Hot Dipped Galvanized/ Ungalvanized Zinc Plated PVC Coated Steel Cable Fiber Core Steel Core Steel Wire Rope Rods

Product Description:

Material Advantages:

WIRE ROPE INTRODUCTION:

Manufacturing Process:

The production of these steel cable and rod products follows a precision-engineered, multi-stage workflow that varies slightly based on core type (fiber/steel), surface treatment (hot-dipped galvanized/HDG, ungalvanized, zinc-plated, PVC-coated), and product form (cable vs. rod). Below is a detailed, step-by-step breakdown of the integrated production process, covering all specified variants.
1. Raw Material Preparation & Pretreatment
The foundation of high-quality steel cables/rods lies in premium raw materials and strict pretreatment. This stage ensures raw materials meet mechanical property and cleanliness requirements for subsequent processing.
1.1 Material Selection
Steel Wire Base (for cables/rods): Use high-carbon steel wire rods (carbon content: 0.45%-0.95%, compliant with standards like ASTM A510 or GB/T 3428) for strength and fatigue resistance. For rods, select low-alloy high-strength round steel (e.g., 45# steel, 20MnSi) if high load-bearing is required.
Core Materials (for cables):
Fiber Core (FC): Choose natural fibers or synthetic fibers (polyester, polypropylene) with high tensile strength and corrosion resistance. Pretreat via degreasing (ethanol/alkali cleaning) → drying (60-80℃ oven) → oil immersion (anti-mildew lubricant) to enhance durability.
Steel Core (SC/IWRC): Use pre-drawn steel wires (same high-carbon material as outer strands) or pre-twisted independent wire rope cores (IWRC). Pre-treat via derusting (shot blasting) → phosphating (anti-rust coating) to improve adhesion with outer strands.
1.2 Wire Rod Pretreatment
Descaling: Remove oxide scale from steel wire rods via acid pickling (15%-20% HCl/H2SO4 solution, 50-60℃, 10-20 mins) or mechanical descaling (wire brushing/shot blasting) to prevent surface defects in subsequent steps.
Annealing: Heat the descaled wire rods to 800-950℃ in a protective atmosphere (nitrogen/hydrogen) for ball 化退火 (spheroidizing annealing), softening the steel to improve ductility for drawing. Cool slowly (50-100℃/h) to avoid brittleness.
2. Wire Drawing (Key Step for Cable Strands/Rods)
This stage reduces the diameter of steel wire rods to the required size while enhancing tensile strength.
2.1 For Steel Cables (Strand Wires)
Multi-pass Drawing: Use a continuous wire drawing machine with 5-12 passes (depending on target diameter, e.g., 0.8mm-5mm). Each pass uses a tungsten carbide die with gradually reduced apertures.
Lubrication & Cooling: Apply drawing lubricant (calcium-based soap for dry drawing, emulsion for wet drawing) to reduce friction and die wear. Cool the wire with circulating water to control temperature (≤150℃) and prevent thermal softening.
Quality Check: After drawing, test wire diameter (via micrometer), tensile strength (via universal testing machine), and surface smoothness (visual inspection) to ensure compliance with standards.
2.2 For Steel Wire Rope Rods
Single-pass/Heavy-Duty Drawing: For rods (typically 6mm-50mm diameter), use a hydraulic drawing machine for 1-3 passes (since rods require larger diameters than cable strands). Focus on maintaining straightness (via post-drawing straightening rollers) and uniform diameter.
3. Surface Treatment (HDG/Zinc-Plated/Ungalvanized)
This stage determines the corrosion resistance of the product. Ungalvanized products skip this stage; HDG and zinc-plated (electrogalvanized) follow different processes.
3.1 Hot-Dipped Galvanization (HDG) – For Maximum Corrosion Resistance
Applied to either single drawn wires (before stranding) or finished cables/rods (post-assembly), with single-wire HDG being more common for cables:
Pre-cleaning: Degrease (alkali solution) → rinse (deionized water) → acid pickling (remove residual rust) → rinse again → fluxing (zinc chloride/ammonium chloride solution, 60-80℃, 5-10 mins) to activate the steel surface.
Hot Dip Coating: Immerse the cleaned wire/rod in a molten zinc bath (440-460℃, 99.95% pure zinc) for 3-10 seconds. Control immersion speed (0.5-1m/s) to ensure a uniform zinc coating (thickness: 60-150μm).
Post-Treatment: Lift and wipe excess zinc with air knives → cool (water spray or air cooling) → passivate (chromate solution, optional) to enhance coating adhesion and prevent white rust.
