Knots in the rope?

[amesmich]

Those exact rules seem to give permission to have the last 4 inches as NOT flexible and being a exception to the requirements of the rope itself thus a ring allowed. I guess its a Q&A thing.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by amesmich

Those exact rules seem to give permission to have the last 4 inches as NOT flexible and being a exception to the requirements of the rope itself thus a ring allowed. I guess its a Q&A thing.

I cannot read the rule that way. The last 4 inches are allowed to have anti-fraying measures added. Having a ring in the last 4 inches would not be an anti-fraying measure.

The way I break it down is:
-entirely of non-metal fibers
-[that are] twisted, tied, woven, or braided together
-except for the last 4 inches of each end, which may be whipped, fused, covered in heat shrink or tape, or dipped in a coating material to prevent fraying.

Basically, you can make a rope out of non-metal fibers, and the whole thing needs to be together using legal methods, but in the last little bit you can add something to keep the whole thing from coming apart.

The real question is, how does a splice count?

[Hitchhiker 42]

Originally Posted by amesmich

Those exact rules seem to give permission to have the last 4 inches as NOT flexible and being a exception to the requirements of the rope itself thus a ring allowed. I guess its a Q&A thing.

Going off of that, how about a rope loop at the bottom (like a noose)? I'd assume yes, but I wanted to clarify.

[MrBasse]

I think it's a bit of a stretch to classify a metal ring as a coating material though...

[mman1506]

Originally Posted by amesmich

Those exact rules seem to give permission to have the last 4 inches as NOT flexible and being a exception to the requirements of the rope itself thus a ring allowed. I guess its a Q&A thing.

The rules do not leave room for a metal ring and specifically defines allowed exceptions (may be whipped, fused, covered
in heat shrink or tape, or dipped in a coating material to prevent fraying.)

A metal ring would no longer meet the listed criteria of being a "rope" and thus cannot be installed on the field. If you tied the end of the rope to a chair would you then be able to bring that chair on on the field? Why is a metal ring any different?

[Jonny_Jee]

Hmmmm so can you tape the bottom of the rope with retroreflective tape?

[markmcgary]

Originally Posted by Jonny_Jee

Hmmmm so can you tape the bottom of the rope with retroreflective tape?

We've already found a vendor for retroreflective rope.

[amesmich]

I believe a loop is legal so long as it meet the size constraints. 12" I think off memory. I would not consider tying a ring to it but a loop woven into it. I suppose I could accomplish the same thing by making a loop with the rope and adding a hard "anti fray" polymer coating. Not sure we even want do it but generating ideas. Thanks for your thoughts.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by amesmich

I believe a loop is legal so long as it meet the size constraints. 12" I think off memory. I would not consider tying a ring to it but a loop woven into it. I suppose I could accomplish the same thing by making a loop with the rope and adding a hard "anti fray" polymer coating. Not sure we even want do it but generating ideas. Thanks for your thoughts.

10", actually, per I04.


I still want to see how the GDC handles splices--I suspect they'd be considered "woven" or "braided", and if they're done right they can be nearly the size of the original rope, or thicker, depending on the type used. But they can be very stiff...

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by EricH

But they can be very stiff...

Better not make it too stiff for too long a distance:

Originally Posted by I04-D Bluebox

Flexible means that if the ROPE is held at any point, it should not extend more than 12” above the point where it is held. ROPES are meant to be pulled, not pushed.

[LEGOlas798]

I can't help but think about this quote in rule I04, section D:

"consist entirely of flexible, non-metallic fibers twisted, tied, woven, or braided together except for the last 4 in. (~10 cm) of each end which may be whipped, fused, covered in heat shrink or tape, or dipped in a coating material to prevent fraying"

Does anyone know of a "coating material" that can be magnetized? Just an idea.

[The Swag Muffin]

Could you use a mettle crimp at the end of a rope to keep it from fraying.

"Consist entirely of flexible, non-metallic fibers twisted, tied, woven, or braided together except for the last 4 in. (~10 cm) of each end which may be whipped, fused, coveredin heat shrink or tape, or dipped in a coating material to prevent fraying."

Would mettle all so be excepted for the last 4 inches?

[Cothron Theiss]

Originally Posted by The Swag Muffin

Could you use a mettle crimp at the end of a rope to keep it from fraying.

"Consist entirely of flexible, non-metallic fibers twisted, tied, woven, or braided together except for the last 4 in. (~10 cm) of each end which may be whipped, fused, coveredin heat shrink or tape, or dipped in a coating material to prevent fraying."

Would mettle all so be excepted for the last 4 inches?

The way I read the rules, I think that no metal of any kind will be allowed on any part of the rope. I think the non-metallic bit is meant to describe ALL parts of the rope. But don't take my word for it. This is probably a question for the Q&A. A team could decide to dip their ropes in molten aluminum or iron for some reason.

[Kevin Sevcik]

Originally Posted by LEGOlas798

Does anyone know of a "coating material" that can be magnetized? Just an idea.

You can get magnetic paint/primer, but I suspect the GDC is going to shoot that one down on Q&A.

Originally Posted by The Swag Muffin

"Consist entirely of flexible, non-metallic fibers twisted, tied, woven, or braided together except for the last 4 in. (~10 cm) of each end which may be whipped, fused, coveredin heat shrink or tape, or dipped in a coating material to prevent fraying."

Would mettle all so be excepted for the last 4 inches?

Do you see "crimped metal ferrule" in that list of end treatments? If you HAVE to have something metallic there, I think currently your options are magnetic paint or whipping it with steel wire/cable. I seriously wouldn't get my hopes up about that, though. I think that's likely to get shot down about a day after the Q&A opens.

Back on the knots subject, in case anyone hasn't done the math, it looks like the davit has about 22" of steel guide below where the attachment knot should go. So a knot in your rope should be about 7" below the steel channel of the davit. Not sure how far below the touchpad that puts you, but it's definitely close. I'm assuming y'all are thinking of regularly spaced knots and a notched pulley?

[cadandcookies]

Originally Posted by Kevin Sevcik

You can get magnetic paint/primer, but I suspect the GDC is going to shoot that one down on Q&A.
Do you see "crimped metal ferrule" in that list of end treatments? If you HAVE to have something metallic there, I think currently your options are magnetic paint or whipping it with steel wire/cable. I seriously wouldn't get my hopes up about that, though. I think that's likely to get shot down about a day after the Q&A opens.

Back on the knots subject, in case anyone hasn't done the math, it looks like the davit has about 22" of steel guide below where the attachment knot should go. So a knot in your rope should be about 7" below the steel channel of the davit. Not sure how far below the touchpad that puts you, but it's definitely close. I'm assuming y'all are thinking of regularly spaced knots and a notched pulley?

From the knots and loops school of thought, Ri3D 'Snow Problem is attempting a climber that will essentially act as a winch on a rope with a loop at the end, using rotating pegs and a cam cleat. We should have a video of our prototype on Monday (it's linked to our intake, and is basically just an interesting concept that isn't much of a risk for us if it doesn't work out).