Date: Thu, 2 Feb 1995 09:44:40 -1000 From: lord@eskimo.com (David Lord) Message-Id: Organization: Eskimo North (206) For-Ever Subject: Torsion in kite spars Ken I never said that torsional loads do not exist. They are are just of minor importance. Not only do the connectors reduce the torsional loads, but the linear graphite fibers will torque also. Cross wraps will make the spars stiffer in torsion which IMHO means very little in terms of kite performance. At one time the peragrine kite made by Jerry Sinotte, used connectors called "knees" that locked onto the leading edge spar. Some of the peragrines used vinyl connectors and I know of no one that reported any difference in kite performance. The "knees" did cause more of a tendency to fracture spars during crashes which would be expected since the give in the vinyl acts as a shock absorber. Linear fibers relieve stress by there torsion and thus are likley more durable. Bending of the spars changes the sail shape and has a large effect on kite performance, torsion in the spars hardly effects sail shape and has little effect on kite performance. Dave Lord = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =