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Failure Analysis of Crane Wire Rope

Article  in  Materials Science Forum · May 2015

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.819.467

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Materials Science Forum Vol 819 (2015) pp 467-472
© (2015) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.819.467

Failure Analysis Of Crane Wire Rope

Shaiful Rizam Shamsudin1,2,a, Mohd Harun3b, Mazlee Mohd Noor2,c,
Azmi Rahmat1,2,d, Rohaya Abdul Malek1,2,e
1
Center of Excellence Geopolymer and Green Technology (CEGeoGTech)
2
School of Materials Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis,
Jejawi, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
3
Industry Technology Division, Malaysia Nuclear Agency, Bangi 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia
a
rizam@unimap.edu.my, bmohd_harun@nuclearmalaysia.gov.my, cmazlee@unimap.edu.my
d
azmirahmat@unimap.edu.my, erohayamalek@unimap.edu.my

Keywords: Wire rope; failure analysis; fracture; fatigue; wear; ductile.

Abstract. A failure analysis of a broken multi strand wire rope from an offshore platform crane was
performed. The wire rope was operated for less than 5 years. The wire consists of seven strands,
one central strand and six strands around it. The diameter of the small wires was about 0.78 -0.94
mm and the larger wires was a round of 1.52 - 1.78 mm. The large size wires were found fractured
by cyclic torsional stresses as characterized by the presence of fatigue cracking originating from the
outer surface of the wire. Meanwhile the smaller wires were fractured in a ductile manner under
excessive load after the larger wire broken out due to the fatigue mechanism.

Introduction

Wire rope consists of one or more numbers of strands, laid spirally around one core of steel core. It
consists of three basic components; the wires, strands and core. Wire ropes are identified by
classifications based upon the number of strands and nominal number of wires in each strand. It
allows the production of different design of wire rope for specific purposes or with specific
characteristics [1]. The wire, for rope, is made from several materials such as steel, iron, and/or
stainless steel. High carbon steel is the most widely used material, available in a variety of grades,
each of which has the properties related to the basic curve for steel wire rope. Common defects of
the wire rope are corrosion, excessive heat or chemical damage. However, most of the failure case
history; the rope is going to fail in the zone, which has been subjected to the greatest amount of
fatigue and abrasion [2, 3, 4].
The wire rope has been operated on platform crane and failed on November 2013. It used to
lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It is mainly used for lifting heavy things and
transporting them to other places beyond the normal capability of a human. The rope has a capacity
to break at 60,000 lbs (261kN). The boom weight is less than 3 tonnes (30 kN). The wire rope
examined in this analysis failed after it had performed one-fourth of its expected total service life.
Detailed metallurgical tests were carried out on the failed wire rope, and the findings were
summarized in this case study.

Methodology

On-site visit was commenced to inspect the failure condition of the crane wire rope. Some
personnel were interviewed and all important information such as the design and operational
parameters were recorded. The photograph the failed rope was captured by a digital camera. The
diameter of each wire was measured by vernier calliper. The dirt and lubricant residues were
removed by washing alcohol and additional cleaning in an ultrasonic bath was performed prior to
microscopic analysis. Fractography study was carried out by scanning electron microscope (FEI
Quanta 400). The outer wire (1.52 mm diameter) of the strand and outer wire (0.88 mm diameter)
from core were selected for the investigation purpose were represented “strand wire” and “core
wire” respectively. Samples for optical microscopy were prepared by grinding, polishing and

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468 International Conference on Functional Materials and Metallurgy (ICoFM
2014)

etching by 2% of nital solution. A macroscopic survey of the wire rope was carried out by optical
microscopes.

Results& Discussion

Visual Examination
The schematic diagram and camera photograph of wire rope construction were shown in Fig. 1. The
rope was made of individual wires, twisted into strands (Fig. 1a). These performed strands were
constructed by 6 × (S) 19 classification and twiste d around the core to complete the rope. The rope
is a right hand ordinary lay where the strands rotate around the rope in the opposite direction to the
wires in the strand. The lay length and the rope’s diameter are about 140 and 18.0 mm respectively.
While the diameter sizes of each wire were exhibited in Fig. 1(b). The rope’s core was 7 × 7 (6/1)
independent wire rope core (IWRC) construction. According to Costello & Costello [1], the 6 x 19
classification is a very popular for general purpose rope that will give long service, provides an
excellent balance between flexibility, fatigue and wear resistance with moderately sized sheaves
and drums, and is often used for hoists, boom hoists, haulage ropes and slings. The rope in this class
can be suited to the specific needs of diverse types of machinery and equipment.

