Versatile and Innovative Stainless Steel Sheaves Designed for Today’s Demanding Applications
Suncor Stainless, a leading manufacturer of stainless steel hardware, has announced the launch of PULLPRO™, a new line of innovative premium stainless steel sheaves designed to address an industry need for versatile, robust and long lasting sheaves to meet today’s demanding applications.
PULLPRO™ sheaves are comprised of high quality grade 316 stainless steel and incorporate a weight optimized design with recessed sides and lightening holes. They are available for fibrous or wire rope and feature either stainless steel bearing or bronze bushing type hub styles. Stainless steel spacers are included with most of the bushing style sheaves. The inclusion of spacers adds a new level of versatility by allowing a standard sheave to adapt to various shaft sizes. The working load limits (WLL) were certified through extensive in-house laboratory testing. The WLL represents a 5:1 design factor and the sheaves meet ASME B30.26-2610.
“PULLPRO™ premium stainless steel sheaves were designed with versatility as a key feature. The variety of sizes, hub styles and spacers allow the user to select a sheave that fits a specific shaft size for today’s demanding applications,” said Seth Porter, Product Manager
Historically, end users have been limited by sheave sizes and large diameter sheaves are often used in situations where a smaller, less expensive sheave would meet the demands of the application. As a result, Suncor has developed HiLOAD and LoLOAD sheaves for wire rope applications. HiLOAD indicates a larger diameter sheave suitable for 180 degree rope turns. LoLOAD indicates a smaller diameter sheave designed for economical small deflection turns less than 90 degrees.
In the development process for PULLPRO™, an emphasis was placed on minimizing wear and extending the life of the sheaves. Wide grooves have been incorporated to provide a proper throat angle that permits slight rope lead misalignment. The groove diameter is critical for proper rope support under load and has a significant effect on the overall safety and lifespan of the sheave and rope. If the sheave groove diameter has too much clearance, it will not support the rope properly. When tension is applied by the rope, the high radial pressures will flatten and distort the rope and that distortion leads to increased fatigue damage, early failure, costly repairs, and unplanned downtime. Conversely, if the sheave groove diameter has too little clearance, the rope will not fit properly in the groove and it will experience wear along two lines of contact. This results in distortion of the rope and severe notching within the individual rope strands. PULLPRO™ sheaves were designed with an optimal sheave groove clearance suited for each rope size to ensure a maximized lifespan for the rope and sheaves.
PULLPRO™ premium stainless steel sheaves answer several challenges currently facing sheave users. The introduction of larger diameter HiLOAD sheaves and smaller diameter LoLOAD sheaves provides a new level of versatility. The variety of sizes, hub styles, and spacers allow the user to select a sheave tailored to fit their specific shaft size and product application and the design provides optimal weight, groove diameter, and throat angle. The result is one of the most versatile, safe, long-lasting, and high-quality offerings of premium sheaves that has ever been introduced.
Learn more about Suncor Stainless at www.suncorstainless.com.
