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US 6,474,057 B2Granted
Wire rope lubrication
AssigneeUTILX Corporation
InventorsGlen J. Bertini, Glenn S. Jessen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wire rope (10) includes a plurality of strands (12). The strands are formed from individual wires or filaments (14). The strands are wound about a central axis. A conduit (16) also extends along said central axis. The conduit has walls that are foraminous and permit radial flow of a lubricant. The lubricating compound is injected into the channel (18) defined by the conduit. The lubricating material migrates through the orifices in the conduit wall and radially outwardly therefrom.
Claims8
A wire rope comprising:
- (a) a plurality of load bearing strands wrapped about a central axis and having a plurality of interstitial spaces between the load bearing strands;
- and
- (b) a conduit disposed within the plurality of load bearing strands, the conduit having a length and adapted to permit a performance-enhancing compound to flow therethrough, the conduit having a seam extending along the length of the conduit, the seam permitting a predetermined portion of the performance-enhancing compound to effuse outwardly through the seam and into contact with the plurality of load bearing strands.
A method of lubricating a wire rope, comprising the steps of:
- (a) injecting a performance-enhancing compound into the wire rope, wherein the wire rope includes a plurality of strands wrapped around an axis and a first conduit disposed within the plurality of strands, wherein the first conduit is a strand of material wound to form a tube, the tube having an exterior surface, an interior surface and a plurality of seams extending between the exterior and interior surfaces;
- and
- (b) allowing the performance-enhancing compound to exude from the first conduit through the plurality of seams to lubricate the plurality of strands.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.