thefiber 350. High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) fiber (e.g., Dnyeema) is an example of a porous fiber at least a portion of thesurface 364 of which defines aninterior surface 364 capable of absorbing thecoating 362 of lubricity material. - In any fiber formation system used to form the fiber structure(s) 350, the fiber structure(s) 350 so formed is (are) typically taken up on a spool or the like (not visible in
FIG. 10 ) to facilitate subsequent handling. The sheathed or coated fiber structure(s) 350 may be taken up on a spool or bobbin and shipped to another facility for subsequent processing using theyarn formation system 334 and/or therope formation system 334. - The fiber structure or
fiber structures 350 are subsequently combined to form one ormore yarn structures 352 comprising a plurality of thefibers 350 using theyarn formation system 334. In turn, a plurality of theyarn structures 352 is combined using therope formation system 336 to form arope structure 354. Therope structure 354 may be formed by laying, braiding, or weaving theyarn structures 352 or rope sub-components formed of theyarn structures 352 to form a laid, braided, or woven rope structure. - When fabricating the
yarn structures 352 or rope sub-components formed of thefiber structures 350, other types of yarns may be combined with theexample fiber structures 350 such that theyarn structure 352 is a blended yarn structure. In addition or instead, theyarns structures 352 formed solely of thefiber structures 350 may be combined with other yarn structures comprising fibers for provide for purposes other than lubricity. In any such blended structure, thefiber structures 350 may provide lubricity to theyarn structure 352, and the other types of yarns in theyarn structure 352 may be provided for other purposes such as tensile strength. Therope structure 354 formed at least in part of theyarn structures 352 may thus be a blended rope comprising two or more different types of fibers for different purposes, where at least one of the types of fibers is formed by theexample fiber structures 350 to provide lubricity to therope structure 354. -
FIG. 11 illustrates that thecoating 362 of lubricity material may take the form of a thin coating 370 that is adhered to the core orbase matrix portion 360. The coating 370 may be formed by the lubricity material alone, or a binder matrix may be formed. The binder forming the binder matrix may be water or oil soluble when liquid, and the water solvent and/or oil solvent may evaporate as the wet coating dries to form the binder matrix. The binder may also be formed by chemical reaction (e.g., 2-part epoxy) to facilitate adherence of the binder material to the core orbase matrix portion 360. After the binder matrix has dried, cured, or set on or bonded to thebase matrix portion 360, the thin coating 380 has lubricant properties that lubricate thefibers 350 during subsequent processing of thefibers 350 into theyarns 352 andrope 354 and then, ultimately, during use of therope 354. - As generally depicted in
FIG. 11 , thecoating 362 formed at least partly of the lubricity material forms at least a portion thesurface 364 of thefiber 350. Accordingly, when thefiber 350 is in contact with an adjacent structure such as another fiber, thecoating 362 rather than the core orbase matrix portion 360 of thefibers 350 will define at least a portion of the surface characteristics of the fiber. The base fiber material may thus be selected to define characteristics of the rope such as tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, tenacity, and weight per unit length of thefiber 350, and the lubricity material may be selected to define surface characteristics of at least a portion of thesurface 364 of thefiber 350. - The lubricity material may be selected such that, during use of the
rope structure 354 comprising theyarn structures 352 andfibers 350, the lubricity material will reduce the coefficient of friction of thefibers 350 to reduce friction between thefibers 350 in theyarn 352 and/orrope structure 354. - The presence of the lubricant lubricity material on the
fiber surface 364 yields afiber surface 364 with lubricity to reduce the wear and/or heat generation from the relative movement between the subcomponents of the rope. Further, the lubricity of thefiber surface 364 reduces friction and/or heat generation from the interaction of therope structure 354 with any contacting surface thatrope structure 354 touches. This reduction of the wear and/or heat is expected to prolong the rope's service life and performance.
