4x31C Acrobatic Wire Rope

Some of us make a living by suspending performers on skinny cables attached to high-speed winches. Listen up: WireCo World Group is making the Holy Grail of wire ropes, a non-rotating 1/4" wire rope with a breaking strength of 8,500 lbs, that can legitimately be used with a swivel, and has a durable black oxide finish. It is a 4 strand compacted rope, cannot birdcage, and is virtually immune from internal wear due to its construction. It is not a catalog item, but is available in both English and metric sizes. I have tried it, and it's a beautiful product. Use a thin tape seizing before cutting, as it is not preformed. www.wrca.com

Suspension aquaduct

I came across the image at left at LowTech Magazine.

Striking use of tension members, for those of us in the circus rigging business. The interesting part is the horizontal "catenaries" (yes I know that's a misnomer), and how they are supported from the suspension cables. I'll remember this the next time I need to design a net for a flying trapeze.

I'll be posting more photos and links relate to acrobatic rigging. Stay tuned.