GENERAL WIRE ROPE CONSTRUCTION

Wire rope is a machine composed of a number of precise, moving parts, designed and manufactured to bear a very definite relation to one another. In fact, some wire ropes contain more moving parts than many complicated mechanisms. For example, a 6-strand rope with 49-wire strands laid around an independent wire rope core contains a total of 343 individual wires. All of these wires must work together and move with respect to one another if the rope is to have the flexibility necessary for successful operation.

Wire rope is composed of wires, strands and a core. The basic unit of wire rope is wire, which is carefully processed and drawn from selected grades of steel to predetermined physical properties and sizes. A predetermined number of finished wires is then helically laid together in a uniform geometric pattern to form a strand. This process must be performed with precision and exactness to form a strand of correct size and characteristics. The required number of suitably fabricated strands are laid symmetrically with a definite length of lay around a core, forming the finished wire rope.

WIRE ROPE CONSTRUCTION TERMINOLOGY

Wire rope is identified by its construction, or the number of strands per rope, and number of wires in each strand. For example, the construction 6x25 denotes a 6-strand rope, with each strand having 25 wires. Constructions having similar weights and breaking strengths are grouped into wire rope classifications, such as the 6x19 and 6x37 Classes.

WIRE ROPE REFERENCE INFORMATION

• Wire Rope Reference
• Handling Wire Ropes
  • Measuring Rope Diameter
  • Unreeling & Uncoiling and Kinks
  • Drum Winding
  • Wire Rope Clips
  • Seizing Wire Rope
• Installing Wire Rope
• Standard Operation Practices
• Wire Rope Inspection
  • General Reference
  • Basic Guidelines
  • Guidelines For Specialty Wire Rope
  • Drum and Sheave Inspection Guidelines
• Broken Wire Ropes
  • Typical Characteristics
  • Troubleshooting Checklist
• Technical Wire Rope Information
  • Wire Rope Markers
  • Wire Rope Diameter Tolerances
  • Rope Strength Design Factors
  • Physical Stretch Properties
  • Effect of Sheave Size
  • Block Twisting