Claims (21)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/831,472 US20140272409A1 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2013-03-14 | Fiber structures, systems, and methods for fabricating rope structures with improved lubricity |
PCT/US2014/023742 WO2014159457A1 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2014-03-11 | Fabricating rope structures with improved lubricity |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US13/831,472 US20140272409A1 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2013-03-14 | Fiber structures, systems, and methods for fabricating rope structures with improved lubricity |
Publications (1)
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US20140272409A1 true US20140272409A1 (en) | 2014-09-18 |
Family
ID=51528380
Family Applications (1)
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US13/831,472 Abandoned US20140272409A1 (en) | 2013-03-14 | 2013-03-14 | Fiber structures, systems, and methods for fabricating rope structures with improved lubricity |
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US (1) | US20140272409A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2014159457A1 (en) |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US9573661B1 (en) | 2015-07-16 | 2017-02-21 | Samson Rope Technologies | Systems and methods for controlling recoil of rope under failure conditions |
CN110747645A (en) * | 2019-07-01 | 2020-02-04 | 海瑞可(武汉)新材料有限公司 | Synthetic fiber rope wear-resisting agent and wear-resisting synthetic fiber rope |
CN111549420A (en) * | 2020-04-02 | 2020-08-18 | 华纺股份有限公司 | Silk-linen fiber multi-component elastic fabric and production method thereof |
CN113831625A (en) * | 2021-09-27 | 2021-12-24 | 清华大学 | Porous composite material for bottom of high mountain snowboard and processing method thereof |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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CN109385716A (en) * | 2018-10-22 | 2019-02-26 | 常州永宝利染丝有限公司 | A kind of stabs cuts yarn |
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US4022010A (en) * | 1974-11-22 | 1977-05-10 | Felten & Guilleaume Carlswerk Ag | High-strength rope |
US20060115656A1 (en) * | 2002-07-30 | 2006-06-01 | Geraldine Martin | Method for the treatment of architectural fabrics by means of impregnation with an elastomeric cross-linkable silicone composition, and architectural fabric coated by means of said method |
US20090301052A1 (en) * | 2008-06-04 | 2009-12-10 | Samson Rope Technologies | Synthetic rope formed of blend fibers |
US20110097530A1 (en) * | 2004-01-30 | 2011-04-28 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Non-sulfonated Aliphatic-Aromatic Polyesters, and Articles Made Therefrom |
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US1479865A (en) * | 1923-06-18 | 1924-01-08 | Harold G Metcalf | Rope structure |
JPS57161116A (en) * | 1981-03-30 | 1982-10-04 | Nippon Tokushu Kento Kk | Preparation of fiber for buff |
US5881843A (en) * | 1996-10-15 | 1999-03-16 | Otis Elevator Company | Synthetic non-metallic rope for an elevator |
PL206645B1 (en) * | 2001-06-21 | 2010-09-30 | Kone Corp | Elevator |
FR2865481B1 (en) * | 2004-01-22 | 2006-03-03 | Rhodia Industrial Yarns Ag | COMPOSITION FOR YARNS; THREAD WITH IMPROVED PROPERTIES AND USE THEREOF. |
SG143143A1 (en) * | 2006-12-04 | 2008-06-27 | Inventio Ag | Synthetic fiber rope |
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- 2013-03-14 US US13/831,472 patent/US20140272409A1/en not_active Abandoned
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US4022010A (en) * | 1974-11-22 | 1977-05-10 | Felten & Guilleaume Carlswerk Ag | High-strength rope |
US20060115656A1 (en) * | 2002-07-30 | 2006-06-01 | Geraldine Martin | Method for the treatment of architectural fabrics by means of impregnation with an elastomeric cross-linkable silicone composition, and architectural fabric coated by means of said method |
US20110097530A1 (en) * | 2004-01-30 | 2011-04-28 | E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company | Non-sulfonated Aliphatic-Aromatic Polyesters, and Articles Made Therefrom |
US8240119B2 (en) * | 2008-02-21 | 2012-08-14 | Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. | High-strength cable |
US20090301052A1 (en) * | 2008-06-04 | 2009-12-10 | Samson Rope Technologies | Synthetic rope formed of blend fibers |
Cited By (4)
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---|---|---|---|---|
US9573661B1 (en) | 2015-07-16 | 2017-02-21 | Samson Rope Technologies | Systems and methods for controlling recoil of rope under failure conditions |
CN110747645A (en) * | 2019-07-01 | 2020-02-04 | 海瑞可(武汉)新材料有限公司 | Synthetic fiber rope wear-resisting agent and wear-resisting synthetic fiber rope |
CN111549420A (en) * | 2020-04-02 | 2020-08-18 | 华纺股份有限公司 | Silk-linen fiber multi-component elastic fabric and production method thereof |
CN113831625A (en) * | 2021-09-27 | 2021-12-24 | 清华大学 | Porous composite material for bottom of high mountain snowboard and processing method thereof |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2014159457A1 (en) | 2014-10-02 |
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AS | Assignment |
Owner name: SAMSON ROPE TECHNOLOGIES, WASHINGTON Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:CHOU, CHIA-TE;REEL/FRAME:030545/0736 Effective date: 20130328 |
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Owner name: CITIZENS BANK OF PENNSYLVANIA, PENNSYLVANIA Free format text: AMENDED AND RESTATED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT;ASSIGNOR:SAMSON ROPE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.;REEL/FRAME:033591/0422 Effective date: 20140815 |
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Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |