important notices

What static rope elements are tested?

The standard specifies that its subject matter is "low elongation fabric ropes with jacketed cores with diameters ranging from 8.5 mm to 16 mm…"

The standard distinguishes two types of ropes:

• type A ropes - for generic applications (including rescue and speleology)
• type B ropes - of the same construction but lower performance than is the case with A types, and requiring greater care in using (no further specification defined by the standard).

The other requirements involve the fact that the ropes must be manufactured from materials exhibiting a melting point in excess of 195 OC, which makes it possible to introduce polyethylene and polypropylene in the production. Thus the canyoning ropes fabricated from these materials do not comply with the standard.

Rope elongation
The elongation of the rope when loaded with a testing body of 150 kg (given the previous pre-stressing of 50 kg) must not exceed 5 %.

Sheat displacement with regard to the core

• with A-type ropes, the jacket displacement must not exceed approx. 40 mm along a length of 2 m - this applies to ropes with a diameter up to 12 mm
• with B-type ropes, the displacement must not exceed 15 mm

Static strength is also defined by the standard, and namely applies to the following ropes:

• 22 kN for type A ropes
• 18 kN for type B ropes

Dynamic properties
The testing instrument is the same as for the testing of climbing ropes, with the exception that the ropes tested are approximately 2 m long. At the ends of the ropes there are figure-8 knots and the testing involves 5 falls at the fall factor of 1. The rope has to withstand all of the five falls.

• A-type ropes are tested by applying a weight of 100 kg
• B-type ropes are tested by applying a weight of 80 kg

Rigidity (knotability)
With this type of test, a simple knot is fastened on the rope which is subsequently loaded with a weight of 10 kg. The knot is supposed to retract in such a way that it should prove impossible to insert a testing mandrel with a diameter amounting to 1.2 multiple of the rope diameter inside it.

Note:
The test is performed with a new rope. With ropes that have previously been dragged through water or mud or have been used for any other subterranean operations, the final result will be higher by an order of magnitude. It might be more comfortable for the climbers if the rope is rigid and goes smoothly through the clamps, but poor knotability with the rope passing though the descender eliminates this advantage.

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