US Patent 10001452 Aircraft rescue hoist rope designed for continuous inspection

A method of making a hoist cable capable of continuous resistance monitoring includes applying an electrically-insulating material to at least one strand of a wire rope such that a length of the strand is electrically insulated and an end of the strand is electrically conductive. The end of the at least one strand is joined to other strands of the wire rope such that at least two strands are electrically connected at a free end of the wire rope. A method of inspecting the hoist cable includes transmitting a first electrical signal through a first strand from a hoist drum to a free end of the wire rope and receiving the first electrical signal through a second strand at the hoist drum, the first and second strands being electrically connected at the free end. Using the first electrical signal, the resistance of the wire rope is calculated.