Ahh but by doing a horizontal or close to test would defeat the whole idea in this case. The question is 'does rope or chain aid the setting of an anchor?' So it would need to be a real use test to get a good result.
What I would expect to happen with all rope is that it will just straighten out and put an upward pull on the anchor. How much that would affect the setting depends on the anchor and load applied. A lower load would obviously be better for the anchor. Also the rope type would have some baring I'd be thinking. A stretchy rope may see an anchor starting to set and then the 'stretched out stretch' in the rope suddenly reach a level where it pulls the anchor out again. This could be very easily doable I'd suggest in firm sandy bottoms that have the {can't think of the bloody word but the one that sort of means ripples} many do.
With all chain you first have to straighten that out before you get the same amount of upward pull angle. Some would be thinking that straightening the chain is easy and doesn't require much load, in some cases it wouldn't but in many it would take more than many think. We have done tests to see what loads it does actually take to straighten a bit of chain and they can be large. All depends on lengths and
scope i.e. longer lengths of more
scope the harder it becomes, which shouldn't surprise many.
So when using all chain the forces to get that 'upward pull angle' the rope got, very easily would need to be higher and in some systems that would be 'a lot' higher hence a lower attack angle for the anchor and superior setting performance.
That's the theory but as we all know anchoring theory and anchoring in real life often don't come together well at all. So lets play and see, it would be quite easy to do this one
Beach tests - yes flawed as all most every
single test I've seen has been. Take the Sail one, which was one of the better but a lot of people and the odd manufacturer is basing a lot on what was just a couple of pulls, hardly representative of what most boaties do actually have to contend with. Sure they gave some indication of how the differing anchors go in that bottom type with that one specific rode but I'd sure as hell not be basing my entire decision of those and I'd suggest anyone who does is plainly crazy and new to
boating. I'd go as far to say that if that test was replicated today by a differing group of people we would see differing results.
The only real test is the the fleet actually using them. But saying that beach tests and most tests can be good for finding out certain aspects of the whole subject. The
Rocna tests, for example, did have about a 8:1 scope which is more than most use but by using so much that did actually give an advantage to some of the older designs and even then some didn't do well. And with such a large scope it was giving 'what is possible' numbers rather than the lower numbers people are actually getting in everyday use with lower scopes. One of those 'you're using only XX% but YYYkg is there if required', sort of things. As FYI - Manson do use a big crane but then that is what Lloyds wants and over a certain size they use a big red tugboat. We use a little green one but then aren't towing 2000kg anchors.