Determination and comparison of the cutting resistance of different fibre ropes

Fibre ropes offer many advantages over steel wire ropes in technical applications. Depending on the application, different benefits are relevant as for example the low density providing floatability as mooring line or higher load capacity and bendingfatigue lifetime as hoisting rope on cranes and conveyor systems. A disadvantage of fibre ropes is their low

cutting resistance compared to steel wire ropes. However, the cutting resistance is highly dependent on various parameters suchas fibre material and rope construction. Using a test principle designed to determine the cutting resistance of climbing ropes, the authors carried out a series of cutting tests on different fibre rope constructions and ropes made from different fibre materials. The results confirm that there are large differences in the cutting resistance of different ropes. The proposed paper presents the test method used and the differences in cutting resistance between the different fibre ropes tested.

Author(s): S. Hecht, D. Fischer, R. Schulz