Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 8, div. 1, ch. 4, subch. 13, app B
Strength and Weights of Wire Ropes
| Rope Diameter in Inches | Breaking Strength Plow Steel in Tons 6x 19 6 x17 6 x 21 | Weight Per Foot in Pounds |
| 1/4 .......................... | 2.39 | .10 |
| 5/16 .......................... | 3.71 | .16 |
| 3/8 .......................... | 5.31 | .23 |
| 7/16 .......................... | 7.19 | .31 |
| .......................... 1/2 | 9.35 | .40 |
| 9/16 .......................... | 11.8 | .51 |
| 5/8 .......................... | 14.5 | .63 |
| 3/4 .......................... | 20.7 | .90 |
| 7/8 .......................... | 28.0 | 1.2 |
| 1 .......................... | 36.4 | 1.60 |
| 1 1/8 .......................... | 45.7 | 2.03 |
| 1 1/4 .......................... | 56.2 | 2.50 |
| 1 3/8 .......................... | 67.5 | 3.03 |
| 1 1/2 .......................... | 80.0 | 3.60 |
| 1 5/8 .......................... | 93.4 | 4.23 |
| 1 3/4 .......................... | 108.0 | 4.90 |
| 1 7/8 .......................... | 123.0 | 5.63 |
| 2 .......................... | 39.0 | 6.40 |
| 2 1/8 .......................... | 156.0 | 7.23 |
| 2 1/4 .......................... | 174.0 | 8.10 |
| 2 1/2 .......................... | 212.0 | 10.00 |
| 2 3/4 .......................... | 254.0 | 12.10 |
| 3 .......................... | 300.0 | 15.00 |
When ropes are galvanized deduct 10 percent from the above listed strengths. When wire strand centers and independent wire rope centers are used add 7 1/2 percent to strengths.
Common Causes of Wire Rope Failure
1. Ropes of incorrect size, construction, or grade
2. Ropes allowed to drag over obstacles
3. Ropes not properly lubricated
4. Ropes operating over sheaves and drums of inadequate size
5. Ropes overwinding or crosswinding on drums
6. Ropes operating over sheaves and drums out of alignment
7. Ropes operating over sheaves and drums with improperly fitting groves or broken flanges.
8. Ropes permitted to jump sheaves
9. Ropes subjected to moisture of acid fumes and salt air
10. Ropes with improperly attached fittings
11. Ropes permitted to untwist
12. Ropes subjected to excessive heat
13. Ropes kinked
14. Ropes subjected to severe overloads due to inefficient operation
15. Ropes destroyed by internal wear caused by grit penetrating between strands and wires.
Rules for Discarding Wire Ropes
1. Safety factors must never fall below 4.5
2. Ropes of standard construction shall be discarded where there are 6 broken wires in 1 rope lay
3. When wires on crown are worn to 65 percent of their original diameter
4. When there are more than 8 broken wires reduced by wear more than 80 percent in cross-section
5. When marked corrosion appears When a new rope is installed, there is a short period (while the rope is taking its set and equalizing tension) during which breaks are relatively frequent. These breaks do not necessarily indicate that the rope is wearing out or that it is overstressed. After the period of their occurrence, the rope will run for sometime without more wires breaking. Toward the end of the life of the rope, however, it may happen that the number of breaks begins to increase rapidly. This condition is a sign that the rope is going to pieces and it should be taken off immediately. It is recommended, therefore, that not only should rope inspections be frequent, but that the number of broken wires be recorded so that the increase in breaking rate may be ascertained.
STRENGTH EFFICIENCY UNDER STATIC LOAD
| Sheave Diameter | Efficiency of Rope |
| 10 times rope diameter.......................... | .......................... 79% of strength of straight rope |
| 12 times rope diameter.......................... | .......................... 81% of strength of straight rope |
| 14 times rope diameter.......................... | .......................... 86% of strength of straight rope |
| 16 times rope diameter.......................... | .......................... 88% of strength of straight rope |
| 18 times rope diameter.......................... | .......................... 90% of strength of straight rope |
| 20 times rope diameter .......................... | .......................... 91% of strength of straight rope |
| 24 times rope diameter.......................... | .......................... 93% of strength of straight rope |
| 30 times rope diameter.......................... | .......................... 95% of strength of straight rope |
EXAMPLE: Given a 1-inch rope (breaking strength 36.4 tons) reeved through a 10-inch pulley. The strength of the rope is (36.4) (.79) = 28.75 tons. (Based on U.S. Bureau of Standards tests.)
