Contribution to the analysis of the results obtained by the wire rope fatigue test machine of the Rome University La Sapienza

The importance of the duration of fatigue tests of wire ropes is well known. So any improvement, even little, in shortening it, is welcome. The prototype of the test machine constructed in the Department of Mechanics and Aeronautics of La Sapienza university of Rome, is mainly conceived in this sense. It is based on a totally different principle : the rope is forced to assume a curved configuration, then a hydraulic motor makes it rotate around his own axis. In this way, all the wire are subjected to a sinusoidal load at the frequency imposed by the motor. This gives the possibility to test ropes easier.