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Elevator Design: Traction Systems Analysis

This project focuses on the design and analysis of traction elevators, detailing their components such as bearings, gears, belts, and wire ropes. It emphasizes the importance of these components in ensuring the efficiency, reliability, and safety of modern elevators, particularly in the context of gearbox systems. The document includes calculations for load ratings and tangential forces, demonstrating the engineering principles involved in elevator design.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
11 views20 pages

Elevator Design: Traction Systems Analysis

This project focuses on the design and analysis of traction elevators, detailing their components such as bearings, gears, belts, and wire ropes. It emphasizes the importance of these components in ensuring the efficiency, reliability, and safety of modern elevators, particularly in the context of gearbox systems. The document includes calculations for load ratings and tangential forces, demonstrating the engineering principles involved in elevator design.
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Faculty of Engineering & Technology

Department of Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering


Machine Design 2 (ENME436)
“Elevator Design & Analysis”

Prepared by:
Name: Abdallah Musaffar Number: 1201680

Instructor: Dr. Rashad Mustafa

Section: 1
Deadline: January 25th 2025

1|Page
Introduction
The following project discusses the major role of elevators, regarding the components that are
mandatory for it to run, which are: Bearings, Gears, Belts, and Wire Ropes. Elevators are the
most popular transportation machines known in this era, where nearly every building, 3-stories
or higher, have an elevator inside of them which eases the movement of people, merchandise,
furniture, and all of the stuff that are harder to carry on stairs. The principle of the elevator is that
it moves only vertically, and can transport from one story to another, making transportation
process a lot easier than using the stairs. The first elevator ever invented was an American
industrialist and engineer called Elisha Graves Otis, who invented the first simple elevator
system back in 1853, which consisted of pulleys and a counterweight, and it proved to be sturdy
enough to hold his own weight even with the rope of the elevator has been cut. In our times,
elevators come equipped with much more safety features when compared to the modern time
elevators, making them more reliable and safer thanks to the gears and brakes advanced systems.
As for the modern elevators, which are currently applied and used in this current era, there are
two major types of elevators and are used depending on the region and application:

1. Hydraulic Elevators: This type works by pushing the cab from underneath, which uses a
cylinder-piston system. The cylinder usually extends several floors beneath the ground so
that there’s enough length to push the elevator up using the piston, using a pump unit filled
with oil placed in the machine room. As oil is pumped through the pipes and into the
cylinder, the pressure of the fluid pushes the piston up into the air, allowing for different
elevations as the cab passengers desires. These types of elevators are usually found in
smaller buildings that are not taller than 6-stories; due to the length of the cylinder.

2. Traction Elevators: These elevators use an electric motor and a controller box placed on the
very top of a building inside the machine room, where the motor pulls the wire ropes
attached to the elevator cab using a special kind of pulley (sheave). On one side of the wire
rope, it’s attached to the cab, and on the other side, it’s attached to the counterweight; where
the cab moves opposite to the elevator cab. The existence of a counterweight is to reduce the
work done by the electric motor; meaning there’s less strain on it when. Sometimes elevator
motor is not always built in a room on the very top, in that case engineers use a Machine
Room Less Elevator (MRL), with motor and other components are able to fit inside of it
without the need of a machine room. Traction elevators are usually found in buildings that
are taller than 6-stories, as they can work better for carrying the elevator cab over longer
vertical distances, and have safety features; such as the overspeed governor, which stops the
cab in case of a wire rope-snap scenario.

For this project, it will focus on the Traction Elevators; because they consist of more practical
designs regarding bearings, gears, belts, and cab ropes. Bearings are for the motor shaft, gears
are located in the electric motor gearbox, belts are placed on the drive & deflector sheave, and
the cab ropes are what hold the cab to move it up and down. All of these components are built
and work together in order to create a fully-functional modern elevator with the highest
efficiency, reliability, and safety.

