252 



WIRE ROPE TESTS. 



the individual wires turned inwards over an annular wedge ; 

 the whole is placed in a conical socket and the interior 

 of the ring filled in with points, or a conical wedge is driven 

 in. Strong as these holders or cappings appear at first 

 sight, when placed in a testing machine, it is nearly always 

 found that the wires are pulled out of the socket with little 

 damage to the rope itself. The fact that spliced thimbles 

 hold much better than sockets shows that mutual friction 

 between the wires of the rope is of more avail than the 

 friction between the wires and the surfaces of the sockets. 

 Another form of fastening used in these tests is a socket 



FIG. 122. Socket used by Mr. Hewitt. 



of the form indicated in Fig. 122. The socket is bored out to 

 the required taper, and is fitted with a shell, or bush, made 

 in three pieces, and having a screw thread at its outer 

 end. The wires at the end of the rope are frayed out and 

 bent back against the body of the rope. Some of the 

 wires are left longer than the others, so that a conical 

 bunch or head is formed. This is surrounded by the 

 shell, which is itself placed in the socket. A nut is screwed 

 on to the shell and the wires drawn tight, and in this way 

 firmly clamped. In some cases molten white metal is 

 poured into the socket, so as to fill up the interstices. 



