New rope testing laboratory at Gleistein
August 04, 2011 - Germany
It’s now up and running: Gleistein’s new rope testing laboratory. Located at the Gleistein Ropes headquarters in Bremen, Germany, the high-tech facility firmly cements the company’s reputation as a leader in textile rope research and development. In addition to conducting classic tensile tests for assessing break loads and undertaking OCIMF conforming tests, the new laboratory also enables individual programs to be executed including precise shock and continuous load simulations as well as testing in liquids – with maximum loads extending all the way to 3,000 kN.
The new laboratory is among the most modern and best equipped in the world. Its myriad application and adjustment options allow load scenarios to be defined more meticulously than ever. This enables possibilities and testing combinations to be offered that have not been widely available until now. Besides regular tensile tests to determine maximum rope break loads, the new laboratory has the capacity to conduct fully-programmable 1,000 load cycle tests for specific series of tensioning and releasing. Changes to a rope’s diameter under strain are measurable in the new facility and fatigue tests may also be conducted in a special environmental chamber that allows examinations at temperatures ranging from -30° C to +50° C. In addition, a purpose-built tub has been installed to enable testing to be conducted in liquids of almost any type. A video observation option is also available for monitoring long-term tests when coupled with a high-speed camera.
Three tensile testing machines serving maximum loads up to 2, 30 and 300 tons, respectively, are at the heart of the new Gleistein lab and capable of handling test objects up to 20 metres long with a diameter extending to 500 mm. Detailed performance analyses are provided by the integrated computing hardware and software. The new, state-of-the-art rope testing laboratory is just the latest in a continual programme of innovation and advancement at Gleistein Ropes, which is also an official testing site of Germanischer Lloyd (GL). The facility will be primarily used to augment Gleistein’s already formidable research and development activities, but will also be available for external testing purposes.
Thomas Schlaetzer, Managing Director at Gleistein Ropes, comments on the new lab: “Our investment in this new facility is further confirmation of our commitment to remaining at the forefront of innovation. After all, it is all good and well to know how things perform in theory – but the real test is what happens in practice. We now have the capability to simulate reality like never before and this gives us a further tool to develop and leverage our technological competitive advantages.”
About Gleistein Ropes
Gleistein has been manufacturing ropes since 1824 and is the oldest family industrial company in Bremen (Germany). Together with its Trencin (Slovakia) plant the company boasts two of the most modern rope manufacturing facilities in the world with a total production area of more than 17,000m². Modern chemical fibres, sophisticated designs and future-oriented rope finishing equipment and procedures offer a definite quality “plus” that directly benefits the consumer. Gleistein offers a complete service, provides its customers with industry-leading know-how and assists in selecting the perfect rope – whatever the need. Ready-to-use finishing of products, execution of contracted tests and the development of tailor-made solutions round out the comprehensive range of services.
The new laboratory is among the most modern and best equipped in the world. Its myriad application and adjustment options allow load scenarios to be defined more meticulously than ever. This enables possibilities and testing combinations to be offered that have not been widely available until now. Besides regular tensile tests to determine maximum rope break loads, the new laboratory has the capacity to conduct fully-programmable 1,000 load cycle tests for specific series of tensioning and releasing. Changes to a rope’s diameter under strain are measurable in the new facility and fatigue tests may also be conducted in a special environmental chamber that allows examinations at temperatures ranging from -30° C to +50° C. In addition, a purpose-built tub has been installed to enable testing to be conducted in liquids of almost any type. A video observation option is also available for monitoring long-term tests when coupled with a high-speed camera.
Three tensile testing machines serving maximum loads up to 2, 30 and 300 tons, respectively, are at the heart of the new Gleistein lab and capable of handling test objects up to 20 metres long with a diameter extending to 500 mm. Detailed performance analyses are provided by the integrated computing hardware and software. The new, state-of-the-art rope testing laboratory is just the latest in a continual programme of innovation and advancement at Gleistein Ropes, which is also an official testing site of Germanischer Lloyd (GL). The facility will be primarily used to augment Gleistein’s already formidable research and development activities, but will also be available for external testing purposes.
Thomas Schlaetzer, Managing Director at Gleistein Ropes, comments on the new lab: “Our investment in this new facility is further confirmation of our commitment to remaining at the forefront of innovation. After all, it is all good and well to know how things perform in theory – but the real test is what happens in practice. We now have the capability to simulate reality like never before and this gives us a further tool to develop and leverage our technological competitive advantages.”
About Gleistein Ropes
Gleistein has been manufacturing ropes since 1824 and is the oldest family industrial company in Bremen (Germany). Together with its Trencin (Slovakia) plant the company boasts two of the most modern rope manufacturing facilities in the world with a total production area of more than 17,000m². Modern chemical fibres, sophisticated designs and future-oriented rope finishing equipment and procedures offer a definite quality “plus” that directly benefits the consumer. Gleistein offers a complete service, provides its customers with industry-leading know-how and assists in selecting the perfect rope – whatever the need. Ready-to-use finishing of products, execution of contracted tests and the development of tailor-made solutions round out the comprehensive range of services.