Wire rope cleaning brush apparatus

Abstract

A wire rope cleaning brush assembly designed to clean elevator and hoist wire rope and cable includes a U-shaped frame having opposed legs, each leg configured to support a generally rectangular rope cleaning brush. The brushes are disposed with their bristle tips converging at a nominal plane, and the wire ropes and cable translate in the nominal plane to be cleaned by the bristles as the wire rope is moved past the brushes by actuation of the elevator hoist. A pair of cap plates are removably secured to the U-shaped frame, each plate securing one of the brushes. The plates and the frame include holding pins extending toward the brushes to retain the brushes fixedly in the U-shaped frame. The confronting bristle tips impinge on the moving wire rope, and apply sufficient force to remove dirt and corrosion from the valleys as well as the crowns of the wire braids and strands. The reversible operation of the elevator hoist assures that the wire ropes are drawn through the bristles both with and against the "grain" of the brushes, providing a thorough cleaning of the wire rope. Moreover, the wire rope is cleaned constantly through operation of the hoist, so that it is maintained in a clean state and does not undergo cycles of dirt buildup followed by periodic cleaning. A rope lubricator may be secured to a lubricator mounting plate which both supports the rope lubricator and retains a brush within the frame assembly.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.