Wes Chappell
Barrett Blackburn
Kelly de Montbrun
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as a response to the high failure rate of chain
links or solid steel bars used in mining.
The use of multiple intertwined strands of wire
distribute the load and the friction between the
individual wires and strands (because of their
twist) further compensates for any flaws.
A larger number of wires increases the
flexibility of the cable and decreases abrasion
resistance.
Individual wires are first
twisted into a strand,
then six strands are
twisted around a core
which is used to
cushion off stress
forces when bending
the rope.
The core can be made from steel or a natural fiber core consisting of
hemp, sisal, manila, henequen, or jute and is used to cushion off the
stress forces when bending the cable.
3*7
Contains a total of 21 wires; in smaller
diameters, it is very flexible.
7*19
Contains 133, allowing for
increased flexibility along a range
of diameters.
7*7
Contains 49 wires, allowing for abrasion
resistance and flexibility through a
large range of diameters.
7*49
Contains 343 wires giving this cable
extraordinary flexibility.
Elevator Wire Rope
8x19 (Seale) Traction Steel with Natural Fiber
Core.
Rotation Resistant
19x7 Construction (1-6) WC, preformed,
extra improved plow steel.
Black Powder Coated Galvanized Aircraft Cable
Fewer wires=less flexible
Very
Flexible
Flexible
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Right Hand Lay and Left Hand Lay:
Describes the way the strands are laid to form the rope.
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Ordinary and Lang’s Lay
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Describe the way the wires are laid to form a strand
of the wire rope.
On ordinary lay, the outer wires approximately
follow the alignment of the rope: with Lang's lay
they are cross at an angle of about 45°.
Alternate Lay
Lay alternates between Ordinary and Lang’s
Lays
Left-Hand, Ordinary Lay
Completed
Cable
Core
Strand
Lang's laid rope is able to flex over sheaves more
easily (with less damage) but it has the
disadvantage of having a high torque tendency
(it tends to untwist when tension load is
applied) compared with ordinary laid rope.
Untwisting can be dangerous with a steel-cored
rope: load is shed from the strands and may
cause the core to fail as it becomes higher
loaded.
Cable flexibility depends on the number of wires in the
cable (more wires=more flexible) and the diameter of
the wires (thinner wire=more flexible)
The flexibility of the cable is important in cables used in
machinery such as cranes and elevators as well as
transportation uses (in cable cars, cable railways, and
aerial lifts).
Cable flexibility is less important for cables used in
suspension bridges.
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Galvanized
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Galvanized to finished size
 Has a strength 10% lower than standard Bright Wire.
 The finished cable is run through the galvanized process
 This increases the diameter of the cable, making it less
flexible.
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Drawn Galvanized Wire
 Is galvanized before cable is braided
 Equal in strength and size to Bright Wire
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Stainless Steel
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High resistance to any corrosive conditions
Used extensively in yachting and control cables
Plastics (polyethylene coating/tube)
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Steel cable must be terminated in certain
methods to prevent unraveling of the cable.
Most common termination style is to turn the
end of the rope back and secure it to rest of the
cable making a loop.
Making the loop requires
tools to create the loop
 Thimble-prevents too tight of a bend in the cable
 Clip/Clamp-fixes the loose ends back to the rest of the
cable
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Swaged
Terminates two wire rope ends together
or terminates one wire rope end to something else.
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Wedged Sockets
Used when a fitting needs to be replace frequently.
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Potted Ends
Creates a high strength permanent termination.
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Eye Splice (Flemish Eye)
May be used to secure the loose ends of the cable when
forming a loop
Wire ropes are labeled based on a coding system
that describes the number of strands in the
rope, number of wires in the strand, the
material in the core, and the lays of the rope.
i.e. 6*19 FC RH OL FSWR
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Bridges
Cranes
Elevators
Supports
Cargo Derricks
Tightrope Walking
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. Mechanical Cable Construction. 21 November 2010
<http://www.savacable.com/pages/applic_01.html>.
. Military Cables and Assemblies. 22 November 2010
<http://www.picwire.com/military.html>.
. Wire rope. 27 November 2010. 21 November 2010
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wire_rope>.
. Wire Rope Hardware. 2010. 22 November 2010
<http://www.gbgindustries.com/standardhardware.htm>.
Questions?