ELEVATOR ROPES

Installation &
Maintenance

Edition: Sep 2016

 ELEVATOR ROPES
Installation & Maintenance IPH QUALITY

The elevator is the most used form of The quality certificate issued by IPH
transportation worldwide. As buildings guarantees the traceability and conformity
around the world are reaching greater with national and international standards
heights, the needs for safety and comfort that can be applied to the controls carried
are becoming increasingly important out throughout the entire manufacturing
every day. process, from the production of wires to
the final product.
To ensure the elevator rope´s service
life, IPH has put together a list of
recommendations for installation and MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
maintenance. CERTIFICATIONS:

American Petroleum institute, API

Monogram Spec Q1, Spec 9A.

TÜV Rheinland, ISO 9001:2008.

SUMMARY
Fundaçao Vanzolini NBR, ISO
1. WIRE ROPE INSTALLATION 9001:2008.
3 1.1 Storage
3 1.2 Handling WIRE ROPES SPECIFIC
3 1.3 End Terminations CERTIFICATIONS:
3 1.4 Replacing Ropes on Existing Installations
3 1.5 Rope Surface Line Marine use:
4 1.6 Tension Equalization Lloyd’s Register plant certification.
4 1.6.1 Causes of Unequal Rope Tension
4 1.6.2 Consequences of Unequal Rope Tension Elevators:
IRAM-INTI and IRAM 840 product
2. WIRE ROPE INSPECTION certification.
4 2.1 Wire Rope Diameter
4 2.2 Lay Length General purpose:
ABNT NBR and ISO 2408 product
3. DISCARD CRITERIA FOR LIFT ROPES certification.
5 3.1 Broken Wires
5 3.2 Diameter Reduction Offshore containers lifting slings:
5 3.3 Corrosion DNV 2.7-1 product certification.

4. WIRE ROPE LUBRICATION Wire rope slings:

6 4.1 Inspections IRAM 522 flemish eye product
6 4.2 Content of Lubricant certification.
6 4.3 Notes
For further information regarding those
7 IPH VALUE certificates mentioned above, please
visit our web-site.

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 WIRE ROPE INSTALLATION
Before installation, ropes must be inspected to
identify any area that may be damaged.
1.3 End Terminations
Rope terminations regularly used in elevator
installation.
1.1 Storage
• Store the ropes in a well ventilated place free from
dust, damp, chemicals or fire.
• Rotate the rope reel 180° every six months.
• Avoid direct contact of the steel wire rope with the
ground.
• Examine the rope condition periodically, prevent
from rust and external damage which are the most
common issues.
• If the mentioned recommendations are followed,
the rope could be stored for ten years.
• All these conditions should be considered SYMMETRIC ASYMMETRIC SWAGED FILLING
especially with sisal core wire ropes. The sisal is an WEDGE WEDGE TERMINAL SOCKETS
SOCKET SOCKET
hygroscopic fiber and damp is its first enemy.

1.2 Handling 1.4 Replacing Ropes on Existing

Ropes must be prevented from adding torsion Installations
during unwinding and installation.
Prior to rope replacement it is highly recommended
to make an inspection of the sheaves grooves. All
CORRECT
sheaves need to be inspected and checked from
wear when changing ropes.
Re-groove or replace sheaves if necessary.

INCORRECT

¨U¨ GROOVE ¨U¨ GROOVE UNDERCUT UNDERCUT

OK NOT OK GROOVE GROOVE
OK NOT OK
When transferring from a coil to the drive sheave
avoid inducing a reverse bend into the rope.
Example of wear defects on grooves.

Reference: Range of traction sheave hardness

CORRECT according to rope grade (Tensile strength of outer
wires)

Minimum tensile grade Sheave hardness

Outer wires [N/ mm²] [HB]

1118 190-220
INCORRECT 1370 200-230
1570 210-240
1670 220-250
1770 230-270
1960 240-280
2050 250-300

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 1.5 Rope Surface Line If proper equalization of the rope tension cannot be
maintained after six months, the entire set of hoist
IPH hoist ropes have a painted white line in order to ropes shall be replaced.
aid the installers determining whether the ropes are
twisted. NOTE: Before replacing the set of ropes, check the
possible causes of unequal tension described on
To check the number of twists, make a full up or
1.6.1.
down run of the elevator after rope installation and
count the number of rotations of the surface line.
The number of twists per 100 feet (30 meters) must 1.6.1 Causes of Unequal Rope
not exceed: Tension
Wire ropes with 1:1 roping = 1.5
• Human error during installation.
Wire ropes with 2:1 roping = 3.0
• Initial inequality in diameters of sheave grooves.
1.6 Tension Equalization • Wear of grooves and sheaves caused mainly by
Rope tension is a very important maintenance slippage of wire ropes.
factor in extending rope and sheave life, and also • Variation in rope diameter.
improving the quality of the ride.
• Uneven rope lubrication.
A set of ropes is considered to be equally tensioned
when the variation of the tension measured is within 1.6.2 Consequences of Unequal
10%. Rope tensioning should be re-checked after Rope Tension
4-6 weeks, after 6 month and then annually.
• An unbalanced line can reduce the rope service
It is also important that the necessary adjustments
life.
are made by shortening the loose ropes and not by
twisting or unwinding the end of the rope, this could • Vibration and noises are produced during the trip.
damage the rope easily. • Uneven tension produces different degrees of
NOTE: If a rope has an estrange tension deviation contact pressure on the grooves causing slippage.
from others make a close follow up and if the problem • The slippage of the rope and the imperfect balance
persists, a rope change should be considered. of cars make difficult to control starts and stops.

