Gripple

A Gripple is a device used to join and tension wire, and also to terminate and suspend wires and wire ropes, and to support false ceilings, cable baskets, and similar items. They are manufactured in Sheffield, England by Gripple Ltd.[1] The name derives from the fact that the device both "grips" and "pulls" wire.

Contents

History

Wire salesman Hugh Facey invented the original "Gripple" wire tensioner and joiner after a 1986 conversation with a Welsh farmer. The first Gripple was launched in the UK in 1988,[2] and Gripple Ltd was established in 1991.[3]

Description

Wire or wire rope is inserted into a channel in the Gripple, where it is gripped by a spring-loaded roller or wedge, and tensioned by being pulled through. The channel is mirrored on the opposite side of the Gripple, allowing a second piece of wire to be joined.

By turning a Gripple through 90 degrees and combining it with wire rope, it produces a suspension system capable of holding up substantial loads, and this has given rise to a range of Gripple suspension systems, which are sold to the construction industry worldwide.

Thousands of Gripples hold together the Great Dingo Fence in Australia, the world's longest fence.[4] The company produces over 30 million Gripples per year.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Gripple scoops "Best Factory" prize". Engineeringtalk. 14 July 2004. http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/gpp/gpp103.html. 
  2. ^ "Gripple Ltd". Case Studies. British Chambers of Commerce. http://www.britishchambers.org.uk/zones/business/case-studies_2/gripple-ltd.html. 
  3. ^ "Award-Winning Gripple Uses PTC’s CAD & FEA Tools to Cut Design Time". Eureka. 13 July 2009. http://www.eurekamagazine.co.uk/article/19136/Award-Winning-Gripple-Uses-PTCs-CAD--FEA-Tools-to-Cut-Design-Time.aspx. 
  4. ^ QI, BBC TV, Season 1 episode 12, broadcast December 23, 2003.

References

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