Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation

 

Investigation of synthetic rope end connections and terminations in timber harvesting applications Public Deposited

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/mk61rk34p

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  • Steel wire rope is the accepted standard in logging. It is strong, durable, stiff, and dependable in the logger's arsenal. However, steel wire rope has several disadvantages: its strength to weight ratio is low; it is difficult and time-consuming to splice; and used wire ropes contain jaggers. Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMW-PE) braided rope has potential to replace steel wire rope. The offshore mooring and shipping industries have appreciated it for years. Characteristics such as a specific gravity less than one (it floats!), high flexibility, low stretch, and ease of splicing make the synthetic rope useful. At equivalent diameters, synthetic rope has an equal or greater breaking strength to that of steel wire rope, but at 1/7 the weight. This thesis is an investigation of the end connectors for the unique physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of UHMW-PE 12-strand braided rope that make this technology of interest in logging applications. This studied focused on three diameter classes of the synthetic rope that are common to logging operations: 3/8", 9/16", and 5/8". Within each diameter class there were five different spools representing separate production runs. A randomized complete block design was used with each diameter class and the corresponding five spools a separate population. Following the laboratory tests, the breaking strengths were compared to the buried eye splice. Three types of end connectors were evaluated during this pilot study. They are identified as spliced, adhesives, and dry hardware. Spliced end connections provided consistent performance in breaking strengths. The end connections with adhesives had variable strength performance laboratory tests and are therefore not recommended. Within the dry hardware end connections, the pinned nubbin and knuckle link provided the highest breaking strength relative to the buried eye splice. This project has accomplished its objectives. It was the first extensive study on end connections specifically designed for synthetic rope. New end connections were developed and steel wire rope connections were modified to meet the strength and usability criteria for timber harvesting operations. Suitable end connections for forest operations were: buried eye splice, Whoopie Sling, long splice, rope clamps, knuckle link, pinned nubbin, and Y-splice. These end connections suitable for use with forest operations were identified and recommended user guidelines were given. Further research and development needs to be conducted on these seven concepts with larger sample sizes and in varied conditions.
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