(a) (b)
Fig. 1: (a) The construction diagram and (b) the cross-section appearance of wire rope.

The camera photographs of failed wire ropes were shown in Fig. 2. The strand was observed
loosed, and some pieces of fractured wires were separated from the rope structure (Fig. 2a). Such
failure condition normally indicates the rope failed from fatigue after bending over small sheaves as
reported by Torkar & Arzenšek [4]. Fig. 2(b) shows a fractured rusty wire rope. Generally, the
corroded surface may accelerate the fatigue failure of the rope. The fractured ends of the individual
wire strands and of the wire bundles were clearly visible to the unaided eye. Some of the wires,
failed by macroscopically ductile processes, meanwhile the other wires appeared to fail with little or
no macroscopic ductility.

Fractographic study
A typical fracture surface of sample wires was shown in SEM micrograph in Fig. 3. A number of
strand wires did not exhibit any macroscopic deformation near the fractured end. Fig. 3 (a) shows
the flat-type fatigue fracture exhibits the point of origin was found on wire surface indicating the
crack was started at the crossover points of contact between individual rope wires or sheaves
groove. Ratchet and beach marks and the final fracture were clearly visible to confirm there was
indeed a fatigue crack. At higher magnification the fracture surface shows fatigue striations
characteristic near the point of origin (Fig. 3b). It was obviously indicated the cyclic torsional
propagation as cyclic stress hit the wires that twisted around the core. The core wires displays a
 Materials Science Forum Vol. 819 469

typical cup and cone fracture (Fig. 3c), and at higher magnification, the fracture surfaces of such
wires revealed dimpled morphology (Fig. 3d). Cup and cone fracture as well as dimple morphology
were recognized as finger-print of ductile overload breaks [5]. Referring to visual examination, the
wire was seen attacked by severe rust in the area along the fractured end (Fig. 2b), however, after
cleaning, the core wire was found just experiences a uniform corrosion and there was no pitting
attack as shown in Fig. 3(c). Therefore, corrosion problem was not the root cause of the failure.

(a) (b)
Fig. 2: The failed wire rope indicates (a) the fragments of fractured wires drop out of the strands
and (b) the end of the rusty broken wire rope.

Ratchet marks

Beach marks
Point of origin

Final fracture

(a) (b)

Dimple structure

(c) (d)
Fig. 3: SEM micrographs of (a) fatigue fracture surface, (b) fatigue striations on strand wire and
a fingerprint of ductile fracture surface on the core wire showing (c) a cup part of typical cup and
cone fracture, (d) enlarged image on arrowhead indicating dimple morphology.
470 International Conference on Functional Materials and Metallurgy (ICoFM
2014)

Microscopic Analysis
Longitudinal sections of the failed wires were prepared for metallographic examinationwas
exhibited in Fig. 4. The secondary longitudinal cracking in the unetched condition was observed on
the flat-type longitudinal section (Fig 4a).It indicates the wire fatigued under the influence of both
traction and compression. Fig. 4 (b) shows the fracture end of the core wiredisplayed a taper-type
fracture. It was a plastic deformed character as a result of tensile overload breaks.

(a) (b)
Fig. 4: Optical metallographs of longitudinal section on (a) flat-type fatigue and (b) plastic
deformation fracture ends

On the other hand, it was known that, the martensite is very hard and brittle metal structure
[6]. According to Chaplin [6], in the steel wire ropes, martensite was often found as a thin layer on
outer strand wire which was dragged on a hard surface. This thin martensite layer is easily cracked
when the wire was bent, initiates the rapid propagation of fatigue cracks. In order to examine the
present of martensite structure, the longitudinal section of wire was etched as described previously.
The optical metallography, however, did not trace any martensite structures. Otherwise, the
microstructure contained cold worked fine pearlites with some ferrite were detected as depicted in
Fig. 5(a). Therefore, the microstructural evolution as a cause of the failure was not convincing at
all.
Metallography image (Fig. 5a) exhibits the transverse cracks propagated inwards from the
surface. It was one of the symptoms of fatigue mechanism, in which the wire rope was repeatedly
going up and went down through a sharp-angled bending or small sheaves diameter. SEM
micrograph in Fig. 5(b) clearly displays the existence of transverse cracking that closed each other.
The appearance of the worn scars surface point out the strand wires was experiencing frictions after
bending over the hard sheaves groove. Nevertheless, there was no extreme wear effect detected
along the rope that can be a point of origin for the fatigue mechanism. Thus, the problem of friction
between the outer strand wires with the sheaves groove was ruled out. There were numerous of
longitudinal cracks were observed in the metal matrix and also an internal cavity that can
potentially serve as a starting point of fatigue cracking. The finding of these longitudinal cracks,
indicates that the strand wires has been weakened by traction, compression as well as cyclic bent
stresses over the hard and small sheaves diameter as previously stated.

