US2372868A - Rope - Google Patents

Description

R. F. WARREN, .JR

ROPE

April 3, 1945.

Filed Feb. 10. 1944 43 wulz/wtov RICHARD F. WARREN, JR.

llime Il--Il of F18. 9;

Patented Apr. 3,1945 i' UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE- ROPE Richard F. Warren, Jr., Stratford, Conn. Application February 10, 1944, Serial No. 521,842

8Ciaims.

This invention relates to.new and useful improvements kin ropes or cables and has particular relation to a rope or cable for use along highl ways, to mark curves in the road, the presence of ditches at the side of the road, etc. Y

An object of the invention is to provide a highway rope or cable including means for reilecting back a portion of the light impinging on the rope or cable from the headlights of an approaching vehicle.

Another object is to provide a highway rope or cable having means for reilecting back a portion of the light rays;` impinging thereon from the headlights of an approaching vehicle and also having therein means rendering the rope pr cable self-luminous whereby portions oi the rope or. cable beyond the range or zone of the headlights of an approaching vehicle are also visible to indlcate a curve to one side or the other of the course of an approaching vehicle.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a. consideration of the following detailed description takenI in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein satisfactory embodiments of the invention are shown. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the details disclosed but includes all such variations and modiilcations as fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims. l

In the drawing- Fig. l is a side elevational view showing a rope or cable made in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the rope oi Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through an element or illament which'may be used in the rope of Figs. l and 2;

Flg.4isaviewsimilartoFla.3butshowingan element or filament from the rope of Figs. l and 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but showing another modiilcatlon;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view ofva short section oi' an elementor illament of the rope otfFigs. 1 and 2; Y

Fig. 'I is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing another form of element or filament;

Fig. 9 is a front elevational view showing a short section oi a rope or cable of another form;

Hg.10isasectionalviewtakenasalongthe out the mass of the plastic and when the iila- Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken as along the line ii-II ofFig. 9; and

Fig. 12 is atop plan view of the rope or cable section of Fig. 9.

The rope of the present invention may be made of plastic material and preferably is made oi synthetic plastic materials. Vinylidene chloride is an excellent plastic material for my purpose a1- though it will be understood that other plastics may be used in the making of my rope. Particularly other vinyl and styrene compounds may be used although it is to beunderstood that any of the other plastics as synthetic resins, natural and synthetic lastics, cellulose and its derivatives. protein plastic substances and petroleum plastic derivatives, may be. used. In short I may use the various classes of plastic materials identified in my copending application Serial Number 457,207, tiled September 3,. 1942.

Referring in detail to the accompanying drawing and at rst more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 a short section of rope is generally designated Il and the same is shown as made up of three strands Il, l2 and I3 although it will be understood that the invention is not limited to this particular structure. Each of the strands in its outer portion includes at least one light reilecting element or filament il and at least one luminous element or iilament I5. These elements or filaments are of plastic material. The other elements making up the strands Il, I2 and Il may be plastic filaments, and preferably are such illaments, although they may be of natural fibrous material or of steel, etc., it desired.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of one of the iilaments I5 and according to the invention a suitable luminous material, as a phosphorescent, a iluorescent or a radio active substance, is mixed with the plastic while both materials are in powdered form or at any other point in the rope making process prior to the extrusion of the plastic into the filaments I5. In the drawing the luminous material is indicated by the stippling and such material is distributed throughments II are formed the luminous material is distributed all through the filament and ls not merely on the surface thereof to be. scratched or abraded therefrom during twisting together of the illaments inmaking the rope or during other handling of the rope or the illaments.

It will be understood that the luminous materialbeingdistributedthroughoutthemassot the plastic material it is not n to the present invention that the filaments or rope elements be 'in place of the laments I5.

formed bythe process of extrusion. The compound of plastic and luminous material may be rolled into sheets and strips cut from the latter and twister into filaments for use in place of the Fig. 3'shows a filament I6 which may be used Filament I8 is shown as comprising a body I'I of a suitable plastic and on such body is a coating I8 of a luminous material. To protect this coating against the weather, abrasion, and the like, a coating or lm I9 is disposed over coating I8. Coating I9 lis of a clear `or transparent and preferably weather proof plastic material as vinylidene chloride.

In addition to theabove constructions the luminous material may be worked into the plastic material and this mixture used as -a coating for the body of a rope filament. Thus in Fig. is shown a lament body having thereon a film or coating ZI comprising a mixtureof a plastic material and a luminous material. Preferably the plastic material used in this mixture is clear or transparent for the reasons suggested above when considering Figs. 4 and 3. With the construction of Fig. 5 as .with the solid construction of Fig. 3 should the outer surface of the filaments be worn away new luminous material will be effective and the laments will retain their luminous properties even though theplastic used be opaque.

