EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF BENDING FATIGUE, bREAKING LOAD AND CORROSION PERFORMANCE OF STEEL WIRE ROPES WITH INDEPENDENT WIRE ROPE CORE(IWRC) AND IMPREGNATED PLASTIC CORE(EPIWRC)

Steel wire ropes are lifting equipments used in many areas such as fishing, mining, oil&gas, construction and marine. Steel wire ropes, which stand out with their high lifting capacity and optimum elongation, can be produced in different properties and constructions. Steel wire ropes with impregnated plastic core are used in special cranes where high breaking load is required, in harbour cranes with corrosive effects and in the mining industry where there is pollution. These ropes are generally preferred with a diameter of 16-56 mm and can be produced as 6 stranded, 8 stranded and multiple stranded (i.e 34 x 7, 35 x 7, 40 x 7 etc.). Multiple stranded ropes are characterized as rotational resistant and are preferred in high-level applications. In this study; the bending fatigue, breaking load and corrosion performance of steel wire ropes with impregnated plastic core(EPIWRC) was investigated. The tensile tests, corrosion tests and bending fatigue tests of the rope with 8 x 26WS construction used in the study were performed and the parameters affecting the fatigue life of the ropes were determined. As a result of the tensile tests, it was determined that the steel wire ropes with impregnated plastic core have 10 % higher breaking load than the steel wire ropes with independent wire rope core. It has been observed that the plastic coating significantly protects the steel core of the rope from corrosion and friction and reduces wire breakage. It has been determined that the decrease in the number of wire breakages and the minimization of the friction contacts increase the fatigue life of the rope. This study includes experimental data on steel wire ropes.