TerminologyA typical description of a wire rope would be: 1000 feet, 1/2" Diameter, 6 x 25 Filler, Preformed, Improved Plow Steel Wire Rope, IWRC, Lang Lay.
Consideration in Selecting Wire Rope
| Strength: the wire rope must develop sufficient strength to support the load plus the necessary design fact. (Safety Factor) | The strength of a wire rope depends on its size, grade of wire and type of core. |
| Flexibility or Resistance to Bending Fatigue: the wire rope must have the ability to bend over small sheaves or wind onto relatively small drums without the wires breaking due to bending fatigue. | Strands containing a large number of small wires have
greater resistance to bending fatigue than strands
containing a few large wires. Lang Lay |
| Resistance to Abrasion: the wire rope is subjected to wear or abrasion as it passes through operating sheaves under high pressure or comes in contact with stationary objects. | Large outer wires are better able to withstand abrasive
wear. Lang Lay provides greater resistance to wear than Regular Lay. (But should not be used if one end is free) |
| Resistance to Crushing: some wire ropes distort or flatten when they are forced to operate under heavy pressures in grooves that do not provide ample support or on drums where multiple lay winding occurs. | An independent Wire Rope Core (IWRC) provides greater support for strands under heavy pressures. The coarser wire rope constructions provide greater resistance to flattening on drums. |
| Resistance to Rotation: the wire rope may rotate as the load is applied. This could be undesirable for load control and might lead to rapid deterioration of the wire rope. | Special rotation-resistant constructions are available
for specific applications. Regular Lay provides greater stability than Lang Lay, and wire ropes with an IWRC twist less than those with fibre cores. |
| Resistance to Corrosion: wire rope may corrode if in contact with corrosive elements, or it may rust when exposed to atmospheric conditions over a long period of time. | Glavanized or stainless steel wire offers excellent protection against corrosion. Special lubricants can also inhibit the development of rust. |
Terminology
A typical description of a wire rope would be: 1000 feet, 1/2"
Diameter, 6 x 25 Filler, Preformed, Improved Plow Steel Wire
Rope, IWRC, Lang Lay.
1000 feet - wire rope is ordered or recorded in feet.
1/2" Diameter - the nominal diameter for the rope.
6 x 25 Filler - the first numeral is the number of strands in
the rope (6).
The second numeral is the number of wires in each strand
(25). The word Filler indicates the pattern of the wires in the
strand.
Preformed - a type of process assuring that each strand of the rope is preformed to the hilical shape it will assume in the finished rope.
Improved Plow Stell (IPS) - signifies the grade of steel used in the wires.
IWRC (Independent Wire Rope Core) - indicates the type of core.
Lang Lay - indicates the direction of the strands and the wires in the strands