Glued splices

Tom Dunlap

Tom Dunlap

Here from the beginning
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Retired in Minneapolis
THere's a show on Modern Marvels about adhesives. Very interesting to see the history of various adhesives.

This got me thinking. When will we see glued splices instead of sewn? Adhesives are already used for other fabric applications.

Fibers/ropes and fabrics/webbing aren't significantly different materials from other industrial materials.

Right now it might be that there are sewing machines made and in place as well as industry acceptance of sewn splices.
 
Major issue with adhesives is lack of inspectability. If threads are broken and a splice is compromised, it's much easier to *see* than a compromised adhesive.
 
I have a feeling that adhesives wouldn't work because they are a rigid and not stretchy like the rope them selves or like a sewn splice. But I am no engineer.
 
I posted this in a different thread on sewn splices etc. Richard had some interesting comments in this thread about his experience with rope failures.
https:// www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/breaking-splices-sewn-eyes-and-other-strange-things.39444/page-2#post-645199
It seems a matter of finding the right glue for the rope sheaths and then what if there were a glue saturated thread that could be sewn and then the glue activated using heat or uv or . . . ?? I am thinking of some of the dental amalgams which are uv activated - not enough uv to cause tissue damage but it does set the material up. Rampant COVID speculation. Where's a materials engineer when you need them?
 
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Well actually with the UV activated dental composites the UV light is very strong and will damage oral tissues, as well as your eyes. There are some lower end UV activated composites but are not nearly the same product.
 
There's no doubt in my mid that a glued splice is within reach.

3M is just over there...on the east side of St Paul after all.

But the catch may be the practicality. Would such a radical change in form be accepted?

It wasn't so long ago that sewn splices weren't around.

Time will tell.
 
I'm sure a glued splice is within reach currently. A few years back I was given a sample of a 2 part adhesive that was being developed to hang scaffolding in high corrosion environments. Wound up using it to fix a retaining wall, in the process accidentally gluing a sledgehammer to the ground(set it in a drip) Quarter size spot or so, and the concrete driveway gave rather than the adhesive.
 
Likewise, with some of the compressor bed-setting eopxies, once hardened they are there forever and vibration, oil, cold seem have zero effect on lifespan, at least over the life of a process plant.
I'd picture one of these miracle wonder glues being used to glue the two rope sides together and also used for a whip finish over the side by side stretches of rope - especially for cover dependent ropes - once hardened, this should be just like a crimped fitting is on other terminations currently accepted for use.
Tom, 3M is doing some neat work on harnesses - full body will probably be the way in the future (ah, a full body Monkey Beaver with extra leg pads and CE cert!).
 
rico said:
My rear end puckered a little bit just thinking about the idea of climbing on a glued eye splice..Thanks, but no thanks....
Click to expand...
I would bet though, there are products like epoxies that are thin enough to completely penetrate the rope in the area of the splice (they have them for wood), then I'm picturing a 2nd epoxy that could be poured into a kind of mold after the penetrating stuff sets up, giving you kind of a welded "splice" that's solid epoxy (think of a look like the red termination of the petzl zillon lanyard . . . ) but still with the open eye. Someone who understands adhesive/ epoxy technology maybe needs to look at this. Notch - another project??? You might have to inspect for wear at the flexible end of the splice - like we do for a crimped lanyard comnection to make sure that there's not a local wear point. But I don't doubt that the epoxy exists that would be strong enough. Maybe a winter project for this winter . . . ? Think not so much of gluing the sides together, but of making a kind of molded termination. End pucker? :-)
Only thing is in a production environment, splicing or sewing may just be faster . . . . but not necessarily more better-er . . .
 
Tom Dunlap said:
...But the catch may be the practicality. Would such a radical change in form be accepted?
Click to expand...

And what is the practical advantage to gluing that splicing or stitching can’t manage. Stitching allows joining ropes not otherwise splice-able, can some current ropes be neither spliced nor stitched?

Some end terminations can be epoxied in place on steel cables for overhead lifting, but the epoxy takes the place of Babbitt vs a new tech.
 
rico said:
My rear end puckered a little bit just thinking about the idea of climbing on a glued eye splice..Thanks, but no thanks....
Click to expand...
It’s good practice to pucker, I hear it’s very healthy and some special bathhouses offer classes. Perhaps you could be a instructor in the subject
 
I dissected a tenex sling to repurpose it. It was nearly like new, but saw some use on a Douglas fir. After pulling the lock stitches I had a hell of a time pulling the burry out, it was literally glued in place with pitch.

This is about the only application I can see with adhesives, glueing the burry in place. Or maybe Moss has experimented with glueing before hand stitching.

There must be some chemical that welds polyester, not unlike pvc cement?
 
Lumberjack said:
And what is the practical advantage to gluing that splicing or stitching can’t manage.
Click to expand...

just thinking of possibilities. The technology may exist today to make this a reality. My guess is that 3M or Locktite etc. Could do it if there were a market

today I saw an ad from Marlow ropes about the first arbo rope made from recycled drink bottles. Innovations move along

FWIW about 30+ years ago I made a statement that was met with some loud dismissal and skepticism. How has this worked out?

“SRT is the future of tree climbing”
 
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