wireropeinspectionandexamination.docVIP

Wire Rope Inspection and Examination By A. Noble Son Ltd. Courtesy of Casar Why must wire ropes be inspected and examined? Page 2 What is Inspection, what is Examination? Page 3 When must wire ropes be inspected? Page 4 When must wire ropes be examined? Page 4 Survey for removal criteria Page 6 Where must wire ropes be inspected or examined? Page 10 Discard number of wire breaks Page 12 Rope examination procedure Page 13 Equipment Page 13 Locating of wire breaks Page 13 Determination of the rope diameter Page 15 Measuring rope lay Page 16 Checking the stability of the rope Page 18 Changes in rope structure Page 18 Inspecting sheaves and drums Page 18 Electro-magnetic wire rope examination Page 20 Why must wire ropes be inspected and examined? Wire ropes are consumable items with a limited life. During service the physical properties of a wire rope will change. At the commencement of service, the individual wires and strands settle into position and the rope breaking strength increases. After reaching a maximum it decreases rapidly (Fig. 1). This decrease in breaking strength is caused by the progressive loss of the metallic cross-section due to abrasion and corrosion, by wire breaks and by changes in the structure of the rope. A chain represents a series con-nection of load bearing elements. If only one link in the chain breaks, the whole lifting device will fail completely. A wire rope represents a parallel connection of load bearing elements and consequently it can still be operated safely after one or more wire breaks. Generally, there is a steady rate of increase in the number of wire breaks during the life of the rope. Fig. 3 shows the increasing num-ber of wire breaks as a function of the number of cycles in a bending fatigue test. One of the objectives of inspecting and examining a wire rope is to supervise the normal process of deterioration so that the rope can be