Scope.
There are many abbreviations and terms used in association with the describing, selecting and using steel wire ropes. This article aims to provide a clear definition for various wire rope terms and abbreviations.
Abbreviations.
Rope Constructions
F ........................ Filler
K......................... Compacted strand, core or rope
M ....................... Cross Lay
S ......................... Seale
V ........................ Triangular
W ....................... Warrington
WS...................... Warrington Seale Core Construction
C......................... Core
EPIWRC ……......Independent Wire Rope Core Covered with a Polymer
FC....................... Fibre Core
FFC..................... Fibre Film Core
IWRC ................. Independent Wire Rope Core
NFC.................... Natural Fibre Core
PWRC................. Parallel Wire Rope Centre
SFC..................... Synthetic Fibre Core
SPC .................... Solid Polymer Core
WC...................... Steel Core
WSC ................... Wire Strand Core
Rope Grade (Tensile Strength Grade, MPA)
1770
1960
2160
Rope Grade (North America)
EEIPS (XXIPS) .... Extra Extra Improved Plow Steel
EIPS (XIPS)......... Extra Improved Plow Steel
IPS...................... Improved Plow Steel
PS....................... Plow Steel
Rope Finish
A ........................Zinc coated Class A (Heavy galvanised)
B ………………………Zinc coated Class B (Drawn galvanized)
U.........................Uncoated (or bright)
Ung.....................Ungalvanised
Gal......................Galvanised
Lay Type and Direction
ALHL................... Alternate left hand lay
ARHL .................. Alternate right hand lay
ASL..................... Alternate left hand lay
AZL .................... Alternate right hand lay
LHLL................... Left hand Lang’s lay
LHOL ..................Left hand ordinary lay
RHLL................... Right hand long lay
RHRL.................. Right hand regular lay
LHLL................... Left hand long lay
LHRL ..................Left hand regular lay
RHLL................... Right hand Lang’s lay
RHOL.................. Right hand ordinary lay
S ........................ Left lay (Spiral Rope)
sS .......................Left hand Lang’s lay
sZ........................Right hand ordinary lay
Z .........................Right lay (Spiral Rope)
zS........................Left hand ordinary lay
zZ........................Right hand Lang’s lay
Rope Strength Forces
ABF.....................Actual Breaking Force
Agg BF ............... Aggregate Breaking Force
CMBF .................Calculated Minimum Breaking Force
MBF....................Minimum Breaking Force Rope
ABL.....................Actual Breaking Load
Agg BL................ Aggregate Breaking Load
CMBL..................Calculated Minimum Breaking Load
MBL ....................Minimum Breaking Load
Miscellaneous
LOLER ……………… Lifting Operations Lifting Equipment Regulations
LR .......................Low Rotation
NDE.................... Non-destructive examination
NDT ....................Non-destructive testing
RCN.................... Rope Category Number
SWL ....................Safe Working Load
WLL ....................Working Load Limit
Glossary of Terms
Crowd Rope: A wire rope used to force the bucket of a power shovel into the material being handled.
Crown Wires: The outer wires of a rope which come into contact with pulleys, sheaves etc.
Dead Load: The sum total of weights of all mass to be lifted, as distinguished from ‘live’ load, such as acceleration.
Deflection: The sag in a horizontally suspended wire rope. Normally measured at mid span as the depth from a line joining the tops of the two supports.
Diameter (rope): Measured across the centre of circle circumscribing all strands.
Dog Leg: A permanent short bend or kink in a wire rope caused by improper use.
Drag Line: The wire rope which pulls the excavating bucket on a dragline excavator.
Drilling Line: In rotary drilling, the wire rope which raises and lowers the traveling block.
Drum: The part of a hoisting or winching mechanism on which the wire rope is spooled. It may be smooth faced or grooved to suit the rope diameter.
Elastic Limit: The limit of stress to a wire rope beyond which it is incapable of recovering its original shape or length.
Elasticity: The characteristic whereby a rope will regain its original shape after a limited stress has been applied.
Endless Rope: A rope in which both ends have been spliced together.
Eye: A loop spliced in the end of a wire rope.
Factor of Safety: Ratio of total rope strength to total applied stress.
Falls: See parts of a line.
Fatigue: Progressive deterioration of rope wires from stretching or bending resulting in cracks and ultimate failure of individual steel wires.
Filler Wires: Small ancillary wires in a strand to position and support the other wires.
Fill Factor: The ratio between the sum of the nominal crosssectional areas of all the load bearing wires in the rope and the circumscribed area of the rope based on its nominal diameter.
Fleet: The movement of a rope sideways across a drum face or sheave flange.
Fleet Angle: The angle created at the point of intersection of a line drawn from the inside edge of the drum flange or sheave axis and a line drawn along the axis of the rope.
Fusing and Tapering: Reducing the diameter of the end of a wire rope by hot twisting, to facilitate reeving.
Galvanising: A means of protecting steel, from corrosive elements by a sacrificial coating of zinc.
Grooves: Depressions on the periphery of a sheave or drum positioning and supporting a wire rope.
Guy Line: A wire rope or strand used to hold an upright structure in position.
Haulage Rope: A wire rope used to pull cars or skips on a track.
Hawser: A rope used in marine applications for towing or mooring vessels.
Incline Rope: Ropes used to operate cars or skips on an incline.
Independent Wire Rope Core: A complete wire rope used as the core of a larger rope.
Inter-strand Break: See Valley Wire Break.
