Parachute cord
Parachute cord (parachute line) or paracord or 550 cord is a thin, light kernmantle rope made of nylon that was originally used as a suspension line for American parachutes during World War II . After the jump, the paratroopers could use the lines for many other purposes. Today, paracord is not only used by the American armed forces as a versatile all-purpose line. It was even used on the STS-82 space shuttle mission to repair parts of the insulation on the Hubble space telescope . This all-purpose rope is z. B. also used in bushcrafting .
The sheath consists of a large number of tightly interwoven threads, which results in an evenly smooth surface. Since the leash is made exclusively of nylon, it is somewhat elastic. Depending on the situation, this can be an advantage or disadvantage.
Military use
Despite paracord's historic association with paratroopers, virtually all units of the U.S. military have access to it. It is used in almost any situation where cordage is required. Typical areas of application are fastening equipment, tying objects to vehicles, securing, fastening camouflage nets and so on. If knots or beads are tied to the ribbon, paracord can be used as a range or speed meter. The core ropes can be removed if finer ropes are required, e.g. B. to repair a fishing line. The nylon sheath is often used on its own when a thinner or more elastic rope is required. Fusing the ends can prevent the line from fraying.
In addition to its mere functions as a tool, paracord is sometimes used to braid lanyards , belts or other decorative objects. It is widely used in the Middle East by many members of the U.S. military serving with the Central Command Area of Responsibility to braid a bracelet . This bracelet is woven from three threads of the same length and secured with a loop into which a button from the desert camouflage uniform is woven.
Types
The US military defines six different types in the MIL-C-5040H standard: I, IA, II, IIA, III, IV. The types IA and IIA only consist of a jacket and do not have a core. The most frequently used variant is Type III, with a minimum breaking load of 550 engl. Pounds (249 kg), hence the nickname 550 cord.
The standard specifies a number of properties that the various types must at least meet. Although the yarn count for the sheath and the inner core is precisely defined, there are no specifications for the actual diameter of the line. The diameter is between three and five millimeters, depending on the type. Below is a table with selected features.
| Type | Minimum breaking load | Minimum expansion (elongation at break) | Minimum length per kilogram | Core threads | Structure of the sheath | diameter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I. | 95 | 43 kg | 30% | 638 m | 4 to 7 | 32/1 or 16/2 | approx. 1.6 mm |
| IA | 100 | 45 kg | 30% | 706 m | no core | 16/1 | approx. 1.18 mm |
| II | 400 | 181 kg | 30% | 178 m | 4 to 7 | 32/1 or 36/1 | approx. 3 mm |
| IIA | 225 | 102 kg | 30% | 333 m | no core | 32/1 or 36/1 | |
| III | 550 | 249 kg | 30% | 151 m | 7 to 9 | 32/1 or 36/1 | approx. 4 mm |
| IV | 750 | 340 kg | 30% | 111 m | 11 | 32/1, 36/1, or 44/1 | approx. 4.5 mm |
Civil products
The excellent properties of paracord, which soldiers appreciate so much, are of course also helpful for civilian applications. After World War II, paracord was first available as a committee of the US military, later as a common product. Although some commercial products are manufactured according to the military specification, there are also some which, although labeled as paracord of a certain type, differ in shape and quality from the original. Poor quality paracord has fewer threads in its sheath or core, a core of loose fibers rather than individual threads or other material than nylon. The military standard provides only two colors for the coat, camouflage green 483 or the natural color of the nylon. Commercially available paracord comes in a wide variety of colors.
Macrame
The enthusiasm for civilian applications jumped from military use. So were z. B. Bracelets, lanyards and belts are knotted as a lifeline to be carried with you at all times. Colored paracord cords are enjoying increasing popularity as lanyards on knives or key fobs, with a wide variety of knots being used.
See also
- Accessory cord - low-stretch, ideally inelastic cord
literature
- Thade Precht: KnotKnot Paracord , Frech Verlag, Stuttgart, 2014, ISBN 3-7724-5899-8
- Samantha Grenier: Paracord bracelets , 2014, ISBN 3-7020-1457-8
- Leisure Arts: Paracord Crafts , ISBN 978-1-4647-1121-3 , (English)
- Nicholas Tomihama: All Wrapped Up In Paracord , 2013, ISBN 978-1-4839-6916-9 (English)
- JD Lenzen: Paracord Fusion Ties , Volume 1: Straps, Slip Knots, Falls, Bars, and Bundles ISBN 978-0-9855578-0-5 (Engl.)
- JD Lenzen: Paracord Fusion Ties , Volume 2: Survival Ties, Pouches, Bars, Snake Knots, & Sinnets, ISBN 978-0-9855578-3-6 (English)
swell
- ^ University of Delaware, Messenger , vol. 6, no.3 (1997) (online article, English)
- ↑ a b MIL-C-5040H . June 30, 1987 ( PDF [accessed February 18, 2019]).
- ^ Bill whole, "Surplus Everywhere", Farming in the 1940s , (online article, English)
- ↑ YouTube videos with paracord knotting