Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
Page 1 sur 5
Fibres Guide
How to Identify the Synthetic Fibres Used In Rope Making Many ropes look alike, especially with regard to material. Once a rope is removed from the reel or packing box or is otherwise separated from documentation, the material, and even the name of the manufacturer might not be easily determined. See also: Services Rope Design (fibre ropes and steel wire ropes) TTI provides a complete consultancy service in the field of ropes and cables. Expert Witness, Marine accident investigation Software Fibre Rope Modeller, modelling program for rope design and performance prediction Users frequently encounter ropes of unknown rope material. Some fibres are very similar in appearance. But important fibre rope properties such as strength, extension and durability are primarily functions of the material. Substitution of ropes of the wrong fibre material can have disastrous consequences in critical applications. Simple observations and tests can be used to identify various fibres commonly used in ropes. Experts can distinguish some materials by appearance alone, but this is not generally reliable. Some tests can easily be performed in the field without special preparations and laboratory equipment. The burn test is the easiest to perform, but it may be impractical in some environments. Several appropriate tests should be performed for positive identification. Markings provided by manufacturers can also help in identification. A thorough study of the techniques, practice with known fibre materials, and preparation of a few supplies will enable the user to identify most materials found in ropes. No single test should be relied upon for positive identification. Several appropriate tests should be used. When positive identification is very important, expert advice and laboratory testing should be relied on. Further info General information on Fibre Types Identification by Appearance Identification by Testing
http://www.tensiontech.com/tools_guides/fibres_guide.html
15/05/2012
Fibres Guide | How to Identify synthetic fibres in Ropes | TTI Tools & Guides
Page 2 sur 5
Some ropes are now made of new fibre materials which have higher strengths than the common materials discussed above. They are also significantly stiffer, and for this reason they are usually grouped together in a category called high modulus fibres. Sometimes the fibre material is known by its trade name instead of its common name. Some rope manufacturer's trade names identify the material. The chemical abbreviation or an acronym are sometimes used. Table 1 gives some general identifying characteristics of the various synthetic fibres used in rope making. Table 2 gives a brief glossary of terminology and tradenames for fibre ropes and rope materials. Further info Common Rope Materials High-Modulus Materials Trade Names and Abbreviations
http://www.tensiontech.com/tools_guides/fibres_guide.html
15/05/2012
Fibres Guide | How to Identify synthetic fibres in Ropes | TTI Tools & Guides
Page 3 sur 5
Table 2 lists some frequently used rope material trade names and chemical abbreviations. It also gives other common terms used for synthetic fibre rope products. This is not a complete list of trade names, and is not intended as an endorsement of the products listed. Fibre producers' and rope manufacturers' literature may be consulted for other trade names associated with a particular fibre material.
Identification by appearance
Preliminary identification can sometimes be made by the fibre appearance. This is seldom a reliable way of determining the fibre identity, but it is helpful in narrowing the number of possible fibres. Then only a few tests may be required to positively identify the particular fibre material. Further info Fibre Appearance Colored Marker Yarns Rope Color Markings Internal Marker Tapes
Fibre Appearance
Polyester fibres and almost all nylon fibres are very fine and hair like, typically about 0.023 mm dia. These fibres are almost always white. It is virtually impossible to distinguish between nylon and polyester by appearance alone. HMPE and the multifilament form of polypropylene are very similar to nylon and polyester in appearance. AA monofilament form of nylon (tradename Perlon), 3 to 6 mm dia., is found in some European ropes. This Atlas fibre is round, stiff, and larger in diameter than heavy pencil lead. It is usually mixed with the multifilament form of nylon in rope making. Polypropylene is encountered in several different forms in ropes. It is sometimes a thin multifilament fibre, similar to but slightly thicker than polyester and nylon. It is sometimes a thicker monofilament, resembling straw or bristles, typically 0.1 to 0.15 mm dia. In this form it may either be a continuous fibre, or it may be cut into short lengths and then processed like natural fibres to form staple yarn. Another form of polypropylene resembles a thin tape, typically 0.06 to 0.1 mm thick. The tape is sometimes twisted so it appears to be a circular fibre. This tape may be fibrillated or split so it appears to be a collection of small flat fibres which cling to each other. Ropes made of monofilament polypropylene are frequently black, orange or yellow. The dye helps to prevent UV degradation. White monofilament polypropylene fibres with some other form of UV protection are also common. Multifilament polypropylene fibres are usually white. They are almost indistinguishable from nylon and polyester fibres by appearance, except they are usually slightly thicker and thus stiffer. This contrast may be evident in mixed fibre ropes. Polyethylene fibres typically are bristle-like, in the range of 0.2 to 0.4 mm dia., and are thus similar to the monofilament form of polypropylene. Polyethylene is not damaged by ultraviolet effects, need not be dyed, and is usually natural white. However, colored polyethylene is common, especially yellow and orange. Thus it is difficult to distinguish polyethylene from monofilament polypropylene by appearance. Aramid is a very fine straw-colored fibre. Almost all large aramid ropes have a braided jacket of nylon or polyester or are covered by an extruded polyurethane coating. Also, the individual strands are usually jacketed. HMPE is a very fine, very slippery fibre. Some HMPE ropes are jacketed, but others are unjacketed. Sometimes a light dull-blue coating is processed onto the unjacketed HMPE rope. LCAP, at least in the Vectran form, is a very fine tan or dirty yellow colored fibre similar to, but not as yellow as aramid. LCAP is very uncommon in rope products at the time this paper was written. Most LCP ropes will probably be jacketed. Many modern ropes are a blend or mixture of several of the above fibres. Combinations of polyester and polypropylene fibres in ropes are common. Some, but not all composite ropes made of polypropylene and polyester are essentially as strong as ordinary polyester ropes. Another form of mixing fibre is in the fibre extrusion process. One example is Karat, a copolymer consisting of polyester and polyethylene. This particular fibre is straw-colored.
