A 500 m length test stand for the analysis and the characterization of the elastic behavior of fiber ropes and wire ropes.
The elastic behavior of ropes is mainly characterized by the stiffness (K - N/m) and the damping factor (c – N.s/m). These two parameters present a vertical asymptote when the
length of the rope becomes small. Thus, measurements performed with a short length of rope reveal to be particularlyinaccurate. A very small uncertainty with the input data, can create huge differences in the measured K and c.
The paper will present a testing equipment which have been designed in order to be installed in one of the 500 m depth shafts of ANDRA CMHM underground laboratory in France.
Once the shaft is transformed into a test stand, ropes with a length up to 500 m can be tested. The characterization of the rope’s elastic behavior is performed using as well the free oscillation method as the driven oscillation one. The stiffness of the rope is additionally evaluated in measuring the force versus the elongation.
Ropes can be tested with or without bedding-in.