With a safety factor of 5, what is the breaking strength for 1 1/8" nylon rope?

To determine the breaking strength of 1 1/8" nylon rope with a safety factor of 5, it's important to understand what the safety factor represents. The safety factor is a design criterion that provides a margin of safety in load-bearing situations. In this case, a safety factor of 5 means that the rope should only be used at one-fifth of its breaking strength to ensure safety during operation.

Nylon rope typically has a known breaking strength, which would have been established by testing or manufacturer specifications. For 1 1/8” nylon rope, the common breaking strength is approximately 52,000 lbs.

Given a safety factor of 5, the effective or working load limit would be 52,000 lbs. ÷ 5 = 10,400 lbs. Thus, when fully loaded, the rope should withstand a load far less than its breaking strength to prevent failure during actual use.

By reference to the answer choices, 52,000 lbs. aligns with industry standards for that diameter of nylon rope. Hence, for this question, the breaking strength of 1 1/8” nylon rope, when considering a safety factor of 5, is indeed 52,000 lbs. This ensures both