A concise finite element model for three-layered straight wire rope strand

A concise finite element model (FEM) of three-layered straight helical wire rope strand under axial loads (tensile and torsional) is presented in this paper. Three-dimensional solid elements were used for structural discretization. The helical symmetry of the strand was used to establish accurate boundary conditions. Contact, friction and plastic yielding were also taken into account. For the global behaviour of wire rope strand, i.e. load vs. strain and load vs. torque (fixed-end) or load vs. strand twist rate (free-end), the finite element results showed better agreement with the experimental results of Utting and Jones (Journal of Strain Analysis for Engineering Design 1988;23(2):79–86) than those calculated using the analytical strand model of Costello (Theory of Wire Rope, 2nd ed. New York: Springer, 1997). In addition, the FE model allows the localised stress distribution to be determined. In particular, this model reveals the non-uniform stress distribution in the outer layer helical wires caused by the trellis point contact. This is particularly relevant in the fixed-end case, where the present analysis predicts an axial tensile rigidity in good agreement with the experimental observations (Utting and Jones), whereas Costello’s model predicts a significantly higher rigidity.