Hi everyone -
I have a 9 year old son who is currently fascinated by the chairlift at our local ski hill. I am hoping someone will be kind enough to answer a question he has about them. We are located in Wisconsin so no big chairlifts here when compared to other areas, but we ski as much as we are able. The question is about the loading and unloading areas of the chairlift itself - we are wondering what mechanisms are used to slow the chairlift down at these locations yet still have the other chairs move at the same speed up and down the hill. As we unload at the top of the hill, we are able to look up, but are not able to determine how this occurs. Any input or link to a drawing of this would be greatly appreciated!
1
Question for my son
Started by gofishtlp, Feb 27 2008 01:44 PM
5 replies to this topic
#3
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Posted 27 February 2008 - 02:35 PM
If you're talking about the HSQ at Cascade Mountain, here are some videos of a similar lift (Doppelmayr UNI-M) on how the grip detaches and attaches in the terminal.
http://www.skiliftforum.com/index.php?show...21&hl=video
http://www.skiliftforum.com/index.php?show...21&hl=video
- Cameron
#4
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Posted 28 February 2008 - 05:59 AM
A comment to go along with the video, to explain-
The detachable chairs are held on the haul rope by means of springs working on a lever arm. Some grips use coil springs, others cupped washers, still others torsion bars. Some part of the lever arm has a roller attached to it which engages a compression ramp. The ramp is sloped to force the lever arm down, which opens the grip and allows it to come off the rope. At the same time, a set of tyres above the grip (next to the compression ramp) engage a traction plate mounted on the top of the grip. These tyres are tied together by belts, and each tyre's speed is determined by the size of the pulley mounted on it. This allows each tyre to rotate slightly slower than the one in front of it, which slows the chair down. The process is repeated on the outgoing side, except the tyres speed the chair up to match the speed of the haul rope. Hope this explains a bit.
The detachable chairs are held on the haul rope by means of springs working on a lever arm. Some grips use coil springs, others cupped washers, still others torsion bars. Some part of the lever arm has a roller attached to it which engages a compression ramp. The ramp is sloped to force the lever arm down, which opens the grip and allows it to come off the rope. At the same time, a set of tyres above the grip (next to the compression ramp) engage a traction plate mounted on the top of the grip. These tyres are tied together by belts, and each tyre's speed is determined by the size of the pulley mounted on it. This allows each tyre to rotate slightly slower than the one in front of it, which slows the chair down. The process is repeated on the outgoing side, except the tyres speed the chair up to match the speed of the haul rope. Hope this explains a bit.
Member, Department of Ancient Technology, Colorado chapter.
#5
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Posted 28 February 2008 - 07:59 AM
Thanks to you all for your responses. I will let my son see the video and the explanations are perfect. We do go to Cascade here in Wisconsin!
My son is on the autism spectrum and gets stuck on certain things that he is fascinated with - this was his latest! Thanks for helping me out!
Tracy
My son is on the autism spectrum and gets stuck on certain things that he is fascinated with - this was his latest! Thanks for helping me out!
Tracy
#6
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Posted 01 March 2008 - 02:41 PM
gofishtlp, on Feb 28 2008, 09:59 AM, said:
Thanks to you all for your responses. I will let my son see the video and the explanations are perfect. We do go to Cascade here in Wisconsin!
My son is on the autism spectrum and gets stuck on certain things that he is fascinated with - this was his latest! Thanks for helping me out!
Tracy
My son is on the autism spectrum and gets stuck on certain things that he is fascinated with - this was his latest! Thanks for helping me out!
Tracy
Ah. Good ol' Cascade! I can post some pics of that "mountain" if anyones interested.
To basically sum-up this question, a rail compresses the spring, or torsion bar of the grip which opens it away from the haul cable. Than the tires slow the chair down. Below is a picture of the acceleration area. The red arrow is showing the tires that have belt-driven gears to accelerate and decelerate the carrier.
eagle_2.jpg (100.56K)
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