2|Page
Elevator Systems
There are two types of traction elevator systems: Geared Elevator System, and Direct-Drive
PMSM Elevator System (Shown in Figure 2). The gearbox traction elevator system is going to
be analyzed in this project. The gearbox elevator system main components consist of two parts:
machine room, and elevator cab. When talking about systems, there isn’t much complexity going
around the cab itself, because it’s literally a metal room with floor button controllers attached to
wire ropes. The complexity of the elevator system is revolved around the machine room, where
the electric motor, gearbox, safety features, pulleys, and brakes all exist there. The elevator
system, including gearbox and pulleys shown in Figure 1 (example figure), is the most highly
preferred structure in modern elevators.

Figure 2: Direct Drive PMSM


Elevator System.

Figure 1: Geared Elevator System

As shown in Figure 1 above, the gearbox is installed to the motor, which plays a crucial role in
decreasing speed and increasing the moment. Since the gearbox doesn’t transmit the moment
occurred on the output shaft to the input shaft, it almost acts like a brake, apart from increasing
the moment. The pulleys used are constructed in a way that they’re used to change the direction
of movement of the rope, and do not change the speed of the system. The brakes are installed on
the machine in order to stop the cab immediately in case of a failure.
Overall, the figures show the structure of each elevator system, and the geared elevator system is
going to be furtherly analyzed, because of its components that are engineered in a very good
mechanical way to provide easier travel and reliability.

3|Page
Motor Shaft Bearings
When talking about bearings in an elevator motor, they’re almost the same type used for most
electric motor shafts bearings. The most common bearing used for the electric motor shaft is the
Deep Groove Ball Bearing; because of their efficiency and durability. Deep groove ball
bearings can handle both radial & axial loads, as they are designed for high-speed rotation,
ensuring efficiency at high speeds, minimal friction and heat generation, and quite when
operating under different loads and speeds. The bearing used can be shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Deep Groove Ball Bearings.

As the above figure shows, bearing (1) is an open basic design with shields, where bearing (2) is
with contact seals, snap ring groove, and can be with or without a snap ring. For an elevator
motor shaft, the shielded bearing (bearing 2), is the preferred bearing; because for heavy duty
applications, it’s best to use the shielded one to protect from contaminants, reduce maintenance
because they’re already lubricated, therefore also improving durability, and can present a smooth
and quite operation in general.
In some cases, another type of bearings can be found in higher-performance elevator systems,
which are the Angular Contact Ball Bearings. This type of bearing can handle high-speed and
combined loads, because of their unique design shown in Figure 4. Bearing 5 is used for basic
design and single row high precision, where bearing 6 is for universal matching.

Figure 4: Angular Contact Ball Bearings.


For the calculations, Deep Groove Ball Bearings are going to be analyzed because of their commonness.

4|Page
To calculate the deep groove ball bearing system life, the load rating must be determined so that the
adequate value of load rating can be selected from the SKF Catalogue. The load rating equation:

[ ]
xD
C 10=a f F D 1
x o + ( θ−x o ) ( 1−R ) b

Where:
C 10: Load rating.

x o , b ,θ : Weibull Parameters Rating Lives.

x D : Dimensionless multiple of rating life.

F D : Radial load.

R : Reliability.
a f : Application factor.

All of these factors and variables can be found using Shigley’s tables, except for the radial load.
Since the loading on the deep groove ball bearing is combined (radial & axial thrust) loading, the
following equation is used to determine the effective radial load:
F e =X i V F r +Y i F a

Where:
F e: Effective radial load.

X i & Y i: Radial load factors for ball bearings.

F r: Radial load.

F a: Axial load.

V : Ring rotation factor (1 for inner ring rotation).

