Fiber Ropes For Ocean Engineering in the 21st Century

By John F. Flory, Henry A. McKenna and Mike R. Parsey

Presented at the Civil Engineering in the Oceans Conference, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1982

Abstract

Recent advances in synthetic fiber ropes will greatly influence the practice of civil engineering in the oceans during the 21st Century. New fibers have moduli almost as high as steel and are stronger than steel. Fiber ropes are light weight and easy to handle. They do not corrode. New rope and mooring system designs can compensate for the inferior wear properties of fibers and take full advantage of the other fiber properties. Some fiber ropes have tension and bending fatigue performance superior to those of wire ropes. The newer forms of fiber ropes are thus ideal for many ocean engineering applications.

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Table of Contents:

Introduction

Synthetic Fibre Material and Rope Properties

Conventional Rope-Making Fibers

High-Modulus Rope-Making Fibers

Rope Construction Forms

Rope Property Table

Discussion of Rope Properties

Fibre ropes in ocean engineering

Catenary Moorings in Deep Water

Tension Leg Platform Moorings

Deep-Sea Salvage

Marine Construction Projects

Considerations with the use of fibre ropes

Misconceptions About Fiber Ropes

Specifications For Fiber Ropes

Conclusions

References