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ABRASION. Frictional surface wear on the wires of a wire rope.

ACCELERATION STRESS. The additional stress that is imposed on a wire rope as a result of an increase in the load velocity (see Deceleration Stress).

AGGREGATE AREA. See AREA, METALLIC.

AGGREGATE STRENGTH. The strength derived by totalling the individual breaking strengths of the elements of the strand or rope. This strength does not give recognition to the reduction in strength resulting from the angularity of the elements in the rope, or other factors that may affect efficiency.

AIRCRAFT CABLES. Strands, cords and wire rope made of special-strength wire, designed primarily for use in various aircraft industry applications.

ALBERTS LAY. See LAY, TYPES.

ALTERNATE LAY. See LAY, TYPES.

AREA, METALLIC. Sum of the cross-sectional areas of all the wires either in a wire rope or in a strand.


BACK-STAY. Wire rope or strand guy used to support a boom or mast; or that section of a main cable, as on a suspension bridge, cableway, etc., leading from the tower to the anchorage.

BAIL a) U-shaped member of a bucket, or b) U-shaped portion of a socket or other fitting used on wire rope.

BAILING LINE. In well drilling it is the wire rope that operates the bailer that removes water and drill cuttings.

BARNEY CAR. A relatively small car permanently attached to a haulage rope that pushes cars along a haulage system.

BASKET OF SOCKET. The conical portion of a socket into which a broomed-rope-end is inserted and then secured.

BECKET. An end attachment to facilitate wire rope installation.

BECKET LOOP. A loop of small rope or strand fastened to the end of a larger wire rope. Its function is to facilitate wire rope installation.

BENDING STRESS. Stress that is imposed on the wires of a strand or rope by a bending or curving action.

BICABLE. A term usually applied to a wire rope aerial tramway that has a fixed cable or strand to support the load, as well as, a traction or haul rope that moves the load about the system.

BIRDCAGE. A colloquialism descriptive of the appearance of a wire rope forced into compression. The outer strands form a cage and, at times, displace the core.

BLOCK. A term applied to a wire rope sheave (pulley) enclosed in side plates and fitted with some attachment such as a hook or shackle.

BOOM HOIST LINE. Wire rope that operates the boom hoist system of derricks, cranes, draglines, shovels, etc.

BOOM PENDANT. A non-operating rope or strand with end terminations to support the boom.

BREAKING STRENGTH. Breaking strength is the ultimate load which a tensile failure occurs in the sample of wire rope being tested. (Note: The term breaking strength is synonymous with actual strength.)

Minimum Acceptance Strength is that strength which is 2-1/ 2% lower than the catalog or nominal strength. This tolerance is used to offset variables that occur during sample preparation and actual physical test of a wire rope.

Nominal Strength is the published (catalog) strength calculated by a standard procedure that is accepted by the wire rope industry. The wire rope manufacturer designs wire rope to this strength and the user should consider this strength when making design calculations.

BRIDGE CABLE. (Structural Rope Strand). The all-metallic wire rope or strand used as the catenary and suspenders on a suspension bridge.

BRIDGE SOCKET. A wire rope or strand end termination made of forged cast steel that is designed with baskets having adjustable bolts for securing ends. There are two styles: 1) the closed type has a U-bolt with or without a bearing block in the U of the bolt, and 2) the open type has two eyebolts and a pin.

BRIDLE SLING. A multi-leg wire rope SLING.

BRIGHT ROPE. Wire rope fabricated from wires that are not coated.

BRONZE ROPE. Wire rope fabricated from bronze wires.

BULL WHEEL. A term applied to a large-diameter wire rope SHEAVE, e. g., the sheaves at the end of a ski lift.

BUTTON CONVEYOR ROPE. Wire rope to which buttons or discs are attached at regular intervals to move material as in trough.


CABLE. A term loosely applied to wire rope, wire strand and electrical conductors.

CABLE-LAID WIRE ROPE. A type of wire rope consisting of several wire ropes laid into a single wire rope (e.g., 6 x 42 (6 x 6 x 7) tiller rope).

CABLE TOOL DRILLING LINE. The wire rope used to operate the cutting tooIs in the cable tool drilling method (i.e., rope drilling).

CABLEWAY. Aerial conveying system or for transporting single loads along a suspended track cable.

CASING LINE. Wire rope used to install oil well casings.

CATENARY. A curve formed by a strand or wire rope when supported horizontally between two fixed points, e.g., the main spans on a suspension bridge.

CENTER. The axial member of a strand about which the wires are laid.

