Patent ID: 8496231

Claim:
A guardrail configured for being installed along a road, comprising: a) a plurality of guardrail posts; b) a multi-strand steel rope being mounted and horizontally positioned on the plurality of guardrail posts; c) the multi-strand steel rope including a plurality of steel wire strands, the steel wire strands being twisted around a central axis without a core strand being present, the steel wire strands contacting each other, and each of the steel wire 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; d) the multi-strand rope being subjected to external radial compacting forces, the external radial compacting forces being partially transmitted into transversal forces between the contacting steel wire strands; e) 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 f) each steel wire strand being compacted and compressed against respective adjacent steel wire strands such that the steel wire strands are each compacted resulting in non-round cross-sections of the wire strands to reduce gaps between adjacent wire strands in a non-stretched condition and to reduce elongation of the strands.