Ropes

• Rope is one of humanity's

earliest inventions, and there
are nearly as many types of rope
as there are fibrous materials on
earth. Rope is made by either
braiding or twisting some
fibrous material together to
increase its strength.
 Ropes
• Early ropes were made of materials
including grass, leather, hair, and reeds.
The Egyptians used rope in their early
building enterprises, employing long
strands of rope to move the enormous
stones necessary to build the pyramids.
The Chinese began using rope made from
hemp sometime around 3000 B.C.
• Most rope is of a type known as twisted
rope, sometimes called laid rope, which
consists of a number of strands of yarn
twisted together to make them more
sturdy. Each of these strands may be
made up of anywhere from a small handful
to a large number of smaller strands, each
of which is in turn comprised of the basic
fibers of the rope spun together.
• Most rope is made of three strands, a style
of rope known as plain rope. Occasionally,
rope will be made using four strands
instead of the usual three, in which case it
is called shroud-laid rope. When even
more strength is needed, multiple lengths
of rope may be twisted together, forming
what is called cable-laid rope.
• Modern rope made of synthetics is
sometimes of a type known as braided
rope. Braided rope tends to be much
springier than twisted ropes, both because
of the synthetic fibers used, and because
of the technique used to form it. Some
braided rope, however, is intentionally kept
very stiff, to ensure little or no stretching
during use.
 Rope Types
• Natural fibers
• Man-Made Ropes
 Natural fibers
• Natural rope materials commonly in use include
cotton, linen, silk, hemp, manila, jute, and sisal.
Most of these are derived from plants. Plant-
based rope tends to be the most popular of the
naturally derived ropes, for its strength and
stretchability, as well as occasionally water-
repellent qualities. Silk rope was once very
popular for its light weight, but due to its relative
weakness as a rope material it is rarely used in
the modern world.
 Hemp
• Hemp is the common name for
plants of the genus Cannabis,
although the term is often used
to refer only to Cannabis
strains cultivated for industrial
(non-drug) use. Hemp is
cultivated virtually everywhere
in the world except for the
United States, and its
cultivation in western countries
is growing steadily. For
example, Canadian Hempseed
exports surged 300% last year,
according to VoteHemp.
China, and other eastern
countries, never prohibited its
cultivation and use it
extensively.
 Hemp
• The fiber is one of the most valuable parts
of the hemp plant. It is commonly called
"bast", meaning it grows as a stalk from
the ground. Hemp fibers can be 3 to 15
feet long, running the length of the plant.
Depending on the processing used to
remove the fiber from the stem, the hemp
naturally may be creamy white, brown,
gray, black or green.
 Jute
• Jute is a type of plant fiber used to make
common items such as rope, twine, chair
coverings, curtains, sacks, hessian cloth,
carpets, and even the backing used on linoleum.
This is accomplished by spinning the fiber into a
coarse thread. Despite the fact that jute tends to
be rough in texture, fine threads of it are
sometimes used to create imitation silk. In
addition, jute is increasingly being looked at as
an alternative source for making paper, rather
than cutting down trees for pulp.
 Jute
• The thread created from jute is quite strong, yet
it is among the cheapest of natural fibers
available. It also has exceptional insulating
properties, low thermal conductivity, and
antistatic characteristics. Nonetheless, synthetic
materials are replacing jute in many applications,
because they are still less costly to create and
more efficient to use. This is partly because jute
has a tendency to become brittle and to yellow in
sunlight. It also tends to lose its strength when
wet and can become infested with microbes
when used in humid regions.
 Sisal
• Manufactured from fibres obtained from
the leaves of the Agave Sisalana plant. A
tough, versatile fibre ideal for general
purpose ropes used in mining, trucking
and general industrial applications. Ideal
for applications not requiring high strength
or great elasticity.
