Flexibility and Strength of Stainless Steel Wire Rope
Flexibility and Strength of Stainless Steel Wire Rope is critical information. Grade, Diameter, and Wire Rope Structure affect this directly. The Factors affecting the wire are introduced here:
- The Grade of the Wire Rope is a reflection of the standardized classification of the metal based on its chemical composition (metallurgy).
- The Diameter of the wire is simply a measure of the width across the widest section (top of strands/fibres) of the wire.
- Rope Structures describe how a wire is built in terms of bundles of fibers. The wire structure also affects the flexibility and corrosion resistance of multi stranded wire
Overview
Below is a description of the characteristics of the most common structures/constructions of Steel Core wire rope that most non-rigging specific applications will use. In general
- flexibility varies inversely with strength,
- strength varies inversely with the number of fibers
- flexibility varies directly with the number of fibers
1×19 Wire Rope
Check the 1×19 Specifications
Predominantly used in standing rigging, architectural structural rigging and balustrading. The construction of this strand does not allow for (tight) kinks or bends and as compared to the other types of cable shown below, 1×19 Wire Rope:
- must have swaged fittings used with it (thimbles and ferrules simply will NOT work)
- is the strongest and least flexible , and
- offers the least stretch.
7×7 Wire Rope
Check the 7×7 Specifications Here
Often used in rigging, and balustrade infill. For any given diameter of wire, as compared to 1×19 above, 7×7 Wire Rope:
- may use non-swaged / manual (ferrule and thimble) fittings or swaged fittings,
- has a lower breaking strain (mid between 1×19 and 7×19), and
- is more flexible.
7×19 Wire Rope
Check the 7×19 Specifications Here
Can be used for balustrade and where high flexibility is required (running rigging on yachts). Typically, this structure is more for architectural use than structural. Generally 7×19 Wire Rope:
- may use all of the fittings (swaged and non-swaged),
- is less strong than above, and
- is much more flexible than other types of cable shown.