Section One

Section One

Wire Rope

DM Standen Ltd has been supplying and distributing wire rope since 1978. Apart from the
distribution of wire rope, our personnel can supply guidance to users on the correct usage and
selection of wire rope.

We offer a service ranging from the supply of cut lengths through to wire ropes fitted with any of our full
range of attachments.

We are able to source a wide range of alternative rope types to suit your requirements.
Weights and typical minimum break loads are to be used as guides only to assist with the selection of an
appropriate rope when taking into account suitable safety factors.

2 DM STANDEN LTD
 Section One
Wire Rope
What Is Wire Rope? Core wire

A wire rope consists of steel wires, in groups of between 6

and 60 or more, twisted together into strands. The strands,
numbering between 3 and 8 in simple constructions, are, in
turn, twisted together around the core. Rope wire

The steel wire is drawn from rod of diameters between 5

and 10mm to wire of the exact diameter found to give the Strand
best performance in the rope to be made.
Most specifications for wire ropes stipulate outside
diameter tolerance of +4% and -1 %, so with upwards of
100 wires per rope the tolerance on each wire is, in effect,
very small.
As the wire diameter is reduced by drawing through
progressively smaller tungsten Carbide Dies, the tensile
strength is raised by cold working, so that by varying the
number and sizes of dies, a wire can be produced with the Steel wire rope
correct diameter, with a tensile strength ranging from 140
kgf/mm² to upwards of 220 kgf/mm², and with the required
characteristics of hardness and flexibility. The wires can be
galvanised or left uncoated.
This account is, of course, simplified. In practice many
variables are introduced and the number, size and
arrangement of wires in the strand, and of strands in the
rope (i.e. the “construction” of the rope) varies according to
the rope specification, to give varying degrees of strength,
flexibility, resistance to abrasion, heat, crushing, shock Core of natural or synthetic
loading etc. fibre or steel

Equal Lay - all layers of wire are in spirals of the same

Strand Construction
Each strand in a steel wire rope consists of one or more
layers of wire laid in a spiral round a centre or “king” wire
(except some marine ropes, in which the centre is of fibre).
The simplest construction consists of one layer of 6 wires
of equal diameter round a king wire, while others may
consist of up to 4 or more layers of wire.
pitch, so that each wire supports or is supported by its
neighbours throughout its length. These constructions are
more compact, therefore have a higher density of steel
than a cross lay, so the strand is not easily crushed out of
shape and the wires do not have points of relatively high
contact pressure.

Constructions of steel wire rope are expressed in simple

numerical forms showing the number of strands x number
of wires per strand and further simplified by being grouped
into “families” known, for example, as the “6 x 19 Group”
(all of which have 6 strands of between 15 and 25 wires)
and “6 x 36 Group” (6 strands of between 26 and 41
wires). Cross Lay - successively layers are not in the same pitch,
so that the wires of one layer will cross over wires in the
layer below. Although many cross lay constructions have
the advantage that all the wires may be of the same
diameter, the wires are not as well supported as in equal
lay ropes, and damage at the points where wires in two
layers cross may reduce rope life.

Every time a wire rope bends each wire moves slightly in

relation to its neighbours, therefore the sizes and
dispositions of the wires are very important to the
performance and life of the rope. One distinction can
clearly be drawn here between two different types of strand
construction - Equal Lay and Cross Lay.

