Aluminum Wire Rope Polyethylene Sheathing Failure.

Abstract

The results of an investigation of the cracking of the polyethylene (PE) sheathing on aluminum wire rope used on CF Ships are reported. The cracking had not been observed previously and there was concern that this might be related to a change in material or storage conditions. Thermal analysis techniques, such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS) indicated that the failed sheathing was higher density PE than the sheathing that did not crack. Analysis of the fracture surface of the cracked sheathing indicated that it had failed by a brittle slow crack growth mechanism. The failure of the higher density PE was attributed to stresses introduced when the sheathed wire rope was transferred to a reel with a smaller diameter. Although the wire rope with the uncracked sheathing had also been transferred to a reel with a smaller diameter, low density PE is less susceptible to this type of cracking.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA345531

Entities

People

  • John A. Hiltz

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aluminum
  • Body Weight
  • Calorimetry
  • Chromatography
  • Classification
  • Dielectric Polymers
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Gas Chromatography
  • Low Density
  • Mass Spectrometry
  • Materials
  • Melting Point
  • Molecules
  • Polymers
  • Security
  • Spectrometry
  • Tensile Strength

Readers

  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Polymer Science and Engineering.
  • Structural Health Monitoring of Composite Structures.