Initial Stretch: The permanent stretch that takes place during the very early part of the working life of a wire rope during the running in period.
King Wire: The centre wire in a strand around which the other strand wires are laid.
Kink: A severe bend in a wire rope which causes permanent deformation.
Kip: A unit of force equivalent to 1000 lbs.
Lang’s or Albert lay: A wire rope in which the wires comprising the strands and the strands comprising the rope are laid in the same direction.
Lay: The direction in which wires are laid in a strand or strands into a rope.
Lay Length: The pitch of the strands in the rope.
Left Hand Lay: The manner of laying the strands of a wire rope so that they run from right to left across the top of the rope, as in a left hand threaded screw.
Locked Coil: A strand of smooth cylindrical surface composed of interlocking shaped wires laid in concentric layers around a centre of round wires.
Long Lay: See Lang’s Lay.
Low Rotation rope: A multi-strand rope in which the layers of strand are laid in opposite directions, reducing the tendency to spin under load.
Marline: Organic rope fibre used for serving the section of hand spliced wire rope where the strands are tucked.
Marlin Spike: A tool employed for splicing or otherwise working on a wire rope. Usually in the form of a tapered steel pin.
Marry: To butt two ends of a rope for long splicing.
Minimum Breaking Force: Specified value, in kN (or other unit depending upon the specific region), below which the measured breaking force is not allowed to fall.
Minimum Breaking Load: Specified value, in tonnes, tons (or other unit depending upon the specific region), below which the measured breaking force is not allowed to fall.
Modulus of Elasticity: In the case of wire, the ratio between rope loading (or rope tension) and elongation, within the elastic limit.
Non-Rotating: Term used for low-rotation ropes. Note: all stranded ropes will rotate to some degree when loaded.
Open Socket: Wire rope fitting consisting of a basket and two pierced lugs with a pin.
Ordinary Lay: .Wire rope in which the wires of the strand and the strands in the rope are laid in opposite directions. Also known as Regular Lay.
Overwind: A rope which leads off the top side of a drum.
Parts of Line (Falls): The number of times a wire rope is passed through the blocks of a tackle.
Plastic Deformation: Deformation of steel wires due to heavy side (or axial) pressure to the rope.
Preformed Wire Rope: Wire rope in which the strands are permanently shaped, before closing into the rope, to the helical form they assume in the finished rope.
Prestressing: Applying predetermined tensions to ropes before installation in order that initial stretch may be largely removed.
Proof Loading: Tensioning a rope with fittings to a predetermined percentage of its ultimate breaking strength.
Pulley: A simple machine consisting of a wheel with a groove in which a rope can run to change the direction or point of application of a force applied to the rope .
Reel: .A cylindrical drum on which lengths of wire rope are supplied or stored.
Reeve: To install wire rope on equipment.
Regular Lay: See Ordinary Lay.
Reverse Bend: Reeving of a wire rope over sheaves or drums so that it bends in opposite directions.
Rigging Screw: A threaded fitting, used for adjusting tension or leveling in a wire rope.
Right Hand Lay: The manner of laying strands of a rope so that they run from left to right across the top of the rope, as in a right hand threaded screw.
Rope Torque: Value relating to the torque generated when both ends of the rope are fixed and the rope is subjected to tensile loading usually expressed in N/m.
Rope Turn: The amount of rotation when one end of the rope is free to rotate and the rope is subjected to tensile loading usually expressed on degrees per metre.
Safety Factor: Ratio of minimum breaking strength of a wire rope to total rope stress.
Safe Working Load: The maximum static load as assessed by a Competent Person which a wire rope may lift, lower or suspend under certain service conditions. Generally replaced by Working Load Limit
Seale: A strand construction having two layers of equal numbers of wires with the same direction of lay, the outer cover having larger wires than the inner.
Seizing: A wrapping or serving of wire or strand around a wire rope particularly at its ends.
Seizing Strand: A small strand usually of 7 wires made of soft annealed wire.
Serve: To wrap a rope with wire, wire strand or fibre.
Shackle: A ‘U’ shaped fitting in which the parallel ends have eyes through both of which a single screw or pin may be inserted.
Sheave: A wheel with a grooved circumference over which a rope is bent.
Single Line Pull: A pull where a single rope is used.
Skip: A bucket or container of open-end construction conveying or raising material.
Sling: A length of wire rope, usually with eyes or the end, used for lifting or suspending a load.
Socket: See Open Socket or Closed Socket.
Splice: A wire rope joint in which two ropes are joined into one with maintenance or rope diameter and strength. Also descriptive of the making of a rope eye or loop at the ends of a rope.
Thimble: A grooved metal fitting inserted to protect the eyes of a wire rope.
Torsion: Rotation around axis.
Turnbuckle: A device attached to a wire rope for the purpose of varying the length or tension.
Underwind: A rope that leads from the bottom side of a drum.
Valley Wire Break: A wire break that occurs at the inter-strand contact point or valley area between two outer strands.
Warrington: A strand construction in which one layer of wires is composed of alternating large and small wires.
Wedge Socket: A wire rope fitting in which one end of the rope is secured by a wedge.
Wire Rope Grip: Fitting used to clamp two parts of a wire rope.
Work Hardening: Hardness developed in metal resulting from mechanical working particularly cold working.
Working Load Limit: The maximum static load that a wire rope is designed to lift, lower or suspend.
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Reference: TB.008 Ed.1 April 2022