Marine Results, a superyacht rigging specialist, have invested in a new 60 tonne horizontal tensile testing machine which will enable superyacht rig products such as rigging, spar and lifting equipment to be ultimately and accurately tested to ensure that specifications of equipment manufactured and designed by the company are within safe working loads.
Marine Results’ new test machine to put superyacht rig products to the ultimate test
The new machine tests loads up to 60 tonnes which include splices for halyards on the world’s largest superyachts, hydraulic cylinders such as vang and backstay, jammer loads and tender lifting equipment.
The testing machine works using destructive testing to bring the individual products under load and was custom designed by manufacturers AJT equipment for Marine Results’ use in the marine sector. The machine is 11 metres long and operates using a pulling hydraulic force. It is located in the company’s UK workshops and is externally calibrated on an annual basis in accordance with ISO 7500-1:2004.
Ben Wood of Marine Results commented: “It is vitally important that we have an accurately calibrated testing machine. “We are making up halyards for yachts of up 88 metres so the loads are extreme, and there is no room for error. Having the facility with a machine of this size means we can provide a highly accurate testing service to our customers.” The machine is currently testing a new Code Zero halyard and jammer arrangement for a newly built 66m luxury sailing yacht.
The power pack from the load testing machine is also utilised for testing hydraulic systems and cylinders after servicing in the workshop. The machine will shortly be modified to do cycle testing ie. repeated application and releasing to replicate the forces suffered by a yacht at sea.
