How To Use A Cable Clamp?

How to use a cable clamp?

Wire rope clamp, also known as wire rope clamp or wire clamp or cable clamp, consists of a U-bolt, a saddle (metal base) and two nuts, used for temporary connection of wire rope and fixing the rope after the wire rope passes through the pulley block. As a clamp, it is often used in factory lifting machinery, metallurgical mining equipment, power equipment, hoisting and other scenes.

4 Steps to Crimp clips

1. Check the wire rope for wear, wrap the wire rope around the grommet to form the eye, and fold back the remainder of the rope.

2. Install the first cable clamp on the end of the rope. The “U” end of the cable clamp must always cover the end of the rope, while the “saddle end” of the cable clamp must cover the end of the rope, and tighten the cable clamp’s nut with a torque wrench.

3. Place the second cable clamp as close to the cable eye as possible and tighten the cable clamp’s nut with a wrench.

4. When installing more than two cable clamps, tighten the nuts to ensure that the cable clamps are evenly spaced between the end cable clamps. Finally, tighten the end cable clamps and apply tension to achieve the recommended torque for the wire rope.

Wire rope clamps Types

There are two main types of wire rope clamps: U-bolt clamps and double saddle clamps. U-bolt clamps are the most common and can be made of carbon steel and malleable metal.

U-Bolt Clamps

This type of wire rope clamp is essentially a U-bolt, two nuts, and a metal base (saddle) that can be made of either carbon steel or malleable cast iron.

Carbon Steel Wire Rope Clamps

The base of the wire rope clamp is made of forged steel. Forged clamps are heated and hammered to the desired shape, which gives the steel a consistent grain structure. Forged wire rope clamps are suitable for critical heavy overhead loads such as winch ropes, crane hoist ropes, support ropes, guy wires, haul ropes, tie-downs, scaffolding, etc.

Malleable Cast Iron Wire Rope Clamps

Wrought wire rope clamps are only used to make rope eye end assemblies with cross-lay wire ropes and are only suitable for light-duty applications with light applied loads such as handrails, fences, guardrails, etc. The base of the wire rope clamp is made of malleable cast iron, a material that may break under heavy use and does not have the good metallic properties of steel nor the good grain structure that a forged base has.

Double Saddle Wire Rope Clamp

The double saddle wire rope clamp consists of two saddles (each with a foot) and two nuts – one for the top and one for the bottom. The double saddle wire rope clamp can be used in any direction, so there is no guesswork when applying it to the live and dead ends of the wire rope during installation.

Precautions for using the clamp

The clamp size should be appropriate: the size of the clamp should match the thickness of the wire rope. The inner clearance of the U-shaped ring should be 1 to 3 mm larger than the diameter of the wire rope to avoid excessive clearance that will cause the rope to not be clamped tightly.
Tighten the U-shaped bolt: When using, be sure to tighten the U-shaped bolt until the wire rope is flattened by about 1/3. Since the wire rope will deform after being stressed, a second tightening is required to ensure the joint is secure. To check whether the rope clamp is slipping, a safety rope clamp can be installed about 500 mm away from the last rope clamp, and the rope head can be released for a safe bend before clamping it with the main rope.
Regular inspection and scrapping: Wire rope clips cannot be used for a long time and should be inspected and scrapped regularly to avoid repeated use.