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1.0 INTRODUCTION:

The aerial ropeway is a form of transport in which cars of a special type, also called
carriers, suspended from overhead ropes, are employed for conveying materials, goods
or passengers from one station to another. This system consists of double track, one track
is used for loaded tubs and another track is used for empty tubs. The ropes are of steel
wire construction and they connect the stations in a straight line, although intermediate
angle stations are possible. Along the route the ropes are supported by intermediate
trestles, unless the ropeway is in one span, for instance crossing a deep valley. A ropeway
car consists of carriage and a container, the latter suspended from the carriage on a pivot
by means of a hanger. There are various types of carriage, their design depending on the
system of the ropeway of which they form part. Generally carriage comprises a device
for gripping the hauling (or haulage) rope, and wheels to run on the carrying (or track)
rope. In the mono-cable system, one carrying-hauling rope only is used. The hanger is
swan-neck shaped, this enables the car to pass trestles and station supports. The container
may be in the form of a bucket, tray, passenger cabin etc. Buckets are usually designed
for transport of materials in bulk. A squirrel cage motor is commonly employed. Mono-
cable ropeway has mainly two types. The fixed clip system and detachable grip system.

Aerial ropeway: An aerial ropeway is an installation in which transportation of material

or men is effected by moving carriers pulled by ropes suspended above ground.

Mono-cable Ropeway: The ropeway has a single running endless rope which both support
and moves the carriers.

2.0 CLASSIFICATIONS:

2.1. Fixed Clip Mono-cable Ropeway System

In this type, the carriers are attached permanently to the hauling-support rope, usually by
a bolted clamp. This clamp often incorporates a swivel to allow the carrier to hang
vertically no matter what angle the rope assumes.

The main advantage of a fixed clip mono-cable is its ability to negotiate almost any grade.
It is also the cheapest form of plant within its design limitations. It operates at slow speeds
(2 to 5.1 mph), low hourly capacities (10 to 100 tons per hour), and with light loads that

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can be loaded onto a moving carrier. It is also limited to the length of one section. That
is, the carriers can go no further than the distance between the terminals since they cannot
be detached. Thus it is impossible to have an intermediate rope tension station as is used
with very long detachable grip systems.

These limitations restrict the use of the fixed clip mono-cable to rather special
applications. The most common use today is probably in ski areas. In the ski industry,
these mono-cable ropeways are universally known as ski lifts. Hourly production in this
application sets the upper limits on the speed and capacity given above.

Fig-1 Fig-2

Fig-3

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2.2 Detachable Grip Mono-cable Ropeway System

In a detachable grip mono-cable system, the carriages are attached to the hauling support
rope by mechanically or gravity-actuated grips. At terminal stations the carriages transfer
automatically from the rope to a running rail. Side mounted wheels mount an inclined
rail, and release the grip, either by taking the weight off the grip or mechanically. The
carriages move around the rail to the return line or to a new section by their own
momentum, or are assisted manually, by gravity, or by an auxiliary chain haul. The
detachable grip mono-cable is generally applicable where production requirements are up
to 150 tons per hour, and individual loads upto 1 ton.

Detachable grip mono-cables are widely used throughout the world for the long distance
(up to 47 miles) transport of a great variety of industrial products. For the very long
distances a series of tandem ropeways is constructed, and the carriers switched from one
to another. The detachable grip systems are common in the mining industry.

Fig-4 Fig-5

3.0 APPLICABILITY:

Aerial ropeway provides the only economic means of long distance transport over rough
country, hilly and difficult terrain, even it can pass through the congested areas, marshy
lands, rivers, forests and important agricultural land.

Aerial ropeways have found wide application in:

• Transporting and conveying bulk materials between two fixed points.

• Aerial dumping of load at any point along the line of route.

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• Stocking of materials.

• Dumping of waste materials.

• Transporting of materials on the mountain regions.

4.0 STATIONS:

4.1. LOADING STATION:

Station where carriers are loaded called loading station. At the loading station, the track
rope tensioning device is avoided and end of it is anchored instead. However the
tensioning of the traction rope may be incorporated. At the entry to station, the carrier
leaves the track rope and rides on the station rail and while leaving it, rides back on the
rope. The carriers passes through the arrangement of releasing and gripping of the traction
rope movement of the carrier is controlled by manually or automatically.

Fig-6 Fig-7

4.2. ANGLE STATION:

When it is not possible to take a straight line route, angle station are provided to change
the direction of route. Here the track ropes of adjacent arms terminate by means of
anchorage or tensioning arrangement.

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Fig-8 Fig-9

4.3. INTERMEDIATE STATION:

These intermediate stations are used in long ropeways to limit the length and tension of
the rope. They divide a ropeway into smaller segments, each of which functions as a
separate ropeway. These stations are also provided with fixed rails so that carriers can be
transferred from one segment to the next, either manually or automatically.

4.4. UNLOADING STATION:

It is the discharge end of the ropeway. The unloading station should be sufficiently high
enough above the ground level to make possible unloading by gravity.

Fig-10 Fig-11

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5.0 TRACK ROPES:

1.Track ropes are usually locked coil ropes made of large size wires in order to have
longer life.

2.Locked coil ropes provide a smooth surface for the movement of carrier wheel and the
surface of it is relatively uniform.

