Steel wire rope widely using in: mines, machinery, fisheries. As well as for forestry, large-scale lifting and hoisting, excavators, ships, offshore installations and salvage and other industries. Therefore the safety of the wire, the performance, the choice is particularly important. We explain the wire rope classification, diameter, surface, structure. As well as the rope core, tensile strength, minimum breaking strength, twisting direction, rope oiling, rotational resistance, and wire rope standards. In order to tell you what is a steel wire rope? How to choose a steel wire rope? To help customers choose the right wire rope.

Steel Wire Rope Types:

According to the structure of the steel wire rope, the steel wire rope product line divide into three kinds. Single-stranded steel wire rope (single-twisted wire rope). Double-twisted steel wire rope , and steel cable rope (three-twisted wire rope).

• Single strand steel wire rope is generally around a central steel wire or central strand twisted one or more layers of steel wire and become.
• Double-twisted steel wire rope is what we generally call steel wire rope.The rope (one or more layers) around the core twisted into.
• Steel cable rope also known as three-twisted wire rope. Which making of steel wire rope (double-twisted wire rope) twisted around the core of the steel cable.

Steel Wire Rope Diameter:

• The diameter of the steel wire rope is the diameter of the pitch circle of the cross-section of the wire rope.
• The diameter of the wire rope refers to the nominal diameter of the steel wire rope, which represents an agreed value.
• Relative to the nominal diameter is the measure diameter. The measured diameter in accordance with the specified method under the specified conditions measured value. For the new steel wire rope, the measured diameter is greater than the nominal diameter. This is because most of the steel wire rope standards on the diameter of the provisions of the tolerance are positive tolerance.

Steel Wire Rope Surface：

According to the surface state of the steel wire used for rope making. Steel wire rope devide into glossy steel wire rope and galvanised steel wire rope. Galvanised steel wire rope according to the steel wire zinc layer weight of different national standards. For example, divided into A grade, B grade and AB grade three levels.

Steel Wire Rope Structure:

• Point contact rope strands:Characterised by the strands of the layers of steel wire for the non-parallel twisting. Layer and layer of steel wire between the point of contact. This type of structure wire rope in the load on the contact stress between the steel wire is large. The steel wire in the stress state is extremely undesirable. Seriously affecting the service life of the wire rope. Belong to the gradual elimination of the product structure.
• The marking code expressed in numbers: the number is the number of steel wires in the strand.

• Line contact type rope strand: Its characteristics of the strand in the layers of steel wire for parallel twisting, helix is parallel. The same layer and layer to layer of steel wire by root close to each other, to line contact with each other. When the wire rope subjected to force, the contact stress between the steel wire and the steel wire is much smaller than the point contact. and the service life of the wire rope is longer than that of the point contact wire rope.
• The marking code consists of numbers and letters: numbers for the number of wires in the strand. Letters for the arrangement of wires in the strand.

Steel wire ropes with common wire contact type rope strands:

Silu Type:
Structure Code: S
Structural Features: there are two layers of steel wire composition, two layers of steel wire equal number of parallel twisted strands. The diameter of the outer layer of steel wire is larger than that of the inner layer, which improves the wear resistance of the rope.

Waring Tunic Type:
Structure code: W
Structural features: There are two layers of steel wires, the outer layer contains two alternating arrangements of thick and thin steel wires, and the number of wires in the outer layer is twice the number of wires in the inner layer of parallel twisted strands. The softness of the steel wire rope is good.

Filling type:
Structure code: Fi
Structural features: There are two layers of steel wires, the number of outer layer of steel wires is twice the number of inner layer of steel wires, and there are parallel twisted strands of filler wires in the gap between the two layers of steel wires.

Steel ire ropes with common wire contact type rope strands:

Combined Parallel Twist: Parallel twisted strand structure made of three or more layers of steel wire twisted at one time by combining the typical Valintun and Silu strand types. Commonly used structures are tile-west and west-tile-west structures, such as: 26WS, 31WS, 36WS, 41WS, 49SWS, 55SWS.

Compacted strand steel wire rope:

• Compacted strand: Also known as surface contact strand, it means that each layer of wires in the strand and the layers and layers of wires are in contact with each other with helical surfaces. Compacted strand is formed on the basis of the formation of the line contact structure, then, parallel to each other closely together with the helix becomes parallel to each other and closely combined with the helical surface. This kind of structure steel wire rope breaking force is high, fatigue resistance is good, the service life is 2-3 times of point contact wire rope.
• Marking code of compaction strand: It is composed of K numbers and letters, K stands for compaction, and the meaning of numbers and letters is the same as that of wire contact strand, such as K7, K19S, K19W, K26WS, K36WS and so on.

Shaped strand steel wire rope:

Shaped strands: Strands with non-circular cross-section shape are collectively known as shaped strands. At present, the common shaped strands are triangular strands and fan-shaped strands, the code is V, such as 6V × 37, 6V × 37S, 4V × 39S, 4V × 48S.

