CHAPTER FOUR

Arresting Gear and Brakes

• Arresting gear is used to hold the load
being lifted without interfering in the
hoisting process but preventing the load
from coming down due to gravity.
• Brakes are employed for controlling the
speed of the load lowering and holding the
suspended load at rest.
 A. Arresting gear
There are a number of arresting
mechanisms used in hoisting machineries.
i. Ratchet gearing
Consists of ratchet gear and pawl. The
teeth in the ratchet are so arranged that
the ratchet runs free when the load is
being raised but prevents the load from
coming down because of its own weight.
 Cont’d

Ratchet Gearing with External Teeth

Teeth of the Ratchet
The linear unit pressure is the guiding factor
for the determination of the length of the
teeth (width of pawl bearing area). Furthermore
the teeth is checked for bending.
 Cont’d

F
b
p

Ratchet Teeth where b = width of pawl

p = linear unit pressure

(= 50 to 100 kg/cm for steel pawl and cast iron ratchet
wheel and = 150 to 300 kg/cm for steel pawl and steel
ratchet wheel)
 Cont’d
2T
• Tangential force F
D
where T = transmitted torque
D = ratchet diameter

Fh
b  2
a b Usually a = m , h = 0.75 m and
6 b  m , D = z m
a 2b 2T
b  h
6 D
t
D  z  t Dz

 Cont’d
t
and D  zm where

m

2T 2 m ,
 0.75m   m  bend
zm 6

9T T T
m3  23  2
z bend z bend 3 b
z   bend
m

The coefficient  depends on the material of the ratchet.

= 1.5 - 4 for 0.33 or 0.55 % C cast steel or
= 1 - 2 for 0.3 % C steel or 0.45 % C with additive
Checking for Eccentricity of Pawl

M bend F
 
W A

Where
M bend  F  e1
b  x2
W 
6
Pawl Pin Cont’d
b 
M bend  F  a 
2 
M bend
 bend 
W

b  d 3
F   a   W   bend    bend
2  32

2T  b  20T  0.5b  a 
  a   0.1d   bend
3
d 3
zm  2  zm bend

20T  0.5b  a 
d  2.713
zm bend
 Cont’d
The pin is subjected to impact loading, thus
we take reduced safe bending stress.
 bend = 300 to 500 kgf/cm2.
The best conditions for a pawl sliding over
the ratchet teeth are obtained when   ,
where is the friction angle.

Pawl Sliding over the Ratchet

 Cont’d

M A  0 
d
 T  N  L cos   F 1  0
2

where T = Fsin  and N = F cos 

 1  coefficient of friction between the pin

and the hub
d
F  sin    cos   L cos   F 1
0
2
  d
FL sin  cos    cos 2   F 1  0
2
 sin  cos   1 d
FL     F 1  0
 cos   cos 
2 2
2
 Cont’d
  1 d  a very small number
tan      
 2 L cos   but + value
2

But   tan 
where  is angle of friction

d 1 d 1
tan   tan  
2 L cos 2  since 2 L cos 2 
is a positive
value
tan   tan   0 and 
From practical experience the value of 
for best condition ranges from 120 to 180.
 ii. Friction Arresters
• Friction arresters operate noiselessly compared
to the operation of toothed arresting gear.
However, the pressure on the pawl pivot and
shaft is considerably high. Thus they have a
limited application.

The force on the

pawl pivot is :

F
F0 
tan 
Friction Arrester
 iii. Roller Ratchets
• A roller wedged between the follower and
the driver is subject to the action of normal
forces N 1 and N 2 and tangential friction
forces  1 N 1 and  2 N 2 . With the roller in
equilibrium, the resultant force R1  R2 .
For equilibrium; thus . N  N
1 2

Design Diagram of
a Ratchet Roller
 Cont’d

The transmitted torque is

 D
T  z 2 N 2  
2
where z = number of rollers (usually z = 4)

  0.06
1 for the roller and the driver and
2 for for the roller and the follower)

When 
  tan   tan (the case of locking)
2
2T
N
zD tan
  N  N1  N 2 
2
 N
The length of the roller is l
p
Where , p = linear unit pressure, and its allowable
value is 450 kg/cm for hardened quality steel
(e.g.: C15...C60).
 Brakes

• Brakes can be classified based on there

purpose as
– Parking (holding) brakes
– Lowering brakes
– Combined holding and lowering brakes
– Based on there operational aspect
• Operated brakes
• Automatic brakes
A. Shoe brakes
i) Single Shoe Brakes
They are used to retard or stop unidirectional
motions.
The pressure exerted by the cast iron shoe
on the brake wheel should be such that the
friction force produced on the surface of the
wheel counter balance the peripheral force

