Create Cable

Cable System Name

Enter system name.

Number Of Anchors

Enter number of anchors.

Enter either zero for a "closed" cable, or 2 or more for an "open" cable system. A single anchor system is not allowed; so, entries of 1 are not allowed.

Anchor 1/2....

Name

Enter name of the anchor.

Location

Enter/Select location.

Connection Part

Enter/Select part that will support the anchor by a fixed joint.

Winch

Enter a state variable that defines the winch output cable length. For the discretized cable method, the state variable must deliver a positive value. For the simplified cable method the value can be either positive or negative. A positive value indicates that cable is winched to the system (total cable length is increasing), a negative value indicates that cable is winched from the system (total cable length is decreasing).

Number Of Pulley_Properties

Enter number of pulley_properties.

Pulley Property Name

Enter pulley property name.

Width

Enter width (see figure).

width > 2*(radius*COS(angle)+(depth-radius*(1-SIN(angle)))*TAN(angle))

Depth

Enter depth (see figure).

depth > radius*(1-SIN(angle))

Radius

Enter radius (see figure).

Angle

Enter angle (see figure).

Hertz K

Enter Hertz contact formulation stiffness coefficient. These parameters define the typical Adams contact model described by the IMPACT function.

Hertz E

Enter Hertz contact formulation exponent. These parameters define the typical Adams contact model described by the IMPACT function. The value should be >1.

Hertz Cm

Enter Hertz contact formulation maximal damping (penetration depth setting is automated). These parameters define the typical Adams contact model described by the IMPACT function.

Friction Mu

The dynamic coefficient of friction between the pulley and cable.

Friction Vt

The relative velocity between the pulley and cable at which the full coefficient of friction, Friction Mu, is applied. That is, mu = 0 when the pulley-cable relative velocity = 0 and it approaches the value provided for "Friction Mu" as the pulley-cable relative velocity approaches "Friction Vt".

Number Of Pulleys

Enter number of pulleys.

You must define at least two pulleys when number of anchors was set to zero.

Name

Enter name of the pulley.

Location

Enter the pulley location.

Axis Of Rotation

Reference Axis of Rotation can be one of the following:

Angular Mis-Alignment (X)

Enter the rotation value of the pulley about the X axis of the Reference Axis of rotation.

Angular Mis-Alignment (Y)

Enter the rotation value of the pulley about the Y axis of the Reference Axis of rotation.

Flip Direction

Use to flip the sense of axis of rotation that will be used to wrap the cable around the pulley.

Diameter

Enter external diameter of pulley (see figure).

diameter > 8*depth

Pulley Property

Enter/Select pulley property name.

By default, Adams View calculates the mass and inertia for a rigid body part based on the part's geometry and material type. The geometry defines the volume and the material type defines the density. The default material type for rigid bodies is steel.

You can change the material type used to calculate mass and inertia or simply specify the density of the part. If you do not want Adams View to calculate mass and inertia using a part's geometry, material type, or density, you can enter your own mass and moments of inertia.

It is possible to assign zero mass to a part whose six Degrees of freedom you constrain with respect to parts that do have mass. You should not assign a part zero mass, however. Any part that has zero mass and translational degrees of freedom can causes simulation failure (since a = F/m). Therefore, we recommend that you assign finite masses and inertias to all parts. In addition, a part without mass cannot have mass moments of inertia.

Learn about Methods for Calculating Mass Properties.

Define Mass By

Density

Enter the density value.

If you select User Input, the following options will be displayed:

Mass

Enter the mass of the pulley part.

Ixx

Enter inertia with respect to X axis.

Iyy

Enter inertia with respect to Y axis.

Izz

Enter inertia with respect to Z axis.

If Off-Diagonal Terms option selected, the following options will be displayed:

Ixy

Enter XY cross inertia.

Izx

Enter ZX cross inertia.

Iyz

Enter YZ cross inertia.

Connection Type

Connection Part

Enter/Select part that will support the pulley by previous connection type.

Number Of Cables

Enter number of cables.

Setup

Cable Name

Enter name of the cable.

Begin Anchor

Enter/Select begin anchor name (if any).

Wrapping Order

Enter/Select the ordered list of pulleys to wrap the cable around between begin and end anchors if any (open cable, closed cable around pulleys if not).

End Anchor

Enter/Select end anchor name (if any).

Diameter

Enter cable diameter to be used for reference beam formulation.

Density

Enter cable density

Young’s Modulus

Enter the young's modulus to be used for reference beam formulation.

Rkx, Rkb, Rkt

The cable gets its stiffness definition derived from the user-entered cross-sectional dimensions and Young's modulus. That derivation is based on beam theory described in Non linear theory section of the BEAM statement describing the Euler-Bernoulli beam formulation. The purpose of these Rkx, Rkb, Rkt inputs is to allow the user a means by which to represent an orthotropic material property. These are multipliers on the stiffness in the axial (Rkx), bending (Rkb) and twisting (Rkt) directions. Commonly for cables you have something that bends much more easily than it stretches and twists somewhat more easily than it stretches. So to do that set Rkx = 1.0 and Rkb << 1.0 and Rkt < 1.0.

Refering to the Linear Theory section of Beam, the stiffness matrix looks like below:

And the multipliers (Rkx, Rkb and Rkt) on the stiffness are specified as:

 

 

Rkx:

Ratio of longitudinal stiffness with respect to reference beam formulation. For details on the beam formulation used, please refer to the Using the FORMULATION=LINEAR option and Using the FORMULATION=NONLINEAR option sections of the BEAM statement describing the Euler-Bernoulli beam formulation used here. Rkx is used as multiplier for component K11 in Beam formulation.

Rkb:

Ratio of bending stiffness with respect to reference beam formulation. For details on the beam formulation used, please refer to the Using the FORMULATION=LINEAR option and Using the FORMULATION=NONLINEAR option sections of the BEAM statement describing the Euler-Bernoulli beam formulation used here. Rkb is used as multiplier for component K33,K35,K55,K66 in Beam formulation.

Rkt:

Ratio of torsion stiffness with respect to reference beam formulation. For details on the beam formulation used, please refer to the Using the FORMULATION=LINEAR option and Using the FORMULATION=NONLINEAR option sections of the BEAM statement describing the Euler-Bernoulli beam formulation used here. Rkt is used as multiplier for component K44 in Beam formulation.

Damping Ratio

 

Velocity

Velocity is used to define initial cable velocity. Sign convention is such that positive velocity will tend to move the cable in the direction from the start anchor toward the end anchor; in systems without anchors the velocity will tend to move the cable through the pulleys in the sequence specified for wrapping.

Preload

Preload is used to define initial cable preload.

Method

If simplified method is selected, the following options will be displayed:

Solver

Gravitational Force

Inertia

Disengagement

If discretized method is selected, the following options will be displayed:

Solver

Gravitational Force

Inertia

Disengagement

Mesh

Enter the ratio of smallest pulley diameter to be used to define cable elements length.

Zone

Delta

Enter length of cable to anticipate contact simulation with respect to zone.

Output

Pulley Results

Enter anchor/pulley ids (1 being the first anchor for open cable, or the first pulley for closed cable) to get the following output:

Forces (anchors and pulleys):

All the components of force acting in the attachment joint of the element (either anchor or pulley).

Data (pulleys only):

Span Results

Enter span ids (1 being the span between the first anchor and the first pulley for open cable, or the span between the first pulley and second pulley for closed cable).

Data: