used wire rope factory

Wire rope consists of three basic components; while few in number, these vary in both complexity and configuration to produce ropes for specific purposes or characteristics. The three basic components of a standard wire ropedesign are: 1) wires that form the strand, 2) multi-wire strands laid helically around a core, and 3) the core.

Wire, for rope, is made in several materials and types; these include steel, iron, & stainless steelto name a few. By far, the most widely used material is high carbon steel. This is available in a variety of grades each of which has properties related to the basic curve for steel wire rope. Wire rope manufacturers select the wire type that is most appropriate for the requirement of the finished product.

Different grades of wire rope are available such as: improved plow steel (IPS), extra improved plow steel (EIPS), and extra extra improved plow steel (EEIPS). The plow steel curve forms the basis for calculating the strength of most steel rope wires, the tensile strenght (psi) of any steel wire grade is not constant, it varies with the diameter and is highest in the smallest wires.

The most common finish for wire rope is "bright" or uncoated. Steel wires may also be metallic coated with zinc (galvanized) or zinc/aluminum alloy (mischmetal). "Drawn galvanized" wire has the same strength as bright wire, but wire "galvanized at finished size" is usually 10% lower in strength. For other applications, different coatings are available.

Stainless steel wire rope, listed in order of frequency of use, are mode of AISI types 302/304, 316, and 305. Contrary to general belief, hard-drawn stainless type 302/304 is magnetic. Type 316 is less magnetic, and type 305 has a permeability low enough to qualify as non-magnetic.

Strands consists of two or more wires, laid in any one of many specific geometric arrangements, or in a combination of steel wires with some other materials such as natural or synthetic fibers. It is conceivable that a strand can be made up of any number of wires, or that a rope can have ay number of strands.

The core is the foundation of a wire rope; it is made of materials that will provide proper support for the strands under normal bending and loading conditions. Core materials include fibers (natural or synthetic) or steel. A steel core consists either of a astrand or an independent wire rope. The three most commonly used core designations are: fiber core (FC), independent wire rope core (IWRC), wire strand core (WSC), and wireline.

Horizon Cable Service also offers inspections and mobile proof test services for product verification, break testing and load testing to ensure compliance for all wire ropes we sell and repair. Our mobile proof test services are available throughout the United States. In addition to our mobile load testing services we have stationary beds to service Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, New Mexico and all surrounding areas. Feel free to contact one of our industry professionals today at 866-369-9507.

To select the proper wire rope for you application , visit the Union Wire rope website and see a list of commonly used wire rope products for your specific application. View the various types of applications and their respective commonly used wire ropes.

At Kennedy Wire Rope & Sling Company, we understand how important it is for our customers to work with safe and reliable products. Customers who partner with us can rest assured that our decades of expertise lead to being one of the industry’s leading suppliers of wire rope, rigging hardware, and products that benefit the oil and gas industries today.

The oil and gas industry is critical to the operations of our economy. After all, almost everything we use either uses oil and gas, is made from oil and gas products, or is powered by the energy oil and gas makes. Thus, Kennedy Wire Rope & Sling Company is proud to offer stainless steel wire rope, rigging hardware, and a host of other rigging supplies. Some of the applications of our wire ropes include offshore cranes, drilling operations, offshore winches, and riser tensioners. Our oil and gas rope and hardware supplies are high-quality products that are durable, versatile, and efficient.

Every company has unique rigging needs. As such, we can help select the best wire rope for your industrial application. Consider the following types of applications and their solutions for oil and gas operations:

Well suited for tubing lines and highly resistant to crushing. Inner wires within the rope add to the rope’s durability and ability to resist fatigue.

Hostile conditions down a dug hole can damage wire rope considerably. This rope has a clean, smooth operation and is highly resistant to abrasions. This adds up to increased productivity, reduce downtime, and reduce rope changes.

Call 800-289-1445 and partner with us today. We, of course, carry all the proper licenses and insurances for our operations. We’re happy to answer all your questions and provide the best and safest rigging solutions you need for your application.

We develop and manufacture strands and ropes, in the fine rope range with diameters from 0.09 to 8.0 mm, for the most diverse technical requirements, with individual specifications. This results in different requirements for the material, the rope structure and the diameter range. In our rope factory, ropes can be manufactured in different lay directions. Our standard material stainless steel 1.4401 is predominantly used for a wide variety of constructions. Depending on the requirements, we also supply ropes in special materials or process them by, for example, hammering, purifying or PU coating. We produce our ropes with fiber or steel core. We also offer conducting wire ropes of the e-rope brand. The thinnest wire processed in our rope factory for use in microtechnology has a diameter of 0.015 mm. This corresponds to 1/4 the diameter of a human hair. These wire ropes are used, for example, in medical devices. Our ropes are durable quality products and thus contribute to the sustainability of the products in which they are processed.