Before starting the calculations, some assumptions about the elevator cab and motor must be
made. Assuming there are 4 people in the cab (approximately 280 kg), and the radial & axial
forces are F r=8000 N , F a=750 N , respectively, and a reliability of 90%. With these
assumptions, the calculations for the load rating can begin:
C o can be determined from Shigley’s textbook Table 11-2, C o=19.6 for a deep groove ball
bearing.
Fa
From there, using Table 11-1: X i & Y i= 1.00 & 0, respectively; because ≤ e , where e = 0.25.
V Fr

5|Page
Now, the effective radial load can be calculated:
F e =X i V F r +Y i F a

F e =(1∗1∗8000)+(0∗750)
F e =8000 N

The calculation above was made to ensure if the effective radial load is the same as the radial
load, and it turned out to be the same.
The application factor can be determined using Table 11-5, assuming that the elevator is a
machine with light impact: a f =1.2.
For the Weibull parameters, the bearing used is made to have a life of 90(10 6) revolutions.
According to Table 11-6, x o=0 ,b=1.5 ,∧θ=4.48. The dimensionless rating of life ( x D ¿ , for the
shaft rotating at 500 rpm, 10,000 hours, is assumed also to be:
LD
xD=
LR
500∗10000∗60
xD=  x D =3.33
90 ( 106 )

Now, with the radial load presented, the load rating (C 10 ¿, can be calculated using the following
equation:

[ ]
xD
C 10=a f F D 1
b
x o + ( θ−x o ) ( 1−R )

C 10=1.2∗8000
[ 3.33
1
0+ ( 4.48−0 ) (1−0.9 ) 1.5 ]
 C 10=41.4 kN

According to the calculations made above, the value of the load rating is correct and sensible,
and choosing it from the SKF catalog can be safe in order to use it for a traction elevator gearbox
motor shaft. Deep groove ball bearings are the best option for an elevator motor shaft in general.

6|Page
Elevator Gearbox Gears
For the elevator gearbox, it’s the main component that transmits power from the gears and into
the sheaves which pull the wire ropes in the desired direction. For a 6-story building, the elevator
gearbox that’s going to be used mainly uses the Worm-Gear & Worm methodology; which
uses the worm gear (or worm drive) and meshes with a helical gear, in order to transmit the
power to the shaft. This set-up allows for higher torque to be transmitted, by using an electric
motor that applies rotational power to the worm, then the worm rotates against the wheel and the
screw face pushes on the teeth of the wheel; allowing for the lifting/lowering motion. The figure
below (Figure 5) shows the elevator gearbox from the inside that will be analyzed, along with the
worm-gear system that allows for the meshing operation to be possible. Figure 6 shows the

elevator gearbox.

Figure 5: Worm-Gear Gearbox System for an Elevator Figure 6: Elevator Gearbox

The figures above show the structure of the elevator gearbox, and how the gear meshing is built
to deliver the output motion for the elevator to move. The figure on the right (Figure 5) shows
that the worm gear (usually the gear connected to the power source), meshing with a helical gear.
The helical gear shaft has a smaller gear on it that is meshing with another helical gear and then
into the output. Different gear ratios are applied so that the torque can be as high as possible at
the initial rotational speed.
For the calculations, the worm-gear mesh contact & wear factor of safeties (F.O.S) are going to
be determined. For the calculations to be implemented, assumptions of the worm & worm-gear
must be set. Assuming the electric motor has a power of 45 kW (60 hp), and is 90% efficient.

7|Page
Rotational speed of 1300 RPM, service factor & design factor of safeties are both 1.5 for sand-
cast iron gears. With these information and assumptions for the worm & worm-gear presented,
the allowable worm-gear tangential force for both contact & wear, as well as the worm-gear
tangential force can all be calculated. With these calculations, the F.O.S for contact & wear can
be determined.
For the Allowable Tangential Worm-Gear Force (WTG all.) for contact:

(W TG all . )contact¿ C s ( d G )0.8 F e C m C v


For a single-worm that is 10-in long, 3-in diameter, and a 10-tooth worm-gear 15-in of diameter
and 4-in wide, with a gear ratio of 10 between the worm and the worm-gear, the center distance
(C) must be calculated so that Cs can be determined using the tables.
d w +d G
C=
2
3+15
C=  C=9∈¿
2
Since C > 3 in, and dG = 15-in, the material factor equation goes as: C s=1190−477 log ⁡( d G ).
C s=1190−477 log ⁡( 15)  C s=629

To calculate the ratio correction factor (Cm), the gear ratio is between 3 & 20, meaning the
following equation must be used:

C m=0.02 √ −mG +40 mG −76+0.46


2

C m=0.02 √ −102 +40∗(10)−76+0.46

C m=0.02∗√ 224+0.46  C m=0.76

To calculate the velocity factor, V s must be found using the following equation:
Vw
V s=
cosλ

And to find λ (lead angle), the transverse gear pitch diameter can be found using the equation:
d G∗π
pt =
NG

8|Page
15∗3.14
pt =  pt =4.7 ∈¿
10

Using geometry, pt = px , with px being the axial pitch.


Therefore, the lead can be found, using the equation:
L= p x∗N w

L=4.7∗1  L=4.7∈¿
Using these calculations, the lead angle can be determined according to the following equation:
−1 L
λ=tan ( )
π dw

−1 4.7
λ=tan ( )  λ=26.5 °
3.14∗3
Now, the worm speed (Vw), is given, but must be converted into ft/min, using the equation:
π∗d w∗n w
V w=
12
3.14∗3∗1300
V w=  V w =1020 ft /min
12

With all these calculations, the velocity factor can be determined:


Vw
V s=
cosλ
1020
V s=  V s =1140.3 ft /min
cos ⁡(26.5)

For the velocity factor (Cv), it can be determined when Vs is between 700 & 3000:
−0.571
C v =13.31 ( V s )
−0.571
C v =13.31 ( 1140.3 )  C v =0.24

For these factors, the Allowable Tangential Worm-Gear Force (WTG all.) for contact can be
determined:

9|Page
(W TG all . )contact¿ C s ( d G )0.8 F e C m C v
(W TG all . )contact¿ 629 ¿ ( 15 )0.8∗4∗0.76∗0.24

(W TG all . )contact¿ 4005.1 lbf


Now, to calculate the Tangential Worm Gear Force (W TG ¿ :

T 33000∗H G
W G=
VG

For the output speed (VG), it can be determined from the gear ratio:
nw 1300
m G=  10=  nG =130 RPM
nG nG

The gear velocity VG:


π d G nG
V G=
12
π∗15∗130
V G=  V G =510.5 ft /min
12
The output power HG is basically Ho * efficiency
H G =60∗0.9  H G =54 hp

The Tangential Worm Gear Force (W TG ¿ :

T 33000∗54 T
W G=  W G =3490.7 lbf
510.5

With these values presented, the contact F.O.S can be calculated:

(W ¿ ¿ G all .) contact
T
F . O . S= ¿
W TG
4005.1
F . O . S=
3490.7

10 | P a g e
(F . O . S)contact ≅ 1.15

The calculated value above represents the factor of safety of the worm-gear when in contact with
the driven worm. The value is bigger than 1; meaning that the system can handle +15% more of
the recommended load advised by engineers. For example, if the curb maximum mass is 500 kg,
the system can handle up to 575 kg before contact failures start to appear on the worm-gear.

In order to calculate the wear F.O.S, the Allowable Tangential Worm-Gear Force (WTG all.) for
wear must be calculated using the following formula:

(W TG all . )wear = K w d G F e

For the wear factor Kw, it can be determined from Table 15-11. But in order to determine the
wear factor, the pressure angle φ n must be found using Table 13-5:

For a lead angle 15 < λ < 30, the pressure angle φ n = 20° .