DM STANDEN LTD 3
Section One
Preforming
Preforming is a process by which each strand is shaped to
the helical profile it will adopt in the finished rope.
If a preformed rope is unlaid (i.e. the strands and wires are
separated) it will be seen that the elements all have their set
helical forms, and the rope can easily be laid up again. A
Preformed rope had the following advantages:
1) The rope is “dead” and is therefore more easily handled.
2) When the rope is cut, the cut ends do not automatically
Section One
unlay (ie. spring open).
The process of Preforming is carried out by a Preforming
Head, through which the strands pass immediately before
the Closing Head, in which they are formed into the wire
rope.
Cores
The central core is a steel wire rope maintains the circu-
lar cross- section of the rope by supporting the strands
around it, and the core may be of two classes:
Fibre Cores: composed of vegetable fibres (e.g.) Manila,
Jute or more commonly Sisal) or man made fibre (such as
Polypropylene) which has the advantage of being more
resistant to deterioration. Fibre cores are often referred to
as FC or FMC (Fibre Main Core), and are impregnated with
a suitable preserving lubricant.
Steel Cores: may be Wire Strand Core - WSC. - (usually in
ropes of a diameter less than 8mm) or a complete rope in
itself (an Independent Wire Rope Core - IWRC - usually of
7x7 construction - 6 strands of 7 wires round 1 strand of 7
wires).
The steel core will resist distortion when the rope is
heavily loaded, passing over relatively small diameter
sheaves or pulleys, or subjected to drum crushing.
Distortion may lead to impaired running over sheaves etc,
and may lead to failure due to unequal loading of individual
wires, so where these dangers are present a wire rope with
IWRC will normally give a longer fatigue life than one with
FC. It is also superior in very hot working conditions, such
as steel making plants, where the FC will soon dry out and
cease to support the strands. In general, a wire rope with
IWRC has a breaking strength 8% higher than a similar
rope with FC.
4 DM STANDEN LTD
Wire Rope Lay
This Term is applied in various ways:
1) To describe the direction of rotation of wires and
strands.
2) The direction of lay or rotation of the strands is normally
right hand, but some machinery needs left hand lay
ropes.
Galvanising
To protect the rope from corrosion, a coating of Zinc can
be applied to the individual wires. Wire Mills apply this zinc
coating using the Hot Dip Process, after which the wires
are further drawn to the finished size. This is known as
Drawn Galvanising, and provided an intimate bond
between the Zinc and the Steel. The alternative is Finished
Galvanising, in which the Zinc is applied after the wire is
fully drawn, and although the Zinc coating may be thicker it
is more likely to flake in service.
Lubrication
When a wire rope bends, each wire moves in relation to
its neighbours, and lubrication helps to reduce friction
between wires. It also helps to combat corrosion, external
and internal.
Specially-selected lubricants have to be applied during
the manufacture of the wire rope, the choice of lubricant
depending to some extent on the work the rope will be
doing. The lubricant helps protect the wires from corrosion
during transit and storage, resisting oxidisation and water
penetration.
During prolonged periods of storage, and during its
working life, a wire rope should be examined regularly and
further lubricant or “dressing” may be added if necessary.
This dressing generally only acts as a preservative, since it
will only penetrate the rope if it is applied where the rope is
bent over a sheave, so that the strands are open enough
to allow such penetration.
Lubricants are generally petrolatum-based and compatible
with similar petroleum jelly type lubricants.

Uncoiling and Unreeling
In order to avoid forming kinks in the rope, the following
methods are recommended.
Reels - Place a shaft horizontally through the centre of
the reel, and raise the shaft after checking that the base is
stable. Then pull the free end of the rope in a straight line.
Alternatively, the shaft can be vertical, on a turntable, but
the former method is preferred.
Re-reeling - from one reel to another - avoid reverse
bends i.e. feed from top of the first reel to the top of the
second, to bottom of the first reel to bottom of the second,
but never top to bottom or vice versa.
Coils - Place the coil over a turntable, release the ties and
pull the free end as above. Alternatively, the coil may be
rolled along the ground, leaving the rope lying straight on
the ground, although manhandling a long length of wire
rope in a coil can be very difficult.
DM STANDEN LTD
Section One
Wire Rope
Measuring Outside Diameter
The diameter of a wire rope is the diameter of a true circle
enclosing the rope. Measurement must, therefore, be made
across the maximum dimension of a wire rope with an even
number of strands i.e. between the crowns of two
opposite strands as in Fig. 1 and not with the callipers in
contact with 4 strands as in Fig. 2. To be certain that the
maximum dimension is measured, the callipers should be
rotated around the rope.
After a rope has been in use, diameter measurements
correctly taken may vary. This occurs when the rope had
been braided, or when it has lost its shape due to crushing,
or where there has been internal corrosion or damage to
the core. In all these cases the cause of the varying
diameter measurements should be ascertained.
With used ropes some distortion is inevitable, it is
recommended that two measurements are taken at right
angles to each other which will allow the mean diameter to
be calculated.
5
Section One

