LeBus International, Inc.

Grooved Sleeves

Sleeves are used to prevent damage to a drum. It is usually cheaper to replace a worn out sleeve instead of replacing or repairing the complete drum assembly. That is why grooved sleeves have become so popular. The LeBus Grooving System involves a product made specifically for use on any or all types of hoisting drums requiring the use of wire rope or electro-mechanical cable. The LeBus grooves are made for the purpose of properly seating a specified size of wire rope and the proper movement of and spacing of the cable from flange to flange. The material is supplied in cylindrical form, either from steel, fiberglass, or aluminum to fit over any existing or new drum core. Sizes range from 3 inches to over 18 feet in diameter and 4 to144 inches (or more) in width.

The grooved cylinders are split in halves for easy installation either by welding or bolting to an existing drum core. After the installation has been accomplished, the grooves supplied by LeBus set a pattern whereby a repetitive action of layer to layer spooling can be controlled regardless of the number of layers or drum speed, size and load on the drum.

The primary purpose of the LeBus Spooling System is to spool wire rope or cable onto hoisting drums in a true and correct manner. In most spooling operations, you never encounter severe spooling problems when spooling only one layer of cable on your drum. In all other cases, your trouble will begin when you start the second layer and from there on up through your last layer.

The LeBus System is the only system on the market that can eliminate the 360o continuous cross winding of the cable as found on smooth drums. The LeBus System cuts down the cross winding to approximately 20% of the circumference of the drum while 80% of the wraps are parallel with the flanges. In view of this pattern, each layer of wire rope then becomes the groove pattern for each succeeding layer.

Many benefits are derived from this system. One is safety.

The LeBus pattern puts the same number of coils on each layer thereby eliminating the "cutting-in" of the cable. This severe scrubbing action can cause the wire rope to fail prematurely. The LeBus System is the only known method that can accomplish this feat. Therefore it creates a much safer environment. Another benefit is increased wire rope life. Since the wire is not "cutting in" and scrubbing on itself, the true pyramid stacking pattern promotes long rope life.

Next are faster operations. By eliminating manual spooling or mechanical devices, a drum with LeBus grooving can be operated at higher speeds.

Flexibility is an asset that cannot be overlooked. The sleeve can be added to the smooth drum either during original manufacturing or after the hoist is in the field.

Wire rope savings - Wire Rope is expensive, electro-mechanical cable even more so. Anything that promotes the increased life of the cable can be a huge cost saving. Many times a drilling customer has covered the cost of a sleeve in cable savings alone. Dependability and performance are two words we hear a lot of from our customers.

In order for the LeBus system to operate properly, certain parameters must be met. First, the drum flanges must be perpendicular to the drum barrel at all times, even under loaded conditions. Second, there must be sufficient tension on the wire rope to hold the wire firmly in the groove and keep it from skipping grooves or "back tracking". Third, the fleet angle must be kept between ¼° and 1 ¼° (If the parameters are such that this cannot be held, then a LeBus Fleet Angle Compensator can be used). This insures that the cable enters the grooving pattern at the most optimum angle for spooling. Fourth, the cable must go to a fixed point that is centered with the drum width. Last, the cable must retain its consistent and round shape even under maximum loading conditions. Given these conditions, a LeBus grooved sleeve should spool the cable in multiple layers without any problems.

Products

Grooved Sleeves

Corporate Office