rock hard rope?

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i will get a pic tommorrow. I just got the new line today so i can liberate the damaged one from the company. I think i'm gonna get it break tested...my curiosity has to be quenched.

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Great!
I understand that curiosity bug. I have been bitten by it myself. Testing various lowering equipment....
 
OK..i have pics. this is the rope section that is hard (the pen and knife blade mark the outer edges of where it is hard)
 

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Hmmm...looks like a typical bit of friction burn. Even if you were using a pulley for a false crotch the rope could have touched the tree at that point and melted when you did a slam-dunk.

Whack the bad part and use the rest for 'junk-rope' duties like tying down brushloads or the hound dog!
 
It might be informative to cut that section out and pull away the cover to take pics and expose the core, see what's going on in there...

jp
grin.gif
 
There's a good chance the rope was highly loaded in the area that is hard. When ropes (nylon and polyester) are highly loaded, they will harden up (melting and compaction of the fibers). Pretty much every time a new rope is pulled to breaking point the area around the break becomes very stiff.

If you want to send me the rope I'll have it evaluated in our lab. We need 20 feet to do a beak. If you have 20 feet with the hard spot and 20 feet without we can compare.
Call me at NER for a return number.
 
Did you try milking the rope from the hard spot out in both directions to see what would happen? Do you run the rope in the same direction each time or does it get switched end for end often?
 
i tried milking it, flexing it over and over..it stays the same...it gets used in both directions...just depends on which end the groungie sends up
 
It was just an idea. If and when you cut it let us know if you find any thing else out from inside.
 
You could email the Cordage Institute for an answer.From my experience they are very willing to help. I know they do testing on rope, so they may test a section for free. Get in touch with the techinical division. They will be able to give you more information than anyone else.
 
Saturday in an apprenticeship class we ran into very much this same thing. It is a Samson Arbormaster 16 strand. The climber complained of his hitch binding every time he hit the spot in the rope. There is approx. 3" of a very stiff section of the rope. The rope is only 6 months old and does not appear to be abused. The climber is 260lb but very timid in the tree. I don't imagine the rope has been shock loaded. Same symptoms. No glazing/melted fibers are visible. The defect is near the end of the 120' rope. I will take some pictures tomorrow and make some phone calls. The rope has been pulled from service.
 
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So as i was coiling up our 1/2" 16 strand rigging rope i noticed that a 4-5" section of it was rock hard and unable to be bent easily. I was wondering if anyone else has had this happen and what causes it. Does it reduce stregnth in the rope? I thought it might be from pine sap but there is no external evidence...the rope looks normal. I am going to replace the rope anyway and cut that section out but i was trying to figure out what was going on.

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I read this oldish thread and a couple posts talked of cutting out such
damaged sections of rope,
but not one said to LOOK AT IT CLOSELY; DISSECT IT (razor blade cut off
sheath; examine core).

Then a follow-up post with what is found, and we can move beyond
mere prudence (in ignorance of full details) & speculation.

(I'll speculate some sort of melting, too; but odd that the sheath showed
nothing untoward!?)

*knudeNoggin*
 
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It was just an idea. If and when you cut it let us know if you find any thing else out from inside.

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That is what I said above???
 
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