An approach to the fatigue life prediction of large diameter wire ropes

Condition monitoring during the tension-tension fatigue testing of large diameter wire rope has resulted in the development of a fatigue life prediction method. The method relies on the identification of a property change point which is a function of load range and endurance. The property change point is defined as the point in life at which rope degradation becomes measurable. Fatigue life prediction plots have been constructed for 40 and 127 mm diameter six strand rope, 40 and 127 mm diameter multi-strand rope and 40 and 127 mm diameter 292-wire spiral strand. Several important findings have resulted from the examination of sections of tested rope, including the progression of wire breaks during fatigue testing and the effect of increasing load range and mean load upon the occurrence of wire breaks.

Author: N. F. Casey