I’ve read the manual extensively and can’t find anything that says you can or cannot put knots in your rope to assist with climbing. If no one knows, I’ll just wait until the Q&A opens in four days.
You can. Rule is <I04>
I didn’t see anything about putting a metal ring on the end closest to the floor? Would that be legal? There is not a whole lot about the rope other than diameter and material and length.
104.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.
I would not consider a metal ring to be within those rules. They are very specific about what is allowed.
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?
Going off of that, how about a rope loop at the bottom (like a noose)? I’d assume yes, but I wanted to clarify.
I think it’s a bit of a stretch to classify a metal ring as a coating material though…
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?
Hmmmm so can you tape the bottom of the rope with retroreflective tape?
We’ve already found a vendor for retroreflective rope.
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.
Because the chair would violate i04-G
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…
1.5
The intent of this manual is that the text means exactly, and only, what it says.
Yes the loop is legal but why does putting the metal ring in the loop make the metal ring legal. When you add tape to the end of the rope it becomes part of the rope as it is still within the criteria of the rope according to the rules. A metal ring does not.
Anyway ask Q&A.
On splices…
As I read it, an “end cap splice” of up to four inches in length would probably be OK (though that would be rather short for 1" line).
Slicing the rope along its length to another rope would require the splice to still be no larger than 1" in diameter (not too difficult if the line is 5/8" or smaller) would still be “braided” and allowed.
Splicing a loop into the end of the line (unless it were very short and could all fit in 4") would not be a knot and would not be allowed. (Say the last part three times fast.)
[Usual caveat that this is my opinion, not a Q&A answer.]
Better not make it too stiff for too long a distance:
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.
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?
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?