AbstractThe aim of the work presented here is to provide an accurate prediction of the dynamical behaviour of reversible aerial ropeways. A mechanical and numerical model is developed in order to check the safety of any such ropeway after a haul rope rupture.The whole installation (including carriers, counterweights and ropes) is first given an initial position. The model then simulates the disappearance of some cables and counterweights, and evaluates the subsequent displacements of the remaining parts, excluding track ropes. The model uses very simple first‐order finite elements, accounting for non‐linear effects caused by large displacements. The numerical integration is very efficient, and suits the capabilities of small microcomputers; it does not require matrix inversions, nor stiffness matrix evaluations.A full‐scale experiment has recently been carried out on a ropeway in the French Alps. If a simple kind of viscous damping is accounted for, numerical and experimental results compare with a reasonable accuracy. The present model is now in use for design and control of actual ropeway equi
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