A new approach to the assessment of the fatigue life of typical steel ropes

Abstract

The issue of the future prediction of the technical condition of ropes during their operation is a very important issue related to the safety of use and operation of the devices. Steel wire ropes, as load bearing elements, are subject to degradation through various forms of wear during operation. Variable loads cause a complex state of stress in the wires, which translates into different tensile, twisting and surface pressures between the wires. Ropes are also exposed to difficult working conditions, e.g. corrosive environment, fatigue wear, which consequently leads to a weakening of their functional properties. Ropes, as responsible elements, require an accurate and at the same time simple way of predicting their failure-free operation in a simple and unambiguous manner. This article concerns a new approach to determining the fatigue life of steel ropes. The issue of safety related to steel ropes has been a difficult and ambiguous issue for many years to determine without knowing the fatigue life of the object. The paper discusses experimental and practical methods for determining the fatigue life of steel ropes.