DSM Dyneema — manufacturer of Dyneema® high-performance polyethylene fiber and a division of the
Netherlands-based life and materials sciences company Royal DSM NV — has introduced Dyneema XBO, a
high-strength, low-weight, long-life fiber developed to replace steel in rope lines used in
deep-sea installations.
According to DSM, ropes made with Dyneema XBO offer the same load-bearing capacity as steel
wire ropes, but weigh seven times less and are more flexible and easier to install. Ropes made with
XBO also allow systems to carry higher loads or be downsized while keeping their deepwater
installation capacity.
DSM also reports ropes made with XBO offer saltwater-, ultraviolet radiation- and
abrasion-resistance; are highly resistant to dynamic as well as static loads; and match or exceed
steel wire ropes in bending cycles to failure.
“Synthetic fiber ropes with Dyneema have a great potential with respect to deep water lifting
operations, because of their submerged weight,” said Eric Romeijn, technical manager, Huisman
Equipment BV. At 3,000 [meters] of water depth the effective pay load of a deep water crane using
Dyneema rope may be doubled compared to a steel wire rope.”
May 4, 2010
