This article is about non-metallic ropes. For other uses, see Rope (disambiguation).

Coils of rope used for long-line fishing

A rope is a length of fibers, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread. A braid (also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibers wire or human hair It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength (i. Tensile strength \sigma_{UTS} or S_U is the Stress at which a material breaks or permanently deforms Compressive strength is the capacity of a Material to withstand axially directed pushing forces e. , it can be used for pulling, not pushing). Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly constructed cord, line, string, or twine. Common materials for rope include natural fibers such as Manila hemp, hemp, linen, cotton, coir, jute, and sisal. Manila hemp, also known as manilla, is a type of Fiber obtained from the leaves of the Abacá ( Musa textilis) a relative of the Banana This article is about the cultivation and uses of industrial hemp not its psychoactive cousin Cannabis (drug. Linen is a Textile made from the Fibers of the Flax plant Linum usitatissimum. Cotton is a soft staple Fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant ( Gossypium sp Coir (from Malayalam kayar, cord is a coarse fibre extracted from the fibrous outer shell of a Coconut. Jute is a long soft shiny Vegetable fiber that can be spun into coarse strong threads Sisal or sisal hemp is an Agave Agave sisalana that yields a stiff Fiber used in making Rope. Synthetic fibers in use for rope-making include polypropylene, nylon, polyesters (e. Synthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by Scientists to improve upon naturally occurring Animal and plant Polypropylene or polypropene ( PP) is a Thermoplastic Polymer, made by the Chemical industry and used in a wide variety of applications Overview Nylon is a Thermoplastic silky material first used commercially in a nylon- Bristled Toothbrush (1938 followed more famously by Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain g. PET, Vectran), polyethylene (e. Uses PET can be semi-rigid to rigid depending on its thickness and is very lightweight Vectran is a manufactured fibre spun from a Liquid crystal polymer created by Celanese Acetate LLC and now manufactured by Kuraray Co Polyethylene or polythene ( IUPAC name poly(ethene) is a Thermoplastic commodity heavily used in consumer products (notably the g. Spectra) and Aramids (e. Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene ( UHMWPE) also known as high-modulus polyethylene ( HMPE) or high-performance polyethylene ( HPPE Aramid fibers are a class of heat-resistant and strong Synthetic fibers They are used in aerospace and military applications for ballistic rated body armor g. Twaron, Technora and Kevlar). Twaron is the brandname of Teijin Aramid for a para-aramid. History Twaron is a heat-resistant and strong Synthetic fiber developed Technora is the brandname of Teijin for a aromatic copolyamid. Kevlar is the registered Trademark for a light strong para-aramid Synthetic fiber, related to other Aramids such as Nomex and Some ropes are constructed of mixtures of several fibres or use co-polymer fibres. Ropes can also be made out of metal fibers. The M acro E xpansion T emplate A ttribute L anguage complements TAL, providing macros which allow the reuse of code across Ropes have been constructed of other fibrous materials such as silk, wool, and hair, but such ropes are not generally available. Silk is a natural Protein Fiber, some forms of which can be woven into Textiles The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons Wool is the fiber derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles of animals in the Caprinae family principally sheep, but the hair of certain species Hair is a keratinised protein filament that grows through the epidermis from follicles deep within the Dermis. Rayon is a regenerated fiber used to make decorative rope. Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulosic Fiber. Rayon is produced from naturally occurring Polymers and therefore it is not a truly

Rope is of paramount importance in fields as diverse as construction, seafaring, exploration, sports and communications and has been since prehistoric times. In the fields of Architecture and Civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the Building or assembling of Infrastructure Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialised skills including Navigation and international Stone Age Paleolithic See also Paleolithic, Recent African Origin, Early Homo sapiens, Early human migrations "Paleolithic" In order to fasten rope, a large number of knots have been invented for various uses. KNOT (1450 AM) is a commercial Classic Country music Radio station in Prescott Arizona, broadcasting to the Flagstaff - Prescott Pulleys are used to redirect the pulling force to another direction, and may be used to create mechanical advantage, allowing multiple strands of rope to share a load and multiply the force applied to the end. A pulley (also called a sheave or block) is a Wheel with a groove between two Flanges around its Circumference In Physics and Engineering, mechanical advantage (MA is the factor by which a mechanism multiplies the force put into it Winches and capstans are machines designed to pull ropes. A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up or let out (wind out or otherwise adjust the " Tension " of a Rope or Wire rope A capstan is a rotating machine used to apply Force to another element notably used on board ship and on dock walls for heaving-in or veering ropes cables and hawsers

