Steel cable
AssigneeTeufelberger Seil Gesellschaft M.B.H.
InventorsRobert Traxl, Gunter Kaiser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A steel cable includes steel wires and at least one light wave guide which is surrounded by the steel wires and provided for detecting load-dependent cable strains, and has a glass fiber surrounded by a plastic casing. At least the steel wires closest to the light wave guide are crimped with the light wave guide and permanently pressed against the casing surface thereof, whereby the cross-sectional shape of the casing surface of the light wave guide deviates from an unloaded shape, in particular a circular shape, and the light wave guide is clamped continuously along at least one part of the longitudinal extension thereof, in a slip-free manner between the steel wires closest to same. A method produces a steel cable of this type.
Claims12
A steel cable comprising:
- steel wires for carrying a load;
- and
- at least one light wave guide provided for detecting load-induced cable elongations of the steel wires, the light wave guide comprising a glass fiber and a plastic sheath surrounding the glass fiber, the light wave guide having a longitudinal extension and a sheath surface;
- wherein the light wave guide is surrounded by the steel wires;
- wherein the steel wires closest to the light wave guide abut against the light wave guide in a cross sectional view, and
- wherein the light wave guide and at least the steel wires closest to the light wave guide are crimped and compressed with each other, as a result of which:
- the closest steel wires permanently press into the sheath surface,
- the cross sectional shape of the sheath surface of the light wave guide deviates from an unloaded shape, in particular from a circular shape, and
- the light wave guide is positively and by force-fit clamped continuously between the closest steel wires in a slip-free manner along at least a part of the longitudinal extension.
A method for producing a steel cable with steel wires for carrying a load and with at least one light wave guide provided for detecting load-induced cable elongations of the steel wires, the light wave guide comprising a glass fiber and a plastic sheath surrounding the glass fiber, the method comprising:
- stranding the light wave guide in at least a part of the steel wires along a longitudinal extension of the light wave guide such that the light wave guide is surrounded by the steel wires and such that the steel wires closest to the light wave guide abut against the light wave guide,
- after the stranding, crimping the light wave guide with the steel wires and thereby compressing the light wave guide and the steel wires along at least a part of the longitudinal extension of the light wave guide by applying a force acting transversely to the longitudinal extension of the light wave guide, as a result of which:
- a sheath surface of the light wave guide is permanently pressed in by the steel wires closest to the light wave guide,
- a cross sectional shape of the sheath surface deviates from an unloaded shape, in particular from a circular shape, and
- the light wave guide is positively and by force-fit clamped continuously in between the closest steel wires in a slip-free manner along at least the part of the longitudinal extension, and
- stranding the light wave guide with any remaining steel wires.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.