Why Stainless Steel?

Stainless Steel Hardware Components for Cable and Strand Assemblies

Stainless Steel Cable and Strand Assemblies?

Seco South designs, manufactures and distributes the widest range of stainless steel cable and strand assemblies and hardware nationwide. Our manufacturing capabilities range from cable assemblies as small as 1/8" diameter and as large as 1-1/4" diameter. Some of our applications include the following:

• Canopy and sun shade supports
• Curtain wall support
• Lighting suspension
• Truss supports
• Caternery systems
• Barrier cables
• Window treatment systems
• Architectural sculptures
• Trellis systems
• Sign suspension
• Safety systems
• Medical and exercise equipment
• Decorative shelving and display systems
• Handrail and guardrail systems

Why Stainless Steel

Modern architecture requires that material be high strength, corrosion resistant and as maintenance free as possible. High tensile stainless steel wire used in our assemblies is manufactured from type 316S31 to achieve maximum corrosion resistance. Furthermore, a balanced design with king wires providing support for the outer wires and lay length are arranged to give maximum strength with minimum stretch. Unlike other types of cable, our stainless steel cable is dry and free of lubricants, which will provide the best finish available and will remain maintenance-free for many years. All of our stainless steel cables and fittings are manufactured from the highest quality marine grade type 316 stainless steel, which eliminates the need for expensive paint systems and reduces maintenance cost as well.

Some other considerations for using stainless steel would be:

• Projects near salt water or within a salty air environment
• Projects near roads that are salted in the winter
• Projects near chemical plants
• Projects in the food and medical industry
• Projects that require foliage to interact with the cable
• Projects that are high profile and need a touch of elegance

PVC Coated Cables

All of our cable assemblies are available with a PVC jacket extruded directly over the cable and it is not removable. Certain sizes are even available with a 1/8" strip of reflective material that can be seen from several hundred feet at night. A variety of colors are available upon request.

Some reasons to use PVC coated cables:

• The jackets cause the cable to appear larger for better visibility.
• A 1/8 inch reflective strip is available for some cables to improve night vision.
• To further reinforce the durability factor of the cable.
• The PVC jackets improve hand grip.
• Various colors are available to improve aesthetic appearance.

Manufacturing Materials

Maximum corrosion resistance is achieved by manufacturing assemblies from Type 316S31 high tensile stainless steel wire. Strength is increased and stretching is minimized through a specialized design allowing outer wires to be supported by king wires. The cables are free of lubricants to allow for years of maintenance free utilization. Superior quality marine grade Type 316 stainless steel is utilized to manufacture all our stainless steel cables and fittings. Besides reducing maintenance costs, this product eradicates the need for costly paint equipment.

Stainless Cable and Strand Assemblies

Stainless cable and stand assemblies are a perfect selection for utilization:

• In a high traffic area where appearance is important.
• In doctor's offices, hospitals, surgery centers and rehabilitation facilities, where sanitization plays a major role.
• When a chemical plant may be located near the project.
• When green plants will come in contact with the cables and assemblies.
• In an area that may come in contact with food or food processing.
• In the vicinity of roads that may receive salt during the winter months to eradicate snow and ice.
• In the close proximity of salt water or where salt water may be present in the air.

Utilizations for Stainless Steel Cables and Assemblies

There are many purposes for stainless steel cables and assemblies including:

• Barrier cables
• Drapery Supports
• Electrified railway caternery systems
• Exterior trellis systems
• Hang interior or exterior signs
• Guardrail and handrail installations
• Medical equipment
• Outdoor patio canopy supports
• Outdoor sculptures
• Pictures, clocks and shelving suspension
• Rehabilitation and other exercise equipment
• Suspend lighting fixtures from the ceiling
• Supports for trusses

Technical Details to Consider When Selecting Cables and Strands

Seco South typically manufactures cable assemblies out of four different constructions of cable and strand: 1×19 Strand, 1×19 Compact Strand, 7×7 cable and 7×19 cable. Although other types of cable are available, we find these satisfy most of our applications.

Strand is a group of wires wound concentrically in a helix. Normally, they are wound around a center wire known as the king wire. Strand is referred to as I by the total numbers of wires in the stand.

Constructional Stretch - occurs when a cable is put under load and the outer wires of a strand compress around its core causing the cable to extend. This permanent extension will vary depending on the load applied and the number of cycles of applications. The permanent extension can be as much as 0.1% for a conventional 1×19 strand.

Elastic Stretch - Due to constructional stretch, the elastic stretch will be proportional to the load. Modules of elasticity determine the resistance to stretch.

Strand Modulus - Load extension data from an actual strand is used together with the nominal diameter of the strand to calculate the cable modulus. A Strand Modulus is a more practical value and gives direct comparison between strand types.

Pre-Stressing - Pre-stressing is a technique used for removing the constructional stretch by cyclically loading the cable until the constructional stretch is removed. The method is commonly use on assemblies built for large bridge structures that do not have adjustable fittings such as turnbuckles. It is not always necessary to pre-stress a cable assembly that uses turnbuckles since the turnbuckles are used to take up any stretch. Pre-stressing is only effective where the cable is measured and marked under load since a cable will revert to its original state when recoiled.

1×19 Strand	7×7 Cable	7×19 Cable
non flexible high strength lowest stretch	flexible medium strength medium stretch	extra flexible low strength high stretch
Uses: Architectural rigging, structural rigging, handrails, guardrails	Uses: Architectural rigging, light structural rigging, decorative rigging	Uses: Decorative rigging, lifting equipment, aircraft controls

The low constructional stretch properties of our stainless steel Compact Strand make it the most suitable for structural applications. The unique manufacturing process that compacts the strands, not only increases the metallic area of the strand but also has the effect of removing the conditions within the strand that give rise to constructional stretch. Constructional stretch is as low as 0.01% and is achieved virtually on the initial loading thus eliminating any need for pre-stressing or subsequent retensioning of assemblies. In addition, the strength is increased by approximately 30% and the modulus is increased by a similar amount.

We have developed two types of compact strand, which offer the advantage of low stretch with a higher breaking strength than conventional 1×19 strand. Compact Strand can be terminated with swage type terminals and sizes of 2.5mm diameter and above can also use the Norseman swageless terminals.

Attaching Fittings to Cables

Seco South uses two different methods for attaching our fittings to cables. These methods are known as swage and swageless.

Swage - To swage a fitting on the end of a cable means to press the fitting onto the end. There are several different methods used to swage fittings onto cables. All types of machines can produce a swage as strong as the wire (except hand crimp swaging) when adjusted and used correctly. All of our swage terminal dimensions comply with the US military standard that has been used exclusively for many years in the USA, UK and Australia. You can find our full range of swage fittings here.

All of our swaging is done at the factory. For projects that require swaging on the job site, we do offer portable swaging machines to purchase or rent. Please click here for more information on the portable swaging machines.

Swageless - The Norseman swageless system is an extremely effective way to attach fittings to a cable without the use of any specialized equipment. These fittings can be installed on a cable with nothing more than a simple adjustable or open end wrench. This allows you to install the fittings at the job site yourself and manufacture a cable assembly to length without having any predetermined dimensions. The Norseman swageless system will exceed the break strength of a cable when installed properly. You can find our full range of swageless fittings here.