A new mechanical model for metallic wire ropes

A characteristic feature of metallic strands and wire ropes is the coupling between the axial and torsional response. In this paper, starting from the application of classic structural theories, a new mechanical model for wire ropes is developed. Each wire of the rope is modeled as a curved thin rod according to the classic Kirchhoff-Clebsch-Love theory. Interactions between wires are taken into account under the assumption of rigid contact surfaces and a kinematic model is introduced to relate the generalized strain variables of the wires to the axial strain and torsional curvature of the rope. The proposed formulation is compared with experimental results and numerical simulations on 3D Finite Element models to assess the validity of the assumptions at its base.