Patent Application
20230003639
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates to tree rigging, more particularly, to rope ring.
Although rope rings are made of hard materials, such as steel and aluminum alloys, friction between the ring and a rope passing through the ring causes the ring material to gradually wear away. As the material wears away, the ring becomes thinner and less able to handle the stresses it was designed to handle. Eventually, the ring will reach the point where it will fail.
Wear of a ring is currently determined by comparison or by measurement. One can visually compare the used ring to a new ring of the same type or measure the used ring to determine the amount of wear. However, without knowing how much wear is acceptable, these methods is not accurate.
The present invention is a rope ring with a wear indicator. The ring has a body with a perimeter that traces a simple closed curve about an axis, typically a circle, and a coaxial hole. The body has an outer wall, opposed side walls, and a hole wall. The outer wall extends around the outside of the body between the side walls. The side walls are generally flat and perpendicular to the axis. The hole wall curves inwardly from the side walls toward the axis. Typically, the curve is a circular and extending over approximately 125°.
The wear indicator is a pair of opposed, mirror-image, annular grooves in the side walls. Each groove is spaced from the hole edge. As the ring wears, the hole diameter increases at points along the circumference, causing those points on the edge of the hole to move outwardly toward the groove. There are two methods by which the groove can indicate maximum wear.
In the first method, maximum wear occurs when the hole wall edge forms an indentation in the groove. The only parameter affected is the groove spacing, which is set at under the maximum amount of wear by an amount that is visible to the naked eye.
In the second method, maximum wear occurs when the hole wall edge severs the groove at one or more points on the groove. The maximum amount of wear is the groove spacing plus the groove width.
Optionally, the groove is filled with a coloring agent to provide greater visibility to the wear indicator. The coloring agent is a material that will completely fill and be retained in the groove. Contemplated materials include enamel paint, epoxy paint, and plastic.
Objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and object of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention, shown in
The ring 10, shown in
For the typical ring 10, the body 20 has a diameter 40 between 26 mm and 40 mm and a thickness 44 between 10 mm and 13 mm. The diameter 42 of the hole 22 is the body diameter 40 minus twice the thickness 44. The side-to-side dimension 46 of the body 20 is between 10 mm and 13 mm.
As shown in
The outer wall 30 extends around the outside of the body 20 between the side walls 32. The cross-sectional shape of the outer wall 30 is not important to the present invention. The shape can be round, oval, or another curve or combination thereof. In the configuration illustrated in
The side walls 32 as illustrated are generally flat and perpendicular to the axis 28. The present invention contemplates that the side walls 32 do not have to be flat but can be curved.
As shown in
The present invention contemplates that the ring 10 can be composed of any rigid, robust material. A non-exhaustive list of examples includes metal alloys such as steel and aluminum alloys, hard plastics, rubber, and carbon composites. A preferred material is 7075 aluminum alloy. A less robust material can be used if the ring 10 is designed to accommodate a lesser amount of stress.
The wear indicator 24 includes a pair of opposed, mirror-image, annular grooves 52 in the side walls 32 of the body 20. As shown in
As the ring 10 wears, the diameter 42 of the hole 22 increases in one or more points along the hole edges 36, causing those points on the edges 36 of the hole 22 to move outwardly toward the grooves 52. There are two methods by which the grooves 52 can indicate maximum wear. The method of wear indication being employed determines and position and parameters of the grooves 52.
In the first method of indicating maximum wear, maximum wear occurs when either of the hole wall edges 36 reaches into the corresponding groove 52, as at 80, and is indicated by an indentation 82 in the groove 52, as in
In the second method, maximum wear occurs when the one of the hole wall edges 36 passes completely across the corresponding groove 52 at one or more points 86 on the circumference, as at 84 in
Optionally, the grooves 52 are filled with a coloring agent 70. The coloring agent 70 gives greater visibility to the wear indicator 24. The coloring agent 70 is preferably of a color that contrasts with the color of the body 20 so that it is clearly visible when the ring 10 wears to the groove 52. An example color is red.
The coloring agent 70 is a material that will completely fill the groove 52 and be retained in the groove 52 without coming out during the life of the ring 10. Preferably, the color agent material will wear smoothly rather than crack or chip. Contemplated materials include enamel paint, epoxy paint, and plastic. A preferred material is alkyd gloss enamel. Optionally, the floor 62 of the groove 52 is textured to help retain the coloring agent 70.
Thus, it has been shown and described a rope ring with a wear indicator. Since certain changes may be made in the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present invention, it is intended that all matter described in the foregoing specification and shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
