When compared with twisted ropes, braided ropes are very useful because of its strength. It can also perform well in different loads. Braided ropes are used for different industrial and home applications. In this article let us discuss different types of ropes, the material used for manufacturing braided ropes and its uses.

Different Types Of Braided Ropes:

There are different types of braided ropes available in the market. Some varieties of braided ropes are kernmantle, double braid and single braid.

• Single Braid Rope:

Single braid ropes are used for lashing and keeping the oar stowed on the boats. Single braid rope is tubular and they are usually formed using eight or ten thin fibers. Different materials are used for making single braid ropes in the industry. Some of the common materials used for making single braid ropes are nylon and polypropylene. Some of the other rare materials are synthetic fibres and natural fibres.

• Double Braided Rope:

It is one of the popular rope types in the industry. Double braided ropes are hard wearing and they also have high tensile strength. Double braided ropes are formed by combining two single braided ropes. The material used for making double-braided ropes are similar to single braided ropes. Both the single braided rope used for making double braided rope is mostly made up of the same material. But in some situations, they are made up of different materials to balance flexibility and strength. 

Special type rope or kernmantle rope:

In this type, the external portion of the rope will be braided while the internal portion of the kernmantle rope will be twisted. They are mainly used for climbing rocks, because of its special structure. Some of the special characters of kernmantle ropes are abrasion resistance, strength and ability to stretch.

Materials Used For Making Braided Ropes:

Some of the widely used synthetic fibre for manufacturing braided ropes are polypropylene, polyester and nylon. They are very cost-effective. It can be easily processed in chemicals and it has high tensile strength. 

Nylon braided rope absorbs water but they are strong and elastic. It wet conditions the tensile strength of the nylon braided rope reduces. 

The cost of producing polypropylene braided ropes are very low when compared with the other materials. It is resistant to water and they float because of its lightweight. Polypropylene braided ropes are mostly used for domestic and industrial applications. But they are produced in less volume because of the scarcity of natural fibre.

Polyester braided ropes are not stronger but they do not stretch under heavy load. It is also not vulnerable in wet conditions.

Uses of Braided Ropes: 

Braided ropes are used for domestic and industrial purposes. Some of the common uses of braided ropes are listed below:

• Braided ropes are mainly used for sports activities like rock climbing.
• Strong braided ropes are used for towing the car
• In most of the houses and gardens, braided ropes are used for making outdoor swings.
• Nylon braided ropes are used for making hammocks
• Braided ropes are used for taking pets for walking.

James Montano