Sheaves and Drums Recommended Minimum Sheave/Drum Diameters

- Minimum Diameters Construction Diameter
6x7 42 x rope diameter
A sheave, or drum, of too small a diameter will hasten
fatigue in any wire rope, and in theory sheaves and drums 6x25 Flattened Strand 36 x rope diameter
should always be of large diameter. In practice however 18x7 34 x rope diameter
designers and manufacturers of machinery often find it 6x19 Seale 30 x rope diameter
necessary to compromise. While, therefore, the table
opposite should not be used as sole grounds for modifying 6x21 Filler 28 x rope diameter
a design already implemented, it indicates recommended 6x19 Filler 25 x rope diameter
Section One

minimum sheave/drum diameters. 6x26 26 x rope diameter

6x31 24 x rope diameter
Sheave Grooves 6x36 22 x rope diameter
8x19 Seale 21 x rope diameter
The rope is supported in the best possible manner if the
arc of contact with the groove contour can be 150 6x41 20 x rope diameter
degrees. This corresponds to a throat angle of 30 degrees. 8x25 18 x rope diameter
However, with a large fleet angle or with oscillating loads,
the throat angle should be larger to avoid undue wear of
the rope and sheave flanges. Drum Winding
The height of the flanges should be at least 1.5 times the The direction in which a wire rope winds on to a drum
rope diameter to prevent the rope running off the sheave. depends on the direction of the lay of the rope. The
diagrams indicate the methods used for Right Hand Lay
A radius 5% larger than half the rope diameter will give the
and Left Hand Lay ropes respectively, together with a
longest service life of the rope.
useful means of remembering the system, using the right
and the left hand.

Sheaves and pulleys should be of hard metal. Soft metal

is abraded and will wear to the diameter of the wire rope
being used, and may also be imprinted with the lay of that
wire rope. A new rope will not fit this imprint exactly, and
will therefore, suffer damage. Sheaves should be checked
frequently for wear and alignment.
Lubrication of sheave and pulley bearings should be
maintained.
Use the hand to indicate the correct direction, the right
hand for the Right Hand Lay rope, and the left hand for
Left Hand Lay rope. The closed fist represents the drum,
the thumb indicates the side at which the inside end of the
rope is anchored and the index finger represents the rope
leading off the drum.
Most ropes are supplied Right Hand Lay, but some
machinery will only accept Left Hand Lay ropes, and if the
latter is required it MUST be specified clearly on the order,
as Right Hand Lay is always assumed if no lay is indicated.

