Page 117 - The New Encyclopedia of Knots

K

Karabiner see carabiner.

Kernmantel rope: specifically for climbers, it comprises a sheath and a core. It is a specialised rope
designed to absorb shock by means of its elasticity.

Kevlar: a relatively expensive pale-gold coloured aromatic polyamide fibre made by Du Pont. It is

used mainly for halyards and spinnaker guys, and has the highest strength to weight or diameter ratio
of any fibre used in ropes. This is mainly because of the use of carbon fibres in its manufacture.
Kevlar has virtually no stretch, and loses only five per cent of its strength when spliced.

Killick hitch: an ideal hitch to use for towing, or lifting poles or any other long objects, whether they

are bulky or thin. It is composed of a timber hitch (see page 173) with a half hitch (see page 91)
added at a distance from the original knot (figure 84).

Knot: strictly speaking, a knot is tied only in a single piece of rope; for example when being tied as a
stopper in the end of a rope, or when the end of a line is passed through a bight in itself, or when the
two ends of the same piece of cord are used to tie a parcel. However, the term has been extended

generally to cover the joining together of two pieces of very small lines, though these are more
properly classified as bends. For an explanation of the basic terms used to denote the various parts of
a rope in which a knot is being formed, see bight, working end, and standing part.

figure 84

Knot strength: the capacity of the knot to withstand a load without breaking the rope. It must be borne
in mind that all knots weaken rope, with the exception of the Bimini twist (see page 14). This has a
claimed knot strength of 100 per cent, that is, as strong as the line. Sharp turns within a knot lead to
the loss of strength; therefore hitches, where large turns are often employed, are generally more

efficient than knots. Examples are the clove hitch, which has a 75 per cent efficiency, and individual
splices which are sometimes recognised as being up to 90 per cent efficient.