Thank-you many times for many things, glad to see you here a-gain in the weary travels.
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Personally i find the conical fitting still my imagery of only 3 raw geometric elements in force loaded/working ropes.
All 3 geometries ruled by reigns of DIRECTION and AXIS.
arc0(linear) endpoints in simplest opposing directions,
arc180 endpoints pull in same direction and
arc90 as endpoints in cross axis directions, changing the power axis by attacking it at it's Achille's Heel of Samson angle disrupting across; where arc0 and arc180 maintain the same power axis, only in opposing directions, making the arc90 that unique to itself.
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To me the top arc180 of conical pulls from input and output and even the machine point of the apex between all in 1 unified direction, as unlike any other geometry ever, and as such the 'secret' of arc bridge etc.
BUT, each of the input/output legs from the upper arc180's endpoints to their lower conical point, decidedly do NOT pull nor apply so in concert and cannot mechanically deliver the same as true arc180 'simply' per the geometry of pull directions. Just as in a binding usage, would NOT expect equal binding force at all points with equal growth all around. Would also suspect the binding force to be strongest and most consistent thru the arc180 member only.
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The lower part of the conical, does try to evolve more towards arc than many as a structure, but makes more of a 'keystone' on top of linears (thus not a keystone) that slightly listing inward to minimize the destabilizing sin(e) against the structure YES, but still not an arc with force of arcs thru a real keystone as apex not complementary piece on top of the inputs and outputs. But structurally was evolution towards arc known as 'corbel'; left behind in history mostly, as we found the arc as FAR superior. corbels/these are NOT arc180s by this measure:


Their geometries do not invoke arc180 magic, and so i only see the arc180 support and frictions back in the top part of the conical, not the lower 'corbel' of the bottom half of the conical shown, as does not have the royalist geometry of arc.
Working in stone, we had to find the arc magic to go forward, for stone tension resistance is 10% of the compression resistance!
>>could not survive much sine byproduct from cosine compression. This necessity was such a 'mother' it birthed the arc. It took many generations of 35year old life expectancies to build in stone, so had to make last many, many more; as many still have. Arc as the only efficient way to the marvels.
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So, i continue to seek 'directional geometry' as key to all this.
Will look to not shy away from explaining the arc0,90,180 for new year, that i have started many times.
Hopefully to outlast quantum of exercise apps downloaded worldwide on that same day!
This arc0,90,180 breakdown has truly answered my questions many times over, while at same time from other direction can't 'break' it with examples given or remembered in experience, to persist as most evolved ongoing model; and to the 'simplest' of most organic rules of shape and direction, just as any other material..
Only just have to unload to shape to next geometry, not pound, chip, heat nor scrape.
i think human intellect and creativity was challenged and developed by this most usable form(flexibles), from before we learned how to pound, chip, heat , scrape rigid class materials. In perhaps covering feet and head and feeding to survive, perhaps before taming of fire or even organized speech. Perhaps we owe the challenges of rope/flexibles for being the root of much of our seat engineering intellect, expansion, combining of ideas physically outside of self etc.; for there just wasn't anything else. Shame it still only calls out to a few carriers of the heritages!
Lost Knowledge: Ropes and Knots: Ropewalk factories are some of the most remarkable industrial workshops and buildings in history..
Stone Age String Strengthens Case for Neandertal Smarts: Our extinct cousins had fiber technology. Stop calling them dumb already