Conference paper Day 3

sponsored by Paper No. 7

BARCELONA, SPAIN
Organised by the ABR Company Ltd

High Temperature Resistant Rope

Danielle Stenvers (speaker/co-author), Rafael Chou (co-author), Samson, USA

SYNOPSIS
With the critical high temperature and engineering properties intrinsic to aramid fibres, rope
manufacturers have been using them with great success in a variety of applications. However,
aramid-fibre ropes by themselves cannot withstand direct flames, which is a requirement in some
applications. In response to the petroleum-shipping industry’s need for a synthetic Emergency
Tow-Off Pendant also known as ‘fire wire’, Samson, Teijin Aramid, and Passive Fire Protection
Partners have worked together to produce a high-temperature resistant rope which, when
combined with a specialised coating technology, can replace fire wires in high-heat environments,
including direct flames. This paper will give an overview of the high-temperature resistant rope
developed for the petroleum shipping industry that is being used in the field to tow tankers
away from terminals by tugboats in cases of emergency. It will also discuss the advantages of
the product as it is used in this application and provide observations made about the product’s
performance in field trials.

INTRODUCTION port authorities still require ETOPS, though, there may

Of interest to the petroleum tanker industry is a
synthetic replacement of the Emergency Tow-Off
Pendant (ETOP), commonly referred to as a ‘fire wire’.
Its purpose is to provide a means for tugs to tow a ship
away from the dock in the event of a fire. Wire rope is
currently used in this application, but the handling of
these heavy wire ropes has resulted in many injuries to
deckhands. Vulcan, a patented fire-resistant synthetic
rope, has been developed as a synthetic alternative
that is significantly lighter and eliminates the issues
with ‘fish-hooks’, which are the broken wires that
protrude from the wire rope that result in hand injuries.
Maintenance costs are also reduced when using
synthetic ropes in comparison with wire ropes.
In late 2009, the Oil Companies International Marine
Forum (OCIMF) released new recommendations
regarding Emergency Tow-Off Pendant Systems
(ETOPS) which was the result of a risk assessment
performed by Lloyds Register1,2. The outcome of
this risk assessment was: “…it is recommended that
ETOPS be eliminated from general use and that they
should not be generally considered essential equipment
for vessel safety”. With the publication of the Lloyds
Risk Assessment, the OCIMF’s position is “that ETOPS
are not required and have not provided benefit in the
past. If individual marine terminal risk assessments or
1
be other options to pursue other than wire rope”.
Samson’s development of a synthetic ETOP, Vulcan,
and its ability to handle severe heat and open flame,
are presented here to demonstrate that a synthetic
fibre rope made of Technora® fibre using a proprietary
fire-resistant coating can meet the OCIMF required
breaking strength, even after exposure to flames and a
high-temperature environment.
Currently, there are no defined fire resistance
performance requirements for ETOPs, for either wire
or synthetic, other than the new rope break strength.
Since no testing standards or high heat performance
requirements exist, Samson has developed a set
of testing parameters with which to compare synthetic
to wire.
FIBRE SELECTION
The starting point in developing any rope product is
to identify what fibres are available that would meet
the performance requirements for the application. The
chosen fibre for this application is a p-aramid. This
selection was due to the need for a fibre that was heat
resistant and able to retain the desired properties
at elevated temperatures. A p-aramid fibre has the
following desirable characteristics:
• Higher initial tenacity at elevated 450
temperatures;
400
• Good heat cycling properties;

Breaking Strength (N)

• Good abrasion properties; 350
Technora T200
Twaron 1000

• Good chemical resistance;

300
• Not affected by hydrolysis.
250

For emergency tow-off pendants,

200
the obvious requirement is the ability
to withstand heat for an extended time 150
period. However, in addition to having 0 50 100 150 200 250

good strength properties at elevated Temperature (oC)

temperatures, p-aramid fibres also
have the ability to retain strength Figure 1: p-aramid tensile properties at elevated temperatures.3
when exposed to higher temperatures 110
for extended periods of time. Figure Technora T200
Retained Strength at 200C (%)

2 shows the typical strength decay Twaron 1000

100
curve of p-aramid fibres when
exposed to elevated temperatures for
90
a period of one hour. Technora fibre
is chosen over other aramids due to
its higher initial strength and better 80

long-term strength performance when

exposed to heat. 70

ENHANCING FLAME 60
150 200 250 300
RESISTANCE Exposure Temperature (oC)
The flame resistance property
of aramid fibres can be further Figure 2: p-aramid tensile properties after a one-hour exposure.4
enhanced by utilising specialised
fire-resistant (FR) coatings. The coating’s special
intumescent property provides maximum protection to
the rope by expanding to form a high-density char that
acts as insulation when it is exposed to fire or high heat.
This enables the rope to retain more of its strength for
a longer period of time.

To demonstrate the importance of fibre selection

as well as the performance enhancements of using
a fire-resistant coating, testing was performed on
12mm diameter ropes, which were subjected to direct
flame contact from a propane torch. Figure 3 (right)
demonstrates the test setup and Table 1 shows the
results of this testing and the clear advantage of the
FR coating. The uncoated Technora fibre survives
12 minutes with direct contact from the propane torch
before it fails. This time to failure increases more than
five times with the addition of the FR coating. However, Figure 3: Test setup for direct flame testing.
this test also demonstrates the need for the base fibre
to have high heat resistance properties on its own.
HEAT AND FLAME RESISTANCE
Dyneema®, nylon and polyester fibres all have melting
points below 260 degrees C. Since there are no industry standards for heat or flame
testing and performance requirements for ETOPs,
Fibre Type Uncoated FR Coated Samson developed the following procedures to
determine the effect that heat or flame exposure has on
Technora® 12 min 65 min
rope and wire in a potential real-world scenario.
Polyester <1 min 1.75 min
Nylon <1 min 1.5 min Heat Testing
Dyneema® <1 min <1 min Special equipment was fabricated to perform these
Table 1: Time until failure during 750-degree C tests, as shown in Figure 4. A heated cylinder was
open-flame test on coated and uncoated ropes. installed in a test bed and the rope pulled through
2
without direct contact of the rope and the heat source.
The heat test consisted of the following conditions:
• A 300-degree C temperature oven;
• 30 minutes exposure of the rope to the heat source
while loaded to 20 per cent of break strength;
• The rope was broken while still at temperature
(300 degrees C).
12-strand rope.

8x3-strand rope.

Figure 4: Special equipment for heat testing. Jacketed rope.

Initial testing in this heat chamber was performed In small-scale testing of various rope constructions,
on small-scale ropes (24mm diameter) with various the results show:
constructions and coatings to determine the best • The jacketed construction outperformed single braid
options for the final product development. Testing was ropes, which is a result of the increased insulation
performed on the following: that protected the core (the strength member);
• A jacket only provides a slight delay in the heat
transfer;
24mm diameter Coating Used
Wire (6x36 EIPS IWRC) None • The same jacketed rope construction with fire-
12-strand single braid Fire-resistant (FR) resistant (FR) coating retained a higher strength
Jacketed rope Polyurethane (PUR) than the standard polyurethane (PUR) coating;
Jacketed rope Fire-resistant (FR) • Wire rope also shows about a 12 per cent reduction
8x3-strand single braid Fire-resistant (FR) in strength due to heat exposure.

The results shown in Figure

5 are a ‘worst case scenario’
since heat transfers more quickly
through a smaller diameter rope
than a larger diameter rope.
As the diameter increases, the
strength loss will be minimised.
Based on actual test data and
known fibre properties, we are
able to model the strength loss
under these specific heating
conditions and provide ropes
that will meet OCIMF strength
requirements even after heat
exposure.

Flame Testing
The intent of the flame testing
was to determine the amount
Figure 5: The retained strength of 24mm diameter ropes of varying coatings and of damage the rope may
constructions after 30 minutes exposure to 300 degrees C at 20 per cent load. experience if it were subjected
3
Figure 6: Flame test room setup with six propane torches surrounding the circumference of the rope.

to an explosion onboard a vessel. Specialised testing Fibre strength properties are used as the baseline
equipment was prepared for this test application as and are measured before and after exposure to
illustrated in Figure 6, above. This equipment provided high temperature. Tables 2 and 3 model the system
direct exposure to the rope from an open flame in properties of both wire and Technora fibre. Wire, as
a controlled setting. The flame test consisted of the expected, has a higher retained tensile, but the fibre
following conditions: does still retain approximately twice the recommended
1. Direct exposure to a 600-degree C open flame for working load (assuming a working load of 20 per cent of
10 seconds, then, the break strength) over the same time period.
2. Tested for tensile strength at room temperature. Measured Measured Measured at
at 20°C at 300°C 300°C
Initial testing in this setup was performed on small- (after 30 min at
300°C)
scale ropes (24mm diameter) with various constructions Break strength (GPa) 2.37 1.8 1.74
and coatings, the same constructions that were tested Retained strength (GPa) 100% 75.9% 73.4%
in the heat chamber, to determine the best options for Density (kg/m3) 7600 7600 7600
the final product development. In small-scale testing of Table 2: Wire System model.
various rope constructions, the results show:
• No significant strength loss for wire, 12-strand, or Measured Measured Measured at
at 20°C at 300°C 300°C
jacketed constructions; (after 30 min at
• The 8x3 strand is most affected by the flame due to 300°C)
Break strength (GPa) 3.42 1.5 1.5
the larger surface area of the strands. Retained strength (GPa) 100% 43.9% 43.9%
Density (kg/m3) 1390 1390 1390

Table 3: Technora System model.

