6mm 8mm 10mm Synthetic 12 Strand Braided Uhmwpe Winch Towing Rope

Uhmwpe Rope

Though it starts out life as something not much more complicated than the material that your supermarket carrier bag is made from, High Molecular Density Polyethylene is a remarkable material. In fact, the carrier bag provides a good example of just why HMDPE is so strong. Try this; lightly load a piece of supermarket bag in the main body of the material by pulling it between your fingers. It stretches easily and shows little strength. Now fill the bag with heavy groceries and lift it up. By some apparent miracle the all too thin looking handles stretch a bit before stabilising and supporting what can be quite a high load (yes, I know they split when you put too many bottles in). What has happened is that the molecules in the material making up the handle aligned themselves in the direction of the load during the initial stretching process. Thus organised they are much better able to support a big load than in their original random orientation.

The manufacturers of HMDPE exploit the phenomenon of molecular alignment to produce their super strong material. In the case of HMDPE fibres the alignment process takes place by means of chemical and mechanical processes during manufacturing rather than when you, the user, apply the load for the first time.

HMDPE is an excellent material for ropes as it is light enough to float, takes up no water and offers a very high degree of UV light and chemical resistance.