Wolffkran invests in fibre rope

Wolffkran recognised the potential of Trowis ropes while these were still in the research phase and actively supported the foundation of the company in July 2019.

Trowis high-performance fibre ropes are characterized by the integration of a doubly redundant, self-monitoring composite fibre construction.  

Sensor elements integrated in the rope monitor possible fibre fracture in the load-bearing rope component and signal these to the crane operator. At this point, the load is taken over by the redundant load-bearing reserve in the rope, ensuring that the load can be lowered safely.

“Thanks to the integrated intelligent recognition of the discard criteria, Trowis fibre ropes are much safer than other high-performance fibre ropes, in which the discard criteria can only be determined by an optical inspection of the rope. In addition, there is the economic advantage that a rope is not discarded too early on spec but can actually be used until the end of its service life,” Wolffkran said.

Trowis ropes also have a particularly high stiffness and low initial elongation due to a specially developed heat-setting process, which is essential for safe positioning of the load and eliminates the need to “break-in” the rope.

“When compared to conventional steel wire ropes, Trowis fibre ropes offer further advantages for crane operation. Tremendous savings on weight of up to 80 percent not only allow for higher load capacities, but also a significantly faster and safer assembly and replacement. Due to its considerably lower rope sag, lighter hook blocks can be used which further increases the load capacity of the crane,” said Wolffkran.

The fibre rope manufacturer says that its ropes have up to seven times longer service life than steel ropes due to the optimum utilisation of the load-bearing rope

Trowis ropes are produced at the company's premises in Chemnitz, Saxony, on a specially developed rope finishing line. With the conclusion of extensive tests in a laboratory environment, the new fibre rope is now going to be extensively tested on a test stand at the Wolffkran plant in Brandenburg and on Wolff cranes at select construction sites under live operating conditions. After completion of the field test phase, Trowis and Wolffkran will launch this promising new product amongst fibre ropes on the market as quickly as possible.