Mechanical knot apparatus

Abstract

A mechanical knot apparatus for replacing the use of a conventional knot or fitting for fastening or securing a rope or cable to an object. A spool-like body with a slot or two holes bored crosswise across the middle of the spool perpendicular to its axis is provided. A loop is first formed in the rope by either splicing or by simply creating a loop with the use of a knot. The end of the loop is passed through the slot or holes in the spool and then passed around the object to be secured. The loop is then wrapped back over the flanges of the spool to create a hitch-like configuration. When tension is applied, the rope slips through the device until flanges or body of the spool seats against the object being secured. A secondary tightly fitting flexible ring such as a rubber 'O' ring is optionally slipped around the root of the loop and can be slid up against the hitch to act as a 'lock' which prevents the loop from bouncing off the flanges of the spool during severe flogging. To detach the device, the two legs of rope loop initiating from its root are bent back and around the cylindrical body of the spool between the two flanges. The end of the loop is then rolled back over these two legs of rope as in a way similar to “breaking the back” of a bowline knot. This results in enough free slack to allow the end of the loop to be slipped back over the flanges of the spool whereas the loop can now be slipped off the secured object. Unlike a rope knot, the body of the spool is solid and basically incompressible. This prevents the rope from jamming into itself and allows the device to be easily detached even after tremendous loads.