Steel Rope, STAR ELEVATOR LTD

Description, Size & Construction
A wire rope is made up of the basic components illustrated.
The terms used to describe these component parts should be
strictly adhered to, particularly when reporting on the conditions
of ropes.
Describing wires as strands and strands as wire can be grossly
misleading. For example, a report that a rope has a broken strand
in most applications calls for immediate discarding of the rope,
and subsequent cessation of operation, while a report that a rope
has a broken wire in it should call for early inspection but seldom
for discarding the rope.
Wire Rope Description
The properties of a wire rope are derived from its size,
construction, quality, lay and type of core.
Size
Ropes are referred to by a diameter size. The correct way to
measure wire rope is shown below.
Construction
The main components of a wire rope are shown below.
In the above example, each individual wire is arranged around
a central wire to form a 7-wire strand. Six of these strands are
formed around a central core to make a wire rope. The rope is
specified as 6x7 (6/1) – i.e. six strands each of seven wires.
The size and number of wires in each strand, as well as the
size and number of strands in the rope greatly affect the
characteristics of the rope. In general, a large number of
small-size wires and strands produce a flexible rope with good
resistance to bending fatigue. The rope construction is also
important for tensile loading (static, live or shock), abrasive wear,
crushing, corrosion and rotation