Simulation of fibre ropes and their effects on the strain scenario of multi-layer wound rope drums
Although there are no guidelines for dimensioning and usage of rope drives using high-strength synthetic fibre ropes, their use and the substitution of proven wire rope types on existing rope drums are common practice. Maritime applications make use of the advantages of modern fibre braids versus wire ropes. However, the characteristics of high-strength polymer fibre ropes can only be partially compared to wire ropes and this leads to new requirements for lifting and handling equipment. The quantitatively significant characteristics of fibre ropes (e.g. diameter reduction under longitudinal load, deformation under lateral load, dependence of counter-body geometry and frictional conditions) have already been described by several authors, although these descriptions have been mostly restricted to BOS applications with semi-circular grooves and deal primarily with the resulting change in rope fatigue. However, the effect of these phenomena on the strain scenario of multi-layer wound rope drums remains unclear, yet significant. This paper describes the application and simulation of fibre ropes in view of (multi-layer) winding on rope drums while considering, for example, diameter reduction, deformation, ovalisation, lateral modulus of elasticity and friction, including numerous experimental results and analysis of their impact on analytical dimensioning principles, which is then transferred to numerical finite element simulations of actual applications.
Author(s): Lohrengel, A., Stahr, K., & Wächter, M.