Steel Wire Rope Core:

According to the different materials of the steel wire rope core, the wire rope core is divided into two categories: fibre core and steel core.

Fibre core steel wire ropes (FC): natural fibre core (code NFC), synthetic fibre core (code SFC), solid polymer core (code SPC).

Steel core steel wire ropes (WC): steel wire strand cores (designations IWS, WSC), independent wire rope cores (designations IWR, IWRC), compacted strand independent wire rope cores (designation IWRC(K)), polymer-coated independent cores (designation EPIWRC).

Steel Wire Rope Tensile Strength:

The nominal tensile strength of the steel wire rope indicates a certain diameter, structure of the wire rope should have the mechanical properties of its unit is MPa.

Minimum Breaking Tension of Steel Wire Rope:

The minimum breaking tension of the steel wire rope is a value calculated from the minimum breaking tension coefficient of the wire rope, the nominal diameter and the nominal tensile strength or a value provided by the manufacturer.

Calculation formula: F = KD2R0/1000
F—– minimum breaking tension of the wire rope, unit kN.
D—– wire rope nominal diameter, unit mm.
R0—–nominal tensile strength of wire rope, unit MPa.
K—– minimum breaking tension coefficient of a certain category of wire rope, which can be found in the relevant standards.

Twisting Direction And Twisting Method of Steel Wire Rope:

• Right Cross Twist – ZS(sZ): the rope is right twisted, the strand is left twisted.
• Left Cross Twist-SZ(zS): The rope is left twist, the strand is right twist.
• Right twist-SZ(zS): the rope is right twist, the strand is right twist.
• Left-side twist-SS(sS): the rope is left-side twist, the strand is left-side twist.

Oiling of Steel Wire Ropes:

• The steel wire rope shall be uniformly coated with anti-corrosion and lubricating grease;
• When the user requires the steel wire rope to have friction-enhancing properties, it should be coated with friction-enhancing grease;
• There should be no uncoated grease on the surface of the steel wire rope.
• Lubricating grease is a very important component of a steel wire rope.

Rotational Resistance of Steel Wire Rope:

According to the rotational properties of the wire rope itself, resistance rotating wire rope and stress wire rope：

Resistance rotating wire rope:

35 x 7 and 18 x 7 multi-layer strand ropes with anti-rotation properties.

4V sector strand wire ropes are also rotationally resistant.

Stress wire ropes:

6 strands, 8 strands and other single-layer stranded wire ropes are all stress wire ropes.

Executive Standards For Steel Wire Ropes:

Executive standards for wire rope in China:

• General purpose steel wire rope (GB/T20118-2006): a variety of point and line contact round strand steel wire rope applied to machinery, fishery, forestry, mining, freight and other industries. The diameter of wire rope ranges from 0.6mm-60mm.
• Important use wire rope (GB8918-2006): wire contact round strand and profiled strand wire ropes applied in mine hoisting, blast furnace winch, large-scale casting, oil drilling, large-scale lifting, busy lifting, ground cable car ropeways, ships and offshore installations, etc., with the diameter ranging from 8mm to 60mm.
• Coarse Diameter Wire Rope (GB/T20067-2006): A variety of round strand point and line contact wire ropes used in large lifting, excavators, ships, offshore facilities and salvage industries. The wire rope diameter range is specified as 60mm-190mm.

International steel wire rope standards:

• ISO 2408:2004(E): Wire ropes for general purposes – Characteristics.
• ANSI/API 9A-2004: Technical conditions for steel wire ropes.
• EN12385-4: 2002: Multi-strand wire ropes for general lifting purposes.
• EN12385-10: 2002: Single twist wire ropes for general structural purposes.
• ASTM A 586-2004a: Galvanised wire contact and point contact strands.
• GOST: Russian standard for steel wire ropes.

Information Required To Order Steel Wire Rope:

• Product name structure (marking code)
• Nominal diameter
• Twist method, twist direction
• Surface condition requirements
• Nominal tensile strength or minimum breaking tension
• Quantity (length)
• Product implementation standard number
• Use
• Other requirements

Why Choose Steel Wire Rope From KNKT?

Our steel wire rope factory was establishing in 1993, equipping with technologically advanced, well-equipped production machine. Wide steel wire rope categories and for applications product variety of large, medium and small wire rope manufacturing plant and steel wire manufacturing plant, with a floor area of 113,400 square metres. With an annual production capacity of 100,000 tonnes, the company produces a wide range of point, wire and surface contact steel wire ropes and cables with diameters of 1.8mm-260mm, and nominal tensile strengths of up to 2,160Mpa and EEIPS, and has become one of the largest steel wire ropes manufacturers in China in terms of both production volume and specifications. If you need help, please contact our wire rope experts.