Monitoring of Track Ropes on a Ropeway over 30 Years

RoundTable – WIRE ROPE DISCARD CRITERIA - Zurich 1989

 The theoretical life expectation of the track ropes on high capacity industrial ropeways is of the order of up to ten years. An opportunity to examine a documented monitoring of track rope performance is a valuable source of information. The initial project of this ropeway for transport of limestone at 400 T/hr to a cement plant was initiated in 1956 and revised in 1959. The ropeway operation commenced with a disastrous break up of the outer layer of the full side track rope after a few months due to excessive contact pressure of the steel carriage wheels. Nylon liners and since 1983 radiographic and magnetoscopic tests considerably improved the security of the track rope usage.

Author(s): M. Clayton & E.M. Rey