A system for monitoring the performance of a multi-stranded tensile member where a portion of the strands are concealed within a termination. The invention provides a monitoring system that allows the user to determine when one or more of the strands has degraded to a point of concern. In some embodiments the monitoring system depends on visual inspection and in other embodiments the monitoring system is automated.

A protected synthetic tensile member assembly including one or more fixed terminations used to transmit a tensile load from the tensile member to an external component. The tensile member includes access for inspection of its constituent fibers in at least one selected inspection region. The region is selected on the basis of the area of interest to the tensile member's use—such as the area of greatest stress concentration or the area of greatest abrasion. A removable cover is provided for the inspection region. A user may selectively remove this cover in order to gain access to the inspection region.

A cable termination in which part of the potted region is free to flex somewhat. A portion of the potted region is maintained within an anchor and rigidly held in the conventional fashion. Another portion, however, extends out of the anchor to ease the transition between the unpotted cable filaments and the filaments locked within the anchor.

A method for creating a termination by attaching some kind of fitting to the end of a tensile member such as a cable. The end fitting is provided with an internal cavity. The cavity has a proximal portion that is adjacent to the area where the tensile member exits the fitting and a distal portion on its opposite end. A length of the tensile member's filaments is placed within this expanding cavity and infused with liquid potting compound. The method exploits the characteristic of a liquid potting compound as it transitions to a solid. The potting compound in one portion of the cavity is typically transitioned to a solid at a more rapid rate than other portions. Once the potting compound in one portion of the cavity has transitioned sufficiently to hold the filaments at the desired level, tension is placed on the tensile member and a small linear displacement may be imposed on the tensile member. This linear displacement tends to pull the filaments residing in the potting compound into better alignment and improve load sharing.

A protected synthetic tensile member assembly including one or more fixed terminations used to transmit a tensile load from the tensile member to an external component. The tensile member includes access for inspection of its constituent fibers in at least one selected inspection region. The region is selected on the basis of the area of interest to the tensile member's use—such as the area of greatest stress concentration, the area of greatest abrasion, or an area of likely strand-to strand or overall cable translation. A removable cover is provided for the inspection region. A user may selectively remove this cover in order to gain access to the inspection region.

The invention relates to a prestressing cable (1), in particular for static structures, said cable being provided with a longitudinal element (1′) and connection elements (2) at the end faces of said element. The longitudinal element (1′) has a plurality of stranded wires, the end faces of which are anchored into the connection elements (2). The prestressing cable (1) is composed of multiple approximately parallel strands (3a, 3b, 3c), each of which comprises multiple stranded wires (7). The wires (7) are spread apart at their end faces in the funnel-shaped opening (5) of the respective connection element (2) and anchored by a casting process, wherein the frustum-shaped funnel widens away from the strands (3a, 3b, 3c). The straight arrangement of multiple strands results in particular in the significant improvement of the properties relating to vibrational loads even with wires of high strength.

A method for creating a composite cable having at least one advanced termination on at least one end. An advanced termination is added to an end of a short synthetic tensile strength member. The strength of the tensile strength member and termination is then tested. Once tested satisfactorily, the short cable is spiced onto a long cable of the same type using prior art splicing techniques. The union of the short cable and the long cable creates a “composite” cable having a advanced termination on at least one end. In most applications it is preferable to set the length of the short cable so that the interwoven splice will exist at a desired location.

A tension member has fibres straightened such that they are substantially parallel. The fibres are then held in the base of mould. A curable resin such as castable synthetic polymer resin, is applied around the fibres.

The side of mould is then placed on base trapping compression tool as part of the mould. The cylindrical cavity defined by the mould is filled with curable resin, The curable resin is then allowed to set, and the mould removed to form a rigid rod on the end of the tension member.

An apparatus and method for terminating a multi-stranded, non-parallel cable. An anchor is provided on the end of each strand. A collector is provided to link the anchors and connected strands into a single unit. An alignment fixture is provided to transition the strands from the non-parallel lay within the cable to a parallel path adjacent to the anchors.

A method and hardware for damping and controlling unwanted motion in the fixed rigging of large machines. In a first approach large clamp blocks are added to multi-cable rigging systems. These blocks use a first cable to damp the motion of an adjacent cable. The invention also encompasses adding armored sections to synthetic cables to enhance their abrasion resistance and cut resistance.