Properties of and Applications with Full Locked Coil Rope Assemblies

Full locked coil ropes (FLC) were first produced in the middle of the 19^th century. They are used in all kind of structures that are defined by lightweight aesthetics such as stadium roofs, membrane roofs, pedestrian bridges and glass facades as well as in structures with a more functional focus such as stayed masts, vehicular bridges and pipeline bridges. Despite their wide range of applications and many advantages over other tension members the awareness of structural engineers and architects towards FLCs is still limited. The goal of this paper is to raise the level of familiarity for this unique construction element. The paper will compare the design and the mechanical properties – like weight to load bearing ratio, stiffness, pre-stretching, pre-tensioning and corrosion protection – of a FLC to other types of rope – such as spiral strand rope, stranded rope and bridge rope – and other tensions members – e.g. round steel bars – and present the advantages and disadvantages a FLC has in comparison. The paper will also give an introduction to how a FLC is designed and manufactured according to current standards and to unique demands of different structural applications. The presentation will provide an overview over some landmark structures that were build or are currently being build using FLCs.