All Line, Inc. Mfg. Rope, Twine , Braided Cord, Shock Cord, Aircraft Cable, Equine, Marine

Abrasion
Avoid all abrasive conditions. All rope will be severely damaged if subjected to rough surfaces or sharp edges. Chocks, bits, winches, drums and other surfaces must be kept in good condition and free of burrs and rust. Pulley must be free to rotate and should be of proper size to avoid excessive wear. Clamps and similar devices will damage and weaken the rope and should be used with extreme caution. Do not drag rope over rough ground. Dirt and grit picked up by rope can work into the strands, cutting the inside fibers.

Anchor Line
Rope with a thimble spliced into one end for attaching an anchor.

Breaking Strength
The Measured load required to break a rope in tension.

Broken yarn filaments
This indicates the use of poorly maintained machinery or lack of yarn finish and may signal a need for replacement. This defect will result in lower strength (because a portion of the rope is already broken), greater stretch, premature wear and more rapid degradation.

Chemicals
Avoid chemical exposure. Rope is subject to damage by chemicals. Consult the manufacturer for specific chemical exposure, such as solvents, acids, and alkalies. This is particularly true for natural fiber rope. Consult the manufacturer for recommendations when a rope will be used where chemical exposure (either fumes or actual contact) can occur.

Corkscrew or roll
This occurs when the tensions of the yarn in 1 direction are different from the tensions of the yarn in the other direction. It can also be caused by the use of dissimilar yarns, which have differing shrink or stretch characteristics. A major problem with the presence of this defect is that the line may tend to accept of resist (depending on the direction of the roll) the temporary twist, which is induced in sheets when they are peeled from the top of a winch. If the line doesn't properly accept twist in this application it will tend to hockle and jam in blocks more frequently.

Cotton Diamond Braid
Is not as strong as the synthetic braids, but is used in many applications where superior knot holding is required. This braid is used extensively as awning cord, traverse cord, clothes lines, and drawstring cord.

Cotton Rope
Cotton rope is manufactured from the finest industrial grade cotton yarns and cotton blend yarns. Cotton rope offers a "soft" hand and is put-up on a medium hard lay.

Dacron
Trademark name for polyester

Diamond Braid Cordage
Diamond braid cords are braids constructed of 8, or 16 carriers (strands), braided in an over/under pattern. This pattern gives the cord a diamond pattern noticeable on the outside of the rope. Diamond braids can be made with a center core of varying fibers, or can be coreless.

Double Braid
A braided construction with a jacket braid over a braided core; essentially 2 braids in one. Excellent line for splicing. This process offers the least amount of strength loss.

Dynamic Loading Voids Normal Working Load
Normal working loads are not applicable when rope is subject to significant dynamic loading. Instantaneous changes in load, up or down, in excess of 10% of the line’s rated working load constitutes hazardous shock load and would void normal working loads. Whenever a load is picked up, stopped, or swung there is an increased force due to dynamic loading. The more rapidly or suddenly such actions occur, the greater the increase will be. In extreme cases, the force put on the rope may be two, three or even more times the normal load involved. Examples could be picking up a tow on a slack line or using a rope to stop a falling object. Therefore, in all such applications such as towing lines, lifelines, safety lines, climbing ropes, etc., working loads as given DO NOT APPLY.

Users should be aware that dynamic effects are greater on a low elongation rope such as polyester than on a high elongation rope such as nylon, and greater on a shorter rope than on a longer one. The working load rations listed contain provision for very modest dynamic loads. This means, however, that when the working load has been used to select a rope, the load must be handled slowly and smoothly to minimize effect and avoid exceeding provision for them.

Eyesplice
A fixed loop formed in the end of a line by splicing the end back into its standing part.

Fiber
A natural or synthetic filament capable of being spun into yarn.

Halyard
A line used to hoist or lower a sail or a flag.

Handling
Never stand in line with rope under tension. If a rope fails it can recoil with lethal force. Synthetic rope has higher recoil tendencies than natural fiber rope. Reverse rope ends regularly. This permits even wearing and assures a longer, useful life. When using tackle or slings, apply a steady, even pull to get full strength from rope.

High or low strands
The presence of this defect reveals uneven yarn tensioning in manufacture or use of different yarn sizes. It means that some of the yarns will not be sharing the work equally with the others' resulting in more stretch at a given load, lower ultimate break strength and more rapid wear.

Caution: Overloading and Use of Working Loads
Because of the wide range of rope use, exposure to the several factors affecting rope behavior, and the degree of risk to life and property involved, it is impossible to make blanket recommendations as to working loads. However, to provide guidelines, working loads are tabulated for rope in good condition with appropriate splices, in non-critical applications and under normal service conditions.

A higher working load may be selected only with expert knowledge of conditions and professional estimate of risk and if the rope has not been subject to dynamic loading or other excessive use, has been inspected and found to be in good condition and is to be used in the recommended manner and the application does not involve elevated temperatures, extended periods under load or obvious dynamic loading (see explanation below) such as sudden drops, snubs, or pickups. For all such applications and for applications involving more serious exposure conditions, or for recommendations on special applications, consult the manufacturer. Many uses of rope involve serious risk of injury to personnel or damage to valuable property. This danger is often obvious, as when a heavy load is supported above one or more workers. An equally dangerous situation occurs if personnel are in line with a rope under tension. Should the rope fail, it may recoil with lethal force. Persons should be warned against the serious danger of standing in line with any rope under tension. In all cases where such risks are present, or there is any question about the loads involved or the conditions of use, the working load should be substantially reduced and the rope properly inspected.

