Question

In drum winding the shaft fitting used for smooth transfer of load between the cages and winding ropes during loading and unloading operation is

• A. Guides
• B. Lilly controller
• C. Safety hook
• D. Keps

Hint:

Imagine trying to load a heavy car onto an elevator held only by a stretchy bungee cord.
The loading process would cause it to bounce violently.
Keps are like solid blocks that slide under the elevator to hold it firm while you load, preventing this bouncing.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks to identify the device in a shaft that supports the cage during loading and unloading to prevent rope oscillations.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's define the functions of the listed shaft fittings:
-

Guides: These are the rails (rigid guides) or ropes (rope guides) that guide the cage up and down the shaft to prevent it from swinging.
-

Lilly controller: This is an essential safety device on the winder itself that prevents over-speeding and over-winding.
-

Safety hook (Detaching Hook): This device is placed between the rope and the cage.
In an overwind, it detaches the rope and simultaneously engages catches in the headframe to prevent the cage from falling back down the shaft.
-

Keps (or Catches): These are retractable supports installed at the pit top (and sometimes pit bottom) landings.
When the cage arrives at the landing, the keps are extended to support the cage's weight directly.
This allows the winding rope to be slackened slightly.
The primary purpose of keps is to hold the cage steady at a fixed level for loading/unloading and to take the shock loads of loading/unloading off the rope, preventing dangerous oscillations and reducing wear.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The shaft fitting used to support the cage for smooth load transfer is the keps.
This corresponds to option (D).