Types and Precautions of Wire Ropes

Wire rope is a helical wire woven from metal wire. Due to its heavy, flexible and tough properties, as well as weather and corrosion resistance, it is commonly used in the construction, engineering, agricultural, aircraft, and marine industries. Each strand brings equal pressure to the entire bundle, helping to increase its strength and flexibility, making it an ideal material for pulleys. Wire rope used to be made of wrought iron; today, the material used for wire rope is mainly steel.

Different industries use different types of wire ropes. This is because the suitability of a particular wire rope for an application depends on the design, size, braid type, and other characteristics. For example, marine-grade 316 wire rope is suitable for a variety of marine applications and settings.

There are three different types of wire rope, stainless steel wire rope, galvanized wire rope, and coated wire rope. Learn about these types of wire ropes and choose the one that best suits your application. Read on to learn more.

Stainless steel is the standard alloy used in ropes and cables. Although there is no difference in strength, its corrosion resistance is much higher than galvanized and coated ropes. Therefore, it is the material of choice for use in the marine and brackish water industries. It does not react easily with chemicals in food processing, textile, and photography environments. Its high resistance to corrosion, heat and cold, and pulp and paper chemicals makes stainless steel wire rope a very important material in the manufacture of precision instruments, automobiles, fishing boats, petrochemical equipment, and other fields.

Galvanized steel wire rope is also a steel wire material that has been galvanized to enhance its corrosion resistance. The finished wire product is immersed in a zinc bath to coat its entirety, is to galvanize it. Zinc is used in the process because cathodic preservation increases the life expectancy of the wire. While the coating will wear off over time, it's still protected against rust, corrosion, and other harsh chemicals. Galvanizing wire can be found in industry and construction as well as in agriculture and DIY projects.

Stainless steel and galvanized wire can be coated with PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or vinyl. Coated wire ropes are available in various colors such as clear, black, white, or any other color required by different industries. PVC coated wire is flexible, weather-resistant, and very economical. While not as flexible as PVC, nylon-coated wire is abrasion-resistant and ideal for businesses in extremely cold regions. Wire rope can be assembled to suit specific applications.

When choosing a wire rope, there are several considerations to keep in mind, including:

Consider the environmental conditions of the application - for example, is it sunny, humid, hot, or cold? If water is present and will be in contact with the rope, it is wise to choose a corrosion-resistant material such as stainless steel wire rope.

If the application requires the wire rope to bend around the object, choose a wire rope that is sufficiently flexible. Stainless steel wire rope and galvanized wire rope show greater flexibility.

Although a fiber-core wire rope has the greatest flexibility, it is also less resistant to compression. Fiber core wire ropes are ideal if flexibility is not a concern for breakage.

The breaking strength of a wire rope determines the weight it can carry. When lifting something overhead, industry professionals recommend using a wire rope with a breaking strength of 5 to 1 for the total load (eg, 500 lbs for a 100 lb load).

Please contact us if your project requires a specific type of wire rope. We will surely provide you with products that satisfy you.

TERADA is a professional wire rope and accessories supplier. The company has accumulated many years of manufacturing experience, a strong technical force, mature production technology, sophisticated equipment, and complete testing methods. We can also design hardware according to your project and structure to meet different usage needs. Provide CAD drawings and make samples.