Forces exerted on an anchor point from a falling object

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on calculating the forces exerted on an anchor point when a 69 kg object is dropped and secured with a steel wire rope lanyard. A formula is provided to estimate the maximum force, incorporating factors like mass, Young's modulus, cross-sectional area, and fall factor. Clarifications are made regarding the variables in the formula, emphasizing the importance of understanding the rope's behavior as it becomes taut. The conversation highlights the potential cushioning effect from the rope's "whip" as it tightens, which complicates accurate load estimation. Ultimately, the user seeks confirmation on the validity of their method for estimating the load on the anchor point.
adiabatic1234
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Hi,

I'm looking at the forces exerted onto an anchor point when a n object is dropped but is secured to that anchor point witha steel wire rope lanyard.

i can find this but not sure if it is relevant or not to my investigation:
Fmax = mg + sqrt(2mg x E x A x fall factor +(mg)2 )

The mass is 69kg, E is 193GPa, A = 15.6x10-6, fall factor 2 (4m rope 8m total drop)

I know the KE and final velocity but I'm not sure of the stopping distance.

any guidance helps!

Thanks!
 
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You've given a formula. Can you motivate that formula?

At a guess, that is for a massless wire rope which becomes taut and then stretches under the force the falling object. As you've explained, the "fall factor" is the ratio of drop distance to rope length.

I think the formula you mean to write is:$$F_\text{max} = mg + \sqrt{2mg \times E \times A \times \frac{h}{l} + 2mg}$$
At a guess, E is Young's modulus for the rope and A is its cross-sectional area. I've used h for the fall distance and l for the rope length. m is obviously the object's mass and g is the acceleration of gravity.

In reality, I suspect that you will get also get some cushioning from the "whip" effect as a rope that was not straight rapidly becomes straight when it tightens. It will be hard to quantify that and will require at least the rope's linear density as a parameter.
 
Thanks, this what i meant

I've got the theoretical value, what I'm trying to ascertain is if this is the correct method to estimate the load on the anchor point.
 
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