ORIGINAL: cutaway
ORIGINAL: DGrant
I like coated kevlar. I use aluminum tube cut to about 3/8'' length, crimped with electricians crimp to secure it.
Kevlar is nick/abrasion vulnerable and susceptible to UV degradation. It was tried on sport parachute suspension lines some years ago and proved not so good in the field for main parachutes, so people went back to spectra/Dacron when the kevlar lines started failing. You still see it occasionally on suspension lines for reserves, but they're generally not exposed to UV other than when deployed or a scheduled periodic repack and remain packed and unstressed for months/years at a time.
Thanks for the info... I have info of the material I used being very durable, and with-standing the test of time too.. its first-hand though and my personal experience. As I recently inspected my cabling/flying-wires made of coated-kevlar(UV resistant I'm sure).. after 9yrs these cables are still holding very good tension, have no abrasion/fraying evidence, and have generally with-stood the test of time in my opinion. This is my first-hand experience.. I will take pictures if anyone's interested... if not no big deal..
So yes.. maybe the grade of kevlar, or the very make-up of the manufacturing of it didn't work for the particular application you speak of.. but I don't think we're comparing apples to apples here. I'm wondering if you have first-hand experience with the situation you're talking about... as its totally different from my first-hand experience.. but I'm not sky-diving either.
I wouldn't necessarily knock something just because someone else tried it and it didn't work. How many times did "they" try manned flight before it was successful.. ? If everyone listened to those that weren't successful, we'd all be walking forever. Thats a very extreme example... but ... Henry Ford said "Those that HAVE NOT failed will end up working for those that HAVE failed". Haha.. I guess its a good thing I'm not a skydiver.
