Wire Rope Replacement for Elevators: How to Know When It’s

Release time：2025-04-25 11:09viewed：times

If you are the owner or manager of an industrial or commercial building with elevators, you know how important it is to be proactive when it comes to maintenance. In the same way, you wouldn’t neglect to change flickering lightbulbs in a hallway and risk leaving your customers, clients, or tenants in the dark, you must stay on top of repair issues with your elevator systems. If you don’t address problems when they start, they can become unmanageable, affecting passenger safety and ride quality over time.

An image of a traction/electric elevator system, where the cab and counterweight are suspended by elevator ropes or cables.
If the elevators in your building are of the electric/traction or winding drum type, the elevator cab is suspended by a series of ropes, belts, or cables, which are referred to as “suspension means” (as shown in the diagram).

Regardless of a building’s height, the most common type of elevator suspension means are wire ropes. There are also elevators that use different types of suspension means, including non-circular elastomeric-coated steel belts and aramid fiber ropes – these have different criteria for replacement. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on wire ropes.

The type of suspension means used and the number of ropes or belts that suspend an elevator in its hoistway are determined by the elevator’s speed, capacity, and traction. The more cables are used, the more traction is applied to the sheave. Unless your elevator system uses a winding drum machine (which is an older technology), code requires a minimum of three ropes. A three-rope suspension system is typically found in low-rise, low-speed installations. Some high-rise, high-speed electric/traction elevator systems can use up to eight ropes.

It’s important to know that for safety reasons, building codes require that any time a rope replacement project on an elevator is implemented, you cannot replace only one of its ropes – all the existing ropes on that elevator must be replaced with new ropes at the same time. Elevator ropes that have previously been used can never be used as replacement ropes.

Some things you may notice that indicate you should ask your elevator maintenance specialist if it’s time for suspension means to be replaced include:

Rouging. Elevator ropes are constructed of wire strands wrapped around an oil-saturated hemp core. If the core begins to deteriorate and dry up, it turns into a powder. This causes the wire strands that surround it to lose lubrication and begin to rust. The rust collects in piles of reddish-orange dust that you may see in the machine room or on the floor sills.
Vibration or unusual noises, such as a slapping or wobbling sound coming from your system. If cables are becoming stretched out, or if the grooves that hold them in the sheave are wearing unevenly, the cables may loosen, causing them to wobble or bump into the walls or other cables.
Pieces of broken cable on the floor underneath the sheave in the machine room.
Metallic shavings or dust around the drivers or sheave in the machine room.
Elevator cable with broken layThis image shows elevator ropes with a broken lay. This is extremely dangerous – the integrity of the cable is compromised, and the elevator should be shut down immediately. In addition to being a serious safety hazard to passengers, this type of damage to one rope will cause the elevator’s other ropes to be damaged as well.
Elevator ropes showing excessive wearElevator ropes showing excessive wear

Remember – for safety reasons, you should never get too close to your elevator system, especially while it is in service. If you notice any of the things listed above, notify your elevator maintenance professional, who will inspect your elevator system. In addition to checking out the problems you’ve reported, they will measure the diameter of your wire ropes. If the ropes are found to have experienced excessive wear (as shown in the picture) or have decreased in diameter, they will need to be replaced.

Depending on the severity of the problems, the elevator will either be shut down immediately or a rope replacement job will be scheduled for the near future. What could cause your elevator to be shut down right away? Issues that could cause an immediate risk to the people who ride the elevator – such as slipping traction, which is when the elevator motor is turning the drive sheave, and the cables don’t have the traction required to control the movement of the elevator. In most cases, however, as long as problems with the ropes are identified before they affect operation and/or ride quality, rope replacement can be scheduled for some time in the near future (always check with your elevator mechanic, elevator consultant, or elevator inspector).

Early detection will help ensure the safety of the people who ride the elevator as well as prolong the life of your conveyance equipment. Again – for safety reasons, you should never get too close to your elevator system yourself, especially while it is in service. Scheduling regular periodic inspection and testing of your elevator systems by a trained and skilled IUEC elevator mechanic will protect your passengers and your investment. Whether or not your jurisdiction mandates a Maintenance Control Program be in place for your elevators and escalators, it is the best way to ensure that problems are identified and addressed before they cause an unplanned service outage.

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Wire Rope Replacement for Elevators: How to Know When It’s

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