2T
N   F
D
 Diagrams of Single Shoe Brakes

P P P

Acting on the Drum Acting on the Drum Acting on the Drum

N N N
F F F

N N N
l

N N N
a
Acting on the Shoe Acting on the Shoe Acting on the Shoe

I
I I
b
b=0
b

(a) (b) (c)

 Cont’d
Force P at the end of the brake lever
depends on the position of pivot I. The
friction force acts relative to the brake
wheel in a direction opposite to F.
For case (a), taking moment about I,
 M I  0  P  l  N  b  N  a  0
+ counter clockwise & - clockwise

aN Nb N
P   a  b 
l l
 Cont’d
; F
but N  F N


F Fa 
P   a b  P   b 
l 
l 
where the upper sign refers to counter
clockwise wheel rotation

For case (b),

a Fa
PN 
l l
 Cont’d

Fa 
• For case (c), P    b 
l  
In actual designs the self-braking
effect should be avoided for single shoe
brakes i.e. cases (a) and (c) act
arresters when b
a


This does not happen in the case of (b).

 ii. Double Shoe Brakes

Diagram of a Shoe Brake

Applied by a Weight
 The total peripheral braking force produced
by both shoes in the rubbing surface is:
2 M br
T
D
Force to apply the brake force F1 is:
D D
 T1  T2   M br   N 1  N 2 
2 2
D
   N1  N 2 
2
Taking moments about the pivots:

F1   N 1 1  N 1b  0
 Cont’d
F1 
N1  i.e., normal force on the left lever
1  b shoe and in the same way
F1 
N2 
1  b

D  F1  F1   DF1  1 1 
M br         
2  1  b 1  b  2  1  b 1  b 

DF1  21 DF1 1

  2  2
2 1   2 b 2 1   2 b 2
2
M br 1   2 b 2 M br 1
F1      2 b 2 (is a small value
D 1 D 
 Cont’d
Unit pressure between the wheel and the
shoe of the left lever is:
N1
p , where A = shoe bearing area
A

Normal force on the right lever shoe is:

N2 
F1  M br  1  b 
N2  
1  b D 1
 B. Band Brakes

In band brakes the braking torque is

obtained due to friction of flexible band
over the surface of a brake wheel.
The resistance of friction due to friction
acting on the surface of contact with the
drum is equal to the difference in the
forces on the band ends, and this force
equalises the peripheral force F, i.e.

F  S on  S off
 Cont’d

Diagrams for Determining Tension in the Band and

Unit Pressure on the Drum
 Cont’d
• From Euler's formula:

S on  S off  e   S on  F  e 

S on  S on  e 
 F e 
, S on  e 
 1  Fe 

Fe  F  e 
S on   , S off  S on  F   F
e 1 e 1

 e   e   1  F
S off  F   , S off  
e 1

 e 1 
 i. Simple Band Brakes

F
S off  
e 1

Peripheral force is:

2 M br
F
D
M br = actual braking torque
 ii. Differential Band Brakes
Moment equation relative to the pivot:

F  S off a 2  S on a1  0

The braking effort F is

S off a 2  S on a1
F



S off a 2  S off e  a1


S off a 2  e  a1 
 
 Cont’d
Additive-Action Band Brake

The moment equation at the pivot is

F  S on  a  S off  a  0

F   S on  S off 
a

a

 S off e   S off


 Cont’d


aS off

e 
1 

Hence F  S on  S off  S off e  S off
a e 
1
F P
 e 
1
The maximum unit pressure is given by
S0 n
p max 
R b
 Thermal Calculations of Shoe Brakes

i. Energy Absorbed by the Brake

The kinetic energy of the body is absorbed by
the brake,

Pure translation E1  1 / 2m v  v 

2 2
1 2

Pure rotation 
E2  1 / 2 I 12  22 
Combination of translation and rotation
E  E1  E2
Objects being lowered E3  mg  h1  h2 

Total Energy absorbed by the brake

E  E1  E2  E3
The Energy absorbed by the brake wheel and
transformed into heat must be dissipated to
the surrounding air in order to avoid excessive
temperature rise in the brake lining.

The heat dissipated may be estimated by

H d  C  t1  t 2  Ar
 C- heat dissipation factor/ coefficient of heat
transfer.
 t1  t 2  = temperature difference b/n the exposed
radiating surface and the surrounding air.
Ar = area of radiating surface.

The rise in the temperature of the brake drum

t  H g / m.c

H g = Heat generated by the brake

m = mass of the brake
c = specific heat of the material of the brake
drum