Quote:
Originally Posted by Ether
I ran some somewhat-less-than-scientific tests several years ago to find the best knot for tying two pieces of same-size string together.
What would you recommend? Sole criterion is breaking strength.
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Off the top of my head, I'd say blood knot or Ashley bend. But a Figure Eight bend is also a good candidate.
In theory, the strongest knot would be the the knot that has enough internal friction that the rope breaks before it slips but reduces the rope's breaking strength by the least amount. And in general, the tighter the turn a rope has to make in a knot, the more strength lost. So following that line of reasoning, the strongest knot is to just wrap the two ropes around each other for a long enough stretch of rope that the friction holding them together is stronger than the rope. Now, this is obviously ridiculous in practice, but I wonder if the concept can be applied to making a 'long' knot. something like a repeated Carrick bend maybe? A single Carrick bend itself is good for wet ropes, but is considered to be a weaker bend. However, the turns in a Carrick bend have relatively large radii and can be repeated until you have enough friction. But I've no idea if this is actually practical.
EDIT - Also, I just noticed the title of the thread. Dang it.