Joining anchor rodes

[eldergeat]

A while ago there was mention on this forum of an MIT study which gave support to a method of joining two lengths of rope together in a way that retains strength, minimizes chafe and does not rely on shackles and thimbles. Each line must terminate in an eye splice. You pass the opposite end of one line through the eye of the other and vice-versa. You then snug them up. The point of connection resembles a square knot. I have also seen this mentioned a other boating sites, often in the context of hurricane anchoring. Does anyone have a link to this study?

To use the method, you must have access to both ends of both lines. There is a related method that just relies on both ends of a single line. As before, both lines must terminate in eye splices, but now you pass the eye of the first line through the eye of the second, then pass the end of the first line through its own eye. The connection ressembles a cow hitch rather than a square knot. Here is a link to a site dedicated to the Jordan Series Drogue, with an image showing two bridle lines connected to the forward eye of the drogue, using this method:

http://jordanseriesdrogue.com/D_6.htm

Does anyone know whether this method of connection has also been tested? Was it mentioned in the MIT study? Does anyone have experience with this?