The invention of wire rope

Steel wire rope is a kind of cable which is formed by many strands of metal wire through spiral twisting. It was invented by Wilhelm Albert, a German mining engineer, and was used in coal mines in Lower Saxony at that time. At that time, Wilheim Albert used four wire ropes in one strand and three strands together to lift heavy objects in the mine.

Later, engineers from all over the world made a lot of improvements on the steel wire rope, such as adding the rope core, treating the steel wire surface, and improving the winding method. Now, each country takes the steel wire rope as the standard product, and specifies the specific parameters of different uses and specifications of steel wire rope.

The main uses of wire rope include the transmission of crane, elevator and other mechanical forces. In addition, they can be used to support structures, such as cables for suspension bridges.

According to Guinness records, a heavy wire rope in the world today was made by a company called Redaelli in 2013. It is 4008m long, 152mm in diameter, and the total weight reaches 438 tons. The drum used to roll up the wire rope is 7.5 meters wide. The wire rope was used on a deep-sea drilling vessel.