This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
INFORMATION


PMI ROPE DESIGN AND INNOVATION


Creating the High Angle Technician’s favorite rope is part science, part art. PMI’s 38-year reputation for creating the toughest, most abrasion resistant, and most reliable life safety rope available comes from a refined blending of technology and passion. PMI helps drive research and testing in products, systems, and applications to make our products better so that your world can be safer. On the next few pages, you will find information that we hope helps you come to know the PMI line you use and trust.


PMI has an entire team of dedicated professionals standing by, ready to help you with your gear needs. If you have questions regarding PMI rope, and products, please call 1-800-282-ROPE (7673) or e-mail us at custserv@pmirope.com.


LIFE SAFETY ROPE No single type of rope is ideal for every type of operation. Before purchasing, consider your intended use carefully and choose the PMI rope(s) most appropriate for the job you plan to do. Ropes for rappelling or lowering a single person will have different characteristics than ropes for lead climbing. Rescue ropes for heavy loads will differ from ropes used for water rescue. Other considerations include environmental effects, abrasion, ease of handling, and potential for chemical contamination.


CLASSIFICATIONS OF LIFE SAFETY ROPE According to Cordage Institute standards, Life Safety Rope can be classified by the amount of elongation it offers under load. Static Kernmantle rope is the traditional American style rigging and rescue rope, offering less than 6% elongation at 10% of its minimum breaking strength. It is an excellent choice for lowering and raising because it is very durable and will not “creep” under load like low stretch ropes will.


By comparison, measured elongation of Low Stretch rope must be between 6-10% at 10% of its rated minimum breaking strength (MBS). Low Stretch rope is common in Rope Access. It often has a nice “hand” and good knotability, and may be preferable for belaying heavy loads. However, durability of this more flexible rope may not be as great as that of Static Rope.


Dynamic Rope is commonly used by recreational climbers, and is occasionally used in the workplace for “lead climbing” beyond anchor points. Dynamic rope is classified by rated number of falls rather than elongation, and should meet applicable standards such as UIAA.


ALTERNATIVE FIBERS Before deciding which rope is right for your task, consider the benefits of each fiber. While nylon has more ability to absorb shock, polyester elongates less under load. This means that you should take extra precautions to prevent shock loading if you choose to use a static rope made with polyester, but used in the right application, polyester can be a benefit to your system.


ROPE STRENGTH Often a key point in rope selection, rope strength is a function of what the rope is made of, how it is made, and how much fiber is in it. Desired strength must also be balanced against other factors such as diameter (compatibility with other gear), weight, flexibility, and anticipated use. How strong is strong enough?


PMI® ’s 11 mm Classic Static Rope (page 7) has an MBS, commonly


referred to as “minimum breaking strength”, of about 6000 lbf. PMI® Classic 12.5 mm (page 7) has an MBS of over 9000 lbf. This means that this is how strong you can expect the rope to be (excluding variables such as knots, rigging, etc.), not how much force you should apply to it. Unless otherwise noted, all of the breaking strengths use the Three Sigma system of test results. Under this system, random samples are tested to failure, and then the value of three standard deviations is subtracted from the average breaking strength to determine the reported value.


ADVANTAGES OF 16-CARRIER SHEATH DESIGN PMI Classic ropes are characterized, at least in part, by their “16-carrier” sheath design. The term “16-carrier” refers to the number of yarn bundles used to create the braid that makes up the sheath of the rope.


While PMI also offers several other braid designs like 32 and 48-carrier, one advantage of PMI’s classic 16-carrier sheath design is the dramatic increase it lends to the life and durability of the rope. For any given diameter rope, sheath yarns have to be thinner for more carriers and thicker for fewer carriers. Using 16 braid bundles for the sheath of PMI® Classic allows us to use a thicker, more durable sheath yarn, resulting in a tougher, more durable rope. Sheath braid design is a fine balance between yarn denier, tension, number of carriers, and the amount of yarn used.


16 CARRIERS A 16-carrier sheath provides the most longevity for your rope. Essentially, it is made of larger bundles, so there is more yarn to wear through before reaching the core. All of PMI®


Classic


Static ropes have a 16-carrier sheath design.


32 CARRIERS It is common for low stretch ropes to be built with a 32-carrier sheath. This provides a flexible hand, but of course the compromise of a more flexible hand is always durability. PMI®


’s Access Pro is an example of


a 32-carrier rope that combines a flexible hand with the best abrasion resistance possible.


48 CARRIERS Many of the dynamic ropes on the market are made with a 48-carrier sheath. The 48-carrier sheath is thinner than its 16 and 32-carrier counterparts, but offers a soft hand for situations where suppleness and elongation are of greater concern than abrasion, such as in recreational climbing.


ROPE


INFORMATION


3


ROPE


AND CORDAGE


WEBBING


PERSONAL GEAR


HARDWARE


SOLUTIONS AND KIT S


PATIENT CARE


LOGIST ICS AND SUPPORT GEAR


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116