6 DM STANDEN LTD

Care and Maintenance of a Steel Wire
Rope
In the interests of both personnel and equipment the
advisability of regular and thorough inspection of wire ropes
cannot be over emphasised.
Regular lubrication can make a considerable improvement
in rope life before evidence of fatigue appears. The
lubricant used should be suitable for the purpose; if in
doubt check with the wire rope manufacturer that the
lubricant you plan to use is compatible with the dressing
applied at the time of manufacture. Do not use solvents
to clean a rope before applying lubrication. Paraffin is not
recommended.
The recommendations given regarding the running in of
anti-spinning types of wire ropes (see right hand side) apply
equally to round strand ropes.
If broken wires are found in a wire rope these should not
be cut off. Grip the broken ends with pliers and bend
backwards and forwards until the wire breaks in the gusset
between the strands. Loose broken wires out of position
can cause rapid break up of adjacent wires.
Faulty sheaves are the most common cause of
permanent wire rope damage. Make certain all sheaves
rotate freely and the treads are in good condition. Check
that all sheaves are properly aligned to the path of the wire
rope. Misaligned sheaves cause abrasion due to flange
scrubbing, also rolling of the rope as it settles into the
sheave grooves can result in torsional fatigue.
When there are two or more layers of wire rope on a drum,
the areas of maximum wear are usually where the rope
climbs to the next layer and at the crossover point when
it scrubs hard against the previous turn. Where terminal
attachment permit, a length of wire rope equal to half the
drum circumference can be cut from the drum anchorage
end to change the position of the wearing sections on the
drum. Care must be taken to ensure that there are always
two and a half dead turns remaining on a drum with the
maximum amount of wire in use.
Section One
Wire Rope
Handling of Anti-Spin Ropes
When being reeved on to a machine an anti-spin rope must
be handled with care. Unless by prior agreement, anti-spin
ropes will always be supplied on reels, and it is
recommended they be stored on reels if for any reason
they have to be removed from a machine.
The most common problem encountered in anti-spin ropes
is “bird caging”, which is caused by:
1. Kinking during fitting
2. Turn being taken out of over cover of strands
(leaving the lay looser) allowing the inner layers to “pop”
3. Incorrect hand splicing - anti-spin ropes should only be
spliced by an experienced and competent splicer
trained to splice this type of wire rope
4. Tight or badly maintained sheaves
5. Inadequate or incorrect “running-in” before normal duty
The running in procedure is:
1. Run the rope in and out six times over its maximum
working length with a load approximately 25% of the
Safe Working Load.
2. Repeat this procedure with the load a 50% of the Safe
Working Load, and
3. Continue the same procedure with the load at 100% of
the Safe Working Load.
Pressed Aluminium Alloy Ferrule Splice Applications
Eye with Thimble
Eye with Thimble and Ring
Eye with Thimble and Link

Pressed Aluminium Alloy Ferrule Terminations

DM Standen can splice up to 38mm diameter wire rope
slings of all constructions using pressed aluminium alloy Soft Eyes
ferrules.

Eye with Thimble and Shackle

Cross-section of a Splice showing

how rope and ferrule form one
strong, homogenous mass.
Eye with Thimble and Hook

Longitudinal section of a Splice

showing how the metal of the ferrule
“flows” round the strands of the rope.

DM STANDEN LTD 7
Section One

Engineering and General Purpose Fibre Core Steel Core

Ropes
Conventional wire ropes, such as those shown listed in the
table below, are used in a wide range of applications which
include lifting, hoisting, hauling, logging and drilling.
Different constructions have different characteristics
suitable for a variety of uses depending on design
requirements of the strength fatigue resistance wear
resistance, flexibility and abrasion resistance of the wire
Construction: Construction:
Section One

rope.
6x19 Seale + FC 6x19 Seale + IWRC
Wire ropes are available in self colour and galvanised for Composition: Composition:
maritime applications. 9+9+1 9+9+1

6x19, 6x31, 6x36, 6x41

Min. Breaking Load * Weight

Diameter (kN) (kg/m)
(mm) Fibre Core Steel Core Fibre Core Steel Core
(FC) (IWRC) (FC) (IWRC)
8.0 37.41 40.30 .230 .255
Construction: Construction:
9.0 47.31 50.98 .293 .323 6x31 Warrington-Seale + FC 6x31 Warrington-Seale + IWRC
10.0 58.39 62.97 .361 .399 Composition: Composition:
11.0 70.71 76.19 .437 .481 12 + 6/6 + 6 + 1 12 + 6/6 + 6 + 1
12.0 84.10 90.70 .521 .573
13.0 98.71 105.92 .611 .672
14.0 114.01 123.57 .707 .780
16.0 150.01 160.82 .924 1.03
18.0 189.01 203.97 1.17 1.28
19.0 211.03 226.54 1.31 1.44
20.0 233.90 252.00 1.44 1.59 Construction: Construction:
22.0 283.02 304.99 1.74 1.94 6x36 Warrington-Seale + FC 6x36 Warrington-Seale + IWRC
24.0 336.00 362.84 2.09 2.29 Composition: Composition:
14 + 7/7 + 7 + 1 14 + 7/7 + 7 + 1
26.0 395.01 425.60 2.44 2.69
28.0 458.00 494.25 2.83 3.11
32.0 598.03 644.31 3.89 4.07
35.0 715.90 771.77 4.42 4.87
36.0 757.07 816.90 4.69 5.17
38.0 843.04 910.04 5.22 5.76
* kN x 0.10197 = tonne
Construction: Construction:
6x41 Warrington-Seale + FC 6x41 Warrington-Seale + IWRC
Composition: Composition:
16 + 7/8 + 8 + 1 16 + 8/8 + 8 + 1

