Automated Condition Monitoring with Remaining Lifetime Assessment for Wire Ropes in Ladle Cranes

The hazards and deterioration of operating wire ropes on overhead cranes, which articulate the ladle in the basic oxygen steelmaking process and are subjected to intensive periodic loads and exposure to high temperatures, are discussed. An automated condition monitoring system (ACMS) based on a magnetic flux leakage testing (MFL) flaw detector permanently installed on the rope under test is used. An algorithm of the rope’s residual tensile strength assessment is provided. A specially developed software that submits a decision on the rope’s condition to the crane operator is described. The practice of combining magnetic rope testing (MRT) and tensile strength analysis for the quantitative assessment of rope condition is reviewed. Practical issues are also discussed, such as how to establish the condition monitoring process, set loss thresholds for rope metallic cross-sectional area, and safely prolong the service life of rope.