| Abstract: | In view of the fact that mechanical cables are very popular and powerful structural members, methods that provide information concerning their “health” are anxiously needed. In general, and because of their extended length (a rope used in a gold mine in South Africa is 9.3 miles long), methods which inspect the cable as a continuous function of the length variable are very expensive and time-consuming. The present paper surveys the state-of-the-art and discusses limitations and advantages of the techniques available today, the most recent one being the “induced, transverse wave propagation method”. |
