Steel Rope.

As there is a winch system within our crane, we shall have to use a strong type of steel rope, to hoist our load. We have previously stated we shall be using stainless steel. As it is a 'rope' we cannot just buy steel in a rope form. Instead, to achieve these desired results, a special blend of steel is produced, giving it strength, and ductility. When this is made, several of these rolls, or strands, are woven together, around a typically steel core, to produce one large 'rope'. By doing this, it enables the user to have extra support.

Ropes are favoured now due to chains. This is due to the fact they have a higher reliabililty compared to metal chains. Flaws in chains can lead to disaster, i.e. a dropping of the load. With wires however, the flaws do not make much of an impact.
The flexibililty of the rope is critical in our crane. The rope can then be wound around a cylindrical barrel, to lift a load, and unwound to put down a load.






















Above, we can see the wires, which are bonded together to form a strand, which is wound together with other strands to form the rope.