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1
Wire Ropes
Table 1
Standard steel wire rope identifications.
Characteristic Description Designation
Length Linear length meters (feet)
Diameter Nominal diameter or size centimeters (inches)
Construction Number of strands by number of wires per strand e.g., 6 25
Single layer—uniform wire diameter in strand None
Warrington—alternating wire sizes in a single layer W
Seale—alternate layers of different wire sizes S
Filler wire—fine wires between layer wires FW or F
Lay Right regular lay—strands laid right and strand wires laid left RRL or sZ
Left regular lay—strands laid left and strand wires laid right LRL or zS
Right lang lay—strands laid right and wires laid right RLL or zZ
Left lang lay—strands laid left and wires laid left LLL or sS
Alternate lay—regular and lang lay strands alternate RAL/LAL
Grade Traction steel TS
Plow steel PS
Improved plow steel IPS
Extra-improved plow steel EIPS or XIPS
Extra-extra-improved plow steel EEIPS or XXIPS
Finish Bright–uncoated, bare wires B
Galvanized—zinc or zinc alloy coated wires G
Core Fiber core FC
Wire strand core WSC
Independent wire rope core IWRC
Lubrication Special requirements
Adapted from Wire Rope Technical Board (1993) and ASTM A 1023 (2002).
developed for high strength and abrasion resistance. Alternate lays are special-purpose constructions of
The interlocking construction prevents broken wires alternating regular and lang lay strands. Rotation-
from protruding from the rope. resistant ropes are available, using greater numbers of
High-strength straight wires evince spring behavior; strands or strands with successive layers laid in
therefore, the spiral stranding into a rope will result in opposite directions. The term rope lay or pitch is used
residual stresses within the individual wires and to signify the distance in which one exterior strand
strands. These stresses are superimposed onto applied makes a complete revolution about the core. The lay
stresses, thereby reducing the safe working load length is of particular importance in visual inspec-
permissible. Preforming is a process where wires and tion, as described in Sect. 6.
strands are mechanically formed into the nested helices Grade. Most wire ropes are made from steel. Steel
they assume in the rope, minimizing inherent residual rope wires are classified by a number of historical
stresses. The reduction in internal friction is also names, but these are somewhat imprecise. The
manifested as better flexibility and fatigue resistance. strength grades include traction steel, plow steel,
Lay. The strand lay, or lay direction, of a rope is and various grades of improved plow steel. Ropes
the direction strands are laid around the core, and the and cables are also made from stainless steel,
direction wires are laid around the strands. Five aluminum, copper alloys and other specialty materi-
standard lays are shown in Fig. 3 with their designa- als. These materials are discussed in greater depth
tions included in Table 1. Regular lay and lang lay in Sect. 4.
ropes exhibit substantially different characteristics. Finish. The finish of a steel wire rope indicates
Regular lay ropes are typically easier to handle and whether it is coated. Most ropes have a bright finish,
are not prone to untwisting in hoisting applications indicative of uncoated steel. Galvanized (zinc-coated)
with suspended loads. The axial lay of the wires in ropes provide better corrosion resistance and are
lang lay ropes provide better flexibility and fatigue usually used for static service, such as ship rigging,
resistance, but they are less resistant to crushing guy wires, and suspension bridge supports. These
under heavy loading. ropes are not for heavy hoisting and they abrade
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Wire Ropes
Figure 3
Diagrams of several standard wire rope lays: (a) right
regular lay, (b) left regular lay, (c) right lang lay, (d) left
lang lay, and (e) right alternate lay. Each depiction is a
single rope lay.
Figure 2
(PP). Fiber materials can be severely degraded by
Typical wire rope constructions: (a) 7 7 WSC,
drying or charring. Fiber cores are not suitable for
(b) 6 19 Warrington construction with a fiber core
service over 82 1C (180 1F) (Wire Rope Technical
(W FC), (c) 8 19 Seale construction with a fiber core
Board 1993). Wire strand cores and independent wire
(S FC), (d) 6 21 Filler wire construction with an
rope cores add from 7% to 10% to the strength of a
IWRC (FW IWRC), (e) 6 26 Warrington–Seale
wire rope, but do not provide some FC benefits, such
construction with an IWRC (WS IWRC), and (f) locked
as greater flexibility and lubricant retention. Metal
coil tramway cable. Shading is representative of a fiber
core ropes exhibit better crushing resistance than
core.
fiber core ropes.
