Load-bearing capacity modelling and testing of single-stranded wire rope

Abstract

The load-bearing capacity of the wire rope is an extremely important factor for the precise rope design. This value mainly depends on the rope cross-section and the strength class. The nominal value of the load-bearing capacity can be found in the standards. However, this value is on the side of safety. For new rope constructions or improvements in production technology, it is suitable to determine the real value of load-bearing capacity. In this paper, we present two approaches, how to determine the real value of the load-bearing capacity related to the single-stranded wire rope. The first approach is based on a simplified experiment using a tensile test. This phase of the research is divided into two separate experiments. The first experiment is focused on tests of individual wires forming the rope. The second experiment is designed to test the entire wire rope.

Finally, the second approach uses the finite element method to create a computer model is presented. Since the rope tensile test is a strongly non-linear task, the solver LS-DYNA with an explicit time integration technique is used for simulation of the experiment. The results from both presented approaches are compared With the nominal value. Designed experiment for testing the whole rope and computer modeling method is created based on the practical requirements from industry, and the obtained results will be reflected in the design of new types of wire ropes.