Overlay Finishes and Coatings for Improving Abrasion Resistance in Braided Polyarylate Fiber Ropes

Polyarylate fibers are commonly used in rope making, in lightweight structures, textile reinforced composites, and textile-based mechanical components for technical applications. Due to higher demands on abrasion resistance of fiber ropes in technical applications, such as hoisting and lifting applications, investigations have been carried out to improve the abrasion resistance of braided fiber ropes, made from polyarylate fibers Vectran™. Overlay finishes and coatings have been applied on braided fiber ropes to investigate the influence of fiber finishes and to investigate the influence of coatings and overlay finishes on the ropes’ properties. Further, in a part of the rope samples, the fiber finish has been removed before coating, in order to investigate the interactions between fiber finish and applied coatings.