Theory of Wire Rope: (Mechanical Engineering Series)

Wire rope is used in countless applications ranging from braces for teeth to superconducting cables. Many power lines are strands of aluminum wires twisted around a steel center wire; the most spectacular bridges are suspended from wire cables; wire rope is used to lower workers and equipment as deep as three miles in the gold mines of South Africa; and wire rope finds many applications in biomechanics. Considerable progress has been made in the development of models to predict the response of ropes and to determine the effects of variations in the design and properties of a rope on its performance. The book begins with the equations of equilibrium for a thin curved wire in space, solves these equations, and applies the solution to determine the stresses in a simple strand. These results are then extended to ropes with more complex cross sections. Numerous examples are worked out to illustrate the theory. Test results are also discussed. This second edition includes new chapters on tension and compression of a cord, on fatigue, and on approximations. Intended for graduate students and practicing engineers, this book is a comprehensive theoretical review of the mechanical behavior of wire rope.

Table of Contents:
1 Introduction.- 1.1 Basic Components.- 1.2 Identification and Construction.- 2 Equilibrium of a Thin Wire.- 2.1 Kinematics of a Thin Wire.- 2.2 Equations of Equilibrium.- 2.3 Relations Between Loads and Deformations.- 3 Static Response of a Strand.- 3.1 Geometry of a Strand.- 3.2 Axial Response of a Simple Straight Strand.- 3.3 Stress Determination of a Simple Straight Strand.- 3.4 Load Deformation Relation for a Simple Straight Strand.- 3.5 Pure Bending of a simple Straight Strand.- 3.6 Stress Determination of a Strand Subjected to Bending.- 3.7 Stress Determination of a Strand Passing over a Sheave.- 3.8 Multilayered Strands.- 3.9 Electric Conductor Strand.- 3.10 Contact Stresses.- 3.11 Outside Wires Contacting Each Other.- 3.12 Other Types of Strand Cross Sections.- 4 Static Response of a Wire Rope.- 4.1 Axial Response of an Independent Wire Rope Core.- 4.2 Axial Response of a Wire Rope.- 4.3 Stresses in a Wire Rope Due to Axial Loading.- 4.4 Stresses in a Wire Rope Due to Axial Loading and Bending.- 5 Friction in Wire Rope.- 5.1 Friction in an Axially Loaded Strand.- 5.2 Frictional Effects in the Bending and Axial Loading of a Strand.- 5.3 Frictional Effects in Wire Rope.- 5.4 Effective Length of a Broken Center Wire in a Simple Strand.- 5.5 Effective Length of a Broken Outer Wire in a Rope.- 6 Testing of a Wire Rope.- 6.1 Axial Testing of a Wire Rope.- 6.2 Effect of Rope Size on Rope Strength.- 6.3 Effect of Rope Size on Fatigue Life.- 7 Birdcaging in Wire Rope.- 7.1 Equations of Motion.- 7.2 Solution of Equations.- 7.3 Numerical Results.- 8 Rope Rotation.- 8.1 Rotation of a Wire Rope.- 8.2 Hand-Spliced Ropes.- 9 Tension and Compression of a Cord.- 9.1 Tension (contact between adjacent wires).- 9.2 Compression (no contact between adjacent wires).- 10 A Theory of Fatigue.- 10.1 Introduction.- 10.2 Theory.- 11 Remarks on Assumptions and Approximations.- 11.1 Introduction.- 11.2 Assumptions and Approximations for a Straight Strand.- 11.3 Assumptions and Approximations for a Wire Rope.- References.