Method for assisting in maintaining a metal cable of a lifting or transport apparatus

A maintenance assistance method for assisting in maintaining a metal cable of a lifting or transport apparatus, the metal cable being a metal cable forming a closed loop and cooperating with a re-tensioning system, the maintenance assistance method implementing the following steps:

• supervision of re-tensioning operations of the metal cable by the re-tensioning system, which occur in the lifetime of the metal cable;
• for each operation of re-tensioning the metal cable, determination of an elongation value of the metal cable;
• estimation of an overall elongation value of the metal cable, which corresponds to the sum of the elongation values of the metal cable determined after each re-tensioning operation;
• and
• determination of a damage index of the metal cable as a function of the overall elongation value.

A lifting or transport apparatus comprising a metal cable which forms a closed loop and which cooperates with a re-tensioning system, the lifting or transport apparatus comprising:

• a supervision system for supervising re-tensioning operations of the metal cable by the re-tensioning system, which occur in the lifetime of the metal cable;
• a monitoring/control system configured to:
• determine an elongation value of the metal cable after each re-tensioning operation of the metal cable;
• estimate an overall elongation value of the metal cable, which corresponds to the sum of the elongation values of the metal cable determined after each re-tensioning operation;
• and
• determine a damage index of the metal cable as a function of the overall elongation value.