Under heavy-duty and long-stroke conditions, multi-strand wire rope has good performance because of its complex spatial structure, but it is also difficult to analyze its force and wear. In this paper, based on Frenet standard frame, the mathematical model of 12× 37 WS multi-strand steel wire rope in straight line and bending state is established, and the contact stress and bending stress between different strands are calculated according to the parameters of the steel wire rope when it is subjected to 6 tons of tension. Next, the lay distance of the inner strand, the middle strand and the outer strand is taken as the variable, and its influence on the contact stress of the steel wire is studied, which provides a guide for the optimization of the structural parameters of the multi-strand steel wire rope. Then the finite element model of steel wire rope was established by SolidWorks, and its mechanical properties were verified by workbench software simulation. Finally, based on the results of theoretical calculation and finite element analysis, it is concluded that the outermost steel wire of the rope strand is more likely to break due to wear when the rope is subjected to constant tension, and the more close to the core strand, the greater the stress of the layer strand, and the method can be put forward to appropriately increase the diameter of the core strand and reduce the diameter of the outer strand to reduce the breakage rate of the wire rope.