3.2 Electrogalvanization (Zinc-Plated) – For Thin, Uniform Coating
Common for products requiring a smooth surface (e.g., PVC-coated cables):
Electroplating Bath Preparation: Use a acid zinc plating bath (zinc sulfate/zinc chloride electrolyte) with additives (brighteners, leveling agents) to improve coating uniformity.
Electroplating: Immerse the drawn wire/rod as the cathode; use pure zinc plates as the anode. Apply a low current density (1-5 A/dm²) for 10-30 mins to deposit a thin zinc coating (5-20μm).
Post-Cleaning: Rinse with deionized water → dry → passivate (clear or colored chromate) to enhance corrosion resistance.
4. Stranding & Cabling (Exclusive to Steel Cables)
This stage assembles single wires into strands, then strands into finished cables (with fiber/steel cores).
4.1 Strand Formation
Equipment: Use tubular stranding machines (for small strands, e.g., 7-wire strands) or basket stranding machines (for large strands, e.g., 19/36-wire strands).
Process: Feed the drawn/galvanized wires into the machine’s pay-off reels. Set the lay length (typically 12-16 times the strand diameter) and twist direction (right/left lay) to ensure strand stability. For multi-layer strands (e.g., 6x36), first twist inner-layer wires, then wrap outer-layer wires around them.
4.2 Cable Formation (Final Assembly)
Core Placement: Feed the pre-treated fiber core (FC) or steel core (SC/IWRC) into the cabling machine (double-twist or planetary type) as the central axis.
Strand Twisting: Arrange 6-19 strands (depending on cable structure, e.g., 6x19, 7x7) around the core. Set the cable lay length (18-25 times the cable diameter) and ensure the twist direction is opposite to the strand twist (to prevent unraveling).
Pre-stretching: Apply a low tension (10%-15% of the cable’s breaking load) to the finished cable to eliminate residual stress and reduce permanent elongation in use.
5. PVC Coating (For PVC-Coated Cables)
Applied to finished galvanized/ungalvanized cables to add wear resistance and chemical protection:
Cable Pre-treatment: Clean the cable surface (alcohol wipe) → dry (hot air, 80-100℃) → preheat (120-150℃) to improve PVC adhesion.
Extrusion Coating: Use a single-screw extruder with a crosshead die (matching cable diameter). Melt PVC pellets (PVC resin + plasticizers + stabilizers) at 160-190℃, then extrude the molten PVC onto the moving cable. Control extrusion speed (synchronized with cable speed, 1-3m/min) to ensure uniform coating thickness (0.5-3mm).
Cooling & Sizing: Pass the coated cable through a water cooling tank (20-30℃) to solidify the PVC → pull through a sizing die to correct diameter and surface smoothness.
6. Steel Wire Rope Rods – Post-Drawing Processing
After drawing and surface treatment, rods undergo additional steps to meet application requirements:
Heat Treatment (Quenching & Tempering): For high-strength rods, heat to 850-900℃ (quenching, water/oil cooling) to form martensite → reheat to 500-650℃ (tempering, air cooling) to balance strength and toughness (target hardness: HRC 25-35).
Thread Processing: Use a thread rolling machine (for large batches) or lathe (for custom sizes) to add threads (e.g., metric, UNC) to rod ends (for connection in structures). Ensure thread precision (compliant with ISO 898-1).
Cutting & Straightening: Cut rods to custom lengths (1m-10m) with a circular saw → pass through a straightening machine (roller type) to ensure straightness (≤0.5mm/m).
7. Quality Inspection & Finishing
All products undergo strict testing before packaging to ensure compliance:
Mechanical Testing: Cable breaking load (universal testing machine), rod tensile strength, and fatigue resistance (fatigue testing machine).
Surface Testing: Zinc coating thickness (magnetic thickness gauge), PVC coating adhesion (peel test), and surface defects (visual inspection/eddy current testing for cracks).
Dimensional Testing: Cable/rod diameter (micrometer), lay length (tape measure), and rod straightness (straightness meter).
Packaging: Wrap cables on wooden reels (with moisture-proof paper) or coil them in plastic film; bundle rods with steel straps (with foam protectors at ends). Label each package with product specs (material, size, batch number) for traceability.