WIRE ROPE INSPECTION

IPH recommends wire rope inspections every six Rd(%)= (nd-ad)/nd x 100
months. Factors such as working environment,
Where:
number of trips, maintenance program should be Rd(%): Reduction in diameter
taken into account during these activities. nd: Nominal diameter [inches]
ad: Actual diameter [inches]
2.1 Wire Rope Diameter
2.2 Lay Length
Always measure the diameter and ovality on rope in
the worst condition. Rope diameter measurements Lay a section of paper on the wire rope and mark the
should be taken from a straight portion of rope crowns. Depending on the number of outer strands,
at two points spaced at least 3 ft apart. At each the number of crowns to be measured will change.
position, two measurements, at right angles of the The procedure must be repeated for all the ropes.
circumscribed circle diameter, shall be taken. Make sure you mark off at least 3 lay lengths on each
Tolerance and variation in diameter (ovality) rope. Then calculate the average (Average = Total
according to ASME A17.6. length/3). Record this information and note if the lay
Diameter reduction: length of one or more ropes is considerably different
Replacement should be considered if the diameter is than the other ropes. An increase in the lay length is
reduced by 6 % of the nominal rope diameter. related to a diameter reduction and degradation of
the core of the rope.
CORRECT INCORRECT
MARKS ON PAPER
LENGHT 1 LENGHT 2 LENGHT 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

AVERAGE: TOTAL LENGHT/3

Example of lay length measure for a 8 strands wire rope.
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 DISCARD CRITERIA FOR ELEVATORS ROPES
Elevator ropes are usually discarded because of Replacement should take place when:
broken wires and wear, but other factors, such as
diameter reduction, local damage caused by metallic 1. The broken crown wires are randomly distributed
edges or deformations, waviness, corrosion rouge or among the strands and the number of broken wires
excessive stretch, may also give reasons to discard. per rope lay in the worst section of rope exceeds
the values shown in “Normal Wear Conditions”.
A skilled person should consider all these factors
when carrying out a thorough examination in order to 2. The distribution of breaks is unequal, predominating
decide whether a set of ropes should be discarded. broken crown wires in one or two strands, and the
Even if only one rope has reached the discard criteria, number of broken wires per rope lay in the worst
the whole set should be replaced. section of rope exceeds the values shown in the
“Normal Wear Conditions”.
3.1 Broken Wires 3. There are four adjacent broken wires in any strand
It is possible to distinguish two kinds of wire breaks: and the number of broken wires per rope lay in the
worst section of rope exceeds the values shown in
“Normal Wear Conditions”.

Crown Breaks: 4. Excessive wear, unequal tension, poor sheave

Fatigue failure of the outer grooves and any other unfavorable condition
wire following a diameter affect considerably the wire rope. For those cases
reduction due to wear.
the criteria for broken wires shall be the values
indicated in the “Unfavorable Wear Conditions”.

5. Red dust or rouge exists and the number of

broken wires per rope lay in the worst section of
Valley Breaks:
rope exceeds the values shown in “Rope Showing
Wire breaks that are visible
and occur outside of the Rouge”.
crown wear area with the
crown wire intact. 6. There are more than one valley break per rope lay.

7. There are any valley breaks at any location where

rouge exists.
The following chart indicates the number of visible
broken wires in the worst section of the rope for
different construction where replacement should 3.2 Diameter Reduction
take place. Replacement should be considered if the diameter is
reduced by 6 % of the nominal rope diameter.
Wire Breaks
Crown Wire Breaks Per Lay Lenght
6-Strand Rope Applications 3.3 Corrosion
Normal Unfavorable Ropes When moisture is introduced to a metal surface,
Wear Wear Showing
Conditions Conditions Rouge it rusts. But rouge is different from rust. It does
not indicate that a wire rope is beginning to rust.
Distributed breaks 24 12 12
(max.)
Rouging means that abrasion is present in the wires
Unequal breaks 8 4 4 of the rope.
(max.)
4 Side-by-Side 12 6 6 The pressures of the system while working generate
Breaks very small particles around the metal surface and
8- and 9- Strand Rope Applications they begin to rust.
Normal Unfavorable Ropes
Wear Wear Showing Rouging is generally due to a lack of lubrication.
Conditions Conditions Rouge Field lubrication does not restore the rope to its
Distributed breaks 32 16 16
initial condition. Any damage has already been done.
(max.) Rouging detection is important, due to it reduces the
Unequal breaks 10 5 5
(max.) number of allowable wire breaks. (See chart above
4 Side-by-Side 16 8 8 according to ASME A17.6, Replacement Criteria)
Breaks

