Comparisons of various Rope Lays with Alternate Lay.

a) Right Hand Regular Lay
c) Right Hand Langs Lay

b) Left Hand Regular Lay
d) Left Hand Langs Lay

e) Right Hand Alternate Lay

f) Left Hand Alternate Lay
A comparison of typical wire rope lays a) Right Regular Lay, b) Left Regular Lay, c) Right Lang Lay,
d) Left Lang Lay, e) Right Alternate Lay, f) Left Alternate Lay.
What is Alternate Lay ?
A six strand wire rope in which three strands are ordinary lay and three strands are lang lay is known as an alternate lay wire rope and combines some of the desirable properties of both the regular lay and langs lay type of rope.

Identification and Construction Types
Wire rope is identified not only by its components parts, but also its construction, i.e., by the way the wires have been laid to form strands, and by the way the strands have been laid around the core.

( "a" and "c" ) shows strands as normally laid into the rope to the right - in a fashion similar to the threading in a right-hand bolt. Conversely the "left lay"rope strands (illustration "b" and "d" ) are laid in the opposite direction.

Again the first two ( "a" and "b" ) show regular lay ropes. Following ( "c" and "d" ) these are the types known as lang lay ropes. Note that the wires in regular lay ropes appear to line up with the axis of the rope; in lang lay rope the wires form an angle with the axis of the rope. This difference in appearance is a result of variations in manufacturing techniques: regular lay ropes are made so that the direction of the wire lay in the strand is opposite to the direction of the strand lay in the rope; lang lay rope are made with both strand lay and rope lay in the same direction. Finally ( "e" and "f" ) called alternate lay consists of alternating regular and lang lay strands.

a) Right hand Regular Lay (RHRL)
b) Left hand Regular Lay (LHRL)
c) Right hand Langs Lay (RHLL)
d) Left hand Langs Lay (LHLL)
e) Right hand Alternate Lay (RHL-ALT)
f) Left hand Alternate Lay (LHL-ALT)