A novel fiber-reinforced polymer rope: Concept design and experimental evaluation

The present study proposes using a twisted rope with flexible fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) instead of wire rope and synthetic rope in environments requiring high load-bearing capacity and corrosion resistance. Resin toughening modification was conducted to manufacture flexible FRPs, and experimental evaluations were performed to assess the tensile and flexural properties of the impregnated fiber bundles (IFBs), as well as the tensile behaviors of the seven-IFB strands and the seven-strand ropes. The results demonstrated that the modified epoxy resin exhibited a decrease in both strength and elastic modulus, while its ductility was enhanced. Tensile and bending experiments confirmed that incorporating an additional 10% of Qishi toughener (QS-VA-3) was the optimal choice for producing low-modulus and high-toughness resins. Although the tensile properties of resin modified IFBs may show a slight reduction, their repeated bending behavior can be significantly improved. The tensile load-displacement curves of the FRP strand and rope displayed a linear increasing trend and experienced intermediate fracture failure, resembling that observed in IFBs. Furthermore, it was found that the tensile strength and elastic modulus of the strand decreased with an increase in lay length. The secondary twisting can enhance the tensile behavior of ropes compared to strands with equivalent lay lengths. •A twisted FRP rope with exceptional strength and flexibility was proposed.•A resin matrix with low modulus and high toughness was developed for the FRP rope.•The feasibility of using FRP ropes was confirmed by tensile and flexural testing.