CA2052197C - Flexible chute - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible chute for the economic conveyance of materials or people from a high point to a low, far away point. A
cable supported concept using an assembly of a flexible sheet, wire ropes, open web steel joints and spacing elem-ents, all supported by two spaced apart main cables and anchored to the ground by guy wires.

Description

S P E C I F I C A T I 0 ~:
The present invention relates to a fle~ible, cable supported chute that may be used ~or conveying materials or people from a high point to a low, far away point.
Present practice for the downward co v~y~llce of materials or people is to use rigid chutes ~upported on a rigid support-ing structure i . e . rigid columns, rigid stringer beams, rigid cross members and a rigid through, or a mechanized CO~1V~YOL
system on a rigid ~ul~por~lng 3tructure. Both of the rigid sys-tems become very costly when longer spans or distances are to lo be bridged.
In the present invention a pair of spaced apart main cables will support a fle~ible chute between them and span from a high end to a far away low end in the form of an ~nCl~n~d catenary thereby eliminating the need for rigid vertical supp-orting members between the two ends. It is thus possible to span long distances, even a valley, at reasonable cost.
The concept presented four problems which had to be solved in an inventive way. They are:
a) The manner in which the fle~ible sheet is supported 20 between the two main cables, b) the manner in which the two main cables are prevented from approaching each other, c) the manner in which the secondary ;~u~o~-~lng elements are connected to the main cables, d( the manner in which the empty or partially loaded fle~ible sheet is prevented from inverting itself under wind uplift conditions.
In addition, the whole assembly o~ the flexible chute must of course be prevented from swinging up ana down and side-30 ways under wind conditions.

20~21 97 ~lavin~ thus generally de3cribed the nature of the invent-ion reference is mado to the accompanying arawing3 showing by way of an e~cample 3pecific embodimènts thereo~ and in which:
Figure 1 i3 a side elevation of a fle~cible chute in which certain component3 in two out of five field3 have been omitte~
for clarity, Figure 2 is a cross-section of the fle~ible chute lc illustrated in Fig.l, Figure 3 shows a detail of a 3tructural conn-ection.
The following refercnce characters were used:
1 main cable 8 ~usset plate 2 wire rope 9 lo~d transrer member 3 rle~ible sheet lo cross gusset plate 4 spacer assembly 11 standard open web 5 bent-up arm steel ~oi3t 6 modified open we~ 12 hold down strap steel joist 13 guy wire 7 pipe top chord 14 anchor To the technically educated the drawing is to a large deg-ree self-e~planatory. A palr of spaced apart main cable3 1 are connected hi~h on one end and low at the other end, so that each cable hang3 in the form Or an inclined catenary between the two end points. A fle~ible sheet 3 i3 then supported between main cables 1 by a serie3 of wire rope3 2 v/hich are 3trung in parallel rashion underneath and across the ~le~ible sheet 3 and pro~ect a certain length beyond 30 the edees of the ~le~cible sheet 3 for connection to the supporting elements i. e . pipe top chord 7. ~3ach wire rope 2 i~ also connected at certain intervnl3 to fle~ible 3heet 3.
lYhen lo~ded the main cables 1 would now be pulled towards each other i.e. inwards. To prevent this a 3erie3 of spacer as3emblieg 4 with bent-up arms 5 are to be connected to the m~in cables 1 at certain interv~ls and to prevent the main cables 1 from pullin~ inward3 between the spacer q.q,q~mhl~s 4 a modified open web steel ~oist 6 will be col~nected to each end of bent-up arms 5 via gus3et plates 8 and load 40 tran3fer member 9. The top chord of modified open web steel ~oist 6 will be a steel pipe 7 through Yrhich main cables will be fed before erecting the chute. Main cables 1 are al30 fed through load transfer me_ber3 9 which are of cyl-... . . _ _ indrical shape with bellmouthed end~ for a smooth and structurally sound transrer of loads from the pipe top chords 7 o~ modified open web steel ~oists 6 and from the bent~up arms 5 of spacer assemblies 4 to the main cables 1. ~oad transfer members 9 are of course firmly connected to bent-up arms 5.
Such fle~ible chutes may be built outdoors and a strong wind would uplift not only the fle~ible sheet 3 fnclll~fn~
wire ropes 2 but the whole assembly described thus far.
lo ~o prevent such wind uplift effects a standard open web steel ~oist 11 is connected via cross gusset plates lo underneath of and on the centerline to the horizontal part of spacer assemblies 4. Hold dowm straps 12 OEe then losely connected between wire ropes 2, rle~ible sheet 3 and the top or the bottom flanges Or open web steel ~oist 11. A set of three straps 12 will be arranged at calcul-ated intervals .
~o prevent the whole assembly to be uplirted or swayed rrom side to side a pair Or gu~ wires 13 are to be arr-20 anged so that one guy wire 13 e~tends from each of thet~o bends in the spacer assembly 4 outwardly and dowm to an anchor 14 on the ground.
~hi~ concept of a rlellible chute can be applied wherever materials need to be transported downhill as in mining, logging or as an aquaduct. It will also find applications in the recreation and amusement fields as it can be used as an artiricial year-round ski hill or as a giant slide ,~here people can go do~m in felt boots or as a roller skating hill or as an aqua-slide in the warmer climates.
30 In flat places it will be necessary to support the high end of the ~le~ible chute on a tolwer of structural steel or of concrete which will house at the same time the stairs to get to the top or an elevator.

Claims (3)

1. A flexible chute for the conveyance of materials or people from a high point to a far away low point, comprising a pair of spaced apart main cables, a flexible sheet that is suspended between said main cables by a series of wire ropes which extend across and under said flexible sheet and beyond the edges of said flexible sheet for connection to supporting elements, a series of spacing elements with bent-up arms that will hold said main cables spaced apart at certain intervals, modified open web steel joists attached to said bent-up arms of said spacing el-ements to hold said main cables spaced apart between said spacing elements, a load transfer member attached to the ends of said bent-up arms of the said spacing elements for the smooth transfer of loads from said spacing elements and from said modified open web steel joists to said main cables, a vertical open web steel joist connected in the center and underneath said spacing elements to said spac-ing elements, a series of hold down straps extending from said vertical open web steel joist to said wire ropes and to said flexible sheet to prevent said flexible sheet from uplifting under wind and guy wires extending from the said spacing elements outwards and downwards to an-chorages on the ground.

2. A flexible chute as defined in claim 1 in which the top chord of said modified open web steel joists con-sists of a steel pipe through which the said main cable is fed.

3. A flexible chute as defined in claim 1 and claim 2 in which said load transfer member consists of a cylindrical body with bellmouthed ends through which said main cable will be fed and the outside dia-meter of said cylindrical body being such that the said steel pipe fit snugly around it, all for a smooth and structurally sound transfer of loads to said main cables.