Thermal Analysis of Old Climbing Ropes

Effects of global warming can now be seen and felt more than ever, especially in the Alps. The Alps and other mountains are massively affected by glacier retreat and permafrost degradation. Sustainable production, widespread recycling and a closed-loop product life cycle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are becoming a major concern. This study serves as a preliminary identification of the material and the thermal properties of old climbing ropes with the aid of further developing a recycling process. Old climbing ropes were collected and investigated using dynamic differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The rope core and sheath were investigated separately. The research confirmed the purity of the material, i.e. that core and sheath are made of the same material for most of the ropes. Polyamide 6 and polyamide 66 were identified as the manufacturing materials. The determined characteristic thermal properties like the melting temperature could be used for the development of the thermo-mechanical recycling process.