Synthetic fibres -- objective performance ratings?

[Dan Lehman]

Well, Bob, Feb '07 might be "last month" for you, but the way I work
it's at least a half year in the future! (And I recently got a med. bill for
my father from April '05 (oh-five, yes)!!)

Originally Posted by Brion Toss

As it happens, two of our apprentices just got the results back from their destruction tests, and nearly all of the splices appear to have approached 100% efficiency, so I know it can be done.

Um, again, 100% of WHAT? --note Bob's point that the actual tested strengths were
"about 20% higher" than ratings (yet apparently, at least for the Endura Braid, the
test method didn't get it all--splice topping it!) Factor that in and those "weak" splices
approach 100%, too. (If the splice is breaking, it's not 100% but something shy of it
--otherwise breaks should come arbitrarily elsewhere along the line.)

... figure of eight follow-through ... The knots were about 50-60% efficient.

I've been impressed more than once that some tester might conceive that the test
device would care whether a Fig.8 loopknot was tied in the bight or with the end!!
Did the report show the exact form (dressing, and WHICH END WAS LOADED) of the
knot--or are we gifted with Guessland, as usual? In any case, the values are lower
than what one will find in general belief in the kernmantle world--see e.g. fairly recent
testing by Dave Richards http://www.caves.org/section/vertica.../knotrope.html
--12.5/10.5 bar graphs are of each other's data; tables are correct.

(I'll hope to find this Feb SAIL still on some store shelf, thanks!)

--dl*
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