GB/T 32963-2026Zinc-aluminium alloy coated steel wire cable (English PDF)

3.1 Zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire

A steel wire produced by applying a molten hot-dip coating of a zinc-aluminum alloy to the surface of a bright steel wire.

NOTE: Including steel wire coated with zinc-5% aluminum alloy (designated Zn-5%Al), zinc-10% aluminum alloy (designated Zn-10%Al), and zinc-aluminum-magnesium alloy (designated ZnAlMg), among others.

3.2 Zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire cable

Cables made of zinc-aluminum alloy steel wire.

NOTE: This includes prefabricated parallel zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire strand for suspension bridge main cables, and zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire cable with hot extrusion polyethylene for cable-stayed bridges.

3.3 Prefabricated parallel zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire strand

A cable strand formed by arranging several zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wires in parallel according to a specific pattern, wrapping them with high-strength polyester fiber tape at set intervals, and anchoring the ends using anchorages.

3.4 Zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire cable with hot extrusion polyethylene

A stay cable manufactured by lightly twisting a specific number of zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wires - with an outermost twist angle of (3 ± 0.5)° - wrapping them with high-strength polyester fiber tape, hot-extruding a high-density polyethylene protective sheath over the surface, anchoring the ends with anchorages, and applying an effective anti-corrosion seal between the anchorages and the cable body.

3.5 Anchorage

A connecting component that transfers tensile force between the cable and the structure.

3.6 Nominal breaking load of the cable

The product of the standard tensile strength of the zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire and the nominal cross-sectional area of the individual wires within the cable's steel wire bundle.

5.1 Structural configuration

5.1.1 Zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire cable

5.1.1.1 Prefabricated parallel zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire strand

Figure 1 shows the structural layout of the prefabricated parallel zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire strand. The cross-section of the strand is hexagonal. Figure 2 illustrates the cross-sectional structure.

6.1.1 Fabrication of standard wires and marker wires

In the regular hexagonal cross-section of the cable strand, the wire located at the top-left corner serves as the marker wire and must be painted red along its entire length; the wire located at the top-right corner serves as the standard wire, used to control the length of the strand.

6.1.2 Ply-forming

The cross-section of the cable strand is formed into a regular hexagon using the number of steel wires specified in the design, and both end faces must be flat. To maintain the cross-sectional shape, high-strength polyester fiber tape is wrapped around the strand at intervals of 1.5 m ± 0.1 m along its length, with 6~12 layers applied at each location; the wrapping interval must remain consistent for strands of the same specification. Steel wire bindings or clamps shall be applied at appropriate locations. The steel wires within the fabricated strand must remain parallel, with no crossing or twisting.

6.1.3 Mark

At the locations of control points on the standard wire - corresponding to the centers of the splay saddles and main cable saddles, as well as the mid-spans of the side and main spans and the starting points of the side-span anchorages - distinct marks using specific color combinations shall be applied in accordance with design requirements.

6.1.4 Grouting of anchors

6.1.4.1 Prior to grouting the cable anchorage, the cable body shall be secured at appropriate locations using wire wrapping or clamps to prevent displacement of the steel wire strands.

6.1.4.2 After the steel wires at the ends of the cable body have been fanned out, remove any oil and rust. Use a wire-separating plate to space the wires apart at appropriate intervals.

6.1.4.3 Clean the inner walls of the anchorage. Preheat the anchorage before pouring the hot-cast anchoring material.

6.1.4.4 The tolerance for the insertion depth of the cable body into the anchorage shall be controlled within ±5 mm. Align the center of the cable body with the center of the anchorage and secure it in place.

6.1.4.5 The alloy casting temperature shall be (460 ± 10) °C.

6.1.4.6 The alloy casting shall be dense and free of voids. The casting volume shall be at least 95% of the capacity of each anchorage cup.

6.1.4.7 The angle between the cable axis and the end face of the anchorage shall be controlled within the range of (90 ± 0.5)°.

6.1.5 Jacking

After anchorage grouting, each prefabricated parallel zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire strand shall be subjected to a jacking-and-pressing operation. The jacking-and-pressing force shall be 0.55Pb. The retraction resulting from this operation shall not exceed 2% of the anchorage body length. For prefabricated parallel zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wire strands with an anchorage body length of less than 250 mm, the retraction shall not exceed 5 mm.

6.1.6 Coiling

6.1.6.1 No obstructions shall occur when coiling or uncoiling the cable strands.

6.1.6.2 The inner diameter of the coiled strand shall be not less than 20 times the outer diameter of the strand, and not less than 1.8 m.

6.1.6.3 Apply 3~4 straps evenly around the circumference of the coil. Protective material must be placed beneath the steel straps to prevent damage to the cable strands.

6.2.1 Twisting

In accordance with the specified design length and model specifications, arrange a specific number of zinc-aluminum alloy coated steel wires in a tight regular hexagonal or truncated hexagonal configuration. Twist the wire bundle concentrically in a left-hand direction. The lay angle of the outermost layer of wires shall be (3 ± 0.5)°, and a high-strength polyester fiber tape shall be wrapped around the bundle in a right-hand direction, with an overlap width of at least one-third of the tape width. […]