How To Use Wire Rope Clips

What is a Wire Rope Clip?

Wire rope clips can be used to form a load bearing eye at the end of a cable or wire rope, or to connect two cables together with a lap splice. Wire rope clips are popular because they can be installed in the field and provide 80-90% efficiency of the rope breaking strength, depending on the diameter of the wire rope.

As a general guideline, they are NOT to be used for making slings, as ASME B30.9 Slings standard states: “Mechanical wire rope terminations requiring periodic adjustment to maintain efficiency shall not be used to fabricate slings.”

Examples of situations where a wire rope clip could be utilized include:

• Wire rope end termination on a crane cable or winch

• To run a length of wire rope through an eye bolt or shackle

• Perimeter cables on docks, parking lots, etc.

Types of Wire Rope Clips

There are two main types of wire rope clips—U-Bolt and double saddle clips. U-Bolt wire rope clips are the most common and may be made of forged or malleable metal.

U-Bolt Wire Rope Clips

This type of wire rope clip is essentially a U-bolt, two nuts, and a metal base (saddle) that can be made from forged steel or cast iron. Careful consideration and attention must be given to the way U-bolt type wire rope clips are installed.

Forged Wire Rope Clips

The base of the wire rope clip is made from forged steel. Forged clips are heated and hammered into the desired shape—resulting in a consistent grain structure in the steel. Forged wire rope clips are used for critical, heavy-duty, overhead loads such as winch lines, crane hoist lines, support lines, guy lines, towing lines, tie downs, scaffolds, etc.

Malleable Wire Rope Clips

Malleable wire rope clips are used for making eye termination assemblies only with right regular lay wire rope and only for light duty uses with small applied loads, such as hand rails, fencing, guard rails, etc. The base of the wire rope clips is made from malleable cast iron, which may fracture under heavy use and does not have the desirable metal properties of steel, or the beneficial grain structure that a forged base has.

Double Saddle Wire Rope Clips

Double saddle wire rope clips consist of two saddles, each with a leg, and two nuts—one used on the top and one on the bottom. Double saddle wire rope clips can be used in either direction, so they take the guesswork out during installation when applying to the live end and the dead end of a piece of wire rope.

Common Mistakes When Installing Wire Rope Clips

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon to see a wire rope clip applied incorrectly. Some of the most common mistakes include:

1.Not Torquing to the Manufacturer’s Expectations

 Article Wire Rope Clips: Torque

 Wire rope clips require the use of a torque wrench in order to function properly. Torquing the nuts on the clips too much or too little can cause the clip to fail. If the clip is over-torqued, it could damage the threads of the wire rope. If the clip is under-torqued, the holding power of the clip is diminished and the wire rope could slip through.

2.Not Using the Recommended Number of Clips

There are a minimum number of clips required for use related to the wire rope diameter. Using less than the number of specified clips could result in decreased efficiency and possible failure.

3.Incorrect Spacing Between Clips

Depending on the number and size of the wire rope clips, there is a proportional amount of space required between the placement on each clip on the rope.

4.Saddle is on the Incorrect End of the Rope

There are two sides of a U-Bolt style wire rope clip: the saddle and the U-Bolt. When securing a wire rope eye, it is important to place the clip on the correct end of the rope.

The saddle of the clip rests on the live end of the rope, while the U-bolt is to rest on the dead end of the rope.

A saying commonly used in rigging to help remember this is: “Never saddle a dead horse!” In other words, never put the saddle on the dead end of the rope.

5.Incorrect Amount of Turnback When Forming an Eye

The turnback is the portion of the wire rope eye that runs from the end of the bearing eye to the live end. Having less than the suggested amount of turnback will decrease the efficiency of the wire rope eye and could lead to failure.

6.Using the Wrong Type of Clip for the Application

It is important to be sure you are using the correct wire rope clip—forged or malleable wire rope clips—for the application. Malleable clips can only be used for non-critical uses, such as tension rope to form a perimeter around a parking lot.

If the use is critical—an application where, if there is a failure, you have potential injury or loss of life or damage to property—a forged clip must be used.

7.Not Matching the Clip Size to the Wire Rope Size

The clip size used—whether it be 1/8”, 3”, or otherwise—must match the diameter size of the wire rope. If it doesn’t, the wire rope could slip out of the clip.

8.Failing to Cycle the Rope and Regularly Retighten the Clips

After installing clips, it is necessary to regularly cycle the rope and retighten the clips. Monitoring the torque on the nuts is important, as they will loosen over repeated use.

How to install wire rope clips?

Commonly wire rope clamp installation is very simple, there’s a well-known saying can help you remember how to attach wire rope clips, that reads “never saddle a dead horse.” Just follow the recommendation ways:

• The  dead-end of the wire rope (the end of the cut side) must be contacted with      the U bolt, then the saddle should be on the live end.

• Keep  three or more wire rope clips attached at the end of the wire rope dead      end, space between each wire rope clip should be at least 6 times the wire      rope diameter.

• Tighten the wire rope clip closest to the thimble eye loop as possible, and never      start from the one farthest from eye separately first.

• You  can see the correct and incorrect ways of installation from the following      pictures and find how many wire rope clips to use at one wire rope loop.

How to use wire rope clips?

The saddle shall be placed on the live end of the wire rope, with the U-bolt on the dead-end side—Remember the well-known saying: “Never saddle a dead horse.” Use at least two or three wire rope clips to secure the ends properly to the length of the rope, and tighten nuts evenly one by one until reaching the recommended torque.

Find more information about wire rope clips :

https://www.huahanmachinery.com/product/wire-rope-clips.html