# Find max tension of the cable

1. Aug 13, 2005

### ixbethxi

You've been called to investigate an accident in which a cable broke while lifting a 4500kg container. The steel cable is 2.0cm in diameter and has a safety rating of 50,000N. The crane is designed not to exceed speeds of 3.0m/s or accelerations of 1.0m/s^2, and your tests find the crane is NOT defective. what is your conclusion? did the crane operator life too heavy a load or was the cable defective.

can someone check my solution? i dont know if its right

the max tension the cable can hold is 50,000N

T-((4500kg)*(9.81m/s/s))=4500(1.0m/s/s)

T= 48,645<50,000 which means the cable must of been broken because it could possibly hold more.

2. Aug 13, 2005

### mukundpa

What about speed, vertical or horizontal?

3. Aug 13, 2005

### gunblaze

Yes. You are somehow right.

If u were to work out the acceleration allowed to lift the weight. $$50000-(4500*9.81)= 4500a$$ By working out a, u will get the max acceleration allowed for the lifting of the mass. From there, you can see that the acceleration is more than that of those specified in the qn. Thus, its not that the mass is too heavy but its due to the defective cable.

4. Aug 16, 2005

### mukundpa

5. Aug 16, 2005

### ixbethxi

i concluded that it waas the cable that was defective