SPAR MOORING

Synthetic Rope Mooring

Introduction & overview

Synthetic fibre ropes offer a potential solution to the weight problems of using steel mooring lines in deepwater as they have a very low weight in water.

Also, compared to steel, there are a very large number of synthetic fibre material compositions with a wide range of material properties. A synthetic rope can therefore be designed to have properties that match the mooring requirements.

Materials that have potential for mooring line application include:

  • Nylon
  • Polyester
  • Aramid (Kevlar)
  • Liquid Crystal Polymer
  • High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE)

Some of the issues which affect choice of yarn material and the rope construction are:

  • Load-extension behavior
  • Internal heating
  • Durability & fatigue endurance
  • Wear & abrasion
  • Handling & installation

Synthetic Rope use in MooringThe currently favoured synthetic material is polyester for reasons of cost and good fatigue endurance. Polyester has also been used in rope constructions for several years, and the issues of manufacture and end termination for large rope sizes have been satisfactorily resolved. Polyester ropes also have elasticity in the range most suitable for taut mooring of vessels with typical wave motions in very deep and ultra deep water depths up to around 1500 metres (5000 feet).

 

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