Bend radius of rope discussion

[frans]

Here is a rock climbing web forum where they are talking about the strength of a steel rappelling ring.

I find it very interesting that we, in the tree world, have learned about minimizing the bend radius of a rope in order to prevent or reduce the amount of flexing and compressing as the rope passes through hardware.

Maybe we are a bit more educated in how to safely use our hardware and ropes?

http://www.rockclimbing.com/gear/Detailed/2155.html

 

[cory]

Franz, is running a climbing rope through the doubled rings of a Buckingham friction saver significantly different than rapping off a single ring?

Plus, in the FS, the little ring often tends to nest partially inside the big ring so the radius is not even 2X, its more like 1.5X.

 

[Blinky]

When you rap off a ring the rope is bent about like it would bend over a carabiner and the rope doesn't travel like with DdRT. Climbers are routinely lowered from a non-locking biner after a lead fall onto that same skinny little piece of metal.

The ropes are different, but really, the mindset is what's different. In the tree biz, you use the gear every single day, you have to keep safety in the front of your mind all the time, the less you have to think about things like gates opening or lines bending too tightly, the more you can focus on your work. Most rock climbers don't push their gear that hard, the goal is to not rely on the gear at all. After bending ropes over sharp rock edges and biners, bending over a rap ring doesn't get much thought.

 

[cory]

[ QUOTE ]

The ropes are different, but really, the mindset is what's different. In the tree biz, you use the gear every single day, you have to keep safety in the front of your mind all the time, the less you have to think about things like gates opening or lines bending too tightly, the more you can focus on your work. Most rock climbers don't push their gear that hard, the goal is to not rely on the gear at all. After bending ropes over sharp rock edges and biners, bending over a rap ring doesn't get much thought.

[/ QUOTE ]

Excellent reply, Blink, makes sense.