Winch drum with internal wire storage

Abstract

A winch drum device includes a first winch drum with an outer surface adapted to accommodate axially displaced turns of wire rope and further includes a wire rope storage means, such as a recess, extending at least partially radially in from said outer surface. The wire rope storage means is adapted to accommodate one or more layers of the wire rope. The winch drum device may be incorporated into a winch.

Claims

1. A winch drum device comprising: a first winch drum having a central axis of rotation and a radially outer surface configured to accommodate a plurality of axially displaced turns of wire rope; an annular recess extending radially inward from the radially outer surface of the first winch drum and extending about the circumference of the radially outer surface of the first winch drum; wherein the annular recess is configured to accommodate one or more turns of the wire rope and the first winch drum is configured to rotate about the central axis of rotation to pay in and pay out the wire rope from the annular recess.

2. The winch drum device according to claim 1, wherein the first winch drum is configured to accommodate only a single layer of wire rope.

3. The winch drum device according to claim 1, wherein the first winch drum is configured to accommodate a plurality of parallel wire ropes, and wherein the first winch drum includes a plurality of annular recesses, wherein each annular recess extends radially inward from the radially outer surface of the first winch drum and extends circumferentially about the radially outer surface of the first winch drum, and wherein each annular recess is configured to accommodate one or more turns of one of the plurality of parallel wire ropes.

4. The winch drum device according to claim 3, wherein an end of each of the plurality of parallel wire ropes is anchored to the first winch drum in one of the plurality of annular recesses.

5. The winch drum device according to claim 1, wherein the first winch drum comprises a removable shell, wherein a second winch drum is disposed within the removable shell of the first winch drum, wherein the second winch drum is configured to accommodate a plurality of layers of wire rope, wherein the winch drum device with the removable shell and the second winch drum disposed therein defines a first position of use (P1) for the winch drum device.

6. The winch drum device according to claim 5, wherein in a second position of use (P2) for the winch drum device the removable shell is removed to expose the second winch drum.

7. The winch drum device according to claim 1, wherein the first winch drum comprises an annular shell and an annular wire rope storage member coupled to a radially inner surface of the annular shell, wherein the annular recess is defined by a slot in the annular shell and a pocket in the annular wire rope storage member.

8. The winch drum device according to claim 7, wherein the annular wire rope storage member extends radially inward from the annular shell and radially abuts a second winch drum disposed within the first winch drum.

9. The winch drum device according to claim 7, wherein the annular wire rope storage member is mechanically connected to the annular shell by fitting welded joint or a press fit connection.

10. A winch comprising: a first winch drum having a central axis of rotation, wherein the first winch drum comprises an annular shell, an annular wire rope storage member attached to a radially inner surface of the annular shell, and an annular wire rope storage recess extending radially inward from a radially outer surface of the annular shell through the annular shell into the annular wire rope storage member, wherein the annular wire rope storage recess extends about the circumference of the first winch drum; wherein the radially outer surface of the annular shell is configured to accommodate a plurality of axially displaced turns of wire rope; wherein the annular wire rope storage recess is configured to accommodate one or more turns of the wire rope and the first winch drum is configured to rotate about the central axis of rotation to pay in and pay out the wire rope from the annular wire rope recess.

11. The winch of claim 10, further comprising: a plurality of annular wire rope storage members attached to the radially inner surface of the annular shell; a plurality of annular wire rope storage recesses extending circumferentially about the first winch drum, wherein each wire rope storage recess extends radially inward from a radially outer surface of the annular shell through the annular shell into one of the plurality of annular wire rope storage members; wherein the radially outer annular shell of the first winch drum is configured to accommodate a plurality of parallel wire ropes, and wherein each of the annular wire rope storage recesses is configured to accommodate one of the plurality of wire ropes.

12. The winch of claim 11, wherein an end of each wire rope is anchored to the first winch drum in one of the plurality of annular wire rope storage recesses.

13. The winch of claim 10, wherein the annular shell of the first winch drum is removable.

14. The winch of claim 13, further comprising a second winch drum disposed within the first winch drum, wherein the second winch drum is configured to accommodate a plurality of layers of wire rope, wherein the winch has a first position of use (P1) with the annular shell disposed about the second winch drum and a second position of use (P2) with the annular shell removed to expose the second winch drum.

15. The winch of claim 13, wherein the annular wire rope storage member extends radially inward from the annular shell and radially abuts a second winch drum disposed within the first winch drum so as to provide support for the annular shell.

