Wire rope engineers review industry standards

Representatives of the Wire Rope Technical Board (WRTB) and the European Federation of Wire Rope Industries (EWRIS) held a meeting in San Diego, California, USA, to review standards developments in the wire rope industry.

The event, held in April, is annual, in alternate years in the USA and Europe. Areas that are discussed include design requirements and operation. The aim of the event is to provide recommendations to various standards writing organisations worldwide.

This year the representatives discussed the controversy over the CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) provisional standard prEN 13001.3-2 Limit states and proof of competence of wire ropes in reeving systems.

According to a statement released by the WRTB, “the controversy centres on a proposed theoretical approach to determining the life of a wire rope used on cranes versus the established wire rope design factors and discard criteria found in long-standing International Organization for Standardization standards, ISO 4308 Cranes and lifting appliances - Selection of wire ropes - Part 1: General and ISO 4309 Cranes -Wire ropes - Care and maintenance, inspection and discard. The material in the ISO standards relies on proven engineering practice and established criteria of wire ropes which can easily be used by inspectors in the field.”

Other standards discussed included ISO 16625 Cranes and hoists - Selection of wire ropes, drums and sheaves; ISO 6984 Round non-alloy steel wires for stranded wire ropes for mine hoisting – Specifications; American Petroleum Institute (API) RP 9B Application, Care, and Use of Wire Rope for Oil Field Service and the European standards of the same subject; and the new wire rope volume in American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B30.

The 2014 meeting will be held in France.