WearCheck’s Advanced Field Services Division (AFS) has expanded the company’s offering of highly specialised condition monitoring services. We will feature different AFS services in future issues of Monitor. Here, we discuss Rope Condition Assessment (RCA), where the integrity of steel rope cables is tested to OEM or international standards.

Why test ropes?

To ensure the required safety standards are met, the RCA division’s testing complies meticulously with the strict regulations set out in SANS 10293:1996 Code of Practice for Steel Wire Ropes, which states that , “Conservatism must prevail where the safety of people or the continuity of production is involved and great accuracy is not achievable. For the condition assessment operator, the most important issue is reliability of defect detection in terms of the prescribed standard. Sound knowledge and understanding of component behaviour under the given service conditions is indispensable to all parties concerned.’

The rope testing process

Paul Musgrove is WearCheck’s AFS operations manager. He outlines the testing process. ‘We use a standard set of instruments to test a variety of different cables. This includes a magnetic rope test instrument, which is affixed to the cable.

‘It magnetises the cable, feeds back information to an on-site computer, and detects anomalies such as corrosion, snapped wires, wear, plastic deformation and many other problems that can occur in cables.

‘We assess how much breaking strength has been lost in a cable which has been compromised. The anomalies are calculated and test results analysed, and we advise the rope maintenance team immediately where corrective action is needed.’

Non-destructive test methods are conducted on-site, so that perfectly healthy cables continue in their normal operation until an anomaly is detected.

How often should ropes be checked?

The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) has legislated the frequency for testing different cables. It is generally every 30 days, and not exceeding every 40 days. WearCheck’s engineers stick to a regular testing schedule of all the cables in their care.

Who uses RCA?

RCA is conducted largely in the mining industry, where double drum winders, chair lifts, elevators and other cabled components are regularly checked. The Table Mountain cable car ropes are also monitored by WearCheck.

Also, rope manufacturers rely on RCA as a means of ensuring compliance with quality specs during the quality assessment (QA) process in the production of new ropes.

Who can conduct RCA tests?

The process of qualifying as an RCA engineer is extremely rigorous to ensure that extreme safety measures are in place. There are currently only 12 people in South Africa who are qualified to conduct these tests, and seven of these technicians work at WearCheck.

The highly specialised certification process calls for an artisanal qualification, an N5 certificate, at least 18 months’ supervised work experience in the industry, and two written and practical exams which must be passed with a minimum of 75%.