Figs. 6 and '7 are emerged views of one of the filaments I I. Filaments I4 are designed to reflect back a portion of the light rays impinging on the rope or cable I0 from the headlights of an approaching vehicle. Thus these filaments are faceted to provide them with a multiplicity ofreecting surfaces or faces. In the particular embodiment here under consideration filament Il is provided with a multiplicity of reecting faces in each of a series of depressions in the filament. The angularly related faces comprising the surfaces of eachdepression 25 function as reflectors, and direct back and spread the light rays impinging on them. The precise form of the facets of lament I4 is not controlling.

Fig. 8 shows a modification of the light reflecting' filament and in such ligure the filamentl shown is designated and the same is' of a .plastic material having embedded therein pieces orbits 3| of light reflecting material 'Ihe particles` ticles, embedded in the body of the lament func- Y tion and it will be understood that on any wearing away of the iilamentother particles 3| will be l exposed whether the plastic is transparent or not. In fabricating the rope I0 it will -be understood that the filaments I5, I6 and 20 are approximate- Vly equivalents and that laments IG and 30 are approximately equivalents. Preferably at least one filament of the light reecting and luminous types is located in the outer portion of each `strand il,V I2 and I3 of the rope. Y When the rope` lI 0 is used in a highway safety fence the filaments I4 will serve to vreiect back toward the driver of an approaching vehicle a portion of the light rays from the headlights of said'vehicle and thus the driver will easily discern the location of the highway fence and be appraised of curves in the highway as marked by the presence of the fence.

In addition the filaments I5 of the rope I0 will be visible at night without being struck by light beams as such filaments are self luminous and therefore visible in the dark. Thus filaments I5 will serve to notify the driver of a vehicle of a turn or curve in a highway fence when such curve takes the fence to one side or the other of the beams of the headlights of the vehicle and in fact from a point beyond the range of the vehicle headlights.

Figs. 9 through 12 show another form of rope generally designated 40 and which is rather flat and tape-like as is clear from an inspection o!v self luminous and reflecting elements'substituted.

Thus in the drawing filaments M and I5 aro shown as substituted for the elements/4I at places toward the up'per and lower edges of the rope In'. Filaments M are the light reecting lamenta and laments 45 are the self luminous filaments.

usfilaments 44 are any of the filaments Ily and 30 above described whilefilaments 45 are any of the filaments I5, I6 and 20 above described. 'I'he rope 40 may be used in place of the rope I0 and will. function in the manner described in connection with the rope I0.

To enhance the desired effect the body I1 of lament I6 and thefilament 20 are loaded with an opaque and preferably light reflecting and diffusing material. Preferably the loading material is white and titanium dioxide is suggested for the intended purpose. This white body at the inner sides of thecoatings I8 and 2 I of the respective laments ampliiles the effectiveness of the luminous materials of the coatings I8 and 2i.

Somewhat similarly the body or filament Il is-treated so that it is opaque and preferably it is loaded or lled with titanium dioxide or other white material so that light rays striking the surfaces of 'thedepressions 25` will not be absorbed by the body I4 but will be reflected back.

Having thus set forth the nature of myinvention, what I claim is:

1. In a rope, an elongated body comprising a plurality of. elongated elements, and one of said elements faceted throughout its length to provide' Y it with a series of reflecting surfaces for reflecting back light rays impinging thereon.

2. A multi-strand highway rope or cable whereing vehicle.

3. In a multi-strand highway rope or` cable, a longitudinal element of a plastic material having embedded therein a plurality of light reecting :,smsos members for redecting back a portion of the light rays impinging on said element from the headlights of an approaching vehicle.

4, In a multi-strand highway rope or cable, a longitudinal element of a plastic material having distributed throughout its body a plurality of light reflecting members for reflecting back a portion of the light rays impinging on the element from the headlights of an approaching vehicle, and said plastic transparent whereby members completely embedded in said element participate in the reecting of such light rays.

`5. In a rope, an elongated body comprising a plurality ot elongated elements, one of said elements faceted throughout its length to provide it with a series of light reflecting surfaces for renecting back light rays impinging thereon, and said element of an opaque plastic material.

6.Inarope.anelongatedbodycomprisinga plurality of elongated elements, one of said elements faceted throughout its length to provide it with a series of light reflecting surfaces for refleeting back light rays impingin thereon, and said element of a white opaque plastic material.

7. A rope or cable comprising an elongated element faceted throughout its length to provide it with a series of light reflecting surfaces for refiecting back light rays impingfng thereon, and said element of an opaque plastic material.

8. A rope or cable comprising an elongated element faceted throughout its length to provide it with a series of light reecting surfaces for reflecting back light rays impinging thereon.

RICHARD F. WARREN, Jn.

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