Wirelock
The Original Cold Socketing Compound
A unique, poured socketing compound for use with wire rope
The use of molten metal on a job site presents potential risks, so Wirelock® is an ideal solution. This cold socketing compound offers the advantage of on-site implementation that produces high-quality, void-free sockets that are suitable for use, in essentially any weather.
The sockets produced with Wirelock® products are safe, quality sockets that provide exceptional fatigue performance over time for an effective and convenient solution every time, including applications in general construction, cranes, bridges, mining, offshore mooring, and shipping.
Strider-Resource is the exclusive authorized importer and distributor of Wirelock® in Canada. All Wirelock® products are insured, labelled, and supplied to the strict requirements of Canadian Federal WHMIS regulations, including up to date MSDS sheets for use in Canada. Strider supplies Wirelock® in shrink-wrapped kits, appropriately boxed and labelled to comply with shipment of dangerous goods laws.
Products
Resin Kit
- 100cc
- 250cc
- 500cc
- 1000cc
- 2000cc
- 3000cc
Other sizes available to order up to a maximum of 100 litres.
Booster Pack
For Standard Kit Sizes
- 100cc
- 250cc
- 500cc
- 1000cc
- 2000cc
- 3000cc
Other sizes available to order up to a maximum of 100 litres.
Value Pack - Testing and Lab Use
Ask about our Wirelock® "Value Pack" for 500 litres or more
Wirelock® is available for laboratory testing use with special space and cost saving packaging, referred to as a “Value Pack”.
The liquid is supplied in a can with a simple non-commercial label. The sand is supplied in a heavy-duty poly bag. The kits are supplied to one specific socket size, or multiple sockets of the same size, in order to cut down on waste. There is no need to pre-measure or weigh. The Wirelock® is mixed by pouring all the liquid from one container into a flexible plastic bucket, followed by all the sand from the bag portion of the kit. The contents can be blended with a stir stick by hand, or using an electric drill with mixing attachment. When the residue hardens, it is easily removed by simply flexing the bucket.
Value Pack shipments are made in pallet boxes, with a minimum shipment of any combination of 500 litres (500 – 1000cc kits, or 1000 – 500cc kits, etc.). The maximum weight per pallet box is 1000kgs. Standard kit sizes are 500, 1000, and 2000cc. Other sizes are available to suit. Colour identification is also available.
Stale dating is not an issue for Wirelock® used in lab conditions, since the only aging effect is the faster setting and gelling of the resin. Even this is hardly noticeable without comparing very old stock to very new stock.
Value Pack Wirelock® is not suitable for use outside of testing labs, or for resale.
We suggest allowing 2-3 months lead time for delivery.
Paralock
Socketing compound for fibre rope applications
For fibre rope applications, Wirelock® offers a product called Paralock®. While the properties and functionality are the same as other Wirelock® products, Paralock® is a lower viscosity to make it suitable for use with fibre rope.
Fibre rope applications are unique in that it functions differently during socketing than wire rope. The construction of fibre rope and the composition of the fibre itself play a significant role in determining the brooming process, whereas with steel rope, the methodology is consistent.
Socketing behaviour of fibre rope
Fibre rope transfers load in only the front 20/25mm of its resin cone, as opposed to steel wire rope, which can transfer load throughout the resin cone. As a result, the stress on this front area of the fibre rope is substantial, stretching the resin cone, leading to a potential for shearing at the centre as the outer fibres are restricted by the friction and compression where the resin cone and the socket meet. These outer fibres begin to break down, and progressively continue to break down the rope, moving towards the centre. As the fibre is unable to slip within the resin, the breaking point will occur at the neck of the socket.
Smaller diameter fibre ropes, up to approximately 10mm, are able to perform regardless of the socket’s internal geometry. This performance degrades with increase of rope diameter, with the breaking strength reducing to 70% of M.B.L. for large diameter fibre ropes.
Some methods for improving this rate of performance include splitting the large fibre ropes to create smaller ropes within the socket. These do increase the efficacy of the socketing, but are not entirely reliable.
Applications
Wirelock is a professional-grade cold socketing compound for use in industrial wire rope applications. Wirelock has been used for projects spanning a multitude of industries. There are five main categories where Wirelock is the preferred medium for wire socketing projects.
- General Engineering: Wirelock is ideal for use with crane ropes, winches, mast stays and boom pendants. Because of Wirelock’s cold socketing compound technology, it does not melt the polymer used in PFV wire ropes as molten metal socketing solutions would.
- Structures: Wirelock can be used for continuous suspension of stadium roofs, aircraft hangars, and other long-term structures.
- Bridges: Because many bridges use polymer-sheathed ropes in order to resist weather corrosion, Wirelock is the socketing compound of choice given its cold adhesion process. Wirelock has been used on several high profile bridge construction projects, including the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland and the Pont d’Aquitaine in France.
- Mining: Wirelock has been officially approved in the United Kingdom for person and materials transport for mining applications. It is widely used on a global scale for the same purpose, given its durability and proven track record for reliability.
- Offshore: Wirelock has received numerous certifications as the preferred socketing medium for offshore mooring applications. Given the high rate of corrosion for wire ropes and socketing used for mooring applications, DNV (Det Norske Veritas) issued a new standard for wire rope and socket use. Wirelock is the only socketing system to meet these requirements.
Resources
For your convenience, Strider-Resource is pleased to offer documentation on Wirelock® products and usage.
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