Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2011)

TECHNICALROPES & WINCHESWhen a European client of Cortlandneeded to use a high strength capacity but lightweight lifting sling, the lift require-ments exceeded the manufacturing capa- bility of most providers. The solution was patented Plasma synthetic fiber in a patented 12x12 braided configuration; available through Cortland. When assessing the job, three primaryissues needed to be overcome. First, the rope design needed to maintain a highlevel of translational efficiency in large diameter without sacrificing other per- formance properties such as structural in-tegrity, spliceability and resistance to abrasion damage. Second, the solutionneeded to entail the ability to actuallymake a rope that could achieve the re- quired strengths while not having limita- tions imposed by the design of the ropeitself. Finally, the application required detailed performance data to facilitate the design and implementation of the lifts.Cortland, with its patented 12-strandconstruction, addressed the issue ofstrength translation. In the 12 x 12 de-sign, each of the 12 strands in the finished rope is, in itself, a 12-strand braid. Cort-land already owned the answer to a sec- ond issue: a large 12-strand braider capable of making ropes up to approxi-mately 200mm in diameter. Finally, Cort- land tested the large Plasma slings using a 5,000-ton fully instrumented test bed,and all tests met or exceeded design spec- ifications. With these recent test results, lightweight synthetic Plasma 12 x 12ropes have proven their performance ca- pabilities in large sizes suitable for use in the most demanding of operations. De-spite the exceptional size, this rope is 7 to 8 times lighter than a comparable steelrope, yet is much easier to handle andsplice. Furthermore, Cortland has notreached the upper limit of the sizes thatcan be produced and will continue to testnew sizes and materials. Competition in the global cordage mar- ket is heating up, and another company situated in the Pacific Northwest, Sam-son, is an able competitor. Samson was a finalist in the Seatrade Awards, and Sam- son?s synthetic emergency tow-off pen- dant (ETOP) Vulcan provides a means of towing a ship away from the dock in the event of a fire without the use of wire rope. The patented synthetic ETOP is made of Technora fiber in conjuction with a proprietary fire-resistant coating. The combination results in a rope thatmeets OCIMF breaking strength recom-mendations after exposure to flames and a high-temperature environment. Marlow Ropes is returning to the ma-rine and offshore sector with the launch of Oceanus, designed specifically for use in winch applications. Oceanus is anUltra High Modulus Polyethylene (UHMPE) core dependent, covered rope ideal for use on all types of winches, es-pecially those where abrasion and frictionare an issue. Manufactured and pre- spliced to exact lengths and specification, the 12-Strand UHMPE core can be madefrom Dyneema SK75 for high strength,SK78 for high strength and minimalcreep or SK90 for super high strength. New England Ropes has reconstructedthe Endura 12 and introduced the STS-12, a 100% HMPE fiber rope character- ized by extremely high tensile strength and ultra low elongation. The rope fea- tures a Marine-Tech coating to enhance its durability. Applications include slings and winch lines, replacement for steelcable, helicopter lifting lines, under- ground pulling lines and tug boat tow lines.Equally important to selecting the rightrope is keeping the rope shipshape over its life, and Fluoron Inc. contends that itoffers the ideal solution. Fairlead rollers are designed to support and guide moor- ing lines used to stabilize marine vessels Delta Rigging & Tools Patented Shackle-Loc ThimbleDelta?s Patented Shackle-Loc Thim-ble ensures the en-tire, sling set remains intact after certification. The thimble?s welded insert plate prevents the certified shackle from being re- moved and re- placed in the field,which could com-promise the integrity of the sling. FEATURES: Patented DesignEnsures certified shackles cannot be removed in the field No welding torch heat near wire rope as may occur in ?home grown? shackle locking solutions.www.deltarigging.com Truston Technologies Custom Splices Dyneema LineTruston Technolo- gies, Inc. pro-vides customsplicing ofDyneema linesmanufactured by Samson Rope. Dyneema?s floating lines offer benefits including the same strength as wire rope of equal size; resistance to abrasion, flex-fatigue and reduced risk of in- jury by failure; lightweight enough for easy handling; and no risk ofmetal splinters. Dyneema lines are offered in different constructions and sizes to perform all traditional wire rope and fiber rope applica- tions.www.truston.us/rope_rigging FibreMax Selects Delta for DistributionDelta Rigging & Tools has been appointedas the distributionand service repre- sentative for Fibre- Max in the U.S.FibreMax, based in The Netherlands,specializes in light-weight precision cables produced with Endless Winding technology, a completely automated process of continuous winding of parallelstrands of fibres around two end fit- tings until the right cable strength or required cable stretch has been reached. By maintaining a constant and equal tension (with an accuracyof 0.1%) in all fiber strands duringthe winding process, an efficiency of more than 80% on the used fibers is reached. www.deltarigging.com As vessels grow increasingly large, powerful and versatile, so too must the winches and ropes that help to ensure maritime work is executed as efficiently and safely as possible. Maritime Re- porter last month polled majorplayers in the field to discover re- cent trends and advances.48Maritime Reporter & Engineering News (Photo Courtesy Cortland) Pulling Power MR Aug. 11 # 6 (42-49):MR Template 8/3/2011 10:59 AM Page 48