History

Ancient Egyptians were the first to document tools for ropemaking

A German ropemaker, around 1470 AD

Public demonstration of historical ropemaking technique

The use of ropes for hunting, pulling, fastening, attaching, carrying, lifting, and climbing dates back to prehistoric times and has always been essential to mankind's technological progress. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. It is likely that the earliest "ropes" were naturally occurring lengths of plant fiber, such as vines, followed soon by the first attempts at twisting and braiding these strands together to form the first proper ropes in the modern sense of the word. Fossilised fragments of "probably two-ply laid rope of about 7 mm diameter" were found in Lascaux cave, dating to approximately 17,000 BP. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. Lascaux is the setting of a complex of Caves in southwestern France famous for its prehistoric Cave paintings The original caves are located near Before Present (BP years are a time scale used in Archaeology, Geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred ^[1]

The ancient Egyptians were probably the first civilization to develop special tools to make rope. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now Egyptian rope dates back to 4000 to 3500 B. C. and was generally made of water reed fibers. Other rope in antiquity was made from the fibers of date palms, flax, grass, papyrus, leather, or animal hair. The Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, extensively cultivated for its edible Fruit. Flax (also known as common flax or linseed) (binomial name Linum usitatissimum) is a member of the genus Linum Grass is the common word that generally describes Monocotyledonous green Plants The family Gramineae ( Poaceae) are the "true grasses" and include Papyrus (/pəˈpaɪrəs/ (Rhymes -aɪrəs)is a thick paper-like material produced from the Pith of the papyrus plant Cyperus papyrus Leather is a material created through the Tanning of hides and Skins of Animals primarily Cattlehide The Tanning process The use of such ropes pulled by thousands of workers allowed the Egyptians to move the heavy stones required to build their monuments. This article is about the contemporary North African ethnic group Starting from approximately 2800 B. C. , rope made of hemp fibers was in use in China. Rope and the craft of rope making spread throughout Asia, India, and Europe over the next several thousand years.

In the Middle Ages (from the thirteenth century to the eighteenth century), from the British Isles to Italy, ropes were constructed in so-called rope walks, very long buildings where strands the full length of the rope were spread out and then laid up or twisted together to form the rope. In Architecture, Construction, Engineering and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following Any man-made The cable length was thus set by the length of the available rope walk. This is related to the unit of length termed cable length. Length is the long Dimension of any object The length of a thing is the distance between its ends its linear extent as measured from end to end A cable length or cable's length is a Nautical unit of measure equal to one tenth of a Nautical mile or 100 Fathoms, or sometimes This allowed for long ropes of up to 300 yards long or longer to be made. Short ropes are useless on tall ships which require ropes to be long, relatively uniform in diameter, and strong. Short ropes would require splicing to make them long. Rope splicing in Ropework is the forming of a semi-permanent join between two Ropes or two parts of the same rope by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands The strongest form of splicing is the short splice, which doubles the diameter of the rope at the area of the splice. Rope splicing in Ropework is the forming of a semi-permanent join between two Ropes or two parts of the same rope by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands This would cause problems in the rigging hardware such as buckles and pulleys.

Leonardo da Vinci drew sketches of a concept for a ropemaking machine, but just like many other of his inventions, they never got built. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer An invention is a new form composition of matter device or Process. Nevertheless, remarkable feats of construction were accomplished without advanced technology: In 1586, Domenico Fontana erected the 327 ton obelisk on Rome's Saint Peter's Square with a concerted effort of 900 men, 75 horses, and countless pulleys and meters of rope. Domenico Fontana (1543 &ndash June 28 1607) was a Swiss -born Italian Architect of the late Renaissance. An obelisk (from Greek ὀβελίσκος - obeliskos, diminutive of ὀβελός - obelos, "spit nail pointed pillar" Saint Peter's Square, or Saint Peter's Piazza ( Italian: Piazza San Pietro) is located directly in front of St By the late 1700s several working machines had been built and patented.

Rope continued to be made from natural fibers until the 1950s when synthetic fibers such as nylon became popular. Synthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by Scientists to improve upon naturally occurring Animal and plant

Styles of rope construction

Laid or twisted rope

Laid rope, also called twisted rope, is historically the prevalent form of rope, at least in modern western history. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin Most twisted rope consists of three strands and is normally right-laid, or given a right handed twist. Typically, a three strand laid rope is called a plain or hawser-laid rope. A four strand rope is usually called shroud-laid, and a rope twisted out of 3 or more ropes is called cable-laid.