APPLICATION OF CLIPS
| Diameter of Rope.......................... | Number of Clips | Space Between Clips | |
| 1 1/2 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 8 | 10 inches |
| 1 3/8 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 7 | 9 inches |
| 1 1/4 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 6 | 8 inches |
| 1 1/8 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 5 | 7 inches |
| 1 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 5 | 6 inches |
| 7/8 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 5 | 5 1/2 inches |
| 3/4 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 5 | 4 1/2 inches |
| 3/8- 5/8 | inch........................................................... | .......................... 4 | 3 inches |
Proper number ad spacing to develop 80 percent of rope strength.
EFFECTIVENESS OF GUYS ACCORDING TO ANGLE
Guys making angle with the horizontal greater than 60 will be considered less than 50% effective.
| Degree | Effectiveness |
| 60° to 45°.......................... | .......................... 50% to 75% |
| 45° to 30°.......................... | .......................... 75% to 85% |
| 30° to 10° .......................... | .......................... 85% to 95% |
EFFECTIVENESS OF GUYS ACCORDING TO NUMBER AND SPACING
| No. Guys Equally Spaced | Guys Most Effective When Pull Is | Guys Will Support Strain Equal to Following |
| 3 | Opposite 1 guy | 100% of strength of one guy |
| 4 | Halfway between 2 guys | 140% of strength of one guy |
| 5 | Opposite 1 guy or halfway between 2 guys | 160% of strength of one guy |
| 6 | Opposite 1 guy or halfway between 2 guys | 200% of strength of one guy |
| 7 | Opposite 1 guy or halfway between 2 guys | 225% of strength of one guy |
| 8 | Halfway between 2 guys | 260% of strength of one guy |
| 9 | Opposite 1 guy or halfway between 2 guys | 290% of strength of one guy |
| 10 | Opposite 1 guy or halfway between 2 guys | 325% of strength of one guy |
LENGTH OF GUYS REQUIRED FOR VARIOUS ANGLES OF EFFICIENCY
The following table will furnish the answers to the following problems which usually arise when making up guy lines.
(1) What length of line is needed to reach from a certain height to the ground with the required angle of efficiency?
(2) If the guylines are already cut and the required angle of efficiency is known, how high above the ground can the guys be rigged?
(3) If you know how high the guys are to be rigged above the ground, the length of guys and the angle of efficiency needed, how far away from the base of the spar or mast should stumps be selected or "deadmen" be placed to hold the guys?
| No. of Guys | Guys Most Effective When Pull Is | Guys Will Support Lead Equal to: |
| 8 | Halfway between 2 guys | 260% of strength of 1 guy |
| 9 | Either halfway between 2, or opposite 1 guy | 290% of strength of 1 guy |
EXAMPLE: In lifting a 10-ton log between spreader bar rigger spar poles the horizontal force at the top of the pole is found to be 25 tons. Using a factor of safety of 5 the design strength of 1 1/2 -inch guys is
| 80.0 | = 16 tons. If the spar pole guys are rigged at 80 angle with the ground, they are 85% effective (see table). How many guys should be used? |
| 5 |
| 25 | = | 1.84 or 184% |
| (16) | (.85) |
The number of guys needed to support 184% of strength of 1 guy in between 5 and 6 (see table). Therefore, 6 guys should be used with 1 1/2 -inch cable. Other cable sizes will give a variety of numbers of guys for more practicable application.
INDIRECT METHOD OF DETERMINING THE LOAD ON A WIRE ROPE.
Since 1 horsepower is the rate at which 550 foot-pounds of work are done per second, the horsepower exerted by an engine on a rope may be expressed:
| HP = feet x pounds | ||
| seconds x 550 | ||
| By rearrangement: | ||
| Pull on rope in pounds = horsepower x seconds x 550 | ||
| feet | ||
Thus if you know the horsepower of a given engine and measure the number of seconds it takes a point on the rope to go a given distance the pull on the rope may be found.
EXAMPLE: A 100-HP gasoline donkey engine requires 10 seconds to reel in 30 feet of cable when working at nearly wide-open throttle. What is the pull on the cable?
Since 100 HP is the ideal SAE rating of a stripped engine it is not a true indication of the power delivered at the cable. A good assumption is 1/3 of rated horsepower.
| Pull on rope in pounds = 33 x 10 x 550 | ||
| ___________________________ | = 6,050 pounds | |
| 30 |
Providing a safety factor of 5 the required rope strength should be 30,250 pounds or 15.2 tons. From the table on page 112, in Appendix B, a 5/8 -inch cable is nearest to this strength.
Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 8, div. 1, ch. 4, subch. 13, app B