CHANGE OF LAYER POINT That point in the traverse of a rope across the face of the drum where it reaches the flange, reverses direction and begins forming the next layer. Also referred to as the drum cross-over or TURN-BACK POINT.


CHOKER ROPE. A short wire rope, e.g., sling that forms a slip noose around an object that is to be moved or lifted.

CIRCUMFERENCE. Measured perimeter of a circle that circumscribes either the wires of a strand or the strands of a wire rope.

CLAMPS, STRAND. A fitting for forming a loop at the end of a length of strand consisting of two grooved plates and bolts.

CLASSIFICATION. Group or family designation based on wire rope constructions with common strengths and weights listed under the broad designation.

CLEANING OUT LINE. Wire rope used in conjunction with tools that are used to clean an oil well.

CLEVIS. See SHACKLE.

CLIP. Fitting for clamping two parts of wire rope to each other.

CLOSED SOCKET. A wire rope end termination consisting of basket and bail made integral.

CLOSER. A machine that lays strands around a core to form rope.

CLOSING LINE. Wire rope that performs two functions: closes a clamshell or orange peel bucket, and 2) operates as a hoisting rope.

COARSE LAID ROPE. Term generally used in oil fields to designate a 6 x 7 wire rope.

COIL. Circular bundle or package of wire rope that is not affixed to a reel.

COME ALONG. Device for making a temporary grip on a wire rope.

CONICAL DRUM. Grooved hoisting drum with a varying diameter. See DRUM.

CONSTRUCTION. Geometric design description of the wire rope’s cross section. This includes the number of STRANDS, the number of WIRES per strand and the pattern of wire arrangement in each STRAND.

CONSTRUCTIONAL STRETCH. The stretch that occurs when the rope is loaded. It is due to the helically laid wires and strands creating a constricting action that compresses the core and generally brings all of the rope’s elements into close contact.

CONTINUOUS BEND. Reeving of wire rope over sheaves and drums so that it bends in one direction, as opposed to REVERSE BEND.

CONVEYOR ROPE. Endless wire rope used to carry material.See BUTTON CONVEYOR ROPE.

CORD. Term applied to small diameter specialty wire rope or strand.

CORE. The axial member of a wire rope about which the strands are laid.

CORING LINE. Wire rope used to operate the coring tool that is used to take core samples during oil well drilling.

CORROSION. Chemical decomposition of the wires in a rope through the action of moisture, acids, alkalines or other destructive agents.

CORROSION RESISTING STEEL. Chrome-nickel steel alloys designed for increased resistance to corrosion.

CORRUGATED. Term used to describe the grooves of a SHEAVE or DRUM after these have been worn down to a point where they show an impression of wire rope.

COTTON CENTER. See FIBER CENTER.

COTTON CORE. See FIBER CORE.

COUPLING. Device for joining the end of two lengths of track cable.

COVER WIRES. Outer layer of wire

CRACKER. Manila rope spliced or otherwise attached to the end of a wire drilling line.

CREEP. The unique movement of a wire rope with respect to a drum surface or sheave surface resulting from the asymmetrical load between one side of the sheave (drum) and the other. It is not dissimilar to the action of a caterpillar moving over a flat surface. It should be distinguished from slip which is yet and the type of relative movement between rope and the sheave or drum surface.

CRITICAL DIAMETER. For any given wire rope, it is the diameter of the smallest bend that permits both wires and strands to adjust themselves by relative movement while retaining their normal cross section position.

CROSS LAY. See LAY, TYPES.

CROWD ROPE. A wire rope used to drive or force a power shovel bucket the material that is to be handled.

CYLINDRICAL DRUM. A hoisting drum of uniform diameter. See DRUM.

DEAD-LINE. In drilling, it is the end of the rotary drilling line fastened to the anchor or dead-line clamp.

DECELERATION STRESS. The additional stress that is imposed on a wire rope as a result of a decrease in the load velocity. See ACCELERATION STRESS.

DEFLECTION. a) The sag of a rope in a span. Usually measured at mid-span as the depth from the chord joining the tops of the two supports. b) Any deviation from a ends straight line.

DESIGN FACTOR. In a wire rope, it is the ratio of the nominal strength to the working load.

DIAMETER. A line segment which passes through the center of a circle and whose end points lie on the circle. As related to wire rope it would be the diameter of a circle which circumscribes the wire rope.

DOG-LEG. Permanent bend or kink in a wire rope caused by improper use or handling.

