[INNOVATIONS]
rope will move over the fi ve sheaves in both directions, resulting in ten bending cycles. Another will travel over four sheaves, completing eight bending cycles. And so on.” In the end, testers will be able to analyze one broken section which has been processed through the full number of bending cycles, along with two other intact pieces which have moved through fewer cycles. “One section can be analyzed externally and then taken apart to explore its internal condition at the given number of bending cycles. Further, another section can undergo a pull test to determine how strong it is.” T e feat is impressive, particularly when you consider
how the identical process would otherwise look. In competitor’s machines, he notes, “to examine the external condition of the rope, you have to stop mid-test to do
temperature build-up. An equitable level of heat is generated at varying sections along the rope and there will be no temperature gradient.” T e outcome, he asserts, is highly undesirable.
“T e rope will heat up and the lubricant will drop off .” Before building a prototype, Verreet demanded added input. “Designing the details always takes much longer.
And a great part of the process was completed by my partner, Jean-Marc Teissier.” A France-based engineer, Teissier is the founder and CEO of dep engineering in Grenoble. dep engineering currently manufactures and sells Verreet’s new test machine. T e fi rst prototype of Verreet’s alternative machine was built in 2008. It did some of its fi rst testing trials for NASA. T e fatigue machines are presently on the
“WE HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CREATED A TOOL WHICH ALLOWS USERS TO PERFORM TESTS
UNDER FAR MORE REALISTIC CONDITIONS.” – Roland Verreet, Wire Rope Technology
Rendering of Verreet’s New Testing Machine
the analysis. Additionally, you have to do this while the rope is still inside the machine, meaning the lighting will be very poor. Moreover, you won’t be able to remove the lubricant as that wholly changes conditions for the following bending cycles.” With Verreet’s machine, on the other hand, things play out in a markedly diff erent fashion: “T e bending fatigue tests will not have to be halted in order to count breaks and evaluate the rope’s condition. You can do this after the one test. All told, it will save you a tremendous amount of time.” Interestingly, Verreet also resolved concerns
regarding temperature. “Steel wire rope is normally a good heat conductor and the heat which is generated by bending it will commonly be conducted to cooler area. However, conventional machines featuring two or more sheaves will, in reality, usually suff er tremendous
market at a cost ranging from $100,000 to $400,000. Further, dep., according to Verreet, has recently introduced a larger version which is available for approximately $1 million. T us far, customers, he shares, are “amazed” and
have found the machine to be a true “value-add” for their business. “We’ve managed to avoid the main disadvantages
of conventional test machines. We have successfully created a tool which allows users to perform tests under far more realistic conditions. What’s more, they will be able to accumulate a wealth of information with only a limited number of tests.” In the end, when asked why industry leaders
should purchase his equipment rather than one from a competitor, Verreet unhesitatingly responds: “T at’s easy: T ere is simply no alternative to what we’ve built.” y
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JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2013
WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
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