1、Designation: F 1740 96 (Reapproved 2007)Standard Guide forInspection of Nylon, Polyester, or Nylon/Polyester Blend, orBoth Kernmantle Rope1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F 1740; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or, in the ca
2、se of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. Asuperscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1. Scope1.1 This guide covers procedures to assist in the manage-ment and care of kernmantle nylon, p
3、olyester, or nylon/polyester, or both kernmantle ropes by rescue personnel.1.2 This guide provides information intended to assistqualified, experienced personnel in establishing procedures fordetermining whether a rope should be placed into or returnedto service. Such procedures may be used to assis
4、t in determin-ing serviceability of used rescue ropes. Other factors whichmay not be included in this guide may also need to beconsidered when evaluating ropes.NOTE 1Interpretation of the terms “qualified” and “experienced”when referring to individuals inspecting ropes may be debatable. Becauserope
5、evaluation is a subjective practice, it is in the best interest of the userto clearly define the needs of the user, and then to train personnelaccording to those needs. Needs and priorities may vary greatly betweenusers.1.2.1 A rope which has been used in any manner should notbe returned to service
6、without first undergoing a thoroughinspection to include rope log review, visual inspection, andtactile inspection.1.2.2 It is the responsibility of the user to understand thatevaluation of a used rope is a subjective process. Due to thestrength and longevity of kernmantle ropes presently used inres
7、cue operations, it is perfectly reasonable, and even advis-able, for these ropes to be reused on future operations unlessthe rope is physically compromised in some way. If the userchooses to reuse ropes, then the user should also establishspecific guidelines, including and possibly in addition to th
8、oseset forth in this guide, and provide training for personnel whowill be responsible for examination of ropes.1.3 This standard does not imply approval of any specifictype of rescue rope, nor does it purport to ensure the ability ofany rope to function as desired. The information included hereis no
9、t to be considered the only criteria for evaluating theserviceability of rescue rope.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices an
10、d determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2. Terminology2.1 coreinterior (kern) of a kernmantle rope. The coresupports the major portion of the load on a kernmantle rope.2.2 in-servicea rescue rope is considered to be “in ser-vice” if it is available for use in life safet
11、y applications.2.3 kernmantlea rope design consisting of two elements:an interior core (kern) and an outer sheath (mantle).2.4 rescue roperope which is used for rescue purposes.2.5 retirepermanent removal of a rope from service suchthat it is no longer used for life safety purposes.NOTE 2When a rope
12、 is retired it should be cut into short lengthswhich will discourage future use. It should not be stored, kept, ormaintained in such a way that it could inadvertently be used as a lifeline.In some cases, when only a single point or a small area of a rope has beendamaged and the rest of the rope is s
13、till in good condition, the user mayelect to cut that section out of the rope and continue to use the shorterrope(s) in lifeline applications. This decision is left to the users discretion.2.6 rope loga written reference kept separately for eachrope. A rope log should contain pertinent information a
14、bout therope and conditions under which it was used.2.7 sheathouter cover (mantle) of a kernmantle rope. Thesheath serves to protect the core of a kernmantle rope and mayalso support a portion of the load.2.8 useone or more individual applications during thecourse of an operation.2.9 usermay be an i
15、ndividual, a department, a team, orany other entity using the products discussed herein.3. Significance and Use3.1 The purpose of this guide is to assist the user indeveloping procedures to determine the serviceability of ropebased upon visual and tactile inspection of the rope and therope history a
16、s documented in the rope log.1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F32 on Search andRescue and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F32.03 on Personnel,Training and Education.Current edition approved June 1, 2007. Published October 2007. Originallyapproved in 1996. Last pre
17、vious edition approved in 2002 as F 1740 96(2002).1Copyright ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.3.2 This guide is intended for use by experienced personneldeemed qualified by the user to assess the viability of rope,according to th
18、e specific needs of that user.4. Procedure for Recording Rope History4.1 Rope logs should be designed by the user according tothe needs of the user and practices established by the user toensure maintenance and monitoring of these records.4.2 Rope logs should include, but not be limited to, theinfor
19、mation outlined herein:4.2.1 Rope Identification,4.2.2 Date of rope purchase,4.2.3 Date rope was put into service. (See 5.5.2 for infor-mation regarding use of dates.),4.2.4 Dates and conditions under which rope is used,including weather, approximate load, unusual circumstancesand any unusual shock
20、loads, abrasion, or other abuse the ropesustains, and4.2.5 Dates and actions taken, including inspection, clean-ing, drying, storage, and return to service.5. Procedure for Examining Ropes5.1 Inspect all ropes for wear and damage prior to use. Arope which has not been inspected shall not be used aga
21、in orplaced into service until an inspection has been performed.5.1.1 Inspect the entire length of the rope, whether or not theentire length was used.5.1.2 Clean ropes which are dirty or wet and dried inaccordance with manufacturers recommendations before in-spection.5.2 Perform the complete inspect
