[TowerTalk] wrapping a big grip on phillystran

[donovanf at starpower.net]

Hi Jerry,

I've been using about 20 Parafil guys, including their bullet-style guy terminations, on my AB-105 towers since I acquired them in the UK over 30 years ago. They have been completely trouble free.

I use PLP big grip terminations on Phillystran and fiberglas guys.  Phillystran was specially designed for use with big grips, and I definitely do not recommend using PLP big grips with Parafil guys.

73
Frank
W3LPL

---- Original message ----
>Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:13:00 -0000
>From: "Jerry Cahill" <jcahill at tinet.ie>  
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] wrapping a big grip on phillystran  
>To: <towertalk at contesting.com>
>
>
>Thanks Bob for posting the link to your excellent set of pictures re fitting
>grips to Phillystran. 
>
>On a more general point I must say that I have never been entirely happy
>with using grips on Phillystran. The grip is making contact with the outer
>jacket and not connected to the inner bunch of fibres. What stops the outer
>jacket parting and running down over the fibre core? I understand that this
>is now the recommended termination method. We must therefore assume that
>Phillystran have tested a quantity of terminations to maximum rated load and
>found them to be satisfactory but I wonder what happens if the outer
>covering is damaged on the tower side of the guy but close to the grip?
>
>I recall that the termination method was different some twenty plus years
>ago. The method then was to use custom Phillystran terminations and about
>nine inches of the outer jacket was removed. The exposed inner fibres were
>trapped in a two part epoxy type mixture, which was poured into the bottom
>of the fitting. The outer jacket was not load bearing.
>
>There is a similar guying product in use on this side of the pond, which is
>called Parafil.  http://linearcomposites.com/ap_com_masts_antena.htm  It is
>identical in appearance and feel to Phillystran. Their termination method
>does not use grips but it does again trap the inner fibres in a custom type
>termination. The method used is to remove the jacket and a tapered pin is
>driven up into a matching tapered socket which traps the fibres around the
>inner wall of the socket.
> 
>I did look into the use of grips to terminate Parafil (the custom
>terminations are expensive) and I sourced a range of suitable grip sizes
>from a friend in a utility company. I did some tests, which involved a
>strong gate post and a 4x4. The outer jacket moved in my tests. I looked
>into the differences between my grips and those that are recommended for use
>with Phillystran. I noticed, from photographs, that the Phillystran types
>were about twice as long as the ones I was using, which probably explained
>the jacket slip in my test.
>
>I would be very interested to hear if anyone else has reservations about
>using grips with these guying materials.
>
>Jerry Cahill/ EI6BT/EI7M 
>
>    
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
>[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of W3YY
>Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 9:30 PM
>To: TowerTalk at contesting.com
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] wrapping a big grip on phillystran
>
>
>
>You can see step-by-step pictures on my web site www.w3yy.com.  The pictures
>are contained in the Projects section under Phillystran.  The direct URL is
>http://www.w3yy.com/phillystran_assembly-1.htm  That will be the first
>picture.  Click "Next Step" to see the next picture, etc.
>
>73, Bob - W3YY
>
>No virus found in this outgoing message.
>Checked by AVG. 
>Version: 7.5.549 / Virus Database: 270.9.2/1783 - Release Date: 12/11/2008
>10:01
> 
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>TowerTalk mailing list
>TowerTalk at contesting.com
>http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk