---
kind: "section"
citation: "30 C.F.R. § 77.1434"
title: "30"
number: "77.1434"
heading: "Retirement criteria."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/30/77.1434"
---

# §77.1434. Retirement criteria.


Unless damage or deterioration is removed by cutoff, wire ropes shall be removed from service when any of the following conditions occurs:

- (a) **The number of broken wires within a rope lay length, excluding filler wires, exceeds either—**
  - (1) Five percent of the total number of wires; or
  - (2) Fifteen percent of the total number of wires within any strand;
- (b) On a regular lay rope, more than one broken wire in the valley between strands in one rope lay length;
- (c) A loss of more than one-third of the original diameter of the outer wires;
- (d) Rope deterioration from corrosion;
- (e) Distortion of the rope structure;
- (f) Heat damage from any source;
- (g) Diameter reduction due to wear that exceeds six percent of the baseline diameter measurement; or
- (h) **Loss of more than ten percent of rope strength as determined by nondestructive testing.**

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: Sections 77.1430 through 77.1438 issued under sec. 101, Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977, Pub. L. 91-173 as amended by Pub. L. 95-164, 91 Stat. 1291 (30 U.S.C. 811).

### Source

Source: Sections 77.1430 through 77.1438 appear at 48 FR 53241, Nov. 25, 1983, unless otherwise noted.

### Authority

Authority: 30 U.S.C. 811.

### Source

Source: 36 FR 9364, May 22, 1971, unless otherwise noted.