Stephen J. Banfield

36 Huggetts Lane
Eastbourne
East Sussex BN22 0LU
England

Phone: 01323-504167
FAX: : 01323-509770

Email: Banfield@TensionTech.com

Steve Banfield is currently Managing Director of Tension Technology International where he has completed thirteen years service in design and engineering of fibre rope systems. He is a chemist and mechanical engineer who trained in ropemaking and design with fifteen years service for one of Europe's leading manufacturers of synthetic fiber rope.

Major accomplishments

Analysis of over twenty failed SPM hawsers from SALM, CALM, ARTICULATED TOWERS and FSO mooring from North Sea, Far east, Middle East, USA locations. Detailed analysis and determination of failure cause and residual strength was conducted. Developed special spliced termination to test used nylon rope.

Co-promotor and co-manager of two Joint Industry Studies with NEL testing properties of synthetic fibre ropes for deepwater mooring.

Design engineer on ACG DQ platform, Åsgard semi, Auger TLP and Heidrun TLP riser protection nets. Tasks included writing design brief, detailed engineering of rope components, writing bid documents, bid evaluation, manufacturing and installation surveillance acitivities. Designed terminations for Heidrun Riser Protection Net 400 tonne break load ropes.

Technical consultant to a JIP evaluating fibre ropes for deepwater mooring applications, funded by 6 oil companies to test mechanical properties of 1000 and 1500 tonne break load ropes. Developed high tensile and fatigue efficiency splices that gave a successful outcome for the study.

Contracted by JDR Cable Systems to develop a novel short spliced termination for 1500 tonne break load wire rope construction polyester rope. The splice was less than 2 metres long compared to the industry standard of around 7 metres.

Contracted by Dupont for design and development of a spliced termination in a 1000 tonne break load wire rope construction Kevlar rope using the short splice technology method.

Contracted by Linear Composites to develop the worlds first spliced termination in a parallel fibre rope. The successful design and development led to an engineering contract award for TTI for the design to be used in a North Sea riser arch buoy mooring.

Conducted examination and pathological study of Hutton riser protection net and redesign of replacement net.

Designed many novel terminations for high modulus and high tensile strength fiber ropes. The HMPE splice terminations for multi-rope and six-strand type ropes are especially noteworthy because of the difficulties of splicing this very low-friction fiber material.

Researched and developed braided jacket covers and polyurethane coatings which are used to protect ropes and splice terminations against abrasion and resist flexing fatigue. Various specialty protective coatings employ emulsion and thermoplastic polyurethanes, hot melt resins, and thermoplastic polyesters.

Developed special HMPE (high molecular weight polyethylene) ROV lifting rope now used on Cable and Wireless and British Telecom cable laying vessels. These highly efficient ropes are among the world's strongest, both on a strength-to-weight and strength-to size comparison basis.

Over 20 years experience on tension member failure analyses, examined many damaged and failed specimens to determine the failure morphology. He also conducted fatigue analysis, and established retirement criteria.

Expert witness on failure of fibre ropes in leisure, civil, marine, shipping and oilfield cases.

Developed techniques for applying polyurethane encapsulation within tubular thimbles which greatly enhanced rope life. These techniques are now widely used on SPM mooring hawsers.
Developed a novel yarn axial-compression buckling-fatigue test machine for quantifying this property and comparing alternative new fiber products. Also developed transverse pressure and slip measurement methods for use in evaluating fiber rope splice designs and techniques.

Designed the terminations used on the British Meteorological Office's BOSCO buoy moorings. These buoys serve in 200 ft of water in especially harsh environments. The terminations consisted of polyurethane molded rope bend-stress relievers and encapsulated thimbles.

Education

Brighton Polytechnic H.N.C.; Chemistry, 1978, 2 merits & 1 distinction

Brighton Polytechnic H.N.C.; Mechanical and Production Engineering, 1981, 6 merits and 2 distinctions

Experience

Marlow Ropes Ltd. Hailsham, England: Research Officer, 1974-1986 ; Project Leader, 1986-89

Tension Technology International Ltd:1989-1993, Project Manager ; 1993 - 1998, Technical Director : 1998 - present Managing Director

Publications

Banfield, S.J., TTI and Casey, N., NEL, Fatigue Mechanisms and Residual Properties of Polyester Ropes, IBC Mooring and Anchoring Conference, 2001.

Banfield, S.J., TTI, T. Versavel, NDE, Snell R.O., BP Amoco, Ahilan R.V., NDE, “Fatigue Curves for polyester Moorings – A state-of-the-Art Review”, paper OTC 12175, May 2000.

Banfield, S.J., TTI and Smeets, P.J.H.M, DSM High Performance Fibres, Comparison of Dyneema Sub-Rope Modulus against Full Scale Rope for Deepwater Mooring, IBC Mooring and Anchoring Conference, 2000.

Banfield, S.J. and Casey, N., AEvaluation of Fibre Rope Properties for Offshore Mooring@, FPS >97, 4th Annual International Conference, April 1997, London.

"Factors Affecting Life of Synthetic Fiber Ropes in Marine Service", with J. Flory and M. Parsey, MTS '90 Conference, Washington, DC, 1990

"Life of Polymeric Ropes in The Marine Environment", with M. Parsey and J. Hearle, Polymers in a Marine Environment, London, 1987

"Dynamic Behaviour of Marine Hawsers", with M. Parsey and S. Street, Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, 1984

Banfield, S.J. and Liu, F., 'Development of an Umbilical Butt Splice' ISOPE 1993, Singapore, June 1993. Paper 75.2.

Hearle, J.W.S., Parsey, M.R., Overington, M.S. and Banfield, S.J. 'Modelling the Long-Term Fatigue Performance of Ropes' ISOPE 1993, Singapore, June 1993. Paper 65.7.

(January, 2002)