| Summary: | This paper uses classical laminate theory (CLT) and experimental methods to predict the longitudinal specific modulus of braided high modulus polyethylene (HMPE) rope without a matrix. When applying conventional CLT, the modulus, braided angle of strand, and packing factor (PF), i.e., the cross-sectional area ratio of the strand to the rope, are required. Because the void (space between strands) and PF of braided rope without a matrix readily change during the application of load, and given the difficulty measuring PF experimentally, it is difficult to predict the modulus by conventional CLT. This paper proposes the use of the unit of N/tex in place of conventional MPa for CLT. This study demonstrates that changes in PF due to void changes can be neglected when using the N/tex unit. The predicted longitudinal specific modulus of the rope using N/tex unit was found to be in qualitatively agreement with the longitudinal modulus measured experimentally.
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