Patent ID: 7992449

Claim:
A simulation method for strength assessment of a cable having a plurality of wires comprising the steps of: a) inspecting the cable and obtaining a random sample of said wires in a panel of the cable including broken, cracked and intact wires; b) testing the wire samples in a laboratory under tension loading for determining mechanical properties including ultimate elongation and obtaining test results; c) determining a maximum elongation threshold based on the ultimate elongation of cracked wires within said sample; d) segregating the wires based upon the maximum elongation threshold into worst-wire and better-wire proportions; e) determining the probability of broken wires in the cable based upon the number of observed broken wires within the panel during inspection; f) determining the probability of cracked wires in the panel of the cable based upon the number of cracked wires in the said sample, as found from the laboratory test results; g) applying computational algorithms on the worst-wire proportion for establishing a distribution pattern of broken wires and cracked wires in the cable panel and for indirectly obtaining a distribution pattern of intact wires; h) developing a correlation matrix using the mechanical property variables for the intact and cracked wires in the said sample; i) simulating the mechanical variables to produce a model of the stress-strain relationship for the intact and cracked wires based on the properties in the said sample; j) applying fracture toughness criteria to the cracked wires for assessing ultimate strength of the cracked wires; k) applying incremental strain upon in the simulation model up to ultimate elongation of each wire and determining corresponding strength of each wire; l) summing up the load carrying capacity of the cracked and intact wires at each strain increment until load carrying capacity reaches zero at ultimate elongation of the entire cable.