 Typical Applications
• Truck Ropes
• Slings
• Driving Ropes
• Capstan Ropes
• Halters
• Nets
• Barrier Ropes
• Rope Handles
• Tug-o-War Ropes
 Properties
• High strength when dry but reduced marginally (10-15%)
when wet
• Approximately 10% elongation dry and 12-13% wet
• Low energy absorption (do not stretch significantly under
load)
• Good abrasion
• Does not float in water
• Strong resistance to most chemicals and are not affected
by volatile petroleum solvents, mineral oils and alkalis
• Sensitive to mineral acids, paints, detergents, chemical
salts and very humid or dry atmospheric conditions.
• The rope is combustible
• Absorb water readily and fibres lose strength when wet
 Manila Rope
• Manufactured from fibers obtained from
the leaves of abacca plants, Manila is the
strongest of the natural fibres and results
in hard wearing, low stretch, general
purpose ropes which are superior to Sisal
Ropes in their resistance to weathering
fungal attacks and moisture.
 Typical Applications
• Slings
• Nets (Safety/Cargo)
• Capstan Rope
• Driving Ropes
• Rope Ladders
• Guy Ropes
 Properties
• High strength when dry but reduced marginally when wet (less than
sisal ropes however)
• Approximately 10% elongation dry and 12-13% wet
• Low energy absorption (do not stretch significantly under load)
• Good abrasion and resist external wear well
• Does not float in water
• Strong resistance to most chemicals and are not affected by volatile
petroleum solvents, mineral oils and alkalis
• Sensitive to mineral acids, paints, detergents, chemical salts and
very humid or dry atmospheric conditions. Prone to fungal attacks,
however its resistance is higher than Sisal
• The rope is combustible
• Absorb water readily and fibres lose strength when wet
 Man-made ropes (Synthetic)
• A wide range of synthetic fibers are used
to make rope as well. These include nylon
and polyester,. Synthetic rope usually
exhibits a number of highly specialized
characteristics, depending on its intended
use..
 Man-made ropes (Synthetic)
• Some synthetic ropes are almost entirely
waterproof, while others offer the ability to
stretch far beyond the capacity of any
natural fiber. In addition, most synthetic
fibers are lighter than their natural
counterparts,
 Synthetic
• Main ones are
• Nylon
• polypropelene
 Nylon
• Constructed of the strongest of
conventional fibres available to the rope
market, Nylon ropes have exceptional
strength, and excellent extension and
recovery characteristics.
• Easy to handle and knot, they are used in
a wide range of general and industrial
applications, particularly marine and
shipping industries.
 Typical Applications
• Slings
• Safety Lines
• Car Tow Ropes
• Forestry Ropes
• Safety Nets
• Anchor & Mooring Ropes
 Properties
• Stabilized against harmful UV radiation
• High strength when dry but reduced marginally when wet
(full strength restored when dry)
• Approximately 40% elongation dry and 25% wet –
excellent recovery
• High energy absorption capacity
• Excellent resistance to abrasion
• Resistant to acetone, organic solvents, weak organic and
mineral acids and substantially inert to alkalis
• Sensitive to phenols, strong acid and concentrated
formic acid
 Will generally not support combustion
 Polypropylene Rope
• Manufactured from extruded
Polypropylene film, monofilament,
multifilament or staple fibre, Polypropylene
rope is an economical general purpose
rope, suitable for a wide range of industrial
applications (mining and construction to
marine and domestic purposes) Stabilised
against harmful UV radiation.
 Typical Applications
• Anchor & Mooring Lines for Small craft
• Swings
• Lead Ropes and Rope Ladders
• Cable Draw Cord 
• Ship Docking
• Towing & Tie-downs
• Truck
• Barrier
 Properties
• Extremely strong
• Unaffected by water
• Elongation of approximately 20% depending on size and
construction
• Energy Absorption
• Can absorb repeated shock loads of relatively high
orders
• Floats on water
• Resistant to most acids and alkalis, common solvents &
oxidising agents
• Sensitive to bleaching & cleansing agents as well as
some solvents