Halo, LLC - Inspection

Halo Inspection Services, LLC.

We have experienced level II & III certified rigging & gear inspectors available to inspect any wire rope, chain, or synthetic rigging in need of inspection; in addition, we offer in-service inspection of mooring hardware, both dockside and offshore.

INSPECTOR

	Inspector Jacob Bailey Credentials

Call us at 504.267.3416 if you are interested in our inspection services, and check back often for updates to our services.

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In order to keep you SAFE, we offer this general guideline detailing signs of wear and abuse to wire rope. If you see any of these signs alert your supervisor to see if it needs to be removed from service.

What to Look For:

Here's what happens when a wire breaks under tensile load exceeding its strength. It's typically recognized by the "cup and cone" appearance at the point of failure. The necking down of the wire at the point of failure to form the cup and cone indicates failure has occurred while the wire retained its ductility.

This is a wire with a distinct fatigue break. It's recognized by the square end perpendicular to the wire. This break was produced by a torsion machine that's used to measure the ductility. This break is similar to wire failures in the field caused by fatigue.

A wire rope that has been subjected to repeated bending over sheaves under normal loads. This results in fatigue breaks in individual wires -- these breaks are square and usually in the crown of the strands.

An example of fatigue failure of a wire rope subjected to heavy loads over small sheaves. The breaks in the valleys of the strands are caused by "strand nicking." There may be crown breaks, too.

Here you see a single strand removed from a wire rope subjected to "strand nicking." This condition is a result of adjacent strands rubbing against one another. While this is normal in a rope's operation, the nicking can be accentuated by high loads, small sheaves or loss of core support. The ultimate result will be individual wire breaks in the valleys of the strands.

Wear / Abuse

A "birdcage" is caused by sudden release of tension and the resulting rebound of rope. These strands and wires will not be returned to their original positions. The rope should be replaced immediately.

A typical failure of a rotary drill line with a poor cutoff practice. These wires have been subjected to continued peening, causing fatigue type failures. A predetermined, regularly scheduled cutoff practice can help eliminate this type of problem.

This is localized wear over an equalized sheave. The danger here is that it's invisible during the rope's operation, and that's why you need to inspect this portion of an operating rope regularly. The rope should be pulled off the sheave during inspection and bent to check for broken wires.

This is a wire rope with a high strand -- a condition in which one or more strands are worn before adjoining strands. This is caused by improper socketing or seizing, kinks or dog-legs. It recurs every sixth strand in a 6 strand rope.

A kinked wire rope is shown here. It's caused by pulling down a loop in a slack line during handling, installation or operation. Note the distortion of the strands and individual wires. This rope must be replaced.

Here's a wire rope that has jumped a sheave. The rope "curled"as it went over the edge of the sheave. When you study the wires, you'll see two types of breaks here: tensile "cup and cone" breaks and shear breaks that appear to have been cut on an angle.

Drum crushing is caused by small drums, high loads and multiple winding conditions.

Inspection Requirements and Removal Criteria

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS AND INSPECTION CRITERIA FOR SLINGS

Safe operating practices (OSHA 1910.184) - Whenever any sling is used the following practices shall be observed:

1. Slings that are damaged or defective shall not be used.
2. Slings shall not be shortened with knots or bolts or other makeshift devices.
3. Sling legs shall not be kinked.
4. Slings shall not be loaded in excess of their rated capacities.
5. Slings used in a basket hitch shall have the loads balanced to prevent slippage.
6. Slings shall be securely attached to their loads.
7. Slings shall be padded or protected from the sharp edges of their loads.
8. Suspended loads shall be kept clear of all obstructions.
9. All employees shall be kept clear of loads about to be lifted and of suspended loads.
10. Hands or fingers shall not be placed between the sling and its load while the sling is being tightened around the load.
11 Shock loading is prohibited.
12. A sling shall not be pulled from under a load when the load is resting on the sling.

Inspections - Each day before being used, the sling and all fastenings and attachments shall be inspected for damage or defects by a competent person designated by the employer. Additional inspections shall be performed during sling use where service conditions warrant. Damaged or defective slings shall be immediately removed from service.

