Electromagnetic (EM) Non-destructive Evaluation of Steel Wire Ropes: A Preview - NDT Folks

Assessment of rope condition either by visual examination or drawing a specimen rope length and subjecting it to destructive evaluation seldom speaks about integrity of the entire rope length in the installation [sup1]. Further, ropes that are used on friction winders and aerial ropeway passenger cable car installations cannot be assessed at any cost due to non-availability of rope length for destructive investigation. Under these situations, non-destructive investigation is the only means for its evaluation to study the behavior. Magnetic flaw detectors are used to determine rope wearing [sup2]. The detectors can measure loss of metallic area (LMA) and detect local faults (LF) such as broken wires and other faults of the rope. Deterioration of a rope during its lifetime leads to a reduction of the rope safety and to its possible destruction. Electro-magnetic nondestructive testing allows an increase in the safe use of steel ropes due to objective, reliable and documented evaluation of the real rope condition and by ensuring timely rope replacement.