ABSTRACT
Tensile test experiments are performed to study the nonlinear behavior of a nylon mooring rope at different scales. A nylon rope, consisting of 8-strands braided, is considered in the experiments at three different scales (a strand, a sub-rope, and the full rope). The load-elongation relationships of the rope subjected to cyclic loading with various mean loads are analyzed. Non-dimensional dynamic stiffness of the three samples are calculated based on the measurements and compared with an existing empirical formula for nylon rope considering different mean loads. The dynamic stiffness based on measurements consistent with the empirical values, only for the sub-rope sample. Coefficients of an empirical expression, which considers the effects of mean load on dynamic stiffness are calculated based on the test data for the nylon rope at three scales.