DRAGLINE. a) Wire rope used for pulling excavating or drag buckets, and b) name applied to a specific type of excavator.



DRILLING LINE. See CABLE TOOL, DRILLING LINE and ROTARY DRILLING LINE.

DRUM. A cylindrical barrel, either of uniform or tapering diameter, on which rope is wound either for operation or storage; its surface may be smooth or grooved.

EFFICIENCY (ROPE). Ratio of a wire rope’s actual breaking strength and the aggregate strength of all individual wires—usually expressed as a percentage.

ELASTIC LIMIT. Stress limit above which permanent deformation will take place within the material.

ELLIPTIC SPOOL. An endless-rope drum with a face in the shape of an elliptic arc.

ELONGATION. See STRETCH.

END PREPARATION. The treatment of the end of a length of wire rope designed primarily as an aid for pulling the rope through a reeving system or tight drum opening. Unlike END TERMINATIONS, these are not designed for use as a method for making a permanent connection.

END TERMINATION.. The treatment at the end or ends of a length of wire rope, usually made by forming an eye or attaching a fitting and designed to be the permanent end termination on the wire rope that connects it to the load.

ENDLESS ROPE. Rope with ends spliced together to form a single continuous loop.

EQUALIZING SHEAVE. The sheave at the center of a rope system over which no rope movement occurs other than equalizing movement. It is frequently overlooked during crane inspections, with disasterous consequences. It can be a source of severe degradation.

EQUALIZING SLINGS. Multiple-leg slings composed of wire rope and fittings that are designed to help distribute the load equally. See SLING.

EQUALIZING THIMBLES. Special type of load-distributing fitting used as a component of certain wire rope slings.

EXTRA-EXTRA IMPROVED PLOW. A specific grade of wire rope.

EXTRA FLEXIBLE WIRE ROPE. An ambiguous and archaic term sometimes applied to describe wire ropes in the 8 x 19 class and 6 x 36 class. The term is so indefinite as to be meaningless and is in disfavor today.

EXTRA HIGH-STRENGTH STRAND. A grade of galvanized strand.

EXTRA IMPROVED PLOW STEEL ROPE. A specific grade of wire rope.

EYE OR EYE SPLICE. A loop with or without a thimble, formed at the end of a wire rope.

FACTOR OF SAFETY. In the wire rope industry, this term was originally used to express the ratio of nominal strength to the total working load. The term is no longer used since it implies a permanent existence for this ratio when, in actuality, the rope strength begins to reduce the moment it is placed in service. See DESIGN FACTOR.

FATIGUE. As applied to wire rope, the term usually refers to the process of progressive fracture resulting from the bending of individual wires. These fractures may and usually do occur at bending stresses well below the ultimate strength of the material; it is not an abnormality although it may be accelerated due to conditions in the rope such as rust or lack of lubrication.

FERRULE. A metallic button, usually cylindrical in shape, normally fastened to a wire rope by swaging but sometimes by spelter socketing.

FERRY ROPE. Refers to wire rope that is suspended over water for the purpose of guiding a boat.

FIBER CENTER. Core or rope of vegetable or synthetic fiber used as the axial member of a strand.

FIBER CORE. Cord or rope of vegetable: or synthetic fiber used as the axial member of a rope.

FILLER WIRE. Small spacer wires within a strand which help position and support other wires. Also the name for type of strand pattern utilizing filler wire.

FITTING. Any functional accessory attached to a wire rope.

FLAG. Marker placed on a rope so as to locate the load position.

FLAT ROPE. Wire rope that is made of a series of parallel, alternating right-lay and left-lay ropes, sewn together with relatively soft wires.

FLATTENED STRAND ROPE. Wire rope that is made either of oval or triangular shaped strands in order to form a flattened rope surface.

FLEET ANGLE. That angle between rope’s position at the extreme end wrap of drum and a line drawn perpendicular to the axis of the drum through the center of the nearest fixed sheave. See DRUM SHEAVE.

FLEXIBLE WIRE ROPE. An archaic and imprecise term to differentiate one rope construction from another; such as 6 x 7 (least flexible) and 6 x 19 classification (somewhat more flexible).

GALVANIZED. Zinc coating for corrosion resistance.

GALVANIZED ROPE. Wire rope made up of galvanized wire.

GALVANIZED STRAND. Strand made up of galvanized wire.

GALVANIZED WIRE. Zinc coated wire.

GRADE. Wire rope or strand classification by strength and/ or type of material, i.e., Improved Plow Steel, Type 302 Stainless, Phosphor Bronze, etc. It does not imply a strength of the basic wire used to meet the rope’s nominal strength.