Inspection
Avoid using rope that shows signs of aging and wear. If in doubt or any questions whatsoever, destroy the used rope. No type of visual inspection can be guaranteed to accurately and precisely determine actual residual strength. When the fibers show wear in any given area the rope should be respliced, eliminating the damaged area, downgraded or replaced. Check the line regularly for frayed strands and broken yarns (See Sighting the Braid). Pulled strands should be rethreaded into the rope if possible. A pulled strand can snag during a rope operation.Both outer and inner rope fibers contribute to the strength of the rope. When either is worn, the rope is compacted or hard which indicates reduced strength.

Looped strands
This defect is usually caused by unequal yarn tensioning in the manufacturing process and results in the same problems as mentioned above.

Manila Rope
Manufactured from the strongest natural fibers available from the abaca plant grown in the Philippines. Manila rope provides low elongation at maximum working loads and under sustained loads.

Nylon Diamond Braid
This is an extremely versatile braid with many uses. The most common construction is an 8 carrier jacket with a center core. Depending on the tightness of the outer braid and the type of core used, diamond braids can be designed to fit many applications.

Polyester Diamond Braid
This braid is used in many of the same applications as the nylon diamond braids. Polyester is used when a lower stretch factor is needed in the finished braid.

Polypropylene Diamond Braid
This braid when constructed from monofilament yarn is most commonly referred to as hollow braid. This is a very strong, economical cord with many uses.

Randomly uneven yarn color or sheen
This is a dead give-away to the use of inferior, odd lot yarns of various types and finished that are likely to result in a variety of problems including uneven wear and premature failure.

Safety
Chemicals: Synthetic fibers have good chemical resistance. However, exposure to harsh chemicals, such as acids and alkalis, should be avoided.
Damage: Inspect all ropes frequently for signs of wear or damage. Retire any rope that is cut or abraded.
Sunlight: With time, all synthetic fibers will undergo degradation when exposed to sunlight. Polypropylene is more susceptible to UV degradation than other fibers.

Sighting the braid
When selecting a new piece of line, simply sight down its length as you would a plank. If you see broken yarn filaments, high or low strands, corkscrew or roll, randomly uneven yarn color or looped strands; consider replacing the cordage for safety reasons.

Splicing
Join rope by splicing. Knots can decrease rope strength by as much as 60%. Use the manufacturers recommended splices for maximum efficiency. Other terminations can be used but their strength loss with a particular type of rope and construction should be determined and not assumed.

Spliceability
It may be difficult to determine if a rope will be properly spliceable without actually performing the task. A high quality rope is engineered to accomplish a balance of purpose between the double braided cover and core, resulting in uniform spliceability whether the rope is new or used. One simple test, which may indicate an imbalance between cover and core, is to coil the rope. If it does not coil uniformly, bends more sharply in some places or resists coiling altogether, you should consider replacing the rope for safety and performance reasons.

Strand twist
All braided ropes should be constructed using clockwise and counter-clockwise twisted strands (referred to as “S” twist and “Z” twist in the trade). The reason for this design is to orient all of the fine yarn filaments parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rope allowing them to be combed rather than plucked, snagged and broken when dragged over a rough surface as they would be if they were at an angle or perpendicular to the axis of the rope.

Storage And Care
All rope should be stored clean, dry, out of direct sunlight, and away from extreme heat. Some synthetic rope (particularly polypropylene, polyethylene, and aramid) may be severely weakened by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays unless specifically stabilized and/or pigmented to increase its UV resistance. UV degradation is indicated by discoloration and the presence of splinters and slivers on the surface of the rope.

Temperature
Effect on tensile strength. The tensile strength charts apply to ropes tested at normal room temperature (70°F). Ropes have lower tensile strengths at higher temperatures 30% (or more) lower at the boiling point of water (212°F) and continuing on down to zero strengths for nylon and polyester at 480°F and 300°F for polypropylene. Also, continued exposure at elevated temperatures can melt and part synthetic ropes or cause permanent damage.

Tensile Strength
The measured load required to break a rope in tension. The tensile strength is the load at which a new rope, tested under laboratory conditions, can be expected to break. Rope strength is the approximate average for new rope tested under ASTM test method D-6268. To estimate the minimum tensile strength of a new rope, reduce the approximate average by 20%. Age, use and the type of termination used, such as knots, will lower tensile strengths significantly.

Unreeling
Remove rope properly from reels to prevent kinking. The rope should be removed by pulling it off the top while the reel is free to rotate. To proceed in any other manner may cause kinks or strand distortion.

Working Loads
The Cordage Institute specifies that the safe working load of a rope is determined by dividing the minimum tensile strength by the safety factor. Safety factors range from 5 to 12 for non-critical uses. The working load is a guideline for rope in good condition used in non-critical applications, and should be reduced where life, limb or valuable property are involved, or where exceptional shock, sustained loading, severe vibration, etc. may be experienced.