Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

Topic Date User

Cam failure discussion 21-Apr-2015 At 10:34:03 PM JamesMc

Message

SLCDs are friction anchors, They depend on friction between the aluminium and the rock. The ability of the friction to work depends on the ratio of the force into the rock (compression) divided by the sliding force ( shear). If the crack does not flare outward, the ratio depends only on the shape of the cam and not the shape of the crack. (If the crack flares outward, it's more complicated, you sort of loose some friction on stopping the cam from sliding out sideways) Friends and Dragon Cams have more secure shapes than Camelots and Aliens.

An interesting experiment to do at home is to place a cam between two china or glass plates and see how easy it is to pull it out. Sure it's easy - the surprise is just how easy! If you tilt the plates sideways, the cam will pop out by itself.

We don't climb on glass, but we don't climb on sand paper either. Smooth rock is somewhere in between and cams do sometimes slip out.

JamesMc