We advise you on the selection of the suitable wire rope or the right strand for your application. Thanks to the wide range of options, we can offer steel wire ropes for a wide variety of applications. All TechnoCables are manufactured from wires of high tensile strength. Years of experience and a continuous quality assurance chain from incoming goods to dispatch are a guarantee for the highest level of reliability and quality. This makes us your reliable partner for all rope applications.

We offer ropes in the range under 1 mm to 8 mm. Fine ropes with a small diameter are used in medical technology for example. Wire ropes with a larger diameter in mechanical engineering or in the field of sun protection.strands 0.09 mm - 5.0 mm

The selection of the suitable material depends on the area of application. Steel wire ropes are in many cases the most economical option. For many areas of application, ropes made of galvanized steel have adequate corrosion protection. We recommend the use of stainless steel cables for applications with a high corrosion potential.Galvanized steel ropes and strands

Strands are made by stranding wires and are the basic for further rope manufacturing. 3 to 37-wire strands are stranded here. As the number of wires increases, the flexibility of the rope and thus the fatigue strength increases. A strand, rope or fiber insert can be used as the insert.Steel wire ropes

(a) All wire ropes used for pulling purposes shall be of sufficient strength to move or hold the loads. The maximum allowable working loads shall be based on a minimum factor of safety of four (4) for routine operations.

(b) The employer or a designated qualified person shall inspect wire rope lines at reasonable intervals for wear or broken wires or a combination of these or marked corrosion or other damage that may reduce the strength of the line to a point where it will not safely lift or otherwise handle the load.

(c) Spliced hoisting lines shall not be used except those lines that run into a well. This does not prohibit forming an eye in the end of a line by the splice method or by the use of wire rope clips or clamps.

EXCEPTION: This does not apply when a grooved hoist drum is used and more than a five (5) part fall is reeved, but in no case shall there be less than seven (7) anchor coils on the drum when the traveling block is at its lowest point of travel during hoisting operations.

(f) The dead line anchor for any wire rope shall be designed, constructed, installed and maintained to conform to good engineering practices. Provisions shall be made to prevent the deadline from becoming disengaged from the anchor.

(g) When a wire rope socket is used on any wire rope, it shall be attached to the line in a manner specified by the manufacturer of the rope. This does not apply to lines that run into a well.

(i) When wire rope clips (Crosby type) are used on any wire rope, the U-bolts shall be on the dead or short end of the rope and the saddle on the live end.

(j) The maximum number of clips on any wire rope, for end attachments shall be not less than specified in the manufacturer"s tables for the rope diameter, and type of rope construction but in no case less than three (3). The spacing of the clips shall be approximately six (6) times the diameter of the rope. All clip bolts shall be kept tight.

(k) Where wedge or compressed fittings, or plate clamps are used on any wire rope, they shall be applied in a manner specified by manufacturer"s tables.

(a) Factor of Safety. All rope to be used for regular hoisting shall be wire rope providing a factor of safety not less than five to one for material hoist and ten to one for personnel hoist when new, which shall be calculated by dividing the breaking strength of the wire rope as given in the manufacturer"s published tables, by the total load to be hoisted including the total weight of the wire rope in the shaft when fully let out, plus a proper allowance for impact and acceleration.

The acceleration allowance shall be in accordance with manufacturer"s recommendations, but in all cases the factor of safety of five or more must be maintained when the load, used in determining it, is greater than the actual weight by a percentage that is numerically three times the acceleration or deceleration, whichever is greatest. For example, a deceleration or acceleration of two feet per second that increases the load would require use of an effective load 6 percent greater than the actual weight, in the calculation of a factor of safety.

(b) Wire Rope Fastenings. Every wire rope used for hoisting shall be securely fastened at both ends and when in use shall not be fully unwound; at least three full turns shall remain on the drum so as to protect the end fastening at drum from overload. The wire rope end at the cage, skip or bucket shall be securely fastened by a properly made tapered socket joint, by an eye in the wire rope made with an oval thimble and wire rope clips, or by another method acceptable to the Division for this or similar service. If the wire rope clip method is used, the spacing and number used shall be as shown in Table - 1 for U-Bolts and in Table - 2 for Fist-Grip clips based upon using RRL or RLL wire rope, 6 x 19 or 6 x 37 Class, FC or IWRC; IPS or XIP. If Seale construction or similar large outer wire type construction in the 6 x 19 Class is to be used for sizes 1 inch and larger, add one additional clip. If a pulley (sheave) is used for turning back the wire rope, add one additional clip.