Root cause analysis

The laboratory investigation results show the failure of the strand wires was due to the cyclic
torsional stresses as characterized by the presence of fatigue cracking originating from the outer
surface of the strand wire. The steel wire rope moved in and out over the sheaves and touches the
groove flange repeatedly. This mechanism twisted the rope, resulted in the torsional problem. It also
leads to increase wear, on both surfaces of the wire rope and the sheave's groove flange. A fatigue
crack started at the points of contact the outer wires and the small sheave groove or drum surface or
at crossover points of contact between individual rope wires. It was then proceed with increasing
 Materials Science Forum Vol. 819 471

number of bends, finally creating a fracture which was perpendicular to the wire axis. Fatigue
breaks occur more of the on the inside of the bend (at the point of contact with the sheave's flange)
than on the outside of the bend (a t the point of highest bending stresses).

Worn scars surface

Fat igue crack

Longitudinal crack

T ransverse crack

Internal cavity

(a) (b)

Fig. 5: (a) Optical metallographs of etched microstructureand (b) SEM micrograph on

transverse cracks of s trand wire.

Generally, the core is the foundation of wire rope. Its primary function is to support the wire strands
of which the rope is composed, keeping them in their correct relative position during the operating
life of the rope. As th e wire was loaded, the strands imbed themselves more firmly into the core.
The resulting axial movement increases the inter strand pressure where the strands contact each
other. Thus, it is necessary that the core must be strong enough to restrict the magnitude of the
interstrand pressure. However, in this case, after strand wire breaks, the stress loaded was
transferred to the core wire. The tensile overload breaks were created when the axial load on the
individual wire exceeds the wire’s ultimate tensile strength to the fractured strength. Tensile
overload characterized as a wire diameter reduction at the point of breaks and the formation of the
typical “cup and cone” ends. As the rope was weakened by a great number of cyclic stress-strain
over time, the remaining wires (in this case, the core wire) were then no longer able to support the
load leading to tensile overload failure of these remaining wires.

Preventive Action
The fatigue resistance of steel wire ropes generally increases with the increasing number and
decreasing diameter of the outer wires of the rope. This improvement goes a long, however, with a
reduction in the ropes’s resistance to wear. Wire rope endurance can also be increased by increasing
the sheaves diameter or by reducing the line pull. Wear might increase the rate of crack formation
and crack propagation. Good wire rope lubrication and relubrication during service, however, will
reduce the friction between the rope elements and therefore improve steel wire rope fatigue
resistance.

Conclusion

The failure of wire rope was caused by cyclic torsional stress on the outer strand wires. During
services, the rope was repeatedly going up and down over a sharp-angle b end of small sheaves
diameter, this operation makes the wires experiences fatigue. After the strand wire breaks, the load
pressure was transferred to a core wire which was still in good condition. After repeatedly
overloaded, the core wire was then unable to support the load anymore and finally led to fracture in
ductile overload manner.
 472 International Conference on Functional Materials and Metallurgy (ICoFM
2014)

Acknowledgement

The authors expressed their gratitude to Dr. Abd Nassir Ibrahim, Director of Industrial Technology
Division, Malaysia Nuclear Agency and Dr Khairel Rafezi Ahmad, Dean of School of Materials
Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Perlis for their meaningful discussions.

References

[1] Costello, George A., and Goerge A. Costello. Theory of wire rope. New York: Springer-
Verlag, 1990.
[2] Schrems, K. K. "Wear-related fatigue in a wire rope failure." Journal of testing and
evaluation 22 (1994): 490-490.
[3] Balan, K. P. "Failure analysis of a wire rope." Practical Failure Analysis 2.3 (2002): 71-74.
[4] Torkar, M., and Arzenšek, B., "Failure of crane wire rope." Engineering Failure Analysis 9.2
(2002): 227-233.
[5] Shamsudin,S.R.,Harun, M., Anuar,M.A.M.S.,Yazid,H.,Mazlee, M.N. “Failure Investigation
on Rusty Mesh Strainer of Petrochemical Plant”. Advanced Materials Research.795 (2013):
488-491.
[6] Chaplin, C. R. "Failure mechanisms in wire ropes." Engineering failure analysis.2.1 (1995):
45-57.

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