If we take a close look at the evolution of ropes which have been used as various tension members throughout the history of mankind, it becomes apparent that this engineered product like any other  has been constantly improving and adapting to meet the challenging needs of the time. A prehistoric cave painting found in Spain depicts a hunter using some sort of vegetable fiber rope or a rope ladder  to collect wild honey. There are various scenes depicted in Egyptian tombs providing a very detailed graphic illustration of papyrus rope making process.  Leonardo Da Vinci described in his note book during the 1500’s methods of making rope from various wire materials such as copper and iron. The first recorded tension testing of iron wires is credited to Leonardo Da Vinci. The first Wire Rope made of iron wires was developed by Albert in early 1800’s. In mid-1800’s Bessemer Steel and associated heat treatment process called “patenting” was developed which gave rise to the introduction of steel wire rope for use in steam powered plows (plow steels). The tensile strength of steel wires used in wire ropes today is almost double that of the first plow steel wires developed in 1800’s. The constant need for a higher strength-to-weight ratio tension member has also driven the development of various synthetic fiber materials starting in early 1900’s with the discovery of Nylon and later developments of Polyester and Aramid fibers in mid-1900’s . During the Late 1900’s and early 2000’s  we have seen more advanced fibers such as HMPE (Spectra) , LCP (Vectran), ePTFE being developed and utilized in rope making. The availability of high-strength synthetic fibers has also led to the development of a higher technology ropes called “hybrid ropes” which has picked up more momentum during the early 2000’s. 

Our philosophy is that this constant need for a higher strength-to weight ratio ropes (tension members) will continue in the years to come as more and more engineering applications demand it. There are ideas being proposed for a certain carbon fiber tension member being developed for the proposed “space elevator” application. Synthetic spider silk material promises to provide the highest strength-to-weight ratio known to man. History of rope use by man, whether the rope ladders used by hunter gatherers or the future “space elevator” ropes show us that there is an ongoing evolution over the centuries. We as engineers, like Leonardo DaVinci, must keep abreast these technological developments and participate in learning about them, innovating for and with them. We must also teach our fellow engineers about these new technologies in order to advance the knowledge base and the  state-of-the-art in this field. Rope Innovation Group will be an active part of these efforts within the next decades.