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Return to Wire Rope Main Page and Detailed Wire Rope Data       Technical Information     Use and Care of Wire Rope     Wire Rope is a Machine       Installation of Wire Rope:     Foreword, Measuring the rope diameter     If you have to cut a rope     Unreeling the rope     Connecting the old rope to the new rope     Rope lay direction versus Drum Grooving     Winding on to the drum     Installation of Wedge Sockets     Using your rope for the first time     Efficiency ratings of end terminations       Inspection of Wire Rope:     How to inspect Wire Rope     Crown- and Valley Wire Breaks     Number of broken Wire Discard Tables     Reduction of diameter, Rope Wear     Rope Stretch, Core Wire breaks     Mechanical damages     Corrosion, Rope Removal and Cause       Maintenance:     Inspection of Sheaves and Drums, Dimensions of Groove Radius     Cut and Slip Procedure, Lubrication       Rope Properties & Data:     Tensile Strength and Fill Factor     Strand- and Swage Compaction     Rotation Resistant and Non-Rotating Wire Rope     Sheave and Drum Dimensions     Relative Service Life, Loss of Strength over Pins, Why Multistrand Ropes

Technical Information – Inspection of Wire Rope         to Technical Information Main Page         Crown- and Valley Wire Breaks   Under normal operating conditions single wires will break due to material fatigue on the CROWN of a strand. ALL wire rope removal/retirement criteria are based on FATIGUE wire breaks located at the CROWN of a strand. (click here for more details)       CROWN Fatigue Breaks     Example: Severe crown wire breaks on a 10-strand overhead crane wire rope. Crown breaks originate at the OUTSIDE of the rope at the contact point between rope and sheave/drum.       Crown wire breaks on a Python® Lift non-rotating wire rope.     Remove wire rope from service if even if you detect a SINGLE valley wire break ONLY. Valley breaks hide internal wire failures at the core or at the contact between strand and core.       VALLEY Wire Breaks     Example: Valley wire breaks on a 8-strand overhead crane wire rope.       Valley breaks originate INSIDE the rope. Condition of the inner strands of the same rope as above. The core has completely failed and immenent catastrophic rope failure will be the result.       A single valley wire break on a 19x7 rotation resistant rope.   Condition of core under that same single valley break. Note the extreme notching of individual wire and the countless wire breaks. Such a condition is hidden under just a single (1) valley break!       FATIGUE wire breaks are typically squared off straight across the wire.   On the right and left a typical cut-and-cone break pattern. The wires in the center of the photo are a combination of fatigue and shear break. TENSILE wire breaks are characterized by their typical 'cup and cone' appearance.     NOTE: For a more indepth discussion on wire rope discard and inspection we suggest to attend our "Wire Rope" and "SlingMax® Rigger's Mortis Seminar". Call 1.800.457.9997 for details and dates.                 Back to Top

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