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SWLChain
Breaking srain
Reduction in strength
Introduction
As mentioned earlier, one of the safety precautions to be observed when
using ropes is NOT to exceed its Safe Working Load (SWL). SWL is like a
safety rating given to any piece of rope. It is the maximum load that a rope
in good condition can be subjected to without fear of breaking.
D is diameter of rope in mm
F is a factor of safety
The following table gives the factor and the resulting formula for fibre
ropes.
Material
Factor
Approximate S.W.L.
Natural Fibre
D2
3D2
2.5
2.5D2
Polyester (Terylene)
2.5
2.5D2
Polypropylene
1.8
1.8D2
Polyethylene (Mono)
1.8
1.8D2
Polyethylene (Staple)
1.2
1.2D2
Wire
8.0
8D2
SWLChain
There are two grading systems for chain. The first uses three grades with the
breaking strength (BS) formulas given below.
Grade 1Mild Steel
Grade 2Special Quality Steel
Grade 3Extra Special Quality Steel.
Stud Link
Size
BS (Breaking Strength)
12.5 mm to 120 mm
{20D2}over 600
12.5 mm to 120 mm
{30D2}over 600
12.5 mm to 120 mm
{43D2}over 600
Where:
BS is tonnes.
Example
25 mm Grade 2 chain
BS (tonnes) = (30D2 )/600
= (30 25 25)/600
= 31.25 tonnes
SWL = BS/5
SWL = 31.25/5
SWL = 6.25 tonnes
With the ISO standards, chain is graded by number. As a comparison,
Grade 3 (as opposed to Grade 1 above) is mild steel with Grades 4 to
9 being tensile steel.
2
SWL is Kilograms.
Example
10 mm ISO Grade 3 chain
SWL (kg) = 3D2 Grade
= 3 102 3
= 3 10 10 3
= 900 kg
When calculating the SWL of chains, beware of two different identification
systems. If in doubt, assume the chain is the lowest grade, ie mild steel.
Breaking strain
The following formulae give an approximate breaking strain for new rope
and distinguish between the varying fibre strength by multiplying the basic
formula by a factor corresponding to the relative strength of that fibre:
Factor 4polyester
Factor 5nylon.
F is the factor
SWL is in tonnes.
Using this formula in conjunction with the factors listed above, the various
breaking strains are therefore:
Polyester: 4D/300
Nylon: 5D/300.
Example
What is the SWL of a 14mm nylon rope?
BS = 5D/300 = (5 14 14)/300 = 3.27 tonnes
SWL = BS/6
SWL = 3.27/6
SWL = 0.54 tonnes
Note: To calculate the SWL of a rope it is best to use the formulae for SWL
rather than working BS and then back to SWL.
Reduction in strength
Knots and splices in natural fibre ropes cause a reduction in strength and
SWL. If there is:
In FSWR splices and fittings will affect the SWL by 10 to 30 per cent,
depending on the type of fitting used with the type of wire. These should
be looked at when the choices have been combined, using tables from the
fitting or wire supplier.
D=
D = 17.3 mm
Therefore, you need a polyester line that is at least 17.3 mm in Diameter.
As a rule of thumb, what are the strength factors used for some synthetic fibres that
you know?
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What is the SWL of a sisal rope whose diameter is 16 mm? Could you use that rope to
lift a load of 250 kg?
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You need to lift a load of 450 kg using a nylon rope. What is the minimum size of rope
you would use for the operation?
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Check your answers with those given at the end of this learning resource.