Superior Design
Stronger & lighter with Dyneema®
Murlink® synthetic chains are constructed from woven & stitched inter-linked webbing loops made from Dyneema®, ‘the world’s strongest fibre™’. This UHMWPE (Ultra High Molecular Weight PolyEthylene) fibre has many remarkable attributes which includes a strength-to-weight ratio 15x higher than steel. Even in final manufactured form, Murlink® chains are 8x stronger than their steel equivalent by weight and 80% lighter than equivalent steel chain by MBL rating. The low own-weight of these chains also enables operators to move heavier loads with the same lifting system. Murlink® synthetic chain truly is the perfect replacement for grade 80 and grade 100 steel chain.
Other Murlink® Dyneema® chain properties
As well as strength, Murlink® chains have many other ideal properties for use in lifting and lashing. These include:
- Known for a high resistance to cuts & abrasions anyway, the ‘mobius’ link design further reduces risk of breaching
- Dyneema® is highly chemically stable, therefore demonstrates great UV, salt water and chemical resistance
- Dyneema® floats on water, making Murlink® chains ideal for use in marine and subsea situations
- Due to a simple, unique chemical structure Dyneema® is non-conductive, reducing the risk of electric shock
- Dyneema’s® corrosion resistance and low-friction properties means no additional lubrication or maintenance needed
- Murlink® chains have 2.5% elongation under load, reducing the need for resetting during tensioning or under load
Flexible load protection
Thanks to their flexibility and softness, Murlink® chains are perfectly suited to lifting delicate loads and protecting delicate surfaces, helping prevent damage to cargo by the lifting system. While steel wire or chain based lifting or lashing requires time-consuming load protection, except in the most extreme circumstances Murlink® chain requires no additional sleeves or corner protection and quite easily conforms to the shape of various loads. And they retain a chain’s useful ability to be quickly and easily shortened, reducing the need for the complicated hardware solutions used for wire rope or round sling shortening.
Improved efficiency – reduced costs
With their light weight and soft handling, Murlink® chain offers huge benefits when it comes to the preparation for a lift or lashing scenario. Various testing has shown that the use of synthetic chain can improve productivity by 35-50%, both in time and human resources. In the marine lashing environment for example, where traditional steel chain-based lashing might require 2-3 workers and a forklift to manoeuvre and prepare chain & load binders, and a substantial amount of set-up time in dock prior to loading, synthetic chain can often be managed by a single worker with no mechanical aids and can even be prepared while the ship is in transit.
Safety and environmental benefits
While some of the benefits of working with a lighter & softer steel-chain alternative are obvious (reduced manual handling strains for example) there are many other workplace safety and environmental benefits to be gained through the use of Murlink® chain. These include:
- synthetic lifting gear can often be viewed as ‘throw-away single-use’ but Murlink® chain – tested to 50,000 abrasion cycles – can be returned & repaired, making them a quality, long-term investment and reducing waste
- reduced noise on site (virtually silent) – leading to better communication & improved neighbour relationship!
- reduced risk of hand or foot crush injuries while preparing, using or stowing large capacity chains
- reduced risk of serious injury or fatalities due to chain recoil in the unfortunate event of lifting failure
- a cleaner worksite – no more rusty or greasy steel chain or wire rope to manage
- far simpler to transport & store – no need for steel site boxes when a bag or space case will do!
- Compatible with most existing steel chain hardware or the market, there is no need to purchase new accessories
Applications
