How strong is Paracord

[44minimum]

Have any of you actually tested it to see what it's breaking strength is? It is supposed to be 550 pounds and I got curious so I did a little test.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LmccHzMhV1o/Tkgjcb6fTGI/AAAAAAAAACE/ePYTPGrMpNU/s1600/DSCN3498.JPG

This is a piece of desert Camo holding up a small block Chevy. Depending on who you ask, they're supposed to weigh somewhere between 550 and 600 pounds. I was kind of impressed.

 

[Christopher]

I use 550 cord nearly everyday. I've never had it break on me before, but I've never actually tested it with weight.

 

[_CY_]

very impressive, but in your photo. two strands are used, so load is doubled.

 

[44minimum]

One strand is used. It was fastened securely to a bolt sticking out the front of the block, then it ran up and over the engine and was fastened onto the flywheel at the back. It was merely looped onto the hook.

 

[HiredHand]

That's cool but I believe _CY_ is right about the physics part.

 

[WTJ]

Is 550 the static or dynamic load? What are the safety margins?

 

[HMFIC]

Answer: Pretty darned strong...

 

[CASTRATE]

i shot a doe several years back that dressed out at 138 lbs. i dragged it about 30 yds with a single piece of para cord before dressing it

 

[ripnbst]

very impressive, but in your photo. two strands are used, so load is doubled.

Its actually cut in half, using 8 pcs of string would not multiply the load by 8. The engine did not get twice as heavy because he used two strands.

What are the safety margins?

I'd be incredibly surprised if this info was publicly available. Disclosing the safety factor used would kind of encourage people to take it to the limit since the limit was known which would then kind of negate the safety factor.

 

[44minimum]

I have no idea what the safety margins are. I just wanted to see how strong it was, if it could be relied on for rapelling if the need arose. So, would one of you engineering dudes tell me for sure if I proved that it would hold 550 pounds or so? It was one piece of Paracord tied from the front to the back of the engine, the front end loader was lowered and the Paracord was placed over the hook, then it was raised up. Now, does that mean that it was picked up using one piece of Paracord, or as one of you said, the load was cut in half and it only means that you can pick up a small block Chevy using two pieces of Paracord? It seems to me that the way I did it, you still have 550 pounds pulling on the Paracord at one contact point and if it was going to break, then that would be the likely spot. If I have to, and it would be a pain in the asp to do so, I will go back out there and try it again, pulling straight up on the engine with a piece of Paracord.