The number of clips shown also applies to rotation-resistant RRL wire rope, 8 x 19 Class, IPS, XIP, sizes 1-1/2 inch and smaller; and to rotation-resistant RRL wire rope, 19 x 7 Class, IPS, XIP (sizes 1-3/4 inch and smaller for U-Bolts and size 1-1/2 inch and smaller for Fist Grips).

(d) Splicing. Spliced wire rope shall not be used, except that the end may be attached to the load by the thimble and/or clip method, as provided in subsection (b) of this section.

(1) A safety hook, shackle or other means providing closed design protection shall form the attachment between rope and a bucket, cage, skip or load. The attachment shall be made so that the force of the hoist pull, vibration, misalignment, release of lift force, or impact will not disengage the connection. Moused or open-throat hooks with light safety latches do not meet this requirement.

(2) All wire rope fittings and connections shall be in accordance with the manufacturers" specifications and compatible with the type of wire rope used.

(g) Drum Flanges. The drum of any hoist used for hoisting shall have flanges which extend at least 2 inches radially beyond the last layer of rope when all the rope is coiled on the drum.

Wire rope forms an important part of many machines and structures. It is comprised of continuous wire strands wound around a central core. There are many kinds of wire rope designed for different applications. Most of them are steel wires made into strands wound with each other. The core can be made of steel, rope or even plastics.

Wire ropes (cables) are identified by several parameters including size, grade of steel used, whether or not it is preformed, by its lay, the number of strands and the number of wires in each strand.

A typical strand and wire designation is 6x19. This denotes a rope made up of six strands with 19 wires in each strand. Different strand sizes and arrangements allow for varying degrees of rope flexibility and resistance to crushing and abrasion. Small wires are better suited to being bent sharply over small sheaves (pulleys). Large outer wires are preferred when the cable will be rubbed or dragged through abrasives.

There are three types of cores. An independent wire rope core (IWRC) is normally a 6x7 wire rope with a 1x7 wire strand core resulting in a 7x7 wire rope. IWRCs have a higher tensile and bending breaking strength than a fiber core rope and a high resistance to crushing and deformation.

A wire strand core (WSC) rope has a single wire strand as its core instead of a multistrand wire rope core. WSC ropes are high strength and are mostly used as static or standing ropes.

Wire ropes also have fiber cores. Fiber core ropes were traditionally made with sisal rope, but may also use plastic materials. The fiber core ropes have less strength than steel core ropes. Fiber core ropes are quite flexible and are used in many overhead crane applications.

The lay of a wire rope is the direction that the wire strands and the strands in the cable twist. There are four common lays: right lay, left lay, regular lay and lang lay. In a right lay rope the strands twist to the right as it winds away from the observer. A left lay twists to the left. A regular lay rope has the wires in the strands twisted in the opposite direction from the strands of the cable. In a lang lay rope, the twist of the strands and the wires in the strands are both twisted the same way. Lang lay ropes are said to have better fatigue resistance due to the flatter exposure of the wires.

Wire ropes are made mostly from high carbon steel for strength, versatility, resilience and availability and for cost consideration. Wire ropes can be uncoated or galvanized. Several grades of steel are used and are described in Table 1.

Steel cable wire is stiff and springy. In nonpreformed rope construction, broken or cut wires will straighten and stick out of the rope as a burr, posing a safety hazard. A preformed cable is made of wires that are shaped so that they lie naturally in their position in the strand, preventing the wires from protruding and potentially causing injury. Preformed wire ropes also have better fatigue resistance than nonpreformed ropes and are ideal for working over small sheaves and around sharp angles.

Lubricating wire ropes is a difficult proposition, regardless of the construction and composition. Ropes with fiber cores are somewhat easier to lubricate than those made exclusively from steel materials. For this reason, it is important to carefully consider the issue of field relubrication when selecting rope for an application.

There are two types of wire rope lubricants, penetrating and coating. Penetrating lubricants contain a petroleum solvent that carries the lubricant into the core of the wire rope then evaporates, leaving behind a heavy lubricating film to protect and lubricate each strand (Figure 2). Coating lubricants penetrate slightly, sealing the outside of the cable from moisture and reducing wear and fretting corrosion from contact with external bodies.

Both types of wire rope lubricants are used. But because most wire ropes fail from the inside, it is important to make sure that the center core receives sufficient lubricant. A combination approach in which a penetrating lubricant is used to saturate the core, followed with a coating to seal and protect the outer surface, is recommended. Wire rope lubricants can be petrolatum, asphaltic, grease, petroleum oils or vegetable oil-based (Figure 3).

