Abstract:
A rope structure or method of forming a rope structure comprises a rope comprising a plurality of strands. The rope comprises first and second splice locations, an eye region between the first and second splice locations, and a main region. The main region of the rope is located adjacent to the first splice location and in an opposite direction along the rope from the eye region. At least one of the strands is a selected strand. An extracted portion of the at least one selected strand is extracted from the rope and inserted into the rope such that a bridge portion of the at least one selected strand extends between the first and second splice locations and a diameter of the rope is substantially consistent in the main region.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/210,134 filed Mar. 13, 2014 claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/799,865 filed Mar. 15, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to rope termination structures and methods and, more particularly, to structures and methods of forming splices such as eye splices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Ropes are typically configured to transfer a load between two structures. To facilitate the transfer of the load from each of the structures to the rope, the rope ends must be secured to the each structure. One method of securing a rope end to a structure is simply to tie or wrap the end of the rope to the structure or a specially designed piece of hardware rigidly connected to the structure. 
     Alternatively, the rope may be terminated at one end or both ends to facilitate the mechanical engagement of the rope to the structure or associated hardware. One method of terminating a rope is to form what is typically referred to as an eye at an end of the rope. A rope eye defines a closed loop that may be placed over the structure or associated hardware. 
     To form an eye, the rope is looped to form the eye and then spliced back into itself in a splice region adjacent to the eye. Typically splicing techniques result in a thickened rope portion in the splice region adjacent to the eye. Such thickened rope portions can adversely affect the operation of the rope in some operating environments, and the need thus exists for rope structures and methods of forming rope structures that do not result in a thickened rope portion adjacent to the eye. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention may be embodied as a method of forming a rope structure comprising the following steps. A rope comprising a plurality of strands is provided. First and second splice locations on the rope are defined. An eye region of the rope between the first and second splice locations is defined. A main region of the rope is defined. The main region of the rope is located adjacent to the first splice location and in an opposite direction along the rope from the eye region. At least one of the strands is identified as a selected strand. An extracted portion of the at least one selected strand is extracted from the rope. The extracted portion of the at least one selected strand is inserted into the rope such that a bridge portion of the at least one selected strand extends between the first and second splice locations and a diameter of the rope is substantially consistent in the main region. 
     The present invention may also be embodied as a rope structure comprising a rope comprising a plurality of strands and defining first and second splice locations on the rope, an eye region of the rope between the first and second splice locations, and a main region. The main region of the rope is located adjacent to the first splice location and in an opposite direction along the rope from the eye region. An extracted portion of at least one selected strand from the rope is inserted into the rope such that the at least one selected strand forms a bridge portion that extends between the first and second splice locations and a diameter of the rope is substantially consistent in the main region. 
     The present invention may also be embodied as a method of forming a rope structure comprising the following steps. A rope comprising a plurality of strands is provided. First and second splice locations on the rope are defined. An eye region of the rope between the first and second splice locations is defined. An end region of the rope is defined. The end region of the rope is located adjacent to the second splice location and in an opposite direction along the rope from the eye region. At least one of the strands is identified as a selected strand. An extracted portion of the at least one selected strand is extracted from the eye region and the end region of the rope. The extracted portion of the at least one selected strand is inserted into the eye region of the rope such that a bridge portion of the at least one selected strand extends between the first and second splice locations. 