Chart according to ASME A17.6 (Replacement Criteria)

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 WIRE ROPE LUBRICATION
Steel wire ropes are made of a number of moving Rope diameter Quantity of lub per 100 ft of
hoist rope
parts. For example, an 8x19 construction wire rope is
formed by 152 wires that are grouped into 8 strands. [inches] [ounces/100 ft]
Both the wires and strands are subjected to tension 3/8 1.0
1/2 1.5
and bending, which cause wear between them and 5/8 2.0
against sheaves. 11/16 2.3
3/4 2.5
All parts of the wire rope should be kept lubricated 7/8 2.8
1 3.0
to avoid excessive heat due to friction. During steel
wire ropes manufacturing, wires and strands are
NOTE: If the rope is completely dry to the touch,
lubricated. A new manufactured wire rope contains
duplicate these values.
about 1.2% by weight of lubricant.
As the wire rope in operation rises in number of cycles, The addition of lubricant should be performed in a
it exudes lubricant to its surface. Experimentally, distributed manner. If re-lubrication is only locally,
a steel wire rope loses about 0.12% by weight of some areas of the ropes may be working dry while
lubricant every 100,000 cycles. Re-lubrication is others may have an excess of lubricant.
necessary to work under optimal conditions and
extend the life of the wire ropes and sheaves. 4.3 Notes
A periodic inspection plan must be performed. A IPH recommends Funilub® for elevator ropes.
small annual investment in lubricant saves a great
Never use solvents to clean elevator ropes. Most of
expense arising from the anticipated replacement of
the solvents dilute the lubricant within the strands of
wire ropes and sheaves.
the elevator hoist rope.
4.1 Inspections
Do not re-lubricate the governor rope. The lubricant
The frequency of re-lubrication depends strongly on can interfere between the rope and the drive sheave
environmental and installation conditions. Such as causing slippage and a malfunction of the safety
temperature, moisture, lift speed and rope pressure. system.
Due to those critical conditions, an increase in the
inspections frequency is advisable. Regarding to lubrication, natural fiber core ropes
Field lubrication of the elevator rope is necessary are advantageous over steel core ropes. As natural
when the rope has become dry to the touch or at fiber retains more lubricant than steel (10-15% by
least once a year. weight), natural fiber core serves as self lubricating.
When operating, the strands compact the fiber core
4.2 Content of Lubricant and this pressure begins to release lubricant which is
It is important to know the right amount of lubricant beneficial for the operation of the system.
that a wire rope should have. A lower amount of
lubricant causes an increase of temperature, an
excessive wear in wires and an increase of rouging.

On the other hand an excess of lubricant must be

avoided, because it causes ropes slippage on sheaves,
an undesirable effect that can be seen on the drive
sheaves during acceleration and deceleration.

The lubricant application could be carried out by

means of an automatic device or manually, both
methods are acceptable.

As a reference, if you are performing annual re-

lubrication, we suggest adding lubricant according
to the following table:

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IPH VALUE
TENSILE STRENGTH / ELONGATION TESTS
In tensile strength test benches, diameter reduction
1. Detailed and strict process under load and elongation is monitored.
control that includes:
CERTIFICATING OF TESTING
Elongation (mm)
• Metallographic properties (grain
0.0 17.3 34.5 51.8 69.1 86.3
size, metallographic structure, 10

inclusions, segregation). 8
• Mechanical properties (tensile

Tension (t)
6
strength, hardness, ductility, bending 4
fatigue, stretch, torsion). 2
• Chemical properties (chemical 0
composition, coating control, 0.00 0.81 1.61 2.42 3.23 4.03
Elongation (%)
lubricant content). Tension Setpoint (t): 10 Max Tension (t): 7
• Dimensional properties (diameter, Hold Time (s):
Initial Lenght (mm):
1
2000
Max Elongation (mm):
Max Elongation (%):
80
4
ovalization, density, length, mass, Ramp Time (s):
Load Rate (t/min):
60
10
Max Torque (Nm):
Min Torque (Nm):
----
----
helix preforming).
DIMENSIONAL
On: Dimensional controls are carried out during the
• Raw material whole manufacturing process assuring diameter
• Patented wire regularity.
• Drawn wire
• Strand
• Sisal core
• Rope

2. Traceability and certification.

3. Customized engineering
design.
4. Skilled staff.
5. Customer advice.

FATIGUE TESTS
Fatigue tests simulate real working conditions, which allow monitoring the quality of our ropes at all times.

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 HEADQUARTERS
Av. Arturo Illia 4001
B1663HRI – San Miguel
Buenos Aires – Argentina
T. (54.11) 4469-8100
F. (54.11) 4469-8101
[email protected]
[email protected]

BRASILIAN BRANCH
Rua Nova São Paulo 110
Refugio Dos Pinheiros
CEP 06696-100 – Itapevi – SP – Brasil
Tel/Fax: (55.11) 4774-7000
[email protected]
[email protected]

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