Lubrication. Like most machines with moving
easily, removing the protective zinc. Polymeric coat- parts, wire ropes and cables require lubrication.
ings are also available. Lubrication reduces friction between individual
Core. The outer strands of a wire rope are laid wires, between strands, between coils of rope, and
about a core. The core acts primarily as a foundation between the rope and other surfaces, such as sheaves
for the outer strands, which carry most of the load. and drums. The wires and strands must slide in
The type of core has a substantial influence on the relation to each other to permit stress distribution
properties of a wire rope. Cores are identified as fiber and equalization. Fiber cores act as an effective
core (FC), wire strand core (WSC), or independent reservoir for a continuous supply of lubricant.
wire rope core (IWRC). A variety of different lubricants are used in wire
Fiber cores do not add any mechanical strength to ropes, dependent upon the specific service conditions.
wire ropes, only modest support for the outer strands Lubricants include natural and manmade substances,
to prevent crushing. The natural materials used for such as boiled linseed oil and graphite greases, but
these cores include manila, sisal, cotton, hemp, and are usually petroleum oil based. Additives may be
jute. Synthetic fiber cores from extruded petrochem- included in these compounds to provide better
ical resin are also used, predominantly polypropylene adherence to the wires, increase water repellence,
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Wire Ropes
improve heat degradation resistance, prevent drying, other performance characteristics, which is the classic
and other properties. design compromise in engineering decisions.
The most important lubrication is added during
rope assembly, when all strands and individual wires
are accessible. Ropes are frequently relubricated to 3.1 Strength
replace the material that physically exudes out due to
flexure, or is affected by thermal degradation or The only mechanical property of wire ropes that is
chemical reaction. Some types of service are not specified is the minimum breaking force (MBF) or
conducive to adequate, perpetual lubrication. Service nominal strength. Minimum wire strengths are also
in soil and rock, such as dredging, will accumulate specified in some cases. Strength ratings are listed in
dirt and wear particles that enter the rope and cause many specifications such as ASTM A 1023, US
wear. Ropes in this type of service must be replaced Federal Specification RR-W-410E, and ISO 2408.
frequently. Strength ratings are specified for types and classes of
An example of wire rope specification is as follows: constructions, such as 6 19 and 6 37. For
100 m 25 mm 6 25 RRL EIPS Galv IWRC. This example, as shown in Table 2, 6 19 S, 6 21 FW,
would indicate 100 m of 25 mm rope, 6 25 con- 6 26 WS, and 6 25 FW are all considered 6 19
struction, right regular lay, extra improved plow constructions and would have an equivalent strength
steel, galvanized wires, with an independent wire rope requirement. Galvanized rope is rated 10% lower.
core. Rope does not always lend itself to manufac- Unfortunately, there is no reliable way to measure
turer identification markings; however, some manu- rope strength without excision of a test length,
facturers use color-coded fiber cores or strands to perhaps making the rope unusable. During strength
identify their product. testing, rope cannot be gripped in normal vise jaws,
as the crushing and nonuniform stress distribution
will produce arbitrarily low results. Testing specifica-
3. Properties and Selection tions suggest proper socketing of the wire ends
(ASTM A 931 2002, ISO 3108 1974).
Many aspects of intended service and their relative The strengths of wire ropes are usually 80–95% of
importance must be considered in the selection of a the aggregate wire strengths, dependent upon con-
wire rope. These characteristics include loading struction. A portion of the applied axial stress is
magnitude, loading type (constant or variable), accommodated as shear, due to the helical geometry.
abrasion, acceleration, sheaves and attachments, Wire cross-sections are usually depicted as circular
environment, economy, safety, etc. The primary wire for illustrative convenience, but they are elliptical.
rope selection factors are strength, fatigue resistance, The actual metallic areas of ropes are published in
damage resistance, crushing resistance, and reserve tables and some are included in Table 2. Filler wires
strength. The properties of interest in the selection of are traditionally excluded from metallic area deter-
wire ropes are listed and explained individually, but it minations.
must be kept in mind that these properties cannot be Strength is the only really quantifiable property
considered separately. All attribute choices can affect that can be used by a designer. The remaining rope
Table 2
X-chart showing the general relationship between abrasion and bending fatigue resistances.
Outside Reserve Minimum
Metallic wires per strength sheave
Construction Relative comparisons area (in2a) strand (%) ratio (D/d b)
6×7 Least bending Greatest 0.451 6 8 42
6 × 19 S fatigue abrasion 0.470 9 32 34
6 × 21 FW resistance resistance 0.478 10 36 26
6 × 26 WS 0.476 10 36 30
6 × 25 FW 0.483 12 43 26
6 × 31 WS Least Greatest 0.481 12 43 30
6 × 36 WS abrasion bending 0.485 14 49 20
6 × 41 SFW resistance fatigue 0.491 16 54 21
6 × 46 SFW resistance 0.492 18 58 18
Adapted from Wire Rope Technical Board (1993).
a Metallic area assumes 1 in rope diameter, and IWRC. b D/d ratio is the sheave diameter divided by the rope diameter.
