Lifting device for raising, lowering and suspending heavy loads

Abstract

A lifting device for raising, lowering and suspending heavy loads comprises a climbing jack with alternating gripping means and a lifting element. For allowing repeated cooperation with the gripping means the lifting element consists of a plurality of outer wire elements and at least one inner wire element, where the elasticity of at least one inner wire element is greater than the elasticity of the outer wire elements. Usually, the outer wire elements are arranged in groups, with spaces between the groups. A gripping device for a lifting element passed therethrough comprises a double-acting piston within a cylinder, with a plurality of jaw elements therein. The jaw elements are wedge shaped at their side remote from the lifting element, and are held between pairs of guides formed in the cylinder for radial movement only. The piston carries correspondingly wedge-shaped elements, so that longitudinal movement of the piston results in radial movement of the jaws.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.