GRADES, ROPE. Classification of wire rope by the wire’s metallic composition and the rope’s nominal strength.

GRADES, STRAND. Classification of strand by the wire’s metallic composition and the strand’s nominal strength. In



the order of increasing nominal strengths, the grades are Common, Siemens Martin, High-Strength and Extra-high Strength. A Utilities grade is also made to meet special requirements and its strength is usually greater than High Strength.

GRAIN SHOVEL ROPE. 6 x 19 Marline clad rope used for handling grain in scoops.

GROMMET. An endless circle or ring of fabricated wire rope from one continuous length of strand or rope.

GROOVED DRUM. Drum with a grooved surface that accommodates the rope and guides it for proper winding.

GROOVES. Depressions-helical or parallel-in the surface of a sheave or drum that are shaped to position and support the rope.

GUY LINE. Strand or rope, usually galvanized, for stabilizing or maintaining a structure in fixed position.


HAULAGE ROPE. Wire rope used for pulling movable devices such as cars that roll on a track.

HAWSER. Wire rope, usually galvanized, used for towing or mooring marine vessels.

HIGH-STRENGTH STRAND. Grade of galvanized strand. HOLDING LINE. Wire rope on a clamshell or orange peel bucket that suspends the bucket while the closing line is released to dump its load.

IDLER. Sheave or roller used to guide or support a rope. See SHEAVE.

IMPROVED PLOW STEEL ROPE. A specific grade of wire rope.

INCLINE ROPE. Rope used in the operation of cars on an inclined haulage.

INDEPENDENT WIRE ROPE CORE (IWRC). A wire rope used as the axial member of a larger wire rope.

INNER WIRES. All wires of a strand except the outer or cover wires.

INTERNALLY LUBRICATED. Wire rope or strand having all of its wire components coated with lubricants.

IRONING. See MILKING.

IRON ROPE. A specific grade of wire rope.

IWRC. See INDEPENDENT WIRE ROPE CORE.


KINK. A unique deformation of a wire rope caused by a loop of rope being pulled down tight. It represents irrepairable damage to and an indeterminate loss of strength in the rope.


LAGGING. a) External wood covering on a reel to protect the wire rope or strand, or b) the grooved shell of a drum.

LANG LAY ROPE. See LAY, TYPES.

LAY. a) The manner in which the wires in a strand or the strands in a rope are helically laid, or b) the distance measured parallel to the axis of the rope (or strand) in which a strand (or wire) makes one complete helical convolution about the core (or center). In this connection, lay is also referred to as LAY LENGTH or PITCH.

LAY, TYPES.

1) Right Lay: The direction of strand or wire helix corresponding to that of a right hand screw thread.

2) Left Lay: The direction of strand or wire helix corresponding to that of a left hand screw thread.

3) Cross Lay: Rope or strand in which one or more operations are performed in opposite directions. A multiple operation product is described according to the direction of the outside layer.

4) Regular Lay: The type of rope wherein the lay of the wires in the strand is in the opposite direction to the lay of the strand in the rope. The crowns of the wires appear to be parallel to the axis of the rope.

5) Lang Lay: The type of rope in which the lay of the wires in the strand is in the same direction as the lay of the strand in the rope. The crowns of the wires appear to be at an angle to the axis of the rope.

6) Alternate Lay: Lay of a wire rope in which the strands are alternately regular and lang lay.

7) Alberts Lay: An old, rarely used term for lang lay.

8) Reverse Lay: Another term for alternate lay.

9) Spring Lay: This is not definable as unique lay; more properly, it refers to a specific wire rope construction.

LAY LENGTH. See LAY (b).

LEAD LINE. That part of a rope tackle leading from the first, or fast, sheave to the drum. See DRUM and SHEAVE.

LEFT LAY. See LAY, TYPES.

LINE. Synonymous term for WIRE ROPE.

LOCKED COIL STRAND. Smooth-surfaced strand ordinarily constructed c-shaped, outer wires arranged in layers around a center of round wires.

LOOP. A 360° change of direction in the course of a wire rope which when pulled down tight will result in a kink. See EYE and EYE SPLICE.


MARLINE. A pre-lubricated fiber material.

MARLINE-CLAD ROPE. Rope with individual strands spirally wrapped with Marline.

MARLINE SPIKE. Tapered steel pin used as a tool for splicing wire rope.

