It’s not the most common form of engineering, but ropeway engineering holds an important place in the mining industry. It is used to transport materials in bulk in terrain that is difficult to access. Definition of Rope Before we can discuss ropeway engineering, we must understand what ‘rope’ is to the mining industry. In mining, the definition of rope is strands of metal wire twisted to form a composite rope. Wire rope is usually made of steel and has a diametre of more than 9.52 mm. Smaller gauges are considered to be cable or cord. Wire ropes have been around for almost 100 years, starting out as mining hoist applications. Today wire ropes are still used for hoisting in elevators, cranes and transmitting mechanical power. The strength of rope wires means ropes can hold large tensile forces. One of the greatest benefits of wire ropes is that if a flaw occurs in one of the wires, the other wires can take on the load. If a flaw occurs in a chain link, the failure can result in