Features:

1. Superior Mechanical Performance: High Strength & Durability
Built on high-carbon steel materials and optimized processing, the product delivers exceptional load-bearing capacity and long-term fatigue resistance—critical for heavy-duty operations.
High Tensile Strength: Made from high-carbon steel (carbon content: 0.45%-0.95%, compliant with ASTM A510/GB/T 3428), the steel wires/rods exhibit tensile strength of 1,570-2,160 MPa (for cables) and 600-900 MPa (for heat-treated rods). This enables them to withstand heavy loads (e.g., tower crane lifting, structural tension) without permanent elongation or breakage.
Excellent Fatigue Resistance: The multi-pass wire drawing process (with precise lubrication and cooling) refines the steel’s internal structure, while the pre-stretching step during cable assembly eliminates residual stress. This reduces fatigue damage from repeated bending (e.g., cable trolleying over sheaves) or cyclic loading, extending service life by 30%-50% compared to ordinary steel cables.
Impact & Wear Resistance: Hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) and PVC-coated variants feature reinforced surface layers; HDG’s dense zinc coating (60-150μm) and PVC’s wear-resistant layer (0.5-3mm) protect against mechanical abrasion (e.g., friction with trolley components) and accidental impact in construction sites.

Technical Parameters:

Applications:

This product line’s diverse configurations—tailored by surface treatment (HDG, zinc-plated, PVC-coated, ungalvanized), core type (fiber/steel), and structural design (cable/rod)—make it adaptable to heavy-duty industrial, infrastructure, construction, and even specialized civilian scenarios. Below is a detailed breakdown of applications, aligned with product variants to highlight "why this variant fits this use case."
1. Construction & Heavy Lifting: The Core Application Field
Construction sites demand high load-bearing capacity, weather resistance, and fatigue durability—all strengths of this product line. It is widely used in tower cranes, mobile cranes, and on-site material handling.
2. Infrastructure & Public Engineering
Infrastructure projects (bridges, railways, power grids) require long-term durability and compatibility with harsh or high-traffic environments. This product line meets these needs via corrosion-resistant and high-strength designs.
Bridge Construction & Maintenance:
HDG 6x19 SC Steel Cable: Used for bridge cable-stayed systems (supporting bridge decks) and temporary suspension cables during bridge segment installation. The SC steel core ensures stability under constant tension, while HDG resists river mist and road salt.
PVC-Coated Steel Cable: Applied to pedestrian bridge handrail cables or scenic bridge decorative cables. The customizable color (e.g., black, gray) matches urban aesthetics, and the PVC layer prevents rust stains on concrete.
Railway & Highway Projects:
Ungalvanized 19x7 Steel Cable: Used for railway track tensioning (securing rails to sleepers) in dry, indoor rail yards. The ungalvanized surface optimizes cost-effectiveness, and the 19x7 structure provides high rigidity to prevent rail displacement.
HDG Steel Wire Rope Rods: Serve as highway guardrail supports (connecting guardrail posts to ground anchors) and railway signal tower bracing. HDG withstands road salt spray and railway yard dust.
Power & Telecommunication Infrastructure:
Zinc-Plated FC Steel Cable: Used for power line tower auxiliary cables (hoisting insulators, tools during maintenance). The FC core’s lightweight design eases aerial operation, and zinc plating resists mild corrosion from air humidity.
3. Industrial Manufacturing & Logistics
Factories, warehouses, and ports rely on this product for internal material handling, machinery operation, and logistics loading—where reliability and low maintenance are critical.
Factory Production Lines:
PVC-Coated Zinc-Plated Steel Cable: Integrated into conveyor systems (e.g., in automobile factories for moving car bodies, in food processing plants for lightweight packaging). The PVC layer prevents oil/grease contamination (auto factories) or food contact pollution (food plants), while zinc plating adds rust resistance.
Steel Wire Rope Rods (quenched & tempered): Used as machinery structural shafts (e.g., in printing presses, textile machines) and heavy equipment (e.g., forklift) stabilizer rods. Heat treatment (quenching & tempering) enhances toughness for repeated mechanical stress.
Warehouse & Port Logistics:
