Physics of Ascenders Slipping
Posted: Jul 22, 2012 12:51 pm
Two quick questions based on a conversation in another thread:
1)Has anyone had experience with an ascender slipping after being weight. Meaning you are hanging on it, it is already supporting all your weight in a static situation, and then it suddenly gives. As opposed to the more common situation where you slid your ascender up and when you place weight on it, or during the process of placing weight on it slips or fails to grab.
2)It was my uneducated understanding that the teeth on an ascender function primarily to engage the cam device. Once that happens some combination of the teeth and friction keep the cam engaged. Anyone care to expand upon or correct this model? I am thinking specifically of what Gary Storrick calls eccentric ascenders(load-rope-pivot) but would gladly take a physics primer on the differences between (l-r-p) and (r-p-l) ascenders.
1)Has anyone had experience with an ascender slipping after being weight. Meaning you are hanging on it, it is already supporting all your weight in a static situation, and then it suddenly gives. As opposed to the more common situation where you slid your ascender up and when you place weight on it, or during the process of placing weight on it slips or fails to grab.
2)It was my uneducated understanding that the teeth on an ascender function primarily to engage the cam device. Once that happens some combination of the teeth and friction keep the cam engaged. Anyone care to expand upon or correct this model? I am thinking specifically of what Gary Storrick calls eccentric ascenders(load-rope-pivot) but would gladly take a physics primer on the differences between (l-r-p) and (r-p-l) ascenders.