Wire ropes are an essential tool used for myriad applications at construction sites, warehouses, and freight movement areas. They’re made of different metals and alloys, stranded together into a helix shape.
Wire ropes come in various shapes, widths, densities, and colors. They are extremely durable and heavy-duty. Cranes also feature thick wire ropes vital for loading, lifting, moving, and unloading goods and objects. Cranes are operated from within a cabin attached to its superstructure. The operator has a clear view of wire rope from the inside and can easily navigate and detect issues for a quick fix.
It’s imperative to inspect and assess wire ropes on a regular basis. They need to be checked for any signs of damages. However, many crane owners and operators tend to ignore the proper SOPs that should be followed during crane wire rope inspection. A deteriorated wire rope can lead to perilous hazards at job sites, posing direct damage to workers and material.
The experts at the CWSA have curated this brief but extremely useful guide that will help you stay on top of crane wire rope inspections.
Visual Inspection
A visual inspection should be conducted daily. Before and after each working shift, operators should thoroughly check wire ropes to ensure that there’s no damage. Moreover, visual inspection involves lubrication, friction generation, and damage control phases. In this process, the reel, sheave, shaft, and the hook connected at the rear end of the wire rope are also inspected.
Since a wire rope is reeled into a coil, it’s protected using a cover. Often, crane owners neglect the importance of sheave and reel covers, which in fact, can be highly beneficial for keeping the ropes clean and damage-free.
Although tiring and monotonous, crane wire rope visual inspections are extremely important. They help you prevent problems like kinks, tears, warps, caging, cutting, and flattening.
Internal, Holistic Inspection
The second part of crane wire rope inspection requires operators and crane managers to take a deeper look at the hardware tool. This process is normally carried out once a week for older cranes or twice a month for new cranes.
Internal wire rope inspection includes a complete assessment of wire rope material, weight and height optimization, and distance maintenance between the clamping jaws. Operators need to ensure that the rope is adjacent to the crane equipment and has adequate terminations for higher durability. What’s more, the internal inspection also involves an anchorage system performance examination.
Wire ropes should be well-greased and checked after each inspection. This is particularly important if your equipment is old and prone to rust and corrosion in the metallic parts. Wire ropes should also be repaired and replaced when if it develops severe rust. Working with a damaged wire rope can be very hazardous as heavyweights can cause breakage.
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RaycoWylie LMI or RCI systems for boom cranes are some of the best crane safety equipment available in the US. We offer an extensive range of RaycoWylie products and crane parts to make your business safer and more profitable.
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