6x19 FC HDG Steel Cable: Equipped on warehouse overhead cranes (lifting pallets, raw materials) and port container gantry cranes (trolleying containers). The FC core absorbs vibration during loading, and HDG resists port salt spray.
Ungalvanized Steel Cable: Used for indoor warehouse hoists (e.g., in dry goods warehouses) where corrosion risk is minimal. Its cost-effectiveness suits high-volume, low-risk applications.
4. Agriculture, Forestry & Marine Industries
These sectors face unique challenges (e.g., farm chemicals, seawater, tree friction)—the product’s protective coatings and structural designs address these pain points.
Agriculture & Animal Husbandry:
PVC-Coated Steel Cable: Used for greenhouse shading systems (traction for shading nets) and livestock farm feed conveyor cables. The PVC layer resists corrosion from agricultural fertilizers/pesticides and prevents feed powder adhesion.
HDG Steel Wire Rope Rods: Serve as farm irrigation system supports (holding sprinkler pipes) and livestock pen fencing posts. HDG withstands outdoor farm moisture and animal contact.
Forestry:
19x7 HDG Steel Cable: Used for log skidding cables (pulling logs from forests to processing sites) and tree harvesting cranes. The 19x7 structure’s high abrasion resistance withstands friction from tree bark, and HDG resists forest rain and soil moisture.
Marine & Coastal Applications:
HDG 6x36 IWRC Steel Cable: Equipped on small fishing boats (trawling nets, anchor cables) and coastal dock cranes (loading/unloading seafood). The IWRC core handles heavy net loads, and HDG’s thick zinc coating resists seawater corrosion (critical for coastal/marine environments).
5. Civil & Commercial Use
Beyond industrial scenarios, the product line also caters to civilian, commercial, and recreational needs—focusing on safety, aesthetics, and ease of use.
Residential & Commercial Buildings:
PVC-Coated Steel Cable (colorful): Used for balcony railings (high-rise apartments), staircase handrails (shopping malls), and exhibition display racks (museums, retail stores). The smooth PVC surface prevents hand scratches, and customizable colors (e.g., silver, bronze) match interior/exterior designs.
Zinc-Plated FC Steel Cable: Applied to window awning traction systems (retractable awnings for restaurants, homes) and curtain wall support cables (glass curtain walls in office buildings). The FC core’s flexibility enables smooth awning retraction.
Recreation & Sports:
HDG Steel Cable: Used for zip lines (adventure parks, campsites) and outdoor climbing wall anchor cables. The high tensile strength (≥1,800 MPa) ensures user safety, and HDG resists outdoor weathering.
Steel Wire Rope Rods (polished): Serve as outdoor fitness equipment supports (e.g., park pull-up bars) and recreational vehicle (RV) stabilizer rods. Polished surfaces prevent rust stains and enhance user safety.

Support and Services:

Professional Technical Team:

We prioritize a customer-centric service model that covers the entire product lifecycle—from pre-purchase consultation to post-sales maintenance. Our services are tailored to address the unique needs of industries like construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, and marine operations, ensuring seamless product adoption, optimal performance, and long-term value for our clients. Below is a detailed breakdown of our support and service offerings:
1. Pre-Sales Technical Consultation & Customization Support
We help clients select the right product variant and tailor solutions to their specific application scenarios, avoiding mismatches and reducing trial-and-error costs.
1.1 Expert Technical Advisory
Variant Selection Guidance: Our team of engineers (with 5+ years of experience in steel cable/rod applications) provides one-on-one consultations to recommend the most suitable configuration based on:
Application environment (e.g., coastal salt spray, industrial chemicals, indoor dry conditions → matching surface treatments like HDG, PVC-coated).
Load requirements (e.g., light auxiliary lifting vs. ultra-heavy tower crane hoisting → matching core types like FC or IWRC).
Installation constraints (e.g., small sheaves, frequent bending → matching strand structures like 6x36).
Standard Compliance Clarification: We provide detailed explanations of international standards (ISO 3154, ASTM A475, ISO 898-1) and help clients align products with project-specific regulations (e.g., construction codes for high-rise buildings, marine safety norms).