What damage to wire rope involves outer strands separating and opening?

• A. Nip
• B. Plaiting
• C. Lang-lay ropes
• D. Bird caging

Answer: (D)

Bird-caging describes the damage where the outer strands of a wire rope separate and flare outward, creating a cage-like appearance around the rope. This happens when the rope is subjected to severe bending, overloading, or misalignment around drums or pulleys, which allows the strands to spread apart from the core. The result is a dramatic loss of strength and a high risk of sudden failure, so this condition signals that the rope must be taken out of service. Other terms describe different issues: nip is a crushing point from pinching, plaiting is when strands interweave in a braid-like pattern from improper handling, and lang-lay refers to a rope construction rather than a damage state.