Wire Rope Care and Maintenance: Essential Tips

Breaking In
A wire rope may be looked upon as a machine composed of a large number of moving parts. As such it should be broken in as soon as it is installed, by loading it very lightly for a few cycles and then gradually increasing the load. This enables both wires and strands to ‘bed down’ into the working positions, with the load distributed as uniformly as possible. The use of ‘spinners’ or swivels should be avoided whenever possible. All ropes should be reeled onto winch drums as tightly and uniformly as possible during the initial installation.

Lubrication
Lubrication impregnated into the rope during manufacture is not sufficient to last the life of the rope. Additional lubrication should be done during the service. The frequency of lubrication in the field is determined by the operating conditions of the rope e.g., high-speed heavy duty operation calls for more frequent lubrication, as do wet and/or corrosive conditions. For general purpose applications medium viscosity black oil is considered suitable. For corrosive conditions a high penetrating, water repellent rust-inhibiting oil should be used.

Inspection
Wire rope is tough and durable, but nonetheless expendable and eventually reaches the end of its safe service life. Rope deterioration becomes noticeable through the presence of broken wires, surface wear, corrosion, wire or strand distortion due to mechanical abuse, or drastic reduction in diameter and lengthening of the lay. Also deterioration can be detected by the use of magnetic rope testing (MRT). Wire ropes should periodically be inspected for signs of deterioration.

Lubrication of Wire Ropes
Many industries use wire rope to carry out their work including cranes, mining, piling, drilling, draglines, shovels and civil. The wire rope in these applications often are exposed to harsh environmental conditions including extreme weather. Most wire ropes are lubricated during the manufacturing process, but this lubricant will not last the entire life of the
rope. Ranger can help your wire rope last longer and operate safely by periodic scheduled lubrication. Ranger uses pressure lubricators to ensure lubricants penetrate right through to the core of the rope, not just the visible exterior. We offer Lanotec (which are lanolin based lubricants) or wire rope grease ensuring that the right lubricant is used for your rope, application and the installed environment.

Magnetic Rope Testing (MRT)
The primary cause of wire rope failure is internal degradation due to corrosion and fatigue. This is an extremely serious condition which can remain undetected by visual inspection.
In support of visual inspection techniques, Ranger offer customers a comprehensive non-destructive testing or examination service. The procedure for magnetic rope testing is both simple and effective. Wire rope is drawn through aMRT detector or head which produces a powerful magnetic flux, sensors then measure and record the induction and the Hall Effect within the rope.

Our experienced technicians can interpret the data collected from this process to identify defects such as broken wires on the surface and within the rope, loss of metallic cross-sectional area and distortions. This is particularly effective if the position of defects can be accurately compared with earlier MRT traces to pinpoint any rope deterioration in the
intervening period. Our examination and testing programmes have increased the safety and reduced the cost for a variety of high profile ropes. Magnetic Rope Testing of wire rope is a safeguard no rope user can afford to ignore.

Visual Testing
Periodic Visual Inspections are a minimum requirement as per Australian Standards. Visual inspections are cost effective for general purpose rope applications and can pick up the majority of external defects that are commonly found in wire rope. The common defects can be broken wires, displaced strands, corrosion, heat damage and bird caging.
Our technical services representatives are experts in wire rope and have an in-depth understanding of all aspects of rope management including rope inspections or testing requirements in accordance with Australian and International Standards. All our technical staff have been trained to identify and assess any possible issues found with wire rope and
its specific application. Ranger do not only inspect the wire rope but the whole application including sheaves and winch drums to determine where and why damage is occurring.

Cropping and Testing
This is commonly recommend in the mining industry where drift ropes and friction winders are used to determine the working life of the rope and transitions the face to face contact points of the wire and sheaves. This in turn reduces the fatigue points on the rope and extends the service life.

Ranger can offer a range of scientific services for wire rope, such as:
• Specialist metallurgical & chemical analysis
• Rope destruction testing
• Mechanical testing
• Tensile compression
• Tension and bend fatigue
• Magnetic rope testing

Test results can help identify extension and diameter loss characteristics and provide insight into the number of broken wires expected or encountered during the lifetime of a rope. We can also conduct a detailed examination of wire rope to discover the cause of rope failure and early discard. Analysis of this data can then be used to produce recommendations to help prevent future occurrences, develop new products with specific characteristics for specific applications, and increase service life.

Proof Loading and Destruction Testing
Any wire rope assembly used for lifting purposes under Australian Standards must be proof tested before use. Some industry requirements ask for wire rope assemblies to be proof tested yearly. Ranger offer proof load and destruction testing both on-site and in-house.