Care, Inspection & Retirement

9Wire Rope especially for Hoisting lines

9.1 Care and Store Instructions

9.1.1 Wrapping & Storage
When the hoisting lines are wrapped, the diameter of the winding drum shall not be less than 20 times
the diameter of the rope;
When reeled or released, the wire line should be avoid kinks, bends and impacts.
Ropes should be stored in the dry and well-ventilated environment, to prevent corrosion, and the
erosion of harmful gas, etc.

9.1.2 Protection
There should be lubricating grease on the wire rope surface all the time to prevent corrosion;
When the rig is working, protective articles between the ropes and the steel construction such as mast
and substructure would be necessary for avoiding damage happened in rig vibration;

9.2 Inspection

9.2.1 Daily Visual Inspections

All hoisting lines should be visually inspected at least once each day when in use, as is suggested by
American Petroleum Institute (API) RP54 guide-lines.
These are done daily prior to operating the equipment. They are to detect obvious signs of deterioration,
significant changes in the wire ropes condition, to observe areas that have previously been identified as
approaching removal criteria and to verify proper rope reeving and spooling on the drum. This is typically an
inspection by the equipment operator at the beginning of the each shift and is recorded on a checklist as
completed.

9.2.2 Monthly Inspections

Hoisting lines should be thoroughly inspected once each month and a record made of the monthly
inspection.
These are much more detailed and are of the active length of the rope (rope that experiences tension).
They are to detect progression of normal wire rope wear as well as locating areas of damage or abuse in the
wire rope. These will include measurements of the ropes diameter, counting of broken wires in the area of
heaviest concentration, examining the wire rope at expected wear locations, looking for damage to the wire
rope structure and checking for corrosion. The signed, dated inspection report for this inspection is to be filed
with the equipments maintenance records.
When a rig is moved to a new location, a monthly inspection shall be done on all wire ropes
immediately prior to the rig being placed in service. With the tear down, transportation and subsequent
reinstallation of wire ropes on a rig there are many opportunities for wire rope to be damaged or improperly
installed, thus necessitating the detailed inspection of the wire ropes.

9.2.3 Annual Inspections

They are conducted by an outside third party inspection firm and may be required in some applications
or by regulatory bodies. The inspection report from the third party inspection firm is to be filed with the
equipments maintenance records.

9.3 Removal Criteria

The removal criteria for many applications is specified in regulations for the application and can include
consideration for type of application, design factor used and consequences of failure.
Reduction 5 % or more from the wire ropes nominal diameter.

9.3.1 when to replace running ropes due to broken wires

Wire ropes used as running ropes other than sand lines should be removed from service when broken
wires meet any of the following criteria:
For six- and eight-strand constructions, replace when you see six randomly distributed broken
wires within one lay length, or three broken wires in one strand within one lay length.
For rotation-resistant constructions, replace when you see two randomly distributed broken wires
in six rope diameters or four randomly distributed broken wires in 30 rope diameters.
Sand lines should be removed from service when you see three broken wires within one lay length.

9.3.2 other reasons to replace ropes

Broken wires are only way wire ropes wear out. Other conditions for removal of wire rope from service
are:
Corrosion that pits the wires.
Corroded wires at end connections.

9.3.3 hoisting lines

The recommendation is as follows:
Replace after raising the mast for 5 times
Replace when 5% or more reduction from the wire ropes nominal diameter
When the ropes are used or stored for two years, replace them or carry out tension test before use.

For additional information and requirements, please refer to the latest edition of:
API RP 2D: Recommended Practice for Operation and Maintenance of Offshore Cranes
API RP 9B: Recommended Practice on Application, Care and Use of Wire Rope for Oilfield Service
API RP 54: Recommended Practices for Occupational Safety for Oil and Gas Well Drilling and
Servicing Operations
ASME B30.5: Mobile and Locomotive Cranes (crane rope removal criteria)