MARTENSITE. A brittle micro-constituent of steel formed when the steel heated above its critical temperature and rapidly quenched. This occurs in wire rope as a result of frictional heating and the mass cooling effect of the cold met beneath. Martensite cracks very easily and such cracks can propagate from the surface through the entire wire.

MESSENGER STRAND. Galvanized strand used as support for telephone an electrical cables.

METALLIC CORES. See WIRE STRAND CORE and INDEPENDENT WIRE ROPE CORE.

MILD PLOW STEEL. A specific grade of wire rope.

MILKING. Sometimes called IRONING, it is the progres



sive movement of strands along the axis of the rope, resulting from the rope’s movement through a restricted passage such as a tight sheave.

MODULUS OF ELASTICITY. Mathematical quantity expressing the ratio, within the elastic limit, between a definite range of unit stress on a wire rope and the corresponding unit elongation.

MONOCABLE. A term usually applied to the wire rope conveyance designed with a led single wire rope that not only supports the load but conveys it as well.

MOORING LINES. Galvanized wire rope, usually 6 x 12, 6 x 24 or 6 x 3 x 19 spring lay for holding ships to dock.


NON-PREFORMED. Rope or strand that is not preformed. See PREFORMED STRANDS and PREFORMED ROPE.

NON-ROTATING WIRE ROPE. Term, now abandoned, referring to 19 x 7 or 18 x 7 rope. See ROTATION RESISTANT ROPE.

NON-SPINNING WIRE ROPE. See ROTATION RESISTANT ROPE.

OPEN SOCKET. A wire rope fitting that consists of a basket and two ears with a pin. See FITTING.

OUTER WIRES. See COVER WIRES.


PEENING. Permanent distortion resulting from cold plastic metal deformation of the outer wires. Usually caused by pounding against a sheave or machine member or by heavy operating pressure between rope and sheave, rope and drum or rope and adjacent wrap of rope.

PITCH. See LAY (b).

PLOW STEEL ROPE. A specific grade of wire rope.

PREFORMED STRANDS Strand in which the wires are permanently formed during fabrication into the helical shape they will assume in the strand.

PREFORMED WIRE ROPE. Wire rope in which the strands are permanently formed during fabrication into the helical shape they will assume in the wire rope.

PRESSED FITTINGS. Fittings attached by means of cold forming on the wire rope.

PRESTRESSING. An incorrect reference to PRESTRETCHING.

PRESTRETCHING. Subjecting a wire rope or strand to tension prior to its intended application for an extent and over a period of time sufficient to remove most of the CONSTRUCTIONAL STRETCH.

PROPORTIONAL LIMIT. As used in the rope industry, this term has virtually the same meaning as ELASTIC LIMIT. It is the end of the load versus elongation relationship at which an increase in load no longer produces a proportional increase in elongation and from which point recovery to the rope’s original length is unlikely.


RATED CAPACITY. The load which a new wire or wire sling

may handle under given operating conditions and at an assumed DESIGN FACTOR.

REEL. A flanged spool on which wire rope or strand is wound for storage or shipment.

REEVE. To pass a rope through a hole or around a system of sheaves.

REGULAR LAY ROPE. See LAY, TYPES.

RESERVE STRENGTH. The strength of a rope exclusive of the outer wires.

REVERSE BEND. Reeving a wire rope over sheaves and drums so that it bends in opposing directions. See REEVE.

REVERSE LAY. See LAY, TYPES.

RIGHT LAY. See LAY, TYPES.

ROLLERS. Relatively small-diameter cylinders or widefaced sheaves that serve as support for ropes.

ROTARY DRILL LINE. On a rotary drilling rig, it is the wire rope used for raising and lowering the drill pipe, as well as, for controlling its position.

ROTATION-RESISTANT ROPE. A wire rope consisting of an inner layer of strand laid in one direction covered by a layer of strand laid in the opposite direction. This has the effect of counteracting torque by reducing the tendency of finished rope to rotate.

ROUND-WIRE TRACK STRAND. Strand composed of concentric layers of round WIRES, used as TRACK CABLE, sometimes called SMOOTH-COIL TRACK STRAND.

RUNNING ROPE. Term used to describe 6 x 12 wire rope.


SAFETY FACTOR. See DESIGN FACTOR.

SAFE WORKING LOAD. This term is potentially misleading and is, therefore, in disfavor. Essentially, it refers to that portion of the nominal rope strength that can be applied either to move or sustain a load. It is misleading because it is only valid when the rope is new and equipment is in good condition. See RATED CAPACITY.

SAG. See DEFLECTION.

