An assessment for rope joins when changing winding ropes on engine sheaves

As often as not a friction winch is employed to change winding ropes on winding engine sheaves . The new rope (Figure 1) which is to be hung in the shaft using the friction winch is first joined to the old rope between winch and headframe (left of figure). The weight of the suspended old rope pulls the new rope over a deflector pulley, then the first rope pulley and drive sheave and finally the second pulley and so down into the shaft itself (right of figure).

Author: E. Ulrich