I. Introduction
As the key load-bearing component, wire ropes (WRs) are the core of complex industrial rope systems, such as mine hoists, engineering cranes, ropeways, building elevators, and so on [1]–[3]. Once an accident occurs caused by the WR in the lifting or towing process, it will lead to serious life/property losses and terrible social impacts [4]. For example, on December 29, 2004, 53 tourists were trapped as a result of the WRs breaking on a ropeway in Switzerland; on September 25, 2012, in a coal mine in Gansu province, China, an accident occurred in which the WRs broke, resulting in 20 deaths and 14 injuries; on November 7, 2018, the WRs of a tower crane broke at a construction site in Guangxi province, China, and a worker was killed after being hit by the hook.