Capstan equation, Euler's formula, power law friction

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the Capstan equation and its application to rope friction, particularly in scenarios involving a rope wrapped around a cylinder. Participants explore the implications of various equations related to rope tension and friction, questioning their validity when approaching zero tension.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Bastian presents a scenario involving the Capstan equation and highlights issues with equations from Jung et al. and Liu et al., noting that they yield non-zero outgoing forces when the incoming force is zero.
  • Some participants suggest that the equations may not be applicable for negative tension, implying that zero tension might also fall outside their intended domain.
  • Paul clarifies that he is not attempting to push the rope and expresses confusion over why the equations do not yield zero output at zero input, contrasting this with the classical Euler equation.
  • Another participant argues that the functions provided by Jung and Liu are numerical approximations that do not account for zero tension and suggests reverting to the original exponential Capstan equation for accuracy.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the applicability of the equations in question, particularly regarding their behavior at zero tension. There is no consensus on the validity of the approximations or the implications of the Capstan equation in this context.

Contextual Notes

Participants note limitations in the equations discussed, particularly regarding their failure to account for scenarios involving zero or near-zero tension. The discussion highlights the complexity of applying these equations in practical situations.

capstan1
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TL;DR
capstan equation, Eulers formula, power law friction, Problem with incoming rope force = 0
Dear colleagues,

I am dealing with rope friction and the so-called Capstan equation.
Situation: A rope wraps around a cylinder with a wrap angle. It depends on the input force.
There are very comprehensive approaches by other colleagues, where the friction value depends on the normal force or pressure.
They are presented in the following publications.

Capstan equation including bending rigidity and non-linear frictional behaviour", Jae Ho Jung, Ning Pan, Taewook Kang, doi: 10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2007.06.002 Equation 11

" Constraint ability of superposed woven fabrics wound on capstan " , Junpeng Liu Murilo Augusto Vaz Anderson Barata Custódio, doi: 10.1016/j.mechmachtheory.2016.05.014, equation 8.

both equations have the problem described in the illustrations. If the incoming force becomes 0, then an outgoing force other than 0 will still be output. This is not possible if rope stiffness is neglected.
Symbols for Jung et al.: Incoming force T.1=0 kN. If the wrap angle theta and friction coefficient alpha are large enough, the outcoming force T.2 is already almost 0.8 kN.
Symbols for Liu et al.: Incoming force T.0=0 kN. If the wrap angle theta and friction coefficient a.1 are large enough, T.1 is already almost 3 kN.

Does anyone know the problem?

Best regards

Bastian
 

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Those equations (obviously) don't work for negative tension (you can't push a rope). It wouldn't surprise me if the authors state/imply that 'zero' (or effectively zero) tension was also not in the domain of this function.
 
Dullard said:
Those equations (obviously) don't work for negative tension (you can't push a rope). It wouldn't surprise me if the authors state/imply that 'zero' (or effectively zero) tension was also not in the domain of this function.

Hello, thank you for your quick reply. We may have misunderstood each other. I didn't mean that I want to push the rope. By the way this situation would work with the classical Euler equation.
I was wondering that with the equations at hand, near zero or at zero does not come out zero as with the classical Euler equation. I did not want to reverse the sign of the incoming rope force. Maybe you have an idea for this. Best regards and have a nice evening
Paul
 
capstan1 said:
Hello, thank you for your quick reply. We may have misunderstood each other. I didn't mean that I want to push the rope. By the way this situation would work with the classical Euler equation.
I was wondering that with the equations at hand, near zero or at zero does not come out zero as with the classical Euler equation. I did not want to reverse the sign of the incoming rope force. Maybe you have an idea for this. Best regards and have a nice evening
Paul
I am referring to the graph. The green plot shows what I mean.
1C2C2362-1C62-451D-80C1-E931563CB41C.png
 
capstan1 said:
Does anyone know the problem?
The different functions you give by Jung and by Liu appear to be numerical approximations that are not designed to pass through zero. They are special case adaptions for restricted applications.

The Capstan Equation involves the exponential function which is a transcendental function, it transcends simple algebra, yet the approximations employ normal algebra, they are not transcendental.

For those reasons, you should abandon the approximations and revert to the original exponential Capstan Equation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capstan_equation
 
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