     The present invention may also be embodied as a method of forming a rope structure comprising the following steps. A rope comprising a plurality of strands is provided. First and second splice locations on the rope are defined. An eye region of the rope between the first and second splice locations is defined. An end region of the rope is defined. The end region of the rope is located adjacent to the second splice location and in an opposite direction along the rope from the eye region. The step of extracting the extracted portion of the at least one selected strand from the rope comprises the step of extracting the extracted portion of the at least one selected strand from the end region. A main region of the rope is defined. The main region of the rope is located adjacent to the first splice location and in an opposite direction along the rope from the eye region. At least one of the strands is identified as a selected strand. An extracted portion of the at least one selected strand is extracted from the end region of the rope. A cut portion of the at least one selected strand is removed from the main region of the rope. The extracted portion of the at least one selected strand is inserted into the main region of the rope such that a bridge portion of the at least one selected strand extends between the first and second splice locations. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of a first example rope structure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of a conventional rope structure; 
         FIG. 3  is a plan view illustrating steps of forming the first example rope structure; 
         FIG. 4  is a plan view illustrating additional steps of forming the first example rope structure; 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view illustrating additional steps of forming the first example rope structure; 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view illustrating additional steps of forming the first example rope structure; 
         FIG. 7  is a plan view illustrating the first example rope structure prior to optional final steps of forming the first example rope structure; 
         FIG. 8  is a plan view illustrating steps of forming a second example rope structure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a plan view illustrating additional steps of forming the second example rope structure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a plan view illustrating additional steps of forming the second example rope structure of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a plan view illustrating additional steps of forming the second example rope structure of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 12  is a plan view illustrating the second example rope structure prior to optional final steps of forming the second example rope structure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1  of the drawing, depicted therein is first example rope structure  20  constructed in accordance with, and embodying, the principles of the present invention. The first example rope structure  20  comprises a main region  22  and an eye region  24 . The present invention is described herein with reference to the formation of an eye splice, but the principles of the present invention may have application to other splice constructions. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a conventional rope structure  30  comprising a main region  32 , an eye region  34 , and a splice region  36 . Comparing the first example rope structure  20  with the conventional rope structure  30 , it can be seen that the first example rope structure  20  does not contain a clearly defined splice region such as the splice region  36  defined by the conventional rope structure  30 .  FIG. 1  illustrates that a thickness T 1  of the first example rope structure  20  is substantially constant, while the splice region  36  of the conventional rope structure  30  has a thickness T 2  that is visibly larger than the thickness T 1  of the rope structure  30  in the main region  32  and the eye region  34 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 3-7  of the drawing, a process of forming the first example rope structure  20  will now be described in further detail. As shown in  FIG. 3 , a rope member  40  is provided, and the parameters of the eye region  24  are defined. Once the parameters of the eye region  24  have been defined, a first splice location  42 , a second splice location  44 , and a rope end region  46  containing an end  48  of the rope structure are defined relative to the rope member  40 . 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a strand  50   a  is extracted from the rope structure  40  from the first splice location  42  to the end  48  of the rope structure  40 . An original strand location  52  from which the strand  50   a  was removed is indicated by broken lines in  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the strand  50   a  is inserted back into the rope structure  40  at a new strand insert point  54  at the second splice location  44 . The strand  50   a  is woven, tucked, braided, or otherwise arranged along a new strand path  56  back through the eye region  24  and to a new strand extraction point  58  at the first splice location  42 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a bridge portion  60   a  of the strand  50   a  crosses over from the first splice location  42  to the second splice location  44 , and the strand  50   a  lies in a new strand location  62 . A strand free end  64   a  of the strand  50   a  is extracted from the rope structure  40  at the strand extraction point  58 . 
     The process of selecting a strand from the rope structure, removing the selected strand from its original strand location between the first splice location and the rope end, inserting the selected strand back into the rope structure at a new rope insertion point at the second splice location and along a new strand path back to the first splice location, and out of the rope structure at a new strand extraction point at the first splice location, is repeated until a desired number of strands have been used to form the eye splice. Typically, half of the strands forming the original rope structure are removed and used to form the splice as described herein. 
     The example rope structure  40  depicted in  FIGS. 1-7  is a 12 strand braided rope, so six strands  50   a ,  50   b ,  50   c ,  50   d ,  50   e , and  50   f  are removed and inserted back through the eye region to form the eye splice. The use of six strands to form the eye splice results in six bridge portions crossing from the first splice location  42  to the second splice location  44 , although only two bridge portions  60   a  and  60   b  are visible in the two-dimensional representation of the rope structure  20  in  FIG. 7 . The use of six strands to form the eye splice further results in six strand free ends  64   a ,  64   b ,  64   c ,  64   d ,  64   e , and  64   f  exiting the rope structure at the second splice location  44  as further depicted in  FIG. 7 . 
