Experimental investigation of mechanical response and fracture failure behavior of wire rope with different given surface wear

Wear is one of the primary factors for the degradation of the wire rope used for multi-layer winding hoist. It decreases the carrying capacity and service life of the hoisting rope, which will affect the mine safety directly. In this paper, the effects of the wear scars caused by sliding friction under different crossing angles and cross directions on the mechanical response of the wire rope were investigated through the breaking tensile test. Additionally, the fracture failure mechanism of the rope samples was discussed. Results show that the surface wear decreases the breaking force of the wire rope. The distribution of wear region and the maximum wear depth of the wear scar are the major influence factors on the mechanical properties of the rope. The variation range of the breaking force is larger for the rope with the wear scar under the sliding condition of right cross contact and the damage is more serious for that in the condition of left cross contact. There is obvious plastic deformation and temperature rise near the wear scar before the rope breaks. The fracture failure mechanism is ductile fracture with necking and dimples on the surface.