Petersen Stainless Rigging Ltd of England has been working closely with the Swedish company WireTeknik AB for the past two years to develop, test and certify a swaging system to EN13411-8.  EN13411-8 is applicable to swaged terminations used in any wire rope assembly that performs a raising, lowering, hauling or supporting function on lifting machinery.  As well as extensive fatigue testing requirements the standard stipulates a terminal efficiency factor, KT, of at least 90% of the wire MBL – significantly higher than for pressed-ferrule splices.  

The approval covers the range of Petersen Swage fittings used on wire rope constructions 1×19, 7×7, 7×19 and 6×36+IWRC in sizes 4mm up to 26mm diameter and swaged with WireTeknik roller swaging machine.  A diverse range of end fittings is available including threaded studs, open and closed sockets and unique captive-shackle toggling sockets.  The different end fittings open up a whole host of new possibilities for attaching to the load or structure and custom end fittings can be produced for specific installations.  The captive-shackle socket means that the shackle becomes part of the sling assembly and so does not require separate testing, certification and inspection.

The WireTeknik swaging machine uses a system of roller dies to press the terminal onto the wire, greatly reducing the size, weight and cost of the equipment needed to terminate large diameter ropes.

CEO Kevin Bell had the following to say:  “This is a breakthrough for the use of stainless steel swage fittings in lifting.  We have been supplying the lifting industry for many years with our shackles but it has been a constant source of frustration for our customers that they were not able to use our swaged sockets.  Our team has worked hard on this one and the result is a swaging system 10% stronger than a pressed-ferrule mechanical splice which will bring huge savings in weight and cost to our customers.”

The system will be demonstrated on the Petersen stand at OTC Houston in May and at OSEA2016 in Singapore later this year.

Petersen Stainless Rigging is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of quality-assured stainless steel rigging and lifting equipment for the petrochemical, lifting, architectural, yachting and aerospace industries.

For more information visit www.petersen-stainless.co.uk