WEAR MECHANISMS IN A NONROTATING WIRE ROPE

A nonrotating wire rope used in mine hoist operations is being examined by the U.S. Bureau of Mines to determine operative wear mechanisms, Typically, bending and loading the ropes during service cause small, localized movements at interwire contacts, leading to material loss through wear The cumulative effect of both material loss by wear and wire breakage by fatigue failure accelerates rope retirement. If the macroscopic mechanics of wire rope failure are to be understood, microscopic deformation and degradation processes must be identified and quantified, As a first step in this study, interwire wear and deformation were studied using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and hardness measurements, Both fretting and abrasive wear were identified as wear mechanisms. Preferential sites for fretting and abrasive wear were identified and are discussed regarding rope construction and geometry and the tribe-system.