Cable and wire are employed on many different types of machinery, ranging from mining equipment to cranes. Steel is the traditional material used for pendant lines. However, the use of lightweight high performance composite materials for pendant production offers unique benefits such as extended cable life, improved fatigue resistance, weight reduction, and several non-destructive testing techniques (NDT) that provide rational judgments on cable health throughout its life.
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The weight reduction benefit of composite cable / wire results in an improved load chart, thus enabling increased outreach and load capacity of up to 50%. Moreover, it allows for reduced installation costs, improved productivity, and decreased operational and maintenance costs.
Capabilities of Future Fibres
The production process developed and refined by Future Fibres can accurately control the position of the fiber, thus ensuring equal load sharing and improved cable life. Future Fibres has devised a custom-made CNC winding technology, wherein the thread from large individual fiber spools that are held at a controlled tension is continuously wound around two titanium thimbles set at the accurate length needed until obtaining the desired fiber content. This proprietary winding technique offers a lightweight and highly flexible solution that delivers reliable performance across the length of the cable.
Future Fibres believes in providing the right fiber solution for the right application. The company is well positioned to offer any fiber type and production technology depending on the project in hand. It is capable of manufacturing a complete range of custom-made pendant lines for any specific application.
Technical Data
Construction
Wide selection of fibers, continuously wound with completely integrated end terminations to any fixed length with a tolerance of +/-1 mm and any break strength. Operating temperatures range between -40 °C to +200 °C.
Improved Fatigue Performance
Lightweight composite cables exhibit superior long-term stability properties when compared to high-rigidity fine-grained steel. The service life of steel bars is limited, whereas some composites have a prolonged service life by a factor as high as three thanks to their improved fatigue resistance.
Weight Savings
The weight reduction achieved with composites is 70% to 90% when compared to standard metallic wires and rods, thus allowing for greater jib lengths and providing even greater advantages on the largest cranes.
Improved Load Chart
The reduction in weight results in a greater static load capacity and an improved load chart especially at the end of the boom. This, in turn, increases outreach, and lifting height and load capacity by up to 50%.
NDT Inspections
NDT analyses provide the opportunity to observe inside a cable and enables rational judgments on the condition of each individual stay.
Installation
When tooling up a heavy duty cycle crawler crane, the use of lightweight carbon cables eliminates the need for additional tooling and lifting gear. The use of flexible coilable cables negates the requirement for modular lengths and allows manual handling with no lifting gear. From a commercial perspective, this lightweight innovative technology requires significantly lower resource consumption.
Low to Zero Maintenance
Composite cables / wires are virtually free from wear and require limited maintenance as they are rust free and exhibit pure characteristics, such as zero creep during installation.
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This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Future Fibres.
For more information on this source, please visit Future Fibres.