Using this information, the wear factor for a sand-cast iron gear K w =185.
Now, the Allowable Tangential Worm-Gear Force (WTG all.) can be determined:

(W TG all . )wear = K w d G F e
(W TG all . )wear = 185∗15∗4
 (W TG all . )wear¿ 11,100 lbf

With the Allowable Tangential Worm-Gear Force (WTG all.) calculated, the wear F.O.S is:

(W ¿ ¿ G all .) wer
T
F . O . S= ¿
W TG
11100
F . O . S=
3490.7

11 | P a g e
( F . O . S ) wear ≅ 3.18

As can be witnessed, the wear (pitting) factor of safety for the worm-gear is higher than the
contact F.O.S, which makes some sense when working with elevator systems. The meaning of
this value of factor of safety is that the load can withstand +218% of the recommended load
before the worm-gear face starts to wear at a noticeable rate. For example, if the curb maximum
recommended mass is 500 kg, it can hold additional 1090 kg before pitting starts to eat off the
face of the worm-gear.
The values calculated above were only for worm-gear factor of safety; which is considered the
most important and noticeable gear, because it connects the worm gear to the output shaft via
gear connections. Many values were assumed according to certified researches, and the values
obtained for the factor of safeties are sensible and correct for a traction gearbox elevator system.
Last thing to check for the gearbox of an elevator system, is whether self-locking or overhauling
occurs. Each one has a different meaning; self-locking is when the worm drives the gear, which
means that if a wire rope used in the system has been malfunctioned or snapped, the worm can
hold the gears and lock the movement. Overhauling is the opposite of self-locking, it basically
means that the gear drives the worm.
To check if it’s one of the two cases, the coefficient of friction “ f ” must be found.
In order to do that, Figure 13-42 must be used to find it. For cast-iron gears mating (worm &
worm-gear), and a sliding velocity of V s =1140.3 ft /min, curve A is used. The coefficient of
friction is f =0.035 .

With these values found, the equation cos φn tan λ shall be found for the worm gear:
cos φn tan λ=cos ( 20 )∗tan ⁡(26.5) = 0.468.

Since f <cos φ n tan λ(0.035<0.468), that means self-locking shall occur in the system.
All these values explain well how the traction elevator gear-box operates in detail, with good
examples that tell the difference between worm and worm gears. Factor of safeties explain how
gears tend to act, whether it’s the wear or bending forces.
The gearbox Geared Elevator System has more benefits when compared to the PMSM Direct-
Drive. The table below (Table 1), shows the benefits and differences between the conventional
and direct-drive elevator systems.

Table 1
Conventional Gearbox vs. Direct-Drive Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine

12 | P a g e
Elevator Cab Door V-Belt
The V-belts are the most common belt types for elevator doors, it’s made of aa trapezoidal-
shaped cross-section that fits into matching grooves on the pulleys. An example shows how the
V-belt is constructed on the cab door mechanism, shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7: Elevator Door Mechanism


As shown in the Figure above, the door is made of two panels that close in on each other when
the door opens and extend out when the door closes. A special computer is programmed so that
when the cab arrives at the desired floor, the computer then sends a signal to the motor attached

13 | P a g e
to the pulleys above the cab door, which opens and closes the doors for each operation. For more
safety features, there is a clutch mechanism that only unlock the outer doors at each floor and
pulls them open, meaning the doors only open when reaching the level of a certain floor.
For this project, the calculations are going to revolve around the belt life for both passes & hours.
In order to do these calculations, assumptions for the V-belt must be put in place. Assuming that
the motor of the elevator door has a power of 0.3 hp (0.22 kW) and a motor speed of 1400 RPM,
the motor operates 12 hours per day. Driving & driven pulleys are 4in, 6in, respectively in
diameter. The belt selection is type A, with a service factor of 1.5, constant length of 40in,
center-to-center distance 12in, and a wrap angle of 170° (2.96 rad). With all these assumptions,
the calculations for the V-belt are now possible; where the number of passes (N P) , lifetime (t) ,
and the belt factor of safety (n fs ), must all be calculated, in order to show the strength of the belt
as well as its lifetime service before it must be replaced.
The number of passes (Np) can be found using the following equation:

[( ) ( ) ]
−b −b −1
K K
N P= +
T1 T2

Lifetime t in hours:
N P LP
t=
720V
First off, Belt speed V:
πd∗n
V=
12
π∗4∗1400
V=  V =1466 ft /min
12

Now, the power transmitted per belt ∆ F goes as:


63025 H d
Nb
∆ F=
n ( d2 )
To find H d & H a:
H d =H nom K s nd

H d =0.3∗1.5∗1  H d =0.45 hp

14 | P a g e
H a =K 1 K 2 H tab

D−d
To find K 1∧K 2 , the value should be found:
c
D−d 6−4
= =0.167
c 12
K 1can be found using Table 17-13:

K 1=0.77

K 2 can be found using Table 17-14:

K 2=0.9

With a velocity of V = 1466 ft/min: H tab =1.25 hp


H a =0.77∗0.9∗1.25  H a =0.86 hp

For the number of belts (N ¿¿ b)¿, it must be bigger than H d /H a


Nb ≥ Hd/ Ha  N b ≥ 0.45/0.86  N b =1 (1 belt is used for the cab door).

Now, for ∆ F :
63025∗0.45
1
∆ F=  ∆ F=10.13 lbf
1400
4
2 ()
To find F c:

( )
2
V
F c =K c
1000
K c ∧K b can be found using Table 17-16: K c =0.561 , K b =220

( )
2
1466 F c =1.21lbf
F c =0.561 
1000

To find F 1:
∆ F∗exp ( 0.5123 φ )
F 1=Fc +
exp ( 0.5123 φ )−1
10.13∗exp ( 0.5123∗2.96 ) 46.3
F 1=1.21+ =1.21+
exp ( 0.5123∗2.96 ) −1 3.55
F 1=14.25 lbf

15 | P a g e
For F 2:
F 2=F1−∆ F

F 2=14.25−10.13  F 2=4.12 lbf

With these values of forces presented, the bending tensile forces (F b) 1 & ( F b ¿ 2 can be calculated,
using the following equations:
K b 220
(F b) 1 ¿ =  (F b) 1 ¿ 55 lbf
d 4
K b 220
(F b) 2 ¿ =  (F b) 2 ¿ 36.6 lbf
D 6
The tensile forces of the V-belt can now be determined:
T 1=F1 +(Fb )1 = 14.25+55  T 1=69.25 lbf

T 2=F1 +(Fb )2 = 14.25+36.6  T 2=50.85 lbf

The tensile forces (T 1∧T 2) have been calculated as shown in the recent paper, and with these
tensile forces, The number of passes (N ¿¿ p)¿, can be calculated using the equation:

[( ) ( ) ]
−b −b −1
K K
N P= +
T1 T2

With the help of Table 17-17, the values of K & b can be found:
K=674 , b=11.089

[( ) ( ) ] = [
−11.089 −11.089 −1
674 674 −1
N P= + 1.1∗10−11 +3.58∗10−13 ]
69.25 50.85
10
N P=8.8∗10 Passes

With the number of passes that the belt can withstand, the lifetime of that same V-belt can be
calculated, using the following equation:
N P LP
t=
720V

Since the number of passes N p >10 9, then N p=109 shall be used, according to Shigley’s.
9 10
10 ∗40 4∗10
t= =
720∗1466 1055520
16 | P a g e
t=38 k Hours

Also, the most important variable in the Machine Design 2 course, the factor of safety. The
factor of safety (F.O.S) for the V-belt, is calculated using the equation:
Ha N b
n fs =
H nom K s
0.86∗1
n fs =  n fs =1.91
0.3∗1.5

Which means that the belt can withstand 1.91 extra load before failure starts to be recognized.
With all the calculations presented above, it can be clearly stated that the V-belt is designed so
that it can be used to serve as an elevator door, which is meshed between the motor shaft of the
elevator door and the pulley (sheave) that is used to open and close the door.

