Apparatus for testing tension of elongated flexible member

• US 20060137476A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Holmes Solutions Limited
• Original Assignee: Holmes Solutions Limited
• Inventors: Newton, Richard J., Allington, Christopher J., Bull, Desmond K.
• Application Number:
  US10/525,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20060137476A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/862.393
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/10 using electrical means
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/102 using sensors located at a non-interrupted part of the flexible member
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/106 for measuring a reaction force applied on a cantilever beam
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/107 for measuring a reaction force applied on an element disposed between two supports, e.g. on a plurality of rollers or gliders

Abstract

A handheld apparatus (2) for checking the tension of the wire (15) includes a support (3) with two spaced pegs (5,6) mounted on it. A spring (7) mounted on the support (3) between the two pegs. A strain gauge (14) is mounted on the spring and measures the displacement of the spring (7). A fully portable power supply is connected to a computer (9) with a readout (8). In use, the wire (15) is arranged in a predetermined path over and/or under the pegs (5,6) so that it presses against the spring (7). The amount the spring (7) is displaced, which is related to the tension, is measured by the signal from the strain gauge. The signal is passed to the computer (9), which calculates the tension from this measurement and displays the result on the readout (8).

Claims

1. Handheld apparatus for checking the tension of a wire, including:

a support having two spaced pegs rigidly secured thereto;

a spring mounted on the support between the two pegs;

the spring and the pegs being arranged such that a wire passing in a predetermined path over and/or under the spring and the pegs is deflected from its normal position and exerts a pressure on the spring in a predetermined direction;

a displacement measuring device associated with the spring and adapted to measure the displacement of the spring when a wire is in said predetermined path;

preprogrammed computing means electrically connected to the displacement measuring device and adapted to display upon a read out a reading for the tension upon the wire when the wire is in said predetermined path;

the computing means being connectable to a fully portable electrical power source.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each peg is independently selected from the group consisting of:

protrusion, notch, hook, slot.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein a housing for the fully portable electrical power source is incorporated in the support.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein both pegs lie in the same plane, at the same level in that plane, and the spring is at a higher level than the pegs in that plane.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pegs are at different levels in the same plane.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein said predetermined path for a wire to be tested is under the lower peg and over the upper peg, passing over the upper surface of the spring.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support is an elongated member with a handle portion at one end, the length of the handle portion being inclined at an acute angle to the length of the remainder of the support.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein at least the handle portion of the support is hollow to provide a housing for the fully portable electrical power source.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pegs are spaced along the length of the support, and are secured to the support at different levels in a plane parallel to the plane of the support.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein at least one of said pegs is a hook.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the spring has a flexibility in the range 0.0016 mm/Newton-0.043 mm/Newton.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the displacement measuring device is selected from the group consisting of:

strain gauge, load cell, potentiometer (linear or rotary), encoder (linear or rotary).

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the displacement measuring device comprises a strain gauge secured to that surface of the spring which is not contacted by the wire in use.