ISO/TC 96/SC 3 - Selection of ropes

This document gives guidance for the safe use of high-performance fibre ropes (HPFR) in crane applications. This document also covers winch applications. The mention of crane applications implicitly includes winch applications. This document covers performance criteria and the necessary evaluation to enable selection of HPFR as well as best practice guidelines on procedures, testing and maintenance to safely operate HPFR in crane applications including provisions for assembly/disassembly. The performance criteria are related to tasks performed when using cranes as intended, including assembly/disassembly, operation and required checks and maintenance. This document does not deal with so-called hybrid ropes which are a combination of steel wire and high-performance fibres, where the load bearing capability is shared between steel wires and the high-performance fibre. This document does not deal with HPFR used for high risk applications (e.g. transport of hot molten metal).

ISO 4309:2017 establishes general principles for the care and maintenance, and inspection and discard of steel wire ropes used on cranes and hoists. In addition to guidance on storage, handling, installation and maintenance, this document provides discard criteria for those running ropes which are subjected to multi-layer spooling, where both field experience and testing demonstrate that deterioration is significantly greater at the crossover zones on the drum than at any other section of rope in the system. It also provides more realistic discard criteria covering decreases in rope diameter and corrosion, and gives a method for assessing the combined effect of deterioration at any position in the rope. ISO 4309:2017 is applicable to those ropes used on the following types of cranes, the majority of which are defined in ISO 4306‑1: a) cable and portal cable cranes; b) cantilever cranes (pillar jib, wall or walking); c) deck cranes; d) derrick and guy derrick cranes; e) derrick cranes with rigid bracing; f) floating cranes; g) mobile cranes; h) overhead travelling cranes; i) portal or semi-portal bridge cranes; j) portal or semi-portal cranes; k) railway cranes; l) tower cranes; m) offshore cranes, i.e. cranes mounted on a fixed structure supported by the sea bed or on a floating unit supported by buoyancy forces. ISO 4309:2017 applies to rope on cranes, winches and hoists used for hook, grabbing, magnet, ladle, excavator or stacking duties, whether operated manually, electrically or hydraulically. It also applies to rope used on hoists and hoist blocks. NOTE In view of the fact that the exclusive use of synthetic sheaves or metal sheaves incorporating synthetic linings is not recommended when single-layer spooling at the drum, due to the inevitability of wire breaks occurring internally in large numbers before there is any visible evidence of any wire breaks or signs of substantial wear on the periphery of the rope, no discard criteria are given for this combination.

ISO 16625:2013 specifies the minimum practical design factors, Zp, for the various classifications of mechanism, rope types, rope duties and types of spooling and demonstrates how these are used in the determination of the minimum breaking force of the wire rope. It specifies the selection factors for drums and sheaves for the various classifications of mechanisms, rope types and rope duties and how these are used in the determination of the minimum practical diameters of drums and sheaves that work in association with the selected wire rope.

ISO 4309:2010 establishes general principles for the care and maintenance, and inspection and discard of steel wire ropes used on cranes and hoists. It is applicable to those ropes used on the following types of cranes, the majority of which are defined in ISO 4306‑1: cable and portal cable cranes; cantilever cranes (pillar jib, wall or walking); deck cranes; derrick and guy derrick cranes; derrick cranes with rigid bracing; floating cranes; mobile cranes; overhead travelling cranes; portal or semi-portal bridge cranes; portal or semi-portal cranes; railway cranes; tower cranes; offshore cranes.

ISO 4309:2004 details guidelines for the care, installation, maintenance and examination of wire rope in service on a crane, and enumerates the discard criteria to be applied to promote the safe use of the crane. ISO 4309:2004 is applicable to the following types of crane, as defined in ISO 4306-1: cable and portal cable cranes; cantilever cranes (pillar jib, wall or walking); deck cranes; derrick and guy derrick cranes; derrick cranes with rigid bracing; floating cranes; mobile cranes; overhead travelling cranes; portal or semi-portal bridge cranes; portal or semi-portal cranes; railway cranes; ISO 4309:2004 is applicable to cranes used for hook, grabbing, magnet, ladle, excavator or stacking duties, whether operated manually, mechanically, electrically or hydraulically. ISO 4309:2004 is also applicable to hoists and hoist blocks which use wire rope.

ISO 4308-1:2003 specifies two methods for the selection of wire rope to be used on lifting appliances as designated in ISO 4306-1, one based on the value of the rope selection factor C and the other based on the value of the coefficient of utilization Zp ISO 4308-1:2003 establishes the minimum requirements for acceptable strength and performance levels of wire ropes with respect to the design, application and maintenance of the lifting appliance. ISO 4308-1:2003 establishes the minimum requirements for the diameters of drums and sheaves that are to be associated with the selected wire rope.A non-exhaustive list of types of lifting appliance to which ISO 4308-1:2003 is applicable is given in Annex A. Annex B provides some examples of rope selection.Annex C gives factors, additional to those mentioned above, which may need consideration when selecting the wire rope.Annex D specifies the selection method for the diameter of the compensating sheave when used in relation to hoists.

Details the essential guidelines for examination of wire ropes in service on a lifting appliance and enumerates discard criteria relating to wire breaks, wear, corrosion and deformation which are to be applied to ensure the efficient and safe usage of the equipment.

Specifies two methods for the selection of wire rope to be used on the types of lifting appliances designated in ISO 4306-1, and which are listed in Annex A. Establishes minimum requirements for acceptable strength and performance levels with respect to design, application and maintenance of the appliance. One method is based on the value of rope selection factor C, and the other on the value of the coefficient of utilization Zp.