The decades were witness to a burgeoning increase in deep shaft mining in both Europe and North America as surface mineral deposits were exhausted and miners had to chase layers along inclined layers. Ever with an ear to technology developments in mining and railroading, Josiah White and Erskine Hazard, principal owners of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company (LC&N Co.) - as they had with the first blast furnaces in the Lehigh Valley - built a Wire Rope factory in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania in 1848, which provided lift cables for the Ashley Planes project, then the back track planes of the Summit Hill & Mauch Chunk Railroad, improving its attractiveness as a premier tourism destination, and vastly improving the throughput of the coal capacity since return of cars dropped from nearly four hours to less than 20 minutes. Roebling introduced a number of innovations in the design, materials and manufacture of wire rope. Roebling, starting in 1841 and forming the basis for his success in suspension bridge building. In America wire rope was manufactured by John A. In 1840, Scotsman Robert Stirling Newall improved the process further. Wilhelm Albert's first ropes consisted of three strands consisting of four wires each. It was quickly accepted because it proved superior strength from ropes made of hemp or of metal chains, such as had been used before. Modern wire rope was invented by the German mining engineer Wilhelm Albert in the years between 18 for use in mining in the Harz Mountains in Clausthal, Lower Saxony, Germany. An aerial tramway relies on wire rope to support and move cargo overhead. Static wire ropes are used to support structures such as suspension bridges or as guy wires to support towers. For example, aircraft cables are available in 1.2 mm ( 3⁄ 64 in) diameter while most wire ropes begin at a 6.4 mm ( 1⁄ 4 in) diameter. Also, aircraft cables are available in smaller diameters than wire rope. Only aircraft cables have WSC (wire strand core).
Wire rope is also used to transmit force in mechanisms, such as a Bowden cable or the control surfaces of an airplane connected to levers and pedals in the cockpit. Wire ropes are used dynamically for lifting and hoisting in cranes and elevators, and for transmission of mechanical power. Wire ropes were developed starting with mining hoist applications in the 1830s. While friction between the individual wires and strands causes wear over the life of the rope, it also helps to compensate for minor failures in the short run. While flaws in chain links or solid steel bars can lead to catastrophic failure, flaws in the wires making up a steel cable are less critical as the other wires easily take up the load. Historically, wire rope evolved from wrought iron chains, which had a record of mechanical failure. Initially wrought iron wires were used, but today steel is the main material used for wire ropes. In stricter senses, the term wire rope refers to a diameter larger than 9.5 mm ( 3⁄ 8 in), with smaller gauges designated cable or cords. Larger diameter wire rope consists of multiple strands of such laid rope in a pattern known as cable laid. Wire rope is several strands of metal wire twisted into a helix forming a composite
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