Petrolatum compounds, with the proper additives, provide excellent corrosion and water resistance. In addition, petrolatum compounds are translucent, allowing the technician to perform visible inspection. Petrolatum lubricants can drip off at higher temperatures but maintain their consistency well under cold temperature conditions.

Various types of greases are used for wire rope lubrication. These are the coating types that penetrate partially but usually do not saturate the rope core. Common grease thickeners include sodium, lithium, lithium complex and aluminum complex soaps. Greases used for this application generally have a soft semifluid consistency. They coat and achieve partial penetration if applied with pressure lubricators.

Petroleum and vegetable oils penetrate best and are the easiest to apply because proper additive design of these penetrating types gives them excellent wear and corrosion resistance. The fluid property of oil type lubricants helps to wash the rope to remove abrasive external contaminants.

Wire ropes are lubricated during the manufacturing process. If the rope has a fiber core center, the fiber will be lubricated with a mineral oil or petrolatum type lubricant. The core will absorb the lubricant and function as a reservoir for prolonged lubrication while in service.

If the rope has a steel core, the lubricant (both oil and grease type) is pumped in a stream just ahead of the die that twists the wires into a strand. This allows complete coverage of all wires.

After the cable is put into service, relubrication is required due to loss of the original lubricant from loading, bending and stretching of the cable. The fiber core cables dry out over time due to heat from evaporation, and often absorb moisture. Field relubrication is necessary to minimize corrosion, protect and preserve the rope core and wires, and thus extend the service life of the wire rope.

If a cable is dirty or has accumulated layers of hardened lubricant or other contaminants, it must be cleaned with a wire brush and petroleum solvent, compressed air or steam cleaner before relubrication. The wire rope must then be dried and lubricated immediately to prevent rusting. Field lubricants can be applied by spray, brush, dip, drip or pressure boot. Lubricants are best applied at a drum or sheave where the rope strands have a tendency to separate slightly due to bending to facilitate maximum penetration to the core. If a pressure boot application is used, the lubricant is applied to the rope under slight tension in a straight condition. Excessive lubricant application should be avoided to prevent safety hazards.

Some key performance attributes to look for in a wire rope lubricant are wear resistance and corrosion prevention. Some useful performance benchmarks include high four-ball EP test values, such as a weld point (ASTM D2783) of above 350 kg and a load wear index of above 50. For corrosion protection, look for wire rope lubricants with salt spray (ASTM B117) resistance values above 60 hours and humidity cabinet (ASTM D1748) values of more than 60 days. Most manufacturers provide this type of data on product data sheets.

Cable life cycle and performance are influenced by several factors, including type of operation, care and environment. Cables can be damaged by worn sheaves, improper winding and splicing practices, and improper storage. High stress loading, shock loading, jerking heavy loads or rapid acceleration or deceleration (speed of the cable stopping and starting) will accelerate the wear rate.

Corrosion can cause shortened rope life due to metal loss, pitting and stress risers from pitting. If a machine is to be shut down for an extended period, the cables should be removed, cleaned, lubricated and properly stored. In service, corrosion and oxidation are caused by fumes, acids, salt brines, sulfur, gases, salt air, humidity and are accelerated by elevated temperatures. Proper and adequate lubricant application in the field can reduce corrosive attack of the cable.

Abrasive wear occurs on the inside and outside of wire ropes. Individual strands inside the rope move and rub against one another during normal operation, creating internal two-body abrasive wear. The outside of the cable accumulates dirt and contaminants from sheaves and drums. This causes three-body abrasive wear, which erodes the outer wires and strands. Abrasive wear usually reduces rope diameter and can result in core failure and internal wire breakage. Penetrating wire rope lubricants reduce abrasive wear inside the rope and also wash off the external surfaces to remove contaminants and dirt.

Many types of machines and structures use wire ropes, including draglines, cranes, elevators, shovels, drilling rigs, suspension bridges and cable-stayed towers. Each application has specific needs for the type and size of wire rope required. All wire ropes, regardless of the application, will perform at a higher level, last longer and provide greater user benefits when properly maintained.

Lubrication Engineers, Inc. has found through years of field experience, that longer wire rope life can be obtained through the use of penetrating lubricants, either alone or when used in conjunction with a coating lubricant. Practical experience at a South African mine suggests that life cycles may be doubled with this approach. At one mine site, the replacement rate for four 44-mm ropes was extended from an average 18.5 months to 43 months. At another mine, life cycles of four 43-mm x 2073 meter ropes were extended from an average 8 months to 12 months.

