Common Cable Failure Modes

Inspired by Edgar Espejo Mora y Juan Carlos Martinez Romero, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, September 2011

FRACTURE

GENERAL ASPECT OF THE FRACTURE AREA SUDDEN FRACTURE OF CABLES

Due to fatigue, the cable wires in service are cracked and fractured progressively, generating the appearance of the cable, The wires show a thinning in the fracture zone, which is oriented perpendicularly or diagonally to the axis of the wire (pictures
as shown in the picture on the left. When the cable fractures suddenly or by fatigue, preceded or not by a change in on the left), showing a fibrous texture on the fracture surface (pictures on the right).
geometry, it has a similar appearance to that of the central photo, whereas if the fracture was preceded by damage due to
flexion or indentation, it could look like the picture on the right.

SOME CAUSES
• If this occurs in all the wires of the cable, this may be due to cable overload due to application of a force greater
than its tensile strength or impact load.
• Consequence of the fracture of other wires due to fatigue, which overloads the remaining wires.
• Consequence of a wire material with a resistance lower than expected.
• If the material is too hard, it will promote this type of fracture under impact load.

STRESS FRACTURE OF CABLES FRACTURE PRECEDED BY A CHANGE IN THE GEOMETRY OF CABLES

The wires present a perpendicular or diagonal fracture with respect to the axis, without thinning (pictures on the left), The wires have thinning due to wear of their diameter, indentation or bending near the fracture zone (pictures on the left),
showing a smooth texture and sometimes fatigue striations at the origin (pictures on the right). showing a fracture such as a blow (picture on the middle) or fatigue (picture on the right).

Elliptical striations
Fracture

Thinning
Origin

SOME CAUSES SOME CAUSES

• High tensile load. • Friction between the cable and a part with a similar hardness that produces adhesive wear.
• Very small radius of way of pulleys (high bending loads). • Friction between the cable and a harder par that produces abrasive wear.
• Don’t replace the cable after detecting individual wires broken by fatigue. • Lack of lubricant in the cable that promotes adhesive wear between the wires.
• Consequence of a wire material with a resistance lower than expected. • Indentation or folds on the cable.

WEAR CORROSION ELECTRICAL SHOCK

Due to arcing between the cable and another adjacent element,
ADHESIVE UNIFORM surface erosion, melting or evaporation of the material occurs,
Presence of a stripe on the surface of the wire, adherent parts, Presence of uniform corrosive attack on wire surfaces, generating even reaching the fracture of the wire.
deformation and thinning. surface damage and deposits.

SOME CAUSES
SOME CAUSES SOME CAUSES • Poor electrical insulation of the cable or a nearby structure.
• Friction on the cable against an element of similar hardness during • Winding problems of the cable motors.
• Lack of lubricant in the cable.
operation. • Consequence of fatigue degradation in power transmission cables
• Inadequate choice of cable material in relation to the operating
• Sliding of the cable on the pulleys.
environment.
• Lack of internal lubrication of the cable generating adhesion
• Contamination of the lubricant with water, other lubricants or
between the wires.
machine fluids
• Bad cable storage.

ABRASIVE BY PITTING DEFORMATION

Appearance of superficial stripes and thinning Presence of localized corrosive attack generating damage in the
Permanent deformation occurs on the surface of the wires by
form of bites or deposits. indentation (picture on the left) or by flexion (picture on the right).

SOME CAUSES SOME CAUSES SOME CAUSES

• Friction of the cable against an element of greater hardness during • Look at the general causes of corrosion • Too much pressure on the cable due to an external element or other
operation. • Exposure to a corrosive environment section of the cable.
• Presence of abrasive particles between the wires of the cable • Formation of concentration gradient of corrosive substances • Excessive bending of the cable due to incorrect procedures fixation.
• Working atmosphere full of abrasive particles between different areas of the cable through partial cavities, partial • Incorrect procedure for winding the cable on the drum.
• Bad cable storage immersion, etc.

GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Under appropriate lubrication and loading conditions, when proper maintenance and operating procedures are followed, the • If the wire drawing process causes excessive wire hardness, decarburization or very slight surface damage, it’s possible
service life of the cables is conditioned by fatigue and wear of the wires. to promote a broken life or a short fatigue of the wires. Likewise, twisting problems of the strands and strands can
degenerate under unequal loads between the strands, favoring premature failure by fatigue or total failure.
• Wire fatigue occurs mainly in the areas of the cables passing through the pulleys, as bending cycles increase fatigue loads. The
inspection of the fracture and wear surfaces of the wires is generally carried out using 10 or 20X loupes. • Electric power transmission cables can generate fatigue cracks due to wind and, in turn, fatigue cracking will promote
the appearance of internal arcing between wire fragments.
• All cables must have serviceability criteria for wire fatigue, that’s the maximum number of broken wires per unit length that will
be accepted during periodic inspections. In case of exceeding, replace the cable and avoid breaking. The maximum permissible • It is very important to select the appropriate material for the cable wires in applications where corrosion resistance
reduction of the cable diameter due to wear shall also be established. is required, such as weather-exposed wires or corrosive environments.

• Unless otherwise specified by the designer, cables are generally designed to withstand only tensile loads. Therefore, torsional • For outdoor applications such as suspension bridges, you can choose non-circular wire geometries that minimize
loads should be avoided to prolong the service life. liquid infiltration or use a flow of inert gas inside a sheath that insulates the cable, minimizing the entry of moisture.

• Wear, bending, corrosion, and electric shock will reduce the life of the cable and promotes the cable breaking. • Observe the viscosity, additives and type of lubricant recommended by the cable manufacturer.

• The lubricant in the cable protects against corrosion and internally lubricates the deflection areas between the wires and strands, • The described failure mechanisms result in vibration, noise, and heat, which, if detected in time, can prevent
thus increasing the service life until internal wear of the element. catastrophic damage to operator positions.

• Correct alignment between the pulleys will minimize the occurrence of flexural loads that reduce fatigue life. • Make operators, drivers and general users aware of the importance of avoiding traction and/or speed overload and/or
impacts on equipment under their responsibility.
• Periodically inspect for elements that may cause wear or indentation on the cables.
• The common causes of the failure modes described here are only a general guide, since each case of failure must be
• Make sure that the grooves in the pulley have the proper geometry to prevent wear or indentation of the cables and check the analyzed in a particular way to find other possible causes.
bearings on the pulley and their lubrication to avoid excessive friction or slippage of the cable in the channels.