Deep analysis of two methods of high-altitude fall buffering and self-locking

There are two protection methods for high-altitude falls under safety protection equipment, one is buffering and the other is instantaneous self-locking. These two protection methods are used in different scenarios, and we will further analyze them below.

To ensure the safety of the falling person, increasing the elasticity of the rope to increase buffering is a good choice. This means that when a person falls, the kinetic energy of the fall continuously increases. When the safety rope is subjected to impact force, the conversion of kinetic energy is not instantaneous, otherwise the human body will find it difficult to withstand. In fact, it gradually converts kinetic energy into elastic potential energy, and releases kinetic energy when the elastic potential energy reaches its peak. This is often used for entertainment projects, and is most evident in bungee jumping.

In order to ensure the safety of the falling person, there is a device that adopts the principle of instantaneous self-locking, and its safety rope does not have elasticity, that is, there is no buffering effect. At the moment when a person falls, which is the initial stage when kinetic energy begins to increase, the impact force generated abruptly stops and is extremely low, not enough to cause harm to the human body. This type of protection is often used for high-altitude operations and is fully reflected in fall arresters.

These are currently the two common methods for preventing injuries from high-altitude falls, the former being mostly used for entertainment and the latter for work.