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Wire Ropes
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Wire Ropes
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Wire Ropes
Wire ropes degrade in service, through the often- electropositive to steel. Polymeric coatings are also
synergistic processes of wear, corrosion, and fracture. available for wire ropes. Corrosion resistant ropes,
The rate of degradation is dependent upon the such as stainless steel, are suitable for a broader range
severity of the service environment and the loading of industrial environments. Fiber cores store lubri-
conditions. Degradation and fracture result in a loss cant, but they can also act as a trap for moisture
in breaking strength (LBS) up to the point of and corrosive compounds. Fiber cores can also be
catastrophic failure. Degradation can be loosely degraded by fungus.
categorized as rope damage, corrosion, wear, and
fracture.
5.3 Wear
5.1 Rope Damage and Defects Wear damage is an expected occurrence in most
dynamic rope applications. Abrasive wear damage to
A large variety of damage and defects can occur in wire the outer wires is very common, and is usually due to
ropes, through normal service, improper use, and overloading, winding mistakes, and abrasive materi-
abuse. Permanent bends in rope are identified as kinks als. Minor wear consists of polishing wear and
and doglegs and are usually related to improper flattening of the outer wires. Abraded wires can
handling. Strand separation known as ‘‘bird-caging’’ exhibit microstructural alteration and severe surface
and exposure of the fiber core known as a ‘‘popped roughening.
core’’ are acceleration- or deceleration-related defects.
Damage can also include pinching, crushing, high-
temperature exposure, electrical arcing, lightning 5.4 Fracture
strikes, and contamination. All of these alterations
Fracture in wire ropes is usually due to overload
can be of a severity to suggest immediate removal from
failure or fatigue. Overload fracture in wire ropes is
service, as they tend to concentrate applied stresses.
almost exclusively ductile, with microvoid coales-
Individual wire damage can also be very severe.
cence as the fracture mechanism. Even in cases of
shock loading, normal steel wires will fracture in a
5.2 Corrosion cup-and-cone manner instead of the more brittle
behavior encouraged by faster strain rates. Due to the
Corrosion can occur to wire ropes used in nearly all homogeneous distribution of forces in a wire rope,
environments. Unfortunately, it is not possible to ductile rupture of individual wires is uncommon.
accurately predict the remaining mechanical strength Ductile fracture typically occurs to complete strands
of a corroded wire rope. General corrosion results in at different locations or to the entire rope at a single
a uniform attack, degrading the rope at a somewhat location.
predictable rate. Localized pitting attack is more Fatigue fracture is very prevalent in wire ropes and
severe, as it is usually more rapid and unpredictable. it most often occurs at stress levels below the yield
Wire cracking can also result from corrosion, in the strength. Conservative design using safety factors will
forms of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in static usually prevent predictable overload failure, but
service, and corrosion fatigue in dynamic service. fatigue resistant design is more problematic. Dis-
In some cases active ropes corrode at a slower rate tributed or localized wire fractures increase the
than static ones, as bending may dislodge brittle proportion of the load on the remaining wires. Ropes
corrosion products. Corrosion products, which are with smaller wires are less affected by the fracture of
primarily oxides, act as abrasive particles, increasing a single wire. Larger wires are weaker and are more
internal wear. Severely corroded or ‘‘rust-bound’’ likely to have detrimental flaws. Wire breaks from
ropes creak upon bending and have reduced flexi- fatigue occur at the outer wires, in damaged valleys
bility due to the volumetric expansion that accom- between strands and also within wire cores, depend-
panies corrosion processes. ing on the nature of service.
In steel ropes the lubricant inhibits corrosion by Occasional wire breaks, in general, do not sig-
coating the wires and plastically filling the interwire nificantly affect the performance of long wire ropes.
voids, physically preventing the ingress of moisture The inherent friction between wires enables a broken
and corrodants. However, steel wires are prone to wire to reaccommodate its proportion of the total
corrosion due to moisture, salts, and acids, even when load in a relatively short distance from the break.
properly lubricated. Galvanized steel ropes afford The effectively weakened length of rope surrounding
better resistance to corrosion. In normal environ- a wire break can be mathematically estimated, and
ments, zinc forms a protective film of corrosion this length may only be slightly greater than the
product which thereafter corrodes more slowly than pitch or lay length (Costello 1997). It should be noted
steel. Additionally, when disruptions or holidays that it is not unusual to have evidence of damage,
in the plating occur, zinc provides galvanic protec- corrosion, wear, fatigue, and overload on a single
tion and acts as a sacrificial anode since it is failed wire rope.
