GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber Dramatically Increases Rope Service Life In Critical Bending Applications

ELKTON, MD (March 27, 2006) — W. L. Gore & Associates, makers of GORE-TEX® fabric and hundreds of other innovative products, announced an advance that can dramatically increase the service life of ropes used in high-stress bending applications, such as deepwater installation of subsea hardware.

Using patent-pending technology, GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber can be added to conventional synthetic rope constructions.  The GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber, composed of Gore’s proprietary expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), acts as a durable dry barrier to abrasion, reducing friction and elevated temperatures normally caused by friction. The result is vastly increased service life and reliability for synthetic rope.

In recent bend-over sheave (BOS) testing, the addition of GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber to conventional synthetic ropes increased cycles to failure (a measure of rope service life) more than three-fold in laid ropes and more than ten-fold in braided ropes.

High-performance rope incorporating GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber is ideal for applications requiring high-stress bending and lifting, such as elevators, cranes, hoists and mining. The primary application is in deepwater installation of subsea hardware, where operations have been limited by the excessive weight of wire rope and of the equipment needed to deploy it. Synthetic ropes with GORE™ Fiber offer a reliable and robust replacement for wire rope at a fraction of the weight.

GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber improves the performance of ropes fabricated from aramid, HMPE and LCP fibers. It is not affected by UV radiation, provides for long life in harsh outdoor environments and enhances the effect of high-performance coatings.

This innovation was a result of Gore’s more than three decades of understanding and engineering ePTFE fiber—in applications as diverse as filtration media, dental floss, sewing threads, architectural fabrics and space suits—and its close collaboration with industry partners.

“Cyclic-bend-over-sheave fatigue tests of synthetic fiber ropes with GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber have produced outstanding results, said Phil Gibson, President, TMT Labs. “The addition of GORE™ fiber to conventional ropes has significantly increased the number of cycles to failure for a variety of rope constructions. It is clearly a viable candidate for use in applications requiring a lightweight rope having superior bending fatigue performance.”

“Gore has made a major commitment to the rope manufacturing industry,” said Mike Altman, Gore Product Specialist. “Our dedicated on-site rope testing lab employs state-of-the-art equipment to evaluate rope technology and validate its performance in specific end-use conditions. We can help our customers meet industry testing protocols and ensure them of fitness of use for both existing and new applications.”

Gore welcomes inquiries from end users and manufacturers interested in solving problems and in developing additional applications for GORE™ OMNIBEND™ Fiber.  For more information, fill out a brief inquiry form or call 1-800-276-8451.

ABOUT W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES, INC.
W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc., a technology solutions provider with nearly $2 billion in sales and more than 7,000 associates, specializes in fluoropolymer innovations that improve the quality of life. Over its 47-year history, Gore has applied its world-renowned expertise with membranes, fibers and laminates to thousands of products in performance-driven markets, such as automotive, energy, electronics and industrial filtration. The company operates in more than 45 facilities worldwide with headquarters in Newark, Delaware, USA.