In another study involving 5-ton and 10-ton overhead cranes in the United States that used 3/8-inch and 5/8-inch diameter ropes, the average life of the ropes was doubled. The authors attribute this increased performance to the ability of the penetrating lubricant to displace water and contaminants while replacing them with oil, which reduces the wear and corrosion occurring throughout the rope. A good spray with penetrating wire rope lubricant effectively acts as an oil change for wire ropes.

In these examples, the savings in wire rope replacement costs (downtime, labor and capital costs) were substantial and dwarfed the cost of the lubricants. Companies who have realized the importance of proper wire rope lubrication have gained a huge advantage over those who purchase the lowest priced lubricant, or no lubricant at all, while replacing ropes on a much more frequent basis.

(1) A competent person must begin a visual inspection prior to each shift the equipment is used, which must be completed before or during that shift. The inspection must consist of observation of wire ropes (running and standing) that are likely to be in use during the shift for apparent deficiencies, including those listed in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. Untwisting (opening) of wire rope or booming down is not required as part of this inspection.

(A) Significant distortion of the wire rope structure such as kinking, crushing, unstranding, birdcaging, signs of core failure or steel core protrusion between the outer strands.

(1) In running wire ropes: Six randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay or three broken wires in one strand in one rope lay, where a rope lay is the length along the rope in which one strand makes a complete revolution around the rope.

(2) In rotation resistant ropes: Two randomly distributed broken wires in six rope diameters or four randomly distributed broken wires in 30 rope diameters.

(3) In pendants or standing wire ropes: More than two broken wires in one rope lay located in rope beyond end connections and/or more than one broken wire in a rope lay located at an end connection.

(i) If a deficiency in Category I (see paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section) is identified, an immediate determination must be made by the competent person as to whether the deficiency constitutes a safety hazard. If the deficiency is determined to constitute a safety hazard, operations involving use of the wire rope in question must be prohibited until:

(B) If the deficiency is localized, the problem is corrected by severing the wire rope in two; the undamaged portion may continue to be used. Joining lengths of wire rope by splicing is prohibited. If a rope is shortened under this paragraph, the employer must ensure that the drum will still have two wraps of wire when the load and/or boom is in its lowest position.

(ii) If a deficiency in Category II (see paragraph (a)(2)(ii) of this section) is identified, operations involving use of the wire rope in question must be prohibited until:

(A) The employer complies with the wire rope manufacturer"s established criterion for removal from service or a different criterion that the wire rope manufacturer has approved in writing for that specific wire rope (see § 1926.1417),

(C) If the deficiency is localized, the problem is corrected by severing the wire rope in two; the undamaged portion may continue to be used. Joining lengths of wire rope by splicing is prohibited. If a rope is shortened under this paragraph, the employer must ensure that the drum will still have two wraps of wire when the load and/or boom is in its lowest position.

(B) If the deficiency (other than power line contact) is localized, the problem is corrected by severing the wire rope in two; the undamaged portion may continue to be used. Joining lengths of wire rope by splicing is prohibited. Repair of wire rope that contacted an energized power line is also prohibited. If a rope is shortened under this paragraph, the employer must ensure that the drum will still have two wraps of wire when the load and/or boom is in its lowest position.

(iv) Where a wire rope is required to be removed from service under this section, either the equipment (as a whole) or the hoist with that wire rope must be tagged-out, in accordance with § 1926.1417(f)(1), until the wire rope is repaired or replaced.

(3) Wire ropes on equipment must not be used until an inspection under this paragraph demonstrates that no corrective action under paragraph (a)(4) of this section is required.

(1) At least every 12 months, wire ropes in use on equipment must be inspected by a qualified person in accordance with paragraph (a) of this section (shift inspection).

(ii) The inspection must be complete and thorough, covering the surface of the entire length of the wire ropes, with particular attention given to all of the following:

(iii) Exception: In the event an inspection under paragraph (c)(2) of this section is not feasible due to existing set-up and configuration of the equipment (such as where an assist crane is needed) or due to site conditions (such as a dense urban setting), such inspections must be conducted as soon as it becomes feasible, but no longer than an additional 6 months for running ropes and, for standing ropes, at the time of disassembly.

(B) If the deficiency is localized, the problem is corrected by severing the wire rope in two; the undamaged portion may continue to be used. Joining lengths of wire rope by splicing is prohibited. If a rope is shortened under this paragraph, the employer must ensure that the drum will still have two wraps of wire when the load and/or boom is in its lowest position.