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Wire Ropes
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Wire Ropes
experience has shown varying damage tolerance information to select, maintain, inspect, or analyze
levels for specific rope constructions and service wire ropes. It is essential that additional information
conditions. Proper inspection is often a governmental be referenced regarding legal requirements for
mandate in dangerous applications where fatalities regulated and nonregulated types of service. Wire
may result from wire rope failure. rope manufacturers, suppliers, and their organiza-
tions are often good sources for information
on properties and can provide historical data on
7. Failure Analysis which ropes are recommended for different types
The investigation of failed wire ropes is an important of service.
part of future failure prevention. These engineering
investigations are not always straightforward, as Bibliography
many service factors can be contributory and many
postfracture conditions can be confusing (Miller American Society for Metals 1948 Metals Handbook, 1948 edn.
2000). If the nature and cause of a failure are not ASM, Cleveland, OH
determined, decisions on rope replacement or sub- ASTM A 931-02 2002 Standard Test Method for Tension
stitution may be arbitrary or potentially dangerous. Testing of Wire Ropes and Strand. ASTM International, West
The engineering investigation of a failed wire rope Conshohocken, PA, USA
ASTM A 1023-02 2002 Standard Specification for Stranded
includes evaluation of the rope service. The loading, Carbon Steel Wire Ropes for General Purposes. ASTM
sheaves and attachments, environment, and all other International, West Conshohocken, PA, USA
potentially contributory extrinsic variables must be ASTM E 1571-01 2001 Standard Practice for Electromagnetic
qualified, or quantified wherever possible. Computer Examination of Ferromagnetic Steel Wire Rope. ASTM
simulation and failure recreation may confirm a International, West Conshohocken, PA, USA
mechanical failure hypothesis. Systematic metallurgi- Chaplin C R 1995 Failure mechanisms in wire rope. J. Eng.
cal failure investigation is often necessary to identify Failure Analysis 2 Mar. 1995, 45–57
the causes of a wire rope failure. To a large extent, Costello G 1997 Theory of Wire Rope, 2nd edn. Springer,
failure analysis is a reverse analog of the material New York
Federal Specification RR-W-410E (USA) 2002 Wire Rope
selection process (Miller 2002). Destructive physical and Strand. Defense Supply Center, Richmond, VA,
analysis typically includes visual examination, dimen- USA
sional evaluation, chemical analysis, mechanical ISO 3108 1974 Steel Wire Ropes for General Purposes—
testing, scanning electron microscope (SEM) fracto- Determination of Actual Breaking Load. International Orga-
graphy, microhardness testing, and metallography. nization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland
Thorough visual examination should assess the ISO 2408 1985 Steel Wire Ropes for General Purposes—
state of the rope, at the failure location and Characteristics. International Organization for Standardiza-
surrounding regions. The fractured ends of a wire tion, Geneva, Switzerland
rope often exhibit important telltale features from Jamieson F L 1987 Failures of lifting equipment. In:
Failure Analysis and Prevention, ASM Handbook 9th
overloading, fatigue, or abuse. Individual wires that edn. ASM International, Metals Park, OH, Vol. 11,
failed via fatigue are characteristically flat, whereas pp. 514–28
ductile overload results in necked, cup-and-cone Miller B A 2000 Failure analysis of wire rope. Advanced
fractures. Abrasion fractures are usually angular Materials and Processes. ASM International, Metals Park,
and shear fractures are usually flat. It is quite OH, USA Vol. 157, pp. 43–6
common for wire breaks of many types in a single Miller B A 2002 Materials selection for failure prevention.
failure: abrasive wear followed by fatigue, corrosive In: Becker W T, Shipley R J (eds.) Failure Analysis and
thinning followed by ductile overload, and so on. It is Prevention, ASM Handbook. ASM International, Metals
Park, OH, Vol. 11, pp. 24–39
also not unusual for outer strands and outer strand
Naumann F K 1983 Failure Analysis Case Histories and
wires to separate by differing mechanism(s) than the Methodology. Dr. Riederer-Verlag GmbH, Stuttgart
core or internal wires. Poffenroth D 1996 Nondestructive testing of elevator suspen-
sion and governor ropes, Elevator World, pp. 73–5
Wire Rope Technical Board (USA) 1993 Wire Rope Users
8. Concluding Remarks Manual, 3rd edn.
This article is an overview and is not intended to be
exhaustive. It does not provide the level of requisite B. A. Miller
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Wire Ropes
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