Reduced drag cable for use in wind tunnels and other locations
OwnerN. Alan Metniinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A reduced drag cable for use in vertical wind tunnels and other applications with a change in the spacing and/or size of the strands of a standard twisted wire cable is disclosed. The perimeter strands of one embodiment all have a standard diameter, with the exception of one or more wires with different diameter from the other perimeter strands. The different sized strand forms a helical feature around the cable, creating a non-circular profile to reduce drag in air.
Claims15
In a vertical wind tunnel having a flight chamber for supporting a person in flight in a column of high speed air, said flight chamber having a safety net floor, wherein the safety net is made of cables, an improvement comprising:
- said safety net cables further comprising at least one cable having a twisted multi-strand construction;
- a portion of the strands forming the perimeter of the cable:
- wherein at least one of the perimeter strands having a diameter different than an average of all the other perimeter strand diameters;
- and
- wherein said different diameter strand forms a helical feature around an outer surface of the cable, thereby reducing the aerodynamic drag of the cable in air.
In a wind tunnel having a net therein, an improvement comprising;
- said net having a multi-strand metal cable;
- said multi-strand metal cable having an outer perimeter group of strands;
- wherein at least one of said outer perimeter strands has a diameter different than all the other strands of the outer perimeter;
- and
- wherein a helical feature is formed on the outer perimeter of the metal cable by the different diameter strand(s) thereby reducing the aerodynamic drag of the cable in air.
A cable designed for use in applications when it is advantageous to reduce the amount of aerodynamic drag in air caused by the cable, the cable being formed from a multiplicity of a plurality of elongated metal elements twisted together, one of a set of outer elements having a cross-section which is larger than all other outer elements, said all other outer elements defining an outer surface of the cable which has a predetermined circumferential length, said one element having a cross-sectional size and shape such that it projects from said outer surface a distance above said predetermined circumferential length so as to form a helical ridge around the cable, thereby reducing the aerodynamic drag of the cable in air.
A cable designed for use in applications when it is advantageous to reduce the amount of aerodynamic drag in air caused by the cable, the cable being formed from a multiplicity of a plurality of elongated metal elements twisted together, at least one of a set of outer elements having a cross-section which is smaller than all other outer elements, said all other outer elements defining an outer surface of the cable which has a predetermined circumferential length, said one element having a cross-sectional size and shape such that it indents from said outer surface a distance below said predetermined circumferential length so as to form at least one helical grove around the cable, thereby reducing the aerodynamic drag of the cable in air.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.