Rope making using the twisted rope method on a 1928 Metters Rope Making Machine

Twisted ropes are built up in three steps. First, fibers are gathered and spun to form yarns. Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread. This article is about the fiber product For the type of joke see Shaggy dog story. A number of these yarns are then twisted together to form strands. The strands are then twisted together to form the rope. The twist of the yarn is opposite to that of the strand, and that in turn is opposite to that of the rope. This counter-twisting helps keep the rope together. On the other hand, rope constructed in this manner untwists under tension, which is the cause of spinning, kinking, hockling and stretching. KINK —also KINK FM —is a commercial broadcast Radio station in Portland Oregon Metro area. Any rope of this type must be bound at its end by some means to prevent untwisting. A whipping knot or whipping is a binding of Twine around the end of a Rope to prevent the fibres of the rope from unravelling Twisted ropes have a preferred direction for coiling. A coil is a series of loops A coiled coil is a structure where the coil itself is in turn also looping Normal right laid rope should be coiled with the sun, or clockwise, to prevent kinking. Coiling this way imparts a twist to the rope. One of the drawbacks of this construction is that every fiber is exposed to abrasion numerous times along the length of the rope. This means that the rope can degrade to numerous inch-long fiber fragments, which is not easily detected visually.

Braided rope

Thick decorative rope.

Braided ropes are generally made from nylon, polyester or polypropylene. A braid (also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibers wire or human hair Overview Nylon is a Thermoplastic silky material first used commercially in a nylon- Bristled Toothbrush (1938 followed more famously by Polyester is a category of Polymers which contain the Ester Functional group in their main chain Polypropylene or polypropene ( PP) is a Thermoplastic Polymer, made by the Chemical industry and used in a wide variety of applications Nylon is chosen for its elastic stretch properties and good resistance to ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays Polyester is about 90% as strong as nylon but stretches less under load, is more abrasion resistant, has better UV resistance, and has less change in length when wet. Polypropylene is preferred for low cost and light weight (it floats on water).

Single braid consists of even number of strands, eight or twelve being typical, braided into a circular pattern with half of the strands going clockwise and the other half going anticlockwise. The strands can interlock with either twill or plain weave. Twill is a type of fabric woven with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs Plain or tabby weave is the most basic of the three fundamental types of Textile weaves. The central void may large or small; in the former case the term hollow braid is sometimes preferred. Double braid, also called braid on braid, consists of an inner braid filling the central void in an outer braid, that may be of the same or different material. Often the inner braid fiber is chosen for strength while the outer braid fiber is chosen for abrasion resistance. In solid braid the strands all travel the same direction, clockwise or anticlockwise, and alternate between forming the outside of the rope and the interior of the rope. This construction is popular for general purpose utility rope but rare in specialized high performance line.

Kernmantle rope has a core (kern) of long twisted fibers in the center, with a braided outer sheath or mantle of woven fibers. Kernmantle rope is Rope constructed with its interior core (the kern protected with a woven exterior sheath (mantle that is designed to optimize strength durability and flexibility This article describes textile weaving For other senses of this word see Weaving (disambiguation. The kern provides most of the strength (about 70%), while the mantle protects the kern and determines the handling properties of the rope (how easy it is to hold, to tie knots in, and so on). In dynamic climbing line, the core fibers are usually twisted, and chopped into shorter lengths which makes the rope more stretchy. Static kernmantle ropes are made with untwisted core fibers and tighter braid, which causes them to be stiffer in addition to limiting the stretch.

Braided ropes (and objects like garden hoses, fiber optic or coaxial cables, etc. A hose is a hollow tube designed to carry Fluids from one location to another An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length Coaxial cable is a cable consisting of an inner conductor surrounded by a tubular insulating layer typically made from a flexible material with a high Dielectric constant, all ) that have no lay, or inherent twist, will uncoil better if coiled into figure-8 coils, where the twist reverses regularly and essentially cancels out.

Other types

Plaited rope is made by braiding twisted strands, and is also called square braid. It is not as round as twisted rope and coarser to the touch. It is less prone to kinking than twisted rope and, depending on the material, very flexible and therefore easy to handle and knot. This construction exposes all fibers as well, with the same drawbacks as described above. Brait rope is a combination of braided and plaited, a non-rotating alternative to laid three-strand ropes. Due to its excellent energy-absorption characteristics, it is often used by arborists. An arborist is a Professional in the practice of Arboriculture, which is the management and maintenance of Amenity Trees Work can include It is also the most popular rope for anchoring and can be used as mooring warps. This type of construction was pioneered by Yale Cordage.

