Authors : Houda Mouradi, Abdellah El Barkany and Ahmed El Biyaali
Abstract: Steel wire ropes consist of several steel wires twisted together to make complex structures with huge mechanical properties combining axial strength and stiffness with bending flexibility. In the great majority of applications, a rope is subjected to repeated bending, fluctuating loads and cyclic deformations. Therefore, it is prone to several degradation mechanisms that may occur alone or in combination. The results of expertise showed that the main mechanisms leading to wire ropes degradation are fatigue, fretting fatigue, wear and corrosion which all reduce the strength of wires and accelerate the failure of the rope. This study aims to establish a broad and comprehensive bibliography on the main degradation mechanisms that affect steel wire ropes after a period of service as well as their causes and loss of strength that these very mechanisms engender. This literature review allows us to shed light on a quiet interesting point which was not previously widely approached, for the ultimate goal of increasing the reliability of steel wire ropes.
Houda Mouradi, Abdellah El Barkany and Ahmed El Biyaali, 2016. Investigation on the Main Degradation Mechanisms of Steel Wire Ropes: A Literature Review. Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 11: 1206-1217.