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Anyone with information on wire rope used for ski lifts?

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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
I'm doing a report on the manufacturing process for wire rope used in ski lifts. I've found general information on how wire rope is put together but I need some specific details (ie. how thick each wire is, how many wires make up each strand, how many strands are used to make the rope, and how they determine all of those factors based on the load it's expected to carry).

The report format is very flexible, but my professor does want us to focus the majority of the report on a primary manufacturing process. The problem is that one of the questions I need answered is what wire diameter they use, since that determines whether or not the wire was drawn or extruded (the two possible primary manufacturing processes for producing circular wires). However, that question only needs to be answered if I have to make an educated guess as to how the wire is produced, unless someone knows the actual process that is used to produce the wire that's used...

I'm hoping someone here has some answers for me...

Thanks!
Apr 1 2013 3:17PM
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T.L.
Posts: 4729 - Karma: 3,008
Contact some chairlift companies like Doppelmayr or Leitner-Poma.  I'm sure they'd give you some help.  If not contact your local mountain's lift maintenance department.
Apr 1 2013 3:21PM
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Static
Posts: 8561 - Karma: 4,139
why wouldn't you contact Poma or someone involved with lift manufacturing, kids these days
Apr 1 2013 3:22PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
I'm waiting for a reply from my local hill and thought I would test my luck with NS.
Apr 1 2013 3:23PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
who says I havent?
Apr 1 2013 3:24PM
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iFlip
Posts: 4544 - Karma: 19,137
Here is a word that will greatly aid your searches: cable.
Apr 1 2013 4:07PM
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seward
Posts: 5233 - Karma: 2,174
bingo.

if someone asked me about wire rope i would swiftly kick them in the dick.
Apr 1 2013 4:11PM
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nagger
Posts: 1576 - Karma: 883
ask the folks from how it's made to do an episode on chairlift wires.
they'll do your entire project for you


unrelated: they should make an episode of how it's made on the show how it's made. it would be boring and I wouldn't watch it but I enjoy the idea.
Apr 1 2013 4:11PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
started with that word, ended with wire rope. seems like everywhere i've seen anything that relates to the chair lift cables is technically called wire rope.

i found a how its made episode on wire ropes too (not cables) and they seem to be exactly what i thought a cable was before


Apr 1 2013 4:31PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
how its made isnt detailed enough to be turned into a report, but its a good start to your research
Apr 1 2013 4:33PM
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DrewPeacock
Posts: 1003 - Karma: 1,763
the wire on a chairlift at my home resort has a diameter of 1.879". Why do i know this you ask? i stoolleee dat mutha fucka. its in my garage and i will kindly sell it to you for $1,850 shipped. or you can just quote my muthafuin ass and put it in your report
Apr 1 2013 4:45PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
i understand the factors at hand. just a little background info though.. the "cables" used for ski lifts start as wires that are twisted together to form a strand. then this strand, along with a number of other strands, is wound around a smaller wire rope (the core) to form the finished wire rope.

wire - simple circular cross section
strand - cross section made up of many circles (from the many wires it takes to make a strand) sort of like a honeycomb
wire rope - cross section is made up of many of the honeycomb-looking strand cross sections and one core that is made up of many honeycomb cross sections

so all in all here are the list of things you can vary in wire rope:
- wire size
- number of wires in a strand (which defines the strand size)
- number of strands in a wire rope (which defines the wire rope size)

how exactly does varying all of those change the mechanical properties in a wire rope... i would think its a little more complicating that just the outer diameter of the finished product. especially since all of the sources ive looked at have said something about a range of wire numbers being used different types of strands, meaning there has to be some way of telling how many wires/strands you need at a certain thickness to provide the requested tensile properties
Apr 1 2013 7:22PM
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WorthDaMoney
Posts: 1140 - Karma: 741
looks like owe someone, or a company, a kick in the dick

http://wirerope.com/marketsolutions/skiingoverview.php?cat=market&product=8&sub=leveleight&par=ul.nine&landing=market
Apr 1 2013 7:25PM
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Dingo69
Posts: 1330 - Karma: -171
Deutsche engineering for the win
Apr 1 2013 8:22PM
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Daph
Posts: 5978 - Karma: 5,010
we call them haul ropes up here, not cables
Apr 1 2013 9:25PM
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nagger
Posts: 1576 - Karma: 883
do you also refer to movies as picture shows?
Apr 1 2013 9:35PM
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seward
Posts: 5233 - Karma: 2,174
theyre out of Montreal... which means theyre half retarded to begin with.
no wonder they call it wirerope.
durp e derp derp wirerope tabernackle si vous play.

us english folks call it cable.
Apr 2 2013 10:08AM
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