Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [TowerTalk] High VSWR

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] High VSWR
From: Grant Saviers <grants2@pacbell.net>
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 2019 06:58:07 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I've seen tests were 40% of the tension was lost in the pulley. Ball bearing sheaves and some polymer sleeve bearings can substantially reduce friction loss. Pretty important when Armstrong powered. Why my ball bearing block set with low stretch line is "can I borrow".

The other factor is the ratio of sheave pitch diameter to wire diameter as this compromises wire rope strength as well as life. 16:1 ratio is the code minimum in many applications as that is about a 10% loss of strength, but every wire rope construction is different.

https://www.loosco.com/resource-library/technical-information/pulley-sheave-diameters/

Per Loosco, for the common 7x19 1/4" crankup hoist cable the "critical minimum" is 4.5" (18:1) and the "desirable minimum" is 6" (24:1).

No crank up I have seen meets either spec, so cable strength and life is degraded accordingly. If the tower engineers designed for this loss in strength, then all is ok. Crosby has more data:

https://www.thecrosbygroup.com/html/en-US/pdf/pgs/380.pdf

Grant KZ1W


On 8/31/2019 10:32 PM, Jim Thomson wrote:
##  any  time a winch cable  passes  through a pulley,  you can  easily  add 
10%  to  the total  load.
Smallish  diam pulleys are  the worse,  increasing  the  load  well above  
10%....sometimes as  high  as  60%.
Smallish  diam  pulleys also  put a huge  strain  on the internal strands.  You 
 can  have internal  strands broken...  and  not  even
know  it.   Prelube 10-11-12 is  used  across  town at the naval  base.  4 x 55 
gal  drums  on a pallet.   They pour it  onto the  winch
cables, via an  auto  feeder system.

## If  more  than  one  pulley  used,  factor  in at least  10%  for  EACH 
pulley.

##  If  cable  clamps  are  used, instead of  nicropress  crimps, the U  bolt  
has to  bear  down
on  the  short..dead  end of the  cable.   The saddle  bears  down  on  the  
live...long end  of the cable.
Cant  saddle a dead  horse is the adage.   Dont  laugh.  I  have seen  them  
installed  wrong  several times.

Jim   VE7RF.
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>