REMOVAL CRITERIA

Wire Rope Slings (ASME B30.9) - A wire rope sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1.Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Broken Wires:
     *For strand-laid and single-part slings, ten randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay, or
      five broken wires in one stand in one rope lay.
     *For cable-laid slings, 20 broken wires per lay.
     *For six-part braided slings, 20 broken wires per braid
     *For eight-part braided slings, 40 broken wires per braid.
3. Severe localized abrasion or scraping.
4. Kinking, crushing, bird caging, or any other damage resulting in damage to the rope structure.
5. Evidence of heat damage
6. End attachments that are cracked, deformed, or worn to the extent that the strength of the sling is substantially affected.
7. Severe corrosion of the rope, end attachments, or fittings.
8. For hooks, removal criteria at stated in ASME B30.10.
9. Other conditions, including visible damage, that cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

Nylon Web Slings (ASME B30.9) - A synthetic web sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Acid or caustic burns.
3. Melting or charring of any part of the sling.
4. Holes, tears, cuts, or snags.
5. Broken or worn stitching in load bearing splices.
6. Excessive abrasive wear.
7. Knots in any part of the sling.
8. Discoloration and brittle or stiff areas on any part of the sling, which may mean chemical or ultraviolet/sunlight damage.
9. Fitting that are pitted, corroded, cracked, bent, twisted, gouged, or broken.
10. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10
11. Other conditions, including visible damage, that cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

Polyester Round Slings (ASME B30.9) - A synthetic round sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1.Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Acid or caustic burns.
3. Evidence of heat damage.
4. Holes, tears, cuts, abrasive wear, or snags that expose the core yarns.
5. Broken or damaged core yarns.
6. Weld splatter that exposes core yarns.
7. Round slings that are knotted.
8. Discoloration and brittle or stiff areas on any part of the slings, which may mean chemical or ultraviolet/sunlight damage.
9. Fitting that are pitted, corroded, cracked, bent twisted, gouged, or broken.
10. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10
11. Other conditions, including visible damage, that cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

Alloy Steel Chain Slings(ASME B30.9) - An alloy steel chain sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Cracks or breaks
3. Excessive wear, nicks, or gouges.
4. Stretched chain links or components
5. Bent, twisted, or deformed chain links or components.
6. Evidence of heat damage.
7. Excessive pitting or corrosion.
8. Lack of ability of chain or components to hinge (articulate) freely.
9. Weld splatter.
10. For hooks, removal criteria as stated in ASME B30.10
11. Other conditions, including visible damage, that cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

Wire Mesh Slings (ASME B30.9) - A metal mesh sling shall be removed from service if conditions such as the following are present:

1. Missing or illegible sling identification.
2. Broken weld or a broken brazed joint along the sling edge
3. Broken wire in any part of the mesh.
4. Reduction in wire diameter of 25% due to abrasion or 15% due to corrosion.
5. Lack of flexibility due to distortion of the mesh.
6. Distortion of the choker fitting so the depth of the slot is increased by more that 10%
7. Distortion of either end fitting so the width of the eye opening is decreased by more than 10%
8. A 15% reduction of the original cross-sectional area of any point around the hook opening of the end fitting.
9. Visible distortion of either end fitting out of its plane.
10. Cracked end fitting.
11. Slings in which the spirals are locked or without free articulation shall not be used.
12. Fitting that are pitted, corroded, cracked, bent, twisted, gouged, or broken.
13. Other conditions, including visible damage, that cause doubt as to the continued use of the sling.

For additional information, please refer to the OSHA and ASME standards.

			# OF BROKEN WIRES IN RUNNING ROPES			# OF BROKEN WIRES IN STANDING ROPES
Standard	Equipment		In one rope lay	In one strand	At end connection	In one rope lay	At end connection
ASME/B30.2	Overhead & gantry cranes		12**	4	N/S	Not Specified
ASME/B30.4	Portal, tower, & pillar cranes		6**	3	2	3	2
ASME/B30.5	Mobile & locomotive cranes	Running ropes	6**	3	2	3	2
ASME/B30.5	Mobile & locomotive cranes	Rotation-resistant ropes	2 randomly distributed broken wires in 6 rope dia.or 4 randomly distributed broken wires in 30 rope dia. **
ASME/B30.6	Derricks		6**	3	2	3	2
ASME/B30.7	Base-mount drum hoists		6**	3	2	3	2
ASME/B30.8	Floating cranes and derricks		6**	3	2	3	2
ASME/B30.16	Overhead hoists		12**	4	N/S	Not Specified
ANSI/A10.4	Personnel hoists		6**	3	2	2**	2
ANSI/A10.5	Material hoists		6**	Not Specified		Not Specified

**Also remove for 1 valley break.