Pulley Size Design for lifting & control applications

Search for specific and general information using <Google.com> with terms such as "Wire Rope Handbook"

For any given wire rope/cable there is a minimum recommended sheave/pulley size. Lubrication of the cable is necessary periodically for long live and rust protection.

With all due respect to SS, I have searched the web for a good handbook, and have yet to find one. The best information to answer your question is in Machinerys Handbook in the Wire Rope section. It has good formulas for sheave sizing, and a good discussion of rope types and applications, as well as the load equivalent added to the rope when bent around the sheave. This is old information and has been in the handbook for many editions. I recommend purchasing an older edition, say 23 or up on ebay for a reasonable price. I believe they are currently on the 27th edition. Crosbys catalogue also has some information, and is available in PDF format on the web at www.thecrosbygroup.com

In aggreement. Machinists handbook.

Also if available, many large distributors and supply co.'s such as Grainger, McMasters et.al. have a section on books. This is a very valuable resource for narrowing down searches. Often if the Material I am looking for specifically is not in the catalog, I can go to teh web site of the publisher of some of those books that seem well made and thorough and find what I need.

I went through a similar excercise this year and learned a lot. You are right about documentation. I went to BC wire and rope and they got me up to speed. As far as longevity of the rope we found using galvanized steel vs. stainless and the number of strands and rope configuration was the biggest gain. We had some sheaves machined to a larger diameter than the stock ones available (less bending) and used bearing inserts. A bit pricey but our customer is happy. We also went to the mining industry and talked to some of the engineers in that field, they use miles of wire rope and were helpful with some of the calculations.

I used a lot of sheave for marine purposes, normally for steel wire rope (SWR), the sheave should have a min. PCD ratio of 18x to wire rope diameter, means a 20mm SWR would needs a 360mm PCD sheave. the bigger the sheave, the better reliability the wire rope --> longer life.