Vertical caving terminology and methods > Rigging methods and equipment
Two different types of hanger that can be used as a spit hanger or sling. The spit hanger version has an aluminium connector that is attached to the spit bolt, and holds a 5 mm diameter Dyneema cord. The sling version is the same idea, but rather than using an aluminium connector, the Dyneema is threaded through an Abalakov thread. The cord is normally either tied in a loop using a triple fisherman's knot, or left untied. The main purpose of these is to save weight during expeditions or when using ultralight rigging, so they are almost never seen in British caves. The sling version may be seen in some popular potholes in Europe, such as the Gouffre Berger in France. While they can be used with a carabiner to connect them to the rope, the whole point of them is to keep the weight low, so they are normally tied directly to the loop of a knot in the rope. This is often done using a doubled version of the sheet bend with its tail looped around the back of the aluminium connector like a lark's foot, so that it so that the sheet bend cannot accidentally untie. Essentially, the lark's foot acts as a noose that cannot undo when the sheet bend slips, which it will do when a caver hangs on it. Alternatively, with an untied cord, the two strands can be tied together around the main rope's knot in a doubled version of the reef knot or sheet bend, with the tails tied around one arm of the main rope's loop, using a flat overhand bend. A chaos of knots in a very small space. The cord is rated at 1.2 tonnes per strand, but when looped with a triple fisherman's knot, it should be able to hold 1.5 tonnes. Testing has shown that the aluminium connector damages the Dyneema cord at about 1.4 tonnes (though the paperwork that comes with the anchor version says that the minimum breaking strength is only 980 kg). The sheet bend should in theory then reduce the strength of the dyneema by slightly over half (so around 0.7 tonnes). However, due to the very thin cord being used, it will cut into the main rope and damage it at far lower loads than the Dyneema could have coped with, reducing the strength of the rope to much less than the normal minimum 1.5 tonnes. As a result, they should only be used with extreme caution, and in limited situations where the loss of strength will not be a problem, such as for a deviation. Because of this, they are generally considered to be a hanger that should only be used by expert riggers, and are only sold by specialist outlets. They are explicitly stated as not being PPE rated. They are not even listed on the manufacturer's website. And no, there is nothing wrong with the picture. I have no idea what you are talking about.
<< Abalakov thread, Abalakov belay, drilled thread, drilled hole, drilled flake (sometimes "V-thread", "A-thread", or "0-thread" in ice climbing) | Piton (pronounced as French, similar to "peeto(n)"), pin, peg >>
This page is not intended to be viewed this way, please load the entire article. This version exists only to make it easier for search engines to understand the contents.