Using the flame test setup shown in Figure 6,

Figure 7: Retained strength of 24mm diameter ropes
of varying constructions and coatings after 10-second
direct exposure to a 600-degree C flame.
APPLICATION MODELLING
Both fibre and rope testing were performed to help build
a model to estimate rope performance as the scale up
to larger rope sizes occurred.
4
an 18mm diameter, 12-strand Technora rope was
subjected to direct flame contact and the internal
temperature of the rope was measured over a period
of 60 seconds. Figures 8 and 9 (opposite) show the
effect of coatings on the heat transfer rate, as well as
the significant difference between the internal rope
temperature and the actual flame temperature. While
the flame temperature was 600 degrees C, the internal
temperature of the rope after 60 seconds remained less
than 200 degrees C. The PUR-coating actually has the
highest internal temperature and both the uncoated and
PUR-coated ropes are approximately 10-20 degrees C
higher than the FR-coated rope.
This data, in combination with the Technora fibre
properties and the heat and flame testing performed on
the 24mm diameter ropes, allows a model to be built to
Figures 8 and 9: Increase in internal rope temperature with 600-degree C flame.

estimate the rope temperature under certain conditions
and how that temperature affects the overall strength of
the fibre and hence the strength of the rope.
Larger diameter ropes have also been tested and
validate the model for the strength estimations after
being subjected to heat and load.
VULCAN: SYNTHETIC ETOP
From this study the conclusion can be drawn that
a rope produced from Technora fibre, along with a
specialised FR-coating can replace wire rope in high
heat applications. The best performing construction
was a jacketed rope with FR-coating applied to the
strength member (core), which has been developed into
Samson’s product called Vulcan. The synthetic ETOP is
made of Technora fibre in conjunction with a proprietary
fire-resistant coating and meets the OCIMF required
breaking strength for ETOPS5, while achieving a 70-
80 per cent weight saving over wire. Table 4 (above)
provides a comparison between wire and Vulcan
with regard to the OCIMF minimum breaking strength
requirements.
Due to some strength being lost when Vulcan is
exposed to high temperatures, the user may choose to
use a larger diameter rope so that its retained strength
will still meet the required break strengths even when
operating under severe heat or flame conditions. Ropes
at these sizes were tested at 300 degrees C after
being held at 20 per cent of their break strengths for 30
minutes at the same temperature (see Table 5). Note
that the wire sizes are larger here than in Table 4. This
is due to the strength loss that is also observed in wire
when exposed to the same high temperature testing
parameters as the synthetic rope.
CONCLUSIONS
Testing has demonstrated that Technora fibre has
the ability to withstand and perform under high
temperatures. An FR-coating is necessary to resist
damage from direct flame contact and to provide
thermal insulation. When compared to wire rope of
equal diameter, a jacketed rope made of Technora
fibre with FR-coating can still exceed the recommended
working load after exposure to a high temperature
environment. Upsizing to a slightly larger diameter

Vessel Min. break Wire Vulcan Wire Vulcan Weight Table 4: Vulcan vs
size strength diameter diameter weight weight savings wire: meeting OCIMF
(kDWT) requirement (mm) (mm) (per 100m) (per 100m) over wire minimum breaking
(tonnes) strength requirements
< 20 30 tonnes 22mm 24mm 211kg 44.6kg 0% prior to heat exposure.
20 – 100 55 tonnes 28mm 32mm 348kg 103kg 70%
100 – 100 tonnes 36mm 46mm 619kg 186kg 70%
300
300+ 120 tonnes 40mm 52mm 728kg 222kg 70%

Vessel Min. break Wire Vulcan Wire Vulcan Weight Table 5: Vulcan: Rope
size strength diameter diameter weight weight savings sizes to meet OCIMF
(kDWT) requirement (mm) (mm) (per 100m) (per 100m) over wire strength requirements
(tonnes) after heat exposure.
< 20 30 tonnes 22mm 30mm 211kg 92kg 57%
20 – 100 55 tonnes 30mm 42mm 430kg 160kg 63%
100 – 100 tonnes 40mm 56mm 726kg 250kg 65%
300
300+ 120 tonnes 44mm 60mm 844kg 286kg 65%
5
will allow a rope of Technora fibre to equal the Shipbrokers (ICS), International Association of Ports and
performance of wire rope after exposure to a high Harbors (IAPH), Livingston, 2006.
temperature environment, while still maintaining a (not referenced in text) Mooring Equipment Guidelines,
significant weight savings. 3rd Edition, Livingston, 2008.

References PATENTS
1
Lloyd’s Register Risk Assessment of Emergency Tow- (not referenced in text)
off Pennant Systems (ETOPS) onboard Tank Vessels, Oil 1. Chou C T, et al, High Temperature Resistant Rope Systems
Companies International Marine Forum (OCIMF), London, and Methods, US Patent 7,168,231, 30th January, 2007.
October, 2009.
2
Recommendations for Alternatives to Traditional Emergency 2. Chou C T, et al, High Temperature Resistant Rope Systems
Tow-off Pennants, Report of the Working Group, OCIMF, and Methods, US Patent 7,437,869. 21st October, 2008.
London, July, 2010. 3. Chou C T, et al, High Temperature Resistant Rope Systems
3
p-Aramid Tensile Properties at Elevated Temperatures, and Methods, US Patent 7,743,596. 29th June, 2010.
Teijin, 2009.
4
p-Aramid Retained Strength After 1–Hour Heat Exposure, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Teijin, 2009. The authors gratefully acknowledge the participation
5
International Safety Guide for Oil Tankers and Terminals and assistance of Teijin Aramid, Passive Fire Protection
(ISGOTT), 5th Edition. OCIMF, Institute of Chartered and Southwest Ocean Services.