22、ion (visual, tactile, andrope log) by the same person for a given rope.5.3 Visual inspection of a rope should be done by anexperienced individual who is deemed qualified by his user toassess the serviceability of rope, according to the needs of theuser. This inspection should take into consideration
23、 the currentstatus of normal wear and tear as well as specific damageswhich may have occurred during use of the rope.5.3.1 Any section of rope whose sheath appears to be glazedshould receive additional scrutiny during the course of thetactile inspection to evaluate for further indication of damage.S
24、ignificant damage may lead to retirement.5.3.2 Discoloration may be an indication of rope damage.Retire the rope, if a part of a rope appears discolored and thecause of the discoloration is unknown or is suspected to befrom a source harmful to the ropes fiber.5.3.3 Retire a rope which shows any sign
25、 or smell toindicate that it may have been contaminated by an acid,alkaline, oxidizing agent, bleach, or other potentially hazard-ous chemical or substance.5.3.4 Abrasion, cuts, or nicks in the outer sheath shouldindicate an area which should receive special considerationduring the course of the tac
26、tile inspection to evaluate forindication of further damage.5.3.5 Retire a rope whose sheath has been cut through orabraded to the extent that the core is visible.5.3.6 If the diameter of a rope is smaller (or larger) in onearea than throughout the rest of the rope, its condition shall besuspect.NOT
27、E 3This refers to enough of a variation in the ropes diameter tosuggest that the core of the rope has been damaged and closer inspectionis needed. Holding the section of rope in question under constant tensionaids in visualizing the extent of the change in diameter. A significantdecrease in diameter
28、, hour-glass appearance, is usually caused by separa-tion of core fibers and the rope should be retired. A significant increase inthe diameter may be caused by a bunching of the core or sheath, or someinternal contamination of the core, and may require the rope to be retired.5.3.7 When sections of r
29、ope are formed into approximate30-cm (circumference) loops, the consistency of the loopshould be uniform throughout. If it is not, retire the rope.5.3.8 Establish additional criteria for visual rope inspectionby the user in accordance with the specific needs of the user.5.4 Tactile inspection of a r
30、ope shall be done by anexperienced individual deemed qualified by the user to assessthe viability of rope, according to the needs of the user. Thisinspection should take into consideration the current status ofnormal wear and tear as well as specific damages which mayhave occurred during use of the
31、rope.5.4.1 Inspect the entire length of the rope whether or not theentire length was used.5.4.2 Tactile inspection should be performed in such a waythat allows the inspector to feel for changes while maintaininga pressure on the rope.5.4.3 Retire the rope if any inconsistencies in rope diameterare d
32、etected or suspected (if the rope seems to feel larger orsmaller at any given point). (See Note 3.)5.4.4 If a part of the rope feels “mushy” or soft in any arearelative to the rest of the rope, the core of the rope may bedamaged in that area and the rope shall be considered forretirement.5.4.5 Retir
33、e the rope if the rope is extraordinarily stiff in anyarea, it has likely been overstressed in that area. If any area ofthe rope is more stiff or “brittle” feeling than the rest of therope.5.5 Rope examination shall include any analysis of the ropelog.5.5.1 Any rope which is noted to have experience
34、d uncon-trolled or excessive loading should be considered for retire-ment.5.5.2 Retire any rope which is greater than ten years old,regardless of history and usage.NOTE 4There is at this writing no universally agreed upon “shelf life”for nylon, polyester, or nylon/polyester rope products. Shelf life
35、 will varyaccording to local atmosphere, storage conditions, heat, light, temperature,and other variables. The ten-year estimate cited in this guide should beconsidered carefully by any person(s) using this guide, with the under-standing that depending on circumstances specific to each situation, ro
36、pestrength may actually be reduced to unacceptable levels in a shorter periodof time. While there is no conclusive data to show the precise effects ofrope aging, users experience as well as research such as that done bySmith, et al, 1984 and Mammut Ropes, 1979, may provide somesubjective criteria fo
37、r decision making about ropes based upon rope ageand usage.5.5.3 Retire any rope which is noted or suspected to havecome into contact with harmful chemicals or other substance.5.5.4 Any rope whose history is unknown shall not be usedin lifeline or rescue applications.5.6 Any doubt about the conditio
38、n of the rope shall lead toits retirement.F 1740 96 (2007)2ASTM International takes no position respecting the validity of any patent rights asserted in connection with any item mentionedin this standard. Users of this standard are expressly advised that determination of the validity of any such pat
39、ent rights, and the riskof infringement of such rights, are entirely their own responsibility.This standard is subject to revision at any time by the responsible technical committee and must be reviewed every five years andif not revised, either reapproved or withdrawn. Your comments are invited eit
40、her for revision of this standard or for additional standardsand should be addressed to ASTM International Headquarters. Your comments will receive careful consideration at a meeting of theresponsible technical committee, which you may attend. If you feel that your comments have not received a fair
41、hearing you shouldmake your views known to the ASTM Committee on Standards, at the address shown below.This standard is copyrighted by ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959,United States. Individual reprints (single or multiple copies) of this standard may be obtained by contacting ASTM at the aboveaddress or at 610-832-9585 (phone), 610-832-9555 (fax), or serviceastm.org (e-mail); or through the ASTM website(www.astm.org).F 1740 96 (2007)3
