Force Balancing on Multiple Cables for Lift Gates

During construction or rehabilitation of vertical lift lock gates, the gate/counterbalance loads must be distributed evenly through each set of cables. For systems that have a large number of cables, this operation can be made very efficient by installing load cells on each cable and reading all of their output simultaneously.

With this method, a systematic procedure can be developed for tightening and loosening cables until the loads are distributed evenly, usually to within five percent. The load cells remain in place for future load distribution evaluations.

For systems with fewer cables, another technique that uses the vibrational frequency of the cables can often be utilized. Please see our Cable Force Measurement System and our Cable Force Measurement Services