Rope Strength – A Real Safety Issue for Schools (and Highrise or Second-Story residents)

Knowledge of rope strength safety is important for P. E. teachers, playground planners, administrators, homeowners installing safety ropes as a means for escaping from higher stories, and anyone on a field trip or using ropes for any purpose. I never thought about this important issue, until I was reading an article on this issue written by

http://xtremesport4u.wordpress.com/

The article is so good, and so important, that I felt I could not do it justice rewriting it. So, I am reproducing most of this short article here:

What You Might Not Know About Your Rock Climbing Rope:

http://xtremesport4u.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/what-you-might-not-know-about-your-rock-climbing-rope/

July 16, 2008, by lolajones

Every rope has a “breaking strength,” which means that if you place a heavy enough strain on a rope then it will eventually break. The Safe Working Load of a rope is generally considered to be one-fifth of the rope’s breaking strength.

So, how is the average person going to know which knots are the best and safest to use? After all, using the wrong knot, or using a poorly-tied knot, has led to many accidents, injuries, deaths, and destruction of property.

Knots almost always lower the strength of a rope, sometimes by 25%, 50%, or more.

The highest-rated rope has a safe working load of 450 pounds, but most ropes are rated at under 300 pounds. If a rope has a Safe Working Load of 300 pounds, then we might assume that the rope should be okay to use for lifting an injured 200-pound man to safety, right? But if we tie a knot in the rope to help lift an injured man, and if the strength of that knot is rated at 60%, then the Safe Working Load of our rope has suddenly been reduced to 180 pounds (60% of 300 pounds). The injured 200-pound man is now beyond the Safe Working Load of our rope because of the knot that we tied.

This is worth bearing in mind!

Modern ropes used by rock climbers often have a breaking strength of several thousand pounds when they are new – but they deteriorate with wear and tear and long-term storage. What it once was, is not what it will be after use.

Don’t be blasé about your rope. It is probably the most important piece of equipment you have got. Your life depends on it. Look after it and be aware of its limitations.

For more information, including a short video on what kind of knot you SHOULD use (and how to make it) see the full article:

http://xtremesport4u.wordpress.com/2008/07/16/what-you-might-not-know-about-your-rock-climbing-rope/

–Posted by Madame Monet

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Tags: Climbing Ropes, Rope Strength Safety

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