Handling rope

Cordage aboard the French training ship Mutin

Rope made from hemp, cotton or nylon is generally stored in a cool dry place for proper storage. This article is about the cultivation and uses of industrial hemp not its psychoactive cousin Cannabis (drug. To prevent kinking it is usually coiled. To prevent fraying or unraveling, the ends of a rope are bound with twine, tape, or heat shrink tubing. The ends of plastic fiber ropes are often melted and fused solid.

If a load-bearing rope gets a sharp or sudden jolt or the rope shows signs of deteriorating, it is recommended that the rope be replaced immediately and should be discarded or only used for non-load-bearing tasks.

Line

A piece of rope that has a specific purpose is called a line, especially in nautical usage. Examples include clothesline, chalk line, anchor line, stern line, fishing line etc.

See also

• Jump rope or rope skipping
• Knot
• Rope bondage
• Ropework
• Rope splicing
• Tight-rope walking
• Whipped rope
• List of spans
• Twaron
• Single Rope Technique
• Flogging

References

1. ^ J. A jump rope, skipping rope, or skip rope is the primary tool used in the Game of skipping played by Children and many Young adults KNOT (1450 AM) is a commercial Classic Country music Radio station in Prescott Arizona, broadcasting to the Flagstaff - Prescott Rope bondage is bondage involving the use to Rope to tie and wrap the body as part of BDSM activities Ropework or Marlinespike Seamanship is the set of processes and skills used to make repair and use Rope. Rope splicing in Ropework is the forming of a semi-permanent join between two Ropes or two parts of the same rope by partly untwisting and then interweaving their strands A whipping knot or whipping is a binding of Twine around the end of a Rope to prevent the fibres of the rope from unravelling The following is a list of remarkable spans either used for powerline crossings of rivers sea straits or valleys as antenna or for aerial tramways Twaron is the brandname of Teijin Aramid for a para-aramid. History Twaron is a heat-resistant and strong Synthetic fiber developed Single Rope Technique (SRT is a set of methods used to descend and ascend ropes Flagellation is the act of whipping (Latin flagellum, "whip" the human body C. Turner and P. van de Griend (ed. ), The History and Science of Knots (Singapore: World Scientific, 1996), 14.

Sources

• Lane, Frederic Chapin, 1932. The Rope Factory and Hemp Trade of Venice in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, Journal of Economic and Business History, Vol. 4 No. 4 Suppl. (August 1932).
• Plymouth Cordage Company, 1931. The Story of Rope; The History and the Modern Development of Rope-Making, Plymouth Cordage Company, North Plymouth, Mass.
• Sanctuary, Anthony, 1996. Rope, Twine and Net Making, Shire Publications Ltd. , Cromwell House, Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire.
• Teeter, Emily, 1987. Techniques and Terminology of Rope-Making in Ancient Egypt, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Vol. 73 (1987).
• Tyson, William, no date. Rope, a History of the Hard Fibre Cordage Industry in the United Kingdom, Wheatland Journals, Ltd. , London
• Smith, Bruce&Padgett, Allen, 1996. On Rope. North American Vertical Rope Techniques, National Speleological Society, Huntsville, Alabama.
• Gaitzsch, W. Antike Korb- und Seilerwaren, Schriften des Limesmuseums Aalen Nr. 38, 1986
• Gubser, T. Die bäuerliche Seilerei, G. Krebs AG, Basel, 1965
• Militzer-Schwenger, L. : Handwerkliche Seilherstellung, Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, 1992
• Nilson, A. Studier i svenskt repslageri, Stockholm, 1961
• Pierer, H. A. Universal-Lexikon, Altenburg, 1845
• Schubert, Pit. Sicherheit und Risiko in Fels und Eis, Munich, 1998
• Strunk, P. ; Abels, J. Das große Abenteuer 2. Teil, Verlag Karl Wenzel, Marburg, 1986
• Hearle, John W. S. & O'Hear & McKenna, N. H. A. Handbook of Fibre Rope Technology, CRC Press, 2004

External links

• yachting and other synthetic ropes
• Climbing Ropes
• Learn to walk on rope - Uponaline.com
• Different Types of Ropes for Boats
• Open Directory - resource for links related to rope and rigging
• Ropewalk: A Cordage Engineer's Journey Through History