Factors Affecting Rope Performance

Multi-coiling of the rope on the drum can result in severe distortion in the underlying layers.

Bad coiling (due to excessive fleet angles or slack winding) can result in mechanical damage, shown as severe crushing, and may cause shock loading during operation.

Small diameter sheaves can result in permanent set of the rope, and will certainly lead to early wire breaks.

Oversize grooves offer insufficient support to the rope leading to increased localised pressure, flattening of the rope and premature wire fractures. Grooves are deemed to be oversize when the groove diameter exceeds the nominal rope diameter by more than 15%.

Undersize grooves in sheaves will crush and deform the rope, often leading to two clear patterns of wear and associated wire breaks.

Excessive angle of fleet can result in severe wear of the rope due to scrubbing against adjacent laps on the drum.
Rope deterioration at the Termination may be exhibited in the form of broken wires. An excessive angle of fleet can also induce rotation causing torsional imbalance.