SAND LINE. See BAILING LINE.

SASH CORD. Small, 6 x 7 wire ropes, commonly made of iron wires, are referred to by this term.

SEALE. The name for a type of strand pattern that has two adjacent layers laid in one operation with any number of uniform-sized wires in the outer layer and with the same number of uniform but smaller size wires in the inner layer.

SEIZE. To make a secure binding at the end of a wire rope or strand with SEIZING WIRE or SEIZING STRAND.

SEIZING STRAND. Small diameter STRAND usually made up of 7 wires.

SEIZING WIRE. A wire for seizing. See SEIZE.

SERVE. To cover the surface of a wire rope or strand with a fiber cord or wire wrapping.

SEWING WIRES. See FLAT ROPE.

SHACKLE. A “U” or anchor-shaped fitting with pin.



SHEAVE. A grooved pulley for wire rope.

SIEMENS-MARTIN STRAND. A grade of galvanized strand.

SLING, WIRE ROPE. An assembly fabricated for WIRE ROPE which connects the load to the lifting device.

SLING, BRAIDED. A flexible sling, the body of which is made up of two or more WIRE ROPES braided together. See SLINGS.

SMOOTH-COIL TRACK STRAND. Strand composed of concentric layers of round WIRES, used as track cable, more commonly called ROUND WIRE TRACK STRAND.

SMOOTH-FACED DRUM. Drum with a plain, ungrooved surface. See DRUM.

SOCKET. Generic name for a type of lid in wire rope fitting. See BRIDGE SOCKETS, CLOSED SOCKETS, OPEN SOCKETS and WEDGE SOCKETS.

SPECIAL FLEXIBLE WIRE ROPE. Term sometimes used to describe 6 x 36 classification wire rope.

SPIN RESISTANT. An abandoned term referring to a ROTATION- RESISTANT rope of the 8 x 19 classification.

SPIRAL GROOVE. A continuous helical groove that follows a path on and around a drum face, similar to a screw thread. See DRUM.

SPLICING. 1) Making a loop or eye in the end of a rope by tucking the ends of the strands back into the main body of the rope. 2) Formation of loops or eyes in a rope by means of mechanical attachments pressed onto the rope. 3) Joining of two rope ends so as to form a long or short splice in pieces of rope.

SPRING LAY. See LAY, TYPES.

STAINLESS STEEL ROPE. Wire rope made up of corrosion resistant steel wires.

STANDING ROPE. See GUY LINE.

STIRRUP. The eyebolt attachment on a bridge socket. See SOCKET.

STONE SAWING STRAND. A 2-wire or 3-wire strand used in stone and slate quarrying operations.

STONE SAWING WIRE. A shaped and twisted wire used in stone and slate quarrying operations.

STRAND. A plurality of round or shaped wires helically laid about an axis.

STRAND CENTER. See CENTERS.

STRAND CORE. See WIRE STRAND CORE.

STRANDER. A machine that lays wires together helically to form a strand.

STRESS. The force or resistance within any solid body against alteration of form; in the case of a solid wire it would be the load on the rope divided by the cross-section area of the wire.

STRETCH. The elongation of a wire rope under load.

SWAB LINE. See CLEANING OUT LINE.

SWAGED FITTING. Fitting in two which wire rope can be inserted and then permanently attached by cold pressing (swaging) the shank that enclosed the rope.


TAG LINE. A small wire rope used to prevent rotation of a load.

TAPERED DRUM. See CONICAL DRUM.

TAPERING AND WELDING. Reducing the diameter of a wire rope at its end and then welding the wires so as to facilitate reeving. See END PREPARATION.

THIMBLE. Grooved metal fitting to protect the eye or fastening loop of a wire rope.

TILLER ROPE. A highly flexible rope constructed by cablelaying six 6 x 7 ropes around a fiber core.

TINNED WIRE. Wire that is coated with tin. See WIRE.

TRACK CABLE. On an aerial conveyor it is the suspended wire rope or strand along which the carriers move.

TRACTION ROPE. On an aerial conveyor or haulage system, it is the wire rope that propels the carriages.

TRACTION STEEL ROPE. A specific grade of wire rope.

TRAMWAY. An aerial conveying system for transporting multiple loads.

TURN. Synonymous with the term WRAP; it signifies a single wrap around a drum.

TURN BACK POINT. See CHANGE OF LAYER.


WARRINGTON. The name for a type of strand pattern that is characterized by having one of its wire layers (usually the outer) made up of an arrangement of alternately large and small wires.