Steel can be treated with a fine overcoat of zinc, this is called galvanizing and it helps to prevent corrosion of the steel; the amount of protection that galvanizing gives is dependent on the thickness of the zinc. Galvanized wire rope in Oklahoma is made from many small wires which have been galvanized prior to being woven into a cable.
The process of galvanization can be traced back to the late 1700s, however in the mid 1800s the process was patented and galvanization became an extremely popular way to combat the effects of rust and corrosion, especially in England where the habitually damp climate takes its toll on bare iron products. The process reached the shores of the US in the late 1800s and has since become the preferred method to provide ferrous metals with protection from the hostile elements.
The common method employed in galvanization is to dip the material in a bath of molten zinc; this has been the preferred way for 150 years. The strands that are eventually woven into galvanized wire rope in Oklahoma are run through the zinc bath, the steel reacts chemically with the zinc and layers of zinc/iron alloy bond the two materials together. The thickness of the zinc coating can be adjusted by the speed at which the metal is drawn through the vat of zinc; the thicker the zinc coating the better the protection against oxidization, rust and corrosion.
Galvanized wire rope is found in a host of different industries which include the utility industry, pulp and paper mills, various manufacturing facilities as well as aircraft, marine and appliances. Wherever there is the possibility of harmful corrosion you will find galvanized wire rope. The rope is available in a wide variety of sizes and strengths, it can be as little as 100 pounds breaking strength all the way to 14,000 pounds, all in various diameters and stranding. Breaking strength is a number which refers to the load that can be applied to the wire rope before it breaks. Depending on the application the stranding can be many or few individual strands formed into the completed cable, the more strands the more flexible the wire rope is. There are certain applications where the finished product is further treated with an overall nylon coating which makes it smooth and less likely to abrade any surrounding surface.
Wire rope in Oklahoma is used extensively in the petrochemical industry where the environment can be quite hostile to steel; contact Thomas Wire Rope Co. for further details.
