The tension placed on a snatch block is dependent upon the _____.

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Multiple Choice

The tension placed on a snatch block is dependent upon the _____.

The force on a snatch block comes from how the rope is bent as it passes around the pulley. The rope on each side has tension T, and the block feels the combined effect of those two tensions. The bigger the angle between the incoming and outgoing rope, the larger the net force on the block. In fact, the resultant force on the block is 2T sin(θ/2), where θ is the angle between the rope segments. So with a small bend, the load on the block is small; with a near-90 or a near-180-degree bend, the load grows, up to about 2T when the rope direction reverses. Rope color, length, or material don’t determine this instantaneous load. This is why the angle of the rope is the key factor in how much tension the snatch block experiences.

The force on a snatch block comes from how the rope is bent as it passes around the pulley. The rope on each side has tension T, and the block feels the combined effect of those two tensions. The bigger the angle between the incoming and outgoing rope, the larger the net force on the block. In fact, the resultant force on the block is 2T sin(θ/2), where θ is the angle between the rope segments. So with a small bend, the load on the block is small; with a near-90 or a near-180-degree bend, the load grows, up to about 2T when the rope direction reverses. Rope color, length, or material don’t determine this instantaneous load. This is why the angle of the rope is the key factor in how much tension the snatch block experiences.

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