3.The factor of safety for track rope during installation should be 3 and must be withdrawn
from service when it reduces to 2.5.

4.Average life of the ropes is 5 to 7 years.

6.0 TRACTION ROPES:

Traction ropes are six-strand Lang’s lay with fiber core. The rope diameter varies from
12 to 46 mm. The factor of safety should be 5 during installation and ropes should be
withdrawn when it comes down to 4.

7.0 SADDLES:

These are rolled steel section bent along their longitudinal central line to allow curvature
on the support. The upper part of the saddles is grooved to accommodate and support the
track rope.

Fig-12 Fig-13

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8.0 CARRIERS:

A carrier has the carriage, hanger, bucket and grip for rope. Carriages run on track rope
with wheels, and it runs on the track rope, with the help of wheels (20- 30cm/diameter)
mounted on it. The number of wheel is 2 for light loads and 4 for medium or heavy loads.
The hanger is suspended from carriage to make its axis vertical. The bucket is supported
by the hanger and grip on carriage.

Three types of carriers are commonly used namely rotating carrier (fig-14(a)), bottom
discharge carrier (fig-14(b)) and fully enclosed bucket (fig-14(c)).

Fig-14(a) Fig-14(b) Fig-14(c)

9.0 MAINTAINABILITY:

Maintaining a ropeway system is mainly two activities:

• Maintaining the tension of the rope.

• Lubricating its moving parts.

The rope must be kept at the recommended tension in order to limit its sag and to retain
its load-bearing capacity and life. Tension equipment and anchors are used for this
purpose. Tensioning must be carried out as soon as any shift in the alignment is noticed
or the wire starts to sag more than is recommended.

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Ropes must always be well lubricated. The exact frequency of lubrication needed depends
upon factors such as weather, the duration and type of operation and the type of rope used.
Since a fibre-core rope stores lubricant and supplies it gradually to the outer wires, less
lubricant needs to be applied to it manually. However, one must still ensure that the core
has adequate lubricant. Lubrications should be done more often during the monsoon when
falling rain washes away the oil. Long duration of use, and/ or continuous operation also
requires that increasing frequency of lubrication to keep the rope clean and to protect it
from the weathering effects of air, wind, storm abrasive dust particles. Lubrication also
saves the ropes from chemical reactions associated with rains and the chemicals dissolved
in it. By minimising friction between moving parts and supports, lubrication ensures that
operation is smooth and quiet and as a result, the mechanical elements perform better and
last longer.

The misalignment and wearing of pulleys can result in the displacement of the rope,
which is heavy and under high tension. A slight shift in its alignment can transfer large
stresses to pulleys and rope strands and thereby cause severe damage within a short
period. This shift could occur for various reasons, the most likely of which is loose nuts
and bolts. To keep the rope properly aligned requires that nuts and bolts be kept tight at
all times. If pulleys are provided with rubber linings to minimise the wearing of the rope,
they must be replaced as soon as they wear out. Worn-out and non-functional pulleys
must also be quickly replaced.

Fig-15 Fig-16 Fig-17

10.0 SAFETY:

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• Aerial ropeways are one of the world’s safest forms of transportation.

• Operational safety shall also be ensured against availability of service and emergency
brake suitably interlocked. In case of power failure, the emergency brake shall
automatically be active and stop the drive.

• Line safety shall be ensured by providing suitable rope gauge with a view to having
adequate clearance between carriers while crossing each other during normal wind
condition.

• Electrical protection shall be provided by way of thermal overload relay, under voltage
relay, single phasing preventer, fuses, grounding/earthing of equipments etc.

• Independent drive system is there through diesel engine, which can be operated at slow
speed, once there is power failure / motor failure.

• Factor of safety (wire rope): The ratio of the nominal breaking strength of the rope and
the maximum static design tension of the rope.

11.0 ADVANTAGES:

• A relatively high transport capacity.

• Regularity of service and immunity to all weathers.

• Ability to overcome natural obstructions (rivers, marsh ground).

• Inherent ability to keep the ground free for other purposes.

• Low initial and operating cost and short time for return on capital.

• Adjusting speed and number of buckets as per demand.

12.0 DISADVANTAGES:

• Fixed location of loading station.

• Susceptibility to damage by string winds.

• The length of the line and transport capacity is limited by economic and
technical consideration.

13.0 CONCLUSION:

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The best proposed mono-cable aerial ropeway installation is technically viable,

commercially viable, to reach from one station to the other quickly and safely, eco
friendly, helps in generating direct and indirect employment, economic and easy to
operate and maintain.

REFERENCES

 https://www.slideshare.net/bhaskarnaidu100/mining-machinery-learning-
material-for- deegree-and-diploma
 https://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2011/01/aerial-ropeways-automatic-
cargo- transport.html
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B97804444301515001
80/pdf?md5= 93e1942254b6755e66a238203a0e1ee3&pid=1-s2.0-
B9780444430151500180- main.pdf
 https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Aerial_Ropeways
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B97804444301515001
80
 https://www.seilbahnen.org/de/index.php?section=downloads&download
=11842
 http://www.google.com/patents/US3071083

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Department of mining engineering AIT Bengaluru 2019-20