Particle coating of fibres to minimise wear in fibre ropes

The use of steel wire ropes is widely regarded as the standard for tensioning, lifting and lashing equipment. However, a major, as yet unresolved problem with fibre ropes is what is known as internal rope friction. This represents a significant barrier to market entry. The motivation for this project was therefore to develop the technical foundations for reducing internal rope friction. The focus was on the coating of fibres and yarns.

At STFI, a vortex chamber has now been developed for the graphite coating of filaments. With the help of the graphite coating, the internal friction of fibre ropes has been reduced.