In-service inspection of wire ropes: state of the art

Abstract

The art of wire rope inspection has advanced rapidly over the past decade. Present electromagnetic (EM) wire rope inspection instruments provide an important and often indispensable element of wire rope inspection. The easy operation of some instruments combined with their straightforward and unambiguous data interpretation now allows even moderately skilled personnel to perform EM inspections of wire ropes. At the same time, wire rope inspection and retirement standards are becoming simpler and less ambiguous. Future guidelines will be uncomplicated for inspectors to apply and for rope operators to implement. The discernible trend of regulatory requirements is clearly toward periodic EM inspections supported by visual inspections. Wire rope users now recognize that—because they can detect rope deterioration in its incipient stage—EM inspections are a powerful preventive maintenance tool. For instance, the early detection of wear of corrosion allows immediate remedial action which can easily double—or, many times, even triple or quadruple—the service life of a rope.