Analytical Model and its Implementation in the Steel Wire Rope Industry

Abstract

While FEM analysis might be the correct tool to help the designing phase of a steel wire rope and to better understand its behavior under a certain load, high computing time and cost complicate its implementation in the industry. To solve this issue, a new analytical model has been developed to simulate FEM analysis in a very practical way. The model development started with a series of laboratory tests on different rope constructions and dimensions. Successively, an analytical model based on contact properties and behavior between rope components, layer to layer, is created and fed with the experimental results. The model validation is then done with the production of new rope designs resulting in very positive results in terms of efficiency and fatigue life compared to standard portfolio ropes. The model is proven to give benefits of reducing R&D time and cost as well as increasing drastically the ropes’ performance.

Author(s): L.Martinelli, F.Foti, M.Meleddu, M.N.Amin