Two pass method and apparatus of forming a hexagonal swage for wire rope terminations

• US 6,035,692 A
• Filed: 01/19/1999
• Issued: 03/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Crosby Group Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Crosby Group Incorporated
• Inventors: Lucas, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crane, Daniel C.
• Application Number:
  US09/233,642
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 72/416, 29/237, 29/517
• US Class Current: 72/416
• CPC Class Codes: B21F 15/06 with additional connecting elements or material B21F27/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F16G 11/02 with parts deformable to grip the cable or cables; Fastening means which engage a sleeve or the like fixed on the cable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49929 Joined to rod

Abstract

The termination area of a wire rope is formed by a round or oval sleeve that is formed into a quasi-polygonal, preferably quasi-hexagonal, swage using a two pass die closing method using apparatus wherein opposing die cavity faces or sides include a reservoir space for swage material during the first pass of the die closing.

Claims

1. A method for cold forming wire rope terminations comprising the steps of:

positioning a cylindrical and ductile sleeve at the point of termination, said sleeve having a cylindrical external surface;

positioning a swaging portion of said sleeve in co-acting dies, said co-acting dies having an opening, said opening being polygonal in cross section with n sides and having abuttable lands where n is an even number greater than 4, said co-acting dies having at least one of said sides forming a reservoir area wherein a pair of said reservoir areas are on oppositely facing sides, said reservoirs accommodating flashing from the sleeve;

fully closing said co-acting dies upon said sleeve to form a preformed quasi-polygonal swage;

opening said dies;

rotating said preformed quasi-polygonal swage an amount V, where V=360°

/n;

fully closing said co-acting dies whereby said lands abut to form a final quasi-polygonal after swage dimension, said reservoirs again accommodating flashing from the sleeve; and

opening said co-acting dies to remove said swaged termination, said swaged termination having a polygonal external surface.

2. The method of claim 1 where n equals 6.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said sleeve is a swage socket.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said termination forms a wire rope Flemish style eye.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said termination is a button at a wire rope end.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said after swage dimensions are that which will provide a working load limit including design factor rating for a given size of wire rope.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the percentage of air gap in a completed swage is determined as follows:

##EQU5## where A_r is the metallic rope area and A_D is the cross section of the die cavity and ##EQU6##

8. A method for cold forming a wire rope Flemish eye termination, comprising the steps of:

positioning a cylindrical and ductile sleeve over a tail end and upon a running portion of a wire rope, said sleeve having a cylindrical external surface;

forming a mechanically spliced Flemish eye in said wire rope, wherein said tail end of said wire rope is relayed to a termination area upon said running portion of said wire rope;

positioning said sleeve in co-acting dies, said co-acting dies having an opening, said opening being quasi-polygonal in cross section with n sides having abuttable lands where n is an even number greater than 4, said die having at least two of said opposite facing sides, said reservoir accommodating flashing from the sleeve forming a reservoir area;

fully closing said die upon said sleeve to form a preformed quasi-polygonal swage;

opening said die;

rotating said preformed quasi-polygonal swage an amount V, where V=360°

/n;

fully closing said co-acting dies whereby said lands abut to form a final quasi-polygonal opening of an after swage dimension, said reservoir again accommodating flashing from the sleeve; and

opening said co-acting dies to remove said swaged termination, said swaged termination having a polygonal external surface.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein n equals 6.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein said sleeve includes an internally and externally tapered end surface which is positioned toward said running portion.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein said after swage dimensions are such to provide a working load limit including design factor rating for a given size of wire rope.

12. A quasi-hexagonal die cavity for forming a Flemish eye quasi-hexagonal swage from a round cylindrical sleeve of given OD and ID, said die cavity being of cross sectional area A_D, with a dimension across flat sides B and width W wherein the percent of air gap in a completed swage is determined from the formula:

##EQU7## Where;

##EQU8## and where the percentage width W is determined from the formula;

##EQU9##