Indent prices available on request

8 DM STANDEN LTD
 Section One
Wire Rope
Marine Ropes Marine/Fishing Ropes - 7x7 Galvanised

Marine ropes are galvanised to provide protection against Diameter Min. Breaking Load * Weight
corrosion. The ropes listed below are used in such (mm) (kN) (kg/m)
applications as fishing, mooring, shipping, lashing and 2.0 2.53 .0152
cargo handling operations.
2.5 4.29 .0235
3.0 5.72 .0344
Marine/Fishing Ropes - 6x19 Galvanised
Small Cords and General Purpose 4.0 10.20 .0610
5.0 15.89 .0952
Min. Breaking Load * Weight 6.0 22.90 .138
Diameter (kN) (kg/m)
7.0 31.09 .187
(mm) Fibre Core Steel Core Fibre Core Steel Core
(FC) (IWRC) (FC) (IWRC) 8.0 40.70 .244
3.0 4.89 5.30 .0312 0.0343
4.0 8.68 9.41 .0553 0.0611
Marine/Yachting Ropes - Stainless Steel
Grade 316
5.0 13.61 14.69 .0864 0.0952
Stainless steel and PVC coated wire rope are used when
6.0 19.61 21.21 .125 0.137 providing protection against corrosion.
7.0 28.61 30.91 .176 0.196
8.0 33.12 39.38 0.23 0.24 Diameter Min. Breaking Load * Weight
9.0 41.90 43.03 0.28 0.31 (mm) (kN) (kg/m)
10.0 53.89 56.88 0.37 0.41 7x7
11.0 65.87 67.66 0.45 0.48 1.5 1.30 .0097
12.0 77.44 80.60 0.52 0.57 2.0 2.51 .0171
13.0 87.41 94.62 0.62 0.67 2.5 3.5 .027
14.0 101.78 109.82 0.71 0.78 7x19
16.0 132.74 143.19 0.91 1.02 3.0 5.21 0.39
18.0 167.65 192.77 1.16 1.27 4.0 9.31 0.68
19.0 186.60 202.01 1.30 1.38 5.0 14.58 1.04
20.0 206.57 224.56 1.44 1.58 6.0 21.01 1.46
22.0 250.48 269.43 1.75 1.93 7.0 28.7 .205
24.0 297.37 333.44 2.07 2.28 8.0 37.4 .257
26.0 349.26 377.20 2.44 2.69 9.0 47.3 .331

* kN x 0.10197 = tonne
10.0 58.4 .406
Note: The above ropes can be manufactured with PVC covering up to a 12.0 70.9 .487
44mm outside diameter 13.0 84.3 .578

Principal Use in Standard Rigging - 1x19

Diameter Min. Breaking Load * Weight

(mm) (kN) (kg/m)
2.0 3.20 .195
2.5 500 .365
3.0 720 .439
4.0 1249 .781
5.0 2000 1.14
6.0 2.880 1.76
8.0 4.639 3.12
* kN x 0.10197 = tonne

We also stock 3 & 4 strand fishing ropes

DM STANDEN LTD 9
Section One

Verotop Rope
Min. Breaking Load *
Verotop Lang’s Lay rope: Diameter (kN) Weight
(mm) (kg/m)
• is suitable for high lifting applications 1960 Grade 2160 Grade
• is a rotation resistant rope made with outer and inner 10.0 91.42 97.55 0.510
strands compacted
12.0 131.6 140.5 0.735
• has an extremely high breaking strength with very
strong resistance to drum crushing 12.7 147.5 157.3 0.823
• is fully lubricated and made of both galvanised and 13.0 154.5 164.9 0.862
ungalvanised wires
Section One

