Fiber cable made of high-strength synthetic fibers for a helicopter rescue winch

• US 7,866,245 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Issued: 01/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Helicopters Deutschland Gmbh (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Eurocopter Deutschland Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS NV)
• Inventors: Fischer, Juergen, Kempf, Florian
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley; Shaun R
• Application Number:
  US12/207,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20090078922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 853 Days
• Field of Search: 87/1, 87/8, 87/13
• US Class Current: 87/8
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/025 comprising high modulus, or high tenacity, polymer filaments or fibres, e.g. liquid-crystal polymers
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/145 comprising elements for indicating or detecting the rope or cable status
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/147 comprising electric conductors or elements for information transfer D07B1/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/148 comprising marks or luminous elements
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 1/162 characterised by a plastic or rubber enveloping sheathing
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2201/102 including a core
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2201/1096 braided
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2201/2041 characterised by the materials used
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2201/2074 in radial direction
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2201/2087 being of the coated type
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2205/2014 High performance polyolefins, e.g. Dyneema or Spectra
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2205/2042 High performance polyesters, e.g. Vectran
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2205/205 Aramides
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2205/2064 Polyurethane resins
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2401/205 Avoiding relative movement of components
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2501/2092 Evacuation lines or lifelines
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2801/10 Smallest filamentary entity of a rope or strand, i.e. wire, filament, fiber or yarn
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 2801/22 Jacket or covering
• CPC Class Codes: D07B 5/06 from natural or artificial staple fibres

Abstract

A fiber cable for helicopter rescue winches includes a plurality of load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands braided with one another, at least one electrically conductive insert, and a wear indicator providing a visual check of a state of the fiber cable, where the load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands are encased in a radial direction by a friction-reducing stable fiber layer, an inner cable jacket, and outer cable jacket.

Claims

1. A fiber cable for a helicopter rescue winch, the fiber cable comprising:

a plurality of load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands braided with one another, forces acting on the cable being carried exclusively by said plurality of load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands;

at least one electrically conductive insert; and

a wear indicator providing a visual check of a state of the fiber cable,

wherein said load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands are encased, in a radial direction, by a friction-reducing staple fiber layer, an inner cable jacket, and outer cable jacket.

2. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the inner cable jacket is colored with a signal color, and wherein the electrically conductive insert includes at least one fiber braided into the staple fiber layer.

3. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the staple fiber layer is colored with a signal color.

4. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the staple fiber layer is colored with a signal color, and is encased, in a radial direction, by the outer cable jacket, wherein the electrically conductive insert includes at least one fiber braided into the outer cable jacket.

5. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, further comprising a flexible resin system configured to impregnate fibers of the fiber cable.

6. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive insert includes at least one wire forming a cable core, the load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands being braided around the wire, and wherein the fiber cable includes a colored coating.

7. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive insert includes a plurality of wires, a number of the plurality of wires corresponding to a number of the plurality of the load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands, and wherein one wire is braided into each synthetic-fiber strand, and wherein the fiber cable includes a colored coating.

8. The fiber cable as recited in claim 6, wherein the colored coating is encased in the radial direction by an enveloping surface.

9. The fiber cable as recited in claim 8, wherein the enveloping surface is impregnated with a flexible resin system.

10. The fiber cable as recited in claim 6, wherein the wires are sheathed with a plastic casing.

11. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the synthetic-fiber strands include a material selected from the group consisting of:

aramid, Dyneema©

, Vectran©

, and Zylon©

.

12. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands include eight or twelve load-bearing synthetic-fiber strands braided with one another.

13. The fiber cable as recited in claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive insert includes copper.