A three dimensional approach to model steel wire ropes used in high energy absorber apparatus

The modeling method and dynamical characteristics of steel wire ropes has been researched for several decades. In the past, steel wire ropes were usually modeled as a two dimensional system, which was only suitable for the planar motion. Also, no kink-wave propagation was considered when steel wire ropes were used in relatively low speed engineering application areas. By contrast, a three dimensional approach to model steel wire ropes used in high energy absorber apparatus is presented in this paper. Three dimensional contacts between steel wire ropes and other objects and kink-wave propagation in steel wire ropes are taken into consideration when applying the new approach to model steel wire ropes. Compared to the two dimensional model of steel wire ropes, the proposed model regards steel wire ropes as a multi-body system consisting of identical cylindrical elements with 6 degrees of freedom connected by space constraints. Impact forces generated by three dimensional contacts between steel wire ropes and other objects are calculated and theories of elastic wave propagation are applied to analyze the kink-wave propagation when steel wire ropes are loaded with a sudden perpendicular impact by a high speed moving object. In addition, mathematical model of steel wire ropes is established and numerical simulation of the three dimensional model of steel wire ropes is implemented. By comparing the simulation results with the experimental data available, the model of steel wire ropes proposed in this paper is demonstrated to be valid and correct. Therefore, the proposed modeling method can be treated as a new approach in the research field of modeling steel wire ropes. The dynamical characteristics of the steel wire ropes based on this new modeling approach are addressed simultaneously and plots of the dynamics of steel wire ropes cannot only be regarded as a basis for the further comparative studies, but also can provide some significant and interesting results. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.