14.0 179.2 191.2 1.000

• should be used with a swivel
15.0 205.7 219.5 1.148
16.0 234.0 249.7 1.306
Discard Number of Wires 17.0 264.2 281.9 1.475
18.0 296.2 316.1 1.653
Length Lang’s Lay
19.0 330.0 352.2 1.842
6xd 30xd
20.0 365.7 390.2 2.041
Discard 5 10
21.0 403.2 430.2 2.250
22.0 442.5 472.2 2.470
Design Data 22.4 458.7 489.5 2.561
Total number of wires: 245 23.0 483.6 516.1 2.700
Number of outer strands: 112
24.0 526.6 561.9 2.939
Average fill factor: 0.74
Average spin factor (1960 grade): 0.81 25.0 571.4 609.7 3.189
25.4 589.8 629.4 3.292
26.0 618.0 659.5 3.450
27.0 666.5 711.2 3.720
28.0 716.7 764.8 4.001
28.6 747.8 797.9 4.174
29.0 768.8 820.4 4.292
30.0 822.8 878.0 4.593
31.0 878.6 937.5 4.904
32.0 936.1 998.9 5.226
33.0 995.6 1062.0 5.557
34.0 1057.0 1128.0 5.899
35.0 1120.0 1195.0 6.251
36.0 1185.0 1264.0 6.614
38.0 1320.0 1409.0 7.369
40.0 1463.0 1561.0 8.165
* kN x 0.10197 = tonne

10 DM STANDEN LTD
 Section One
Wire Rope
Veropro 8 Rope
Min. Breaking Load *
Veropro 8 Regular Lay or Lang’s Lay rope: Diameter (kN) Weight
(mm) (kg/m)
• has a plastic layer between the core and the 1960 Grade 2160 Grade
compacted outer strands 12.0 126.2 135.0 0.660
• has a high breaking load and good structural reliability
12.7 141.3 151.2 0.740
• is fully lubricated and made of both galvanised and
ungalvanised wires 13.0 148.1 158.4 0.775
• is suitable for multi-layer spooling 14.0 171.7 183.7 0.899
• has very good resistance to drum crushing 15.0 197.1 210.9 1.032
• is a non-rotation resistant rope and should not be used 16.0 224.3 240.0 1.174
with a swivel
17.0 253.2 270.9 1.325
18.0 283.9 303.7 1.486
Discard Number of Wires 19.0 316.3 338.4 1.655
20.0 350.4 374.9 1.834
Length Regular Lay Lang’s Lay
21.0 386.4 413.4 2.022
6xd 30xd 6xd 30xd
22.0 424.0 453.7 2.219
Discard 18 35 9 18
22.4 439.6 470.3 2.301
23.0 463.5 495.9 2.426
Design Data 24.0 504.6 539.9 2.641
Total number of wires: 327 25.0 547.6 585.8 2.866
Number of outer strands: 208
25.4 565.2 604.7 2.958
Average fill factor: 0.67
Average spin factor (1960 grade): 0.85 26.0 592.3 633.7 3.100
27.0 638.7 683.3 3.343
28.0 686.9 734.9 3.595
28.6 716.6 766.7 3.751
29.0 736.8 788.3 3.856
30.0 788.5 843.6 4.127
31.0 841.9 900.8 4.407
32.0 897.1 959.9 4.695
33.0 954.1 1021.0 4.994
34.0 1013.0 1084.0 5.301
35.0 1073.0 1148.0 5.617
36.0 1135.0 1215.0 5.943
38.0 1265.0 1354.0 6.621
40.0 1402.0 1500.0 7.337
41.3 1494.0 1599.0 7.821
42.0 1545.0 1653.0 8.089
44.0 1696.0 1815.0 8.877
45.0 1774.0 1898.0 9.285
46.0 1854.0 1983.0 9.703
47.5 1977.0 2115.0 10.35
48.0 2019.0 2160.0 10.56
50.0 2190.0 2343.0 11.46
52.0 2369.0 2535.0 12.40
54.0 2555.0 2733.0 13.37
* kN x 0.10197 = tonne

DM STANDEN LTD 11