Calculation of rope forces due to dynamic effects in the field of Automated People Mover systems

Rope-propelled Automated People Movers (RAPM) use a wire rope which transmits all the traction forces between the drive bull wheel and the vehicles. A proper design of the rope in use requires at least the calculation of the maximum and minimum rope tension forces. The objective of this work is to develop a new method for the calculation of rope tension forces in the field of RAPM. The paper shows, that the prediction quality for the rope tension forces can be enhanced significantly by using a simulation model, which takes the rope elasticity and the dynamics of the tensioning mechanism into account. Consequently, an inadmissible change in tension force during transient operations can be detected during the design phase which enables the early application of appropriate countermeasures. Thus, the proposed method provides a valuable contribution to the calculation of rope loads.

Author(s): C. Nussbaumer and P. Dietmaier