How To Test Steel Wire Rope Strength

Before testing the strength of steel wire rope, it is important to understand its basic structure. Steel wire rope is made of a certain number of steel wires twisted into strands, and then the strands are helically laid around a core to form the final rope. In some cases, a single strand may also be used for specific applications. Steel wire rope is not a uniform material. Instead, it is a combined mechanical product made of wires, strands, and a core. Because of this structure, excessive load can change its geometric arrangement and affect its performance.

Understanding Steel Wire Rope Construction

Steel wire rope comes in many different types and specifications. Its main characteristics usually include rope construction, diameter, and tensile strength of the steel wires. A common way to describe steel wire rope is:

Number of strands × number of wires in each strand + core type – rope diameter – tensile strength

For example:

6×19–20–1700

This means the rope has 6 strands, each strand contains 19 wires, the nominal tensile strength of the steel wire is 1700 MPa, and the rope diameter is 20 mm.

Since steel wire rope is a mechanical component with combined properties, it carries axial load through its end connections and through movement over sheaves, pulleys, or drums. Steel wire rope is not a purely linear elastic material, which means its deformation is not always directly proportional to the load, especially under very high or very low loading conditions.