Patent ID: 8286949

Claim:
A guardrail configured for being installed along a road, comprising: a plurality of guardrail posts; a multi-strand steel rope being mounted and horizontally positioned on the plurality of guardrail posts; the multi-strand steel rope including a plurality of steel wire core strands and a plurality of steel wire outer strands enclosing the plurality of steel wire core strands, and each of the steel wire outer strands including: i) a steel core wire provided with a corrosion-resistant metal coating; and ii) a plurality of steel outer wires provided with a corrosion-resistant metal coating enclosing the steel core wire; each steel outer wire being compacted and compressed against the steel core wire and against respective adjacent steel outer wires such that the steel core wire and the plurality of steel outer wires are each compacted resulting in non-round cross-sections of the steel core wire and steel outer wires to reduce gaps between adjacent steel outer wires and to reduce gaps between the steel outer wires and the steel core wire in a non-stretched condition and to reduce elongation of the wires; and each steel wire outer strand being compacted and compressed against the steel wire core strands and against respective adjacent steel wire outer strands such that the steel wire core strands and the plurality of steel wire outer strands are each compacted resulting in non-round cross-sections of the core strands and the outer strands to reduce gaps between adjacent outer strands and to reduce gaps between the outer strands and the core strands in a non-stretched condition and to reduce elongation of the strands.