A friction-braking apparatus for a transportation system, having at least one caliper, at least one piston structured and arranged to move the at least one caliper; and at least one brake pad arranged on the at least one caliper. The at least one caliper is structured and arranged to selectively move the at least one brake pad into engagement with at least one rail of the transportation system.

Emergency egress systems carry multiple riders simultaneously accessing a zip line (catenary) from higher, accessible, working locations to lower, safer areas in a marine environment. Hangers above the track line suspend trolleys to avoid weighting the catenary unduly at the high end, which might otherwise alter (reduce) clearance distances and safety of riders above a launch platform (deck). Catenary shape is controlled against approaching the launch deck by sequencing the release from the hangers of each trolley to roll along the catenary with its own rider. Track line systems installed may be left undeployed indefinitely. Deployment of a track line will typically be fully effected at the time of egress, adding time but eliminating permanent obstructions that would result if a permanent deployment of track lines were undertaken. Terminal ends are anchored and configured to accommodate workers arriving after escape.

A force-shunting device including a tube defining a main axis and an inner wall, a first member sliding within the tube, a primary leg arranged obliquely, attached to the first member and including a primary pad in frictional contact with the inner wall, such that, when an external force is applied in a first direction on the first member, the primary leg rubs, or grips by mechanical camming, against the inner wall, the tube thus reacting all or part of the external force, the device including a second member mounted within the tube, sliding along the main axis and securely provided with a driving element of the primary pad so as to reduce the friction on the inner wall, to unprime the rubbing or mechanical camming.

An overload brake and method for trolley suspended on a flange of a load traveling apparatus girder prevents the displacement movement of a suspended load along a girder by clamping a brake between two symmetrical flange tabs of the girder. The girder is elastically deformed by the load which is applied to the girder by the contact between a surface of the girder and translation wheels that move the load along the girder. Upon sufficient elastic deformation, portions of the girder contact a brake to prevent movement of the load along the girder.

To realize a mechanism that can support an article at a desired position in such a way as to be able to move the article, with a thin, simple configuration. A load support mechanism 1 includes a fixed support section 2, which includes a fixed cam 8; a movable support section 3, which receives a load and can move vertically; a horizontal cam groove 13, which is provided in the movable support section; a cam follower member 15, which can move horizontally along the cam groove; a first spring 4, which is mounted between the fixed support section and the movable support section to support a load; and a second spring 18, which pushes the cam follower member horizontally and presses the cam follower member against a fixed cam surface 9 of the fixed cam. A reaction force of the fixed cam against the cam follower contains a vertical component depending on a height position of the movable support section, and the vertical component assists or reduces the spring's force to push up the load. A cam shape of the fixed cam surface is provided in such a way that the load acting around the cam follower, the spring forces of the first and second springs, and the reaction force applied from the fixed cam are balanced against each other.

An auto reset zip line assembly comprising a cable running along the circumference of two pulleys that are spaced apart forming a closed loop is provided. A pair of rigid frames are fixedly coupled to the cable at an equal distance from each other. The pulley includes a wheel having a rim that has a continuous trough along the circumference to retain the cable. The wheel is rotatably mounted on a shaft and the shaft is mounted to a hosing. The pulleys include a mechanism to suspend a zip line assembly between two vertical supports. The auto reset zip line assembly further comprises a braking mechanism and a pair of guarding plates coupled to the housing to prevent derailing and entangling of the cable. The invention is advantageous by providing a safe zip line assembly that obviated the need of returning a trolley to the starting point of the zip line.

An elevator brake braking and holding an elevator car in an elevator system includes a first brake lining having a first actuating device and a second brake lining, which brake linings cause braking in interaction with a braking strip or brake disk. A second actuating device is associated with the second brake lining, and the second actuating device moves the second brake lining toward the first brake lining, if necessary, thus clamping and braking the braking strip or the brake disk between the second and first brake linings. The first actuating device moves the first brake lining toward the second brake lining to clamp and brake the braking strip or the brake disk between the first and second brake linings. The first and the second actuating device operate according to different principles of operation.

A fall control system is described. The fall control system comprises an elongate guide rail extending along an axis, a trolley for moving along the elongate guide rail, a tether attached to the trolley at a first end, a second end of the tether for attaching to a user, and a speed control system for controlling a speed of the trolley along the elongate guide rail. The speed control system comprises one or more than one speed control track attached to the elongate guide rail and extending along the axis, a background speed controller coupled to the trolley and engaged with the one or more speed control track when the speed control system or the trolley is in a travelling orientation and controlling the speed of the trolley along the elongate guide rail to not exceeded a maximum walking speed. The speed control system also includes a speed controller coupled to the trolley and engagable with the one or more than one speed control track, the speed controller displaceable from a first position when the speed control system or the trolley is in the travelling orientation, and the speed controller is not engaged with the speed control track, to a second position when the speed control system or the trolley is in a falling orientation and the speed controller is engaged with the speed control track. The speed controller for controlling the speed of the trolley along the guide rail in the falling orientation to not exceed a maximum fall speed.

An arm is pivotally coupled to a support structure at one end and a patient care equipment support, such as a service head, is pivotally coupled to the arm at the other end. The arm has a first portion and a second portion coupled to the first portion for extension and retraction relative to the first portion. Brakes are provided to brake the extension and retraction of the portions of the arm, to brake the pivoting movement of the arm relative to the support structure, and to brake the pivoting movement of the patient care equipment support relative to the arm. Each of the brakes is releasable.

A device for gripping an object that includes a main body having a first and a second endplate, a baseplate, at least one guide rail, and a first jaw and a second jaw, each receiving the at least one guide rail. The device also includes a first pulley assembly and a second pulley assembly respectively attached to the baseplate and a chain loop respectively attached to the first pulley assembly and the second pulley assembly. The chain loop includes a first chain length and a second chain length and a first link and a second link that attaches the first chain length and the second chain length. Each of the first link and second link include at least one dowel pin. The chain loop is attached to the first jaw and the second jaw by the at least one dowel pin of each of the first link and second link.