Condition monitoring of Koepe winder ropes by electromagnetic non-destructive inspection

The objective of this study is to monitor four Koepe winder head ropes, which have six triangular-shaped strands and are 38 mm in diameter, by non-destructive inspection. The investigated ropes are frequently used in mining systems due to having a higher filler factor and resistance to abrasive wear, and the triangular shape contributes to a proper pressure distribution on the sheaves. In this study, three different non-destructive inspections have been performed on the investigated ropes and the results are presented. The non-destructive inspection results have been evaluated by considering international standards. The safety factors have been calculated and presented. Soaring wire break rates between the last two inspections and a maximum of 2.18% loss of metallic cross-sectional area in the fourth rope of the Koepe system have been observed. In addition, the maximum strength loss because of wire breaks in a 1 m length of four Koepe winder ropes has been found to be 9767 kg, and the safety factor reduction in personnel transportation and in material transportation have been found to be 2.37% and 2.36%, respectively.