http://www.tensiontech.com/tools_guides/fibres_guide.html
15/05/2012
Fibres Guide | How to Identify synthetic fibres in Ropes | TTI Tools & Guides
Page 4 sur 5
Identification by Testing
Simple test methods used in combination can conclusively identify most rope fibres. The following brief instructions, together with the tables, may be sufficient to conduct most of the tests. Further info Burn Tests Burning Characteristics of Synthetic Fibres (Table 4) Specific Gravity Test Melt Test Stain Test
Burn Tests
Burn testing is a generally reliable way of identifying fibres. Table 3 provides a listing of burn test characteristics. The burn test method should be used with proper precautions. Hold a specimen of the fibre or yarn by clean forceps over a clean flame, such as a gas burner or wooden match. While the specimen is in the flame, observe the reaction of the specimen and the nature of the smoke. The smoke should be sniffed with care to determine its smell. Remove the specimen from the flame. Observe the reaction of the specimen and its smoke and again sniffed the smoke. Any flame on the specimen should then be extinguished. Observe the nature of the melted end of the specimen, taking care to avoid touching hot residue. Use a metal or wooden stick instead of a finger to draw out or crush the residue. Smell alone should not be used for identification. It is influenced by coatings on the fibres, and pollutants to which the rope has been exposed. The sense of smell is not be very precise. Further info
http://www.tensiontech.com/tools_guides/fibres_guide.html
15/05/2012
Fibres Guide | How to Identify synthetic fibres in Ropes | TTI Tools & Guides
Page 5 sur 5
Melt Test
The melting point is a reliable means of distinguishing some common forms of fibres. Melt temperatures for the various fibres are given in Table 4. This test can be conducted using a calibrated melting point apparatus. The method is described in ASTM D276. An alternate method is to place the fibre on a metal sheet, together with known fibres. Place the metal sheet on a hot plate or other controlled source of heat. Slowly raise the temperature until the unknown material begins to melt, presumably at the same time as one of the known materials. Melt point determination is the only reliable way, other than stain or chemical testing, to distinguish between nylon 6 and nylon 6.6. It is generally not accurate enough to distinguish between materials with melt points closer than about 10C. Thus it is not capable of distinguishing between nylon 6.6 and polyester.
Stain Test
Stain testing can be conducted with several commercially available test kits. This method can be useful in environments where burn testing is not allowed, such as on the deck of a tanker or drilling platform. Black Rit dye is available in many stores. It can be used to distinguish between nylon and polyester. Nylon will take the dye while the polyester will remain white. "duPont Fibre Identification Stain No. 4" is available from Pylam Products Co., 1001 Stewart Ave., Garden City, NY 11530. It can distinguishing between polyester (yellow), nylon (red), and the polyolefins (white). However, it cannot distinguish between nylon 6 and 6.6 or between polyethylene and polypropylene. "Shirlastain A" is available from Shirley Developments Ltd., Didsbury, Manchester, M20 8SA, UK. It can distinguish between nylon 6 (pale yellow) and nylon 6.6 (dark yellow), and distinguish these from polyester (unstained).
Copyright 2003-2011 TTI Ltd. All rights reserved. Web design by Revelate. Contact | Site Map | Privacy policy | Refund policy| Delivery policy | TTI Testing
http://www.tensiontech.com/tools_guides/fibres_guide.html
15/05/2012