16. The winch of claim 15, wherein the annular wire rope storage member is mechanically connected to the annular shell by a welded joint or a press fit joint.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) In the following is described an example of a preferred, non-limiting, embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows, in a perspective view, a winch drum device according to the present disclosure and principles described herein;

(3) FIG. 2 shows; in a side view, the winch drum device from FIG. 1;

(4) FIG. 3 shows, in a cross-sectional view, the winch drum from FIGS. 1 and 2;

(5) FIG. 4 shows, in a side view, an enlarged part of FIG. 3;

(6) FIG. 5 shows, in perspective view, a winch according to the present disclosure in a first position of use;

(7) FIG. 6 shows, in a perspective view, a winch according to the present disclosure in a second position of use; and

(8) FIG. 7 shows, in a side view, segments belonging to a removable shell of a winch drum device according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

(9) In the following, reference numeral 1 will refer to a winch drum device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, whereas reference numeral 10 will denote a winch according to the second aspect of the present disclosure. The drawings may be shown schematically and simplified and they are not necessarily to scale.

(10) FIG. 1 shows a winch drum device 1 according to the first aspect of the present disclosure in its simplest form. In the figure, one wire rope 3 is coiled around an outer surface 111 of a first winch drum 11 so that multiple axially displaced turns 31 of wire rope 3 are stored on the winch drum 11 in a helical groove 113 thereof. The winch drum device 1 is provided with a wire rope storage means 5 in the form of a pocket connected to the first winch drum 11 and with its opening provided as a slot 51, as best seen in FIG. 4, in the outer surface 111 of the winch drum 11. The pocket 5 is adapted to accommodate a plurality of radially displaced turns 33 of wire rope 3, as can best be seen in FIG. 4. FIG. 2 is a side view of the winch drum device 1. In use, as will be described with reference to FIG. 5 below, the winch drum device may be made longer to accommodate a plurality of parallel wire ropes 3, 3, 3, 3.

(11) FIG. 3 is a cross-section as seen through the line C-C of FIG. 2, whereas FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of detail D from FIG. 3, including the pocket 5 and the radially displaced turns 33 of wire 3 stored therein. In the shown embodiment, the pocket 5 is adapted to accommodate four radially displaced turns 33 of wire rope 3, which typically will be the so-called safety turns discussed above, meaning that these turns of wire rope 3 will not be engaged during regular operations, but serve as a backup in case of failure. It can also be seen in FIG. 4 that the pocket 5 is provided as a reinforced part 53 of the first winch drum 11 which is connected to the winch drum 11 by means of welding and press-fitting.

(12) FIG. 5 shows a winch 10 according to the second aspect of the present disclosure. The winch 10 comprises a housing 4 covering the ends of the winch drum 11 in the figure. The winch 10 runs four parallel wire ropes 3, 3, 3, 3 connected to a first winch drum 11 of a winch drum device 1 according to the present disclosure. The first winch drum 11 is provided with four wire rope storage means 5, not visible in this figure, one for each wire rope 3, 3, 3, 3. The winch 10 and the winch drum device 1 are shown in a first position of use P1, wherein the first winch drum 11 is adapted to accommodate single layers of the wire ropes 3, 3, 3, 3, as it will typically be used in hoisting of drilling equipment and pipes on a rig or on a vessel. The first winch drum 11 is constituted by a removable shell 13.

(13) In FIG. 6, the winch housing 4 has been removed for the overview. Further, the removable shell 13 has been removed in order to reveal a second winch drum 15 with a smaller diameter than the first winch drum 11. This corresponds to a second position P2 of use for the winch drum device 1. In this second position of use P2 the winch drum device is adapted to accommodate a plurality of layers of not shown wire rope, whereby the winch 10 may also be used in operations requiring hoisting of loads over large heights, such as in deep water applications.

(14) FIG. 7 shows a shell segment 131 of the winch drum 11 from FIG. 5. The shell segment 131 is shown in a front view in sub-figure 7a and in a side view in sub-figure 7b. The shell segment 131 covers substantially 120 degrees of the removable shell 13 shown in FIG. 5, implying that three such shell segments 131 are needed to be connected in order to make up the first winch drum 1, i.e. the full removable shell 13. In alternative embodiments the removable shell 13 may be constituted by a different number of shell segments 131. One of the wire rope storage means 5 is visible in the side view in sub-figure 7b.

(15) It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the present disclosure, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. Use of the verb comprise and its conjugations does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those stated in a claim. The article a or an preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.