     After the rope structure  20  has been formed as depicted in  FIG. 7 , the rope end region  46  and the strand free ends  64   a ,  64   b ,  64   c ,  64   d ,  64   e , and  64   f  may be removed and the cut ends of the strands  50   a ,  50   b ,  50   c ,  50   d ,  50   e , and  50   f , as well as the remaining strands of the twelve strand braided rope in the rope end region  46 , may be appropriately terminated to secure the rope structure  20  in its configuration as depicted in  FIG. 1 . 
     Turning now to  FIGS. 8-12  of the drawing, a process of forming a second example rope structure  120  that has a geometry similar to that of the first example rope structure  20  will now be described. Like the first example rope structure  20 , the second example rope structure  120  comprises a main region  122  and an eye region  124 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , a rope member  140  is initially provided, and the parameters of the eye region  124  are defined. Once the parameters of the eye region  124  have been defined, a first splice location  142 , a second splice location  144 , and a rope end region  146  containing an end  146   a  of the rope structure are defined relative to the rope member  140 . 
     Next, as shown in  FIG. 8 , a first cut region  148   a  generally corresponding to a length of the rope end region  146 , but typically slightly shorter, is identified. A selected strand  150   z  is cut at the first splice region  142  and at the first cut region  148   a , and the portion of the strand  150   z  between these two cuts is extracted from the rope structure  140  as shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     The portion of another, uncut strand  150   a  in the rope end region  146  between the second splice location  144  to the rope end  146   a  is removed from the rope structure  140  as also shown in  FIG. 9 . An original strand location  152  from which the strand  150   a  is removed is indicated by broken lines in  FIG. 8 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the selected, uncut strand  150   a  is then inserted back into the rope structure  140  at a new strand insert point  154  at the first splice location  142 . The selected strand  150   a  is woven, tucked, braided, or otherwise arranged along a new strand path  156  from the first splice location  142  to the first cut region  148   a  as further shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , a bridge portion  160   a  of the strand  150   a  crosses over from the second splice location  144  to the first splice location  142 , and the strand  150   a  lies in a new strand location  162 . A strand free end  164   a  of the strand  150   a  is extracted from the rope structure  140  at the first cut region  148   a.    
     The process depicted in  FIGS. 8-11  is repeated until a desired number of strands have been used to form the eye splice as shown in  FIG. 12 . Typically, half of the strands forming the original rope structure are removed and used to form the splice as described herein. The example depicted in  FIGS. 8-12  depicts the formation of an eye splice in a twelve-strand braided rope, so six strand cut regions  148   a ,  148   b ,  148   c ,  148   d ,  148   e , and  148   f  and six strand free ends  164   a ,  164   b ,  164   c ,  164   d ,  164   e , and  164   f  are defined, one for each of the strands  150   a ,  150   b ,  150   c ,  150   d ,  150   e , and  150   f .  FIG. 12  also shows that the example strand cut regions  148   b ,  148   c ,  148   d ,  148   e , and  148   f  are staggered back from the first strand cut region  148   a  towards the first splice location  142 . 
     The use of six strands to form the eye splice results in six bridge portions crossing from the first splice location  142  to the second splice location  146 , although only two bridge portions  160   a  and  160   b  are visible in the two-dimensional representation of the rope structure  120  in  FIG. 12 . 
     After the rope structure  120  has been formed as depicted in  FIG. 12 , the rope end region  146  and the strand free ends  164   a ,  164   b ,  164   c ,  164   d ,  164   e , and  164   f  may be removed and the cut ends of the strands  150   a ,  150   b ,  150   c ,  150   d ,  150   e , and  150   f , as well as the remaining strands of the twelve-strand braided rope in the rope end region  146 , may be appropriately terminated to secure the rope structure  120  in a configuration that looks like the rope structure  20  depicted in  FIG. 1 .