Elevator Steel Wire Ropes


For an elevator, the most important component in order to make a functional traction elevator
system, are the steel wire ropes, which are the vertical power transmitter. The power from the
motor is meant so that the steel ropes can travel up and down using a pulley or a sheave attached
on the gearbox. Figure 1 on the 3rd page shows how the traction geared elevator system is
constructed, and how the steel ropes are sitting on the pulleys and sheaves.
For the type of the steel wire ropes used, the 8x19 steel wire ropes are the ones used in the
elevator for a 6-story building. The 8x19 steel rope is the most common type of ropes for
elevators; due to their balance between flexibility and strength. The 8 means that the whole rope
consists of 8 strands, and the 19 is that a single strand is made of 19 wires. The figure below
(Figure 8) shows the steel wire rope used for the applied elevator.

17 | P a g e
Figure 8: Elevator 8x19 Steel Wire Rope Figure 9: Ropes Practical Application

As shown in the Figure 9 above, the steel wire ropes used are almost 6 ropes; to ensure that the
lifting and lowering operation is done with the maximum safety and efficiency. Frequently, the
ropes for an elevator system are supposed to be more than 4, and as can be seen above, 6 are
used and have specific grooves for them so that they can attach to the sheave easily and without
any failures or life-threatening scenarios.
The main calculations for these types of ropes are going to revolve around calculating the Static
factor of safety for a single rope, as well as the Fatigue factor of safety. In order to make these
calculations possible, some assumptions for the ropes must be made. The next page shows these
assumptions along with the calculations.

The factor of safety for the steel wire rope goes as:
Fu
n=
Ft

Where:
F u :Ultimate wire load (lbf).

F t :Largest working tension (lbf).

For 6 ropes, each is an 8x19 rope, assuming the ultimate wire load is 8000 lbf, rope diameter is
0.5 in, area of 0.1 in2, sheave diameter 12 in, rope weight of 0.3625 lbf/ft, max length 500 ft, max
acceleration/deceleration 4.5 ft/s2, and an applied weight of 2500 lbf,

Largest working tension ( F t ) for the rope equation:

F t= ( Wm + ωl )(1+ ag )
F t= ( 2500
6
+ 0.3625∗500 )(1+
32.2 )
4.5
 F t=681.5 lbf

With the largest working tension calculated, the factor of safety can be determined:
Fu
n=
Ft

18 | P a g e
8000
n=  n=11.74
681.5

Meaning that the ropes can withstand 11.74 times the applied load (2500 lbf), which is 29,350
lbf before failure on the ropes starts occurring.

For the fatigue factor of safety, the formula for it goes as follows:
F f −F b
nf =
Ft

Where:
F f : Allowable fatigue tension (lbf).

F b : Bending load (lbf).

The allowable fatigue tension ( F f ¿ can be determined using the equation:

F=
( S )
p
S ❑ Dd
u
u

f
2
p
The specified life ( ) can be found from Figure 17-21:
Su

( Sp )=0.002, assuming the bends to failure is 100k bend.


u

As mentioned in Shigley’s Textbook, the ultimate tensile strength (Su ) for plow steel is between
210 & 240 ksi. For the steel rope, it’s ultimate tensile strength is 220 ksi.

With this information, the allowable fatigue tension goes as:


( 0.0 0 2 )∗220000∗0.5∗12
Ff =  F f =48 0 0 lbf
2

Now, for the bending load ( F ❑b ) :


Er d w A m
F b=
D

19 | P a g e
Using Table 17-24, the modulus of elasticity is 10 Mpsi, and the wire diameter (d w =0.026).
With the modulus of elasticity and wire diameter determined, the bending load can be calculated:

( 10∗10 6 )∗0.026∗0.1  F b=2193 lbf


F b=
12

20 | P a g e

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