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Stone Shifting 3
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Steve Gray
Steve Gray
931 posts

Re: The hole for stone 56
Sep 06, 2003, 13:52
Essentially the pole is an A-frame with only one leg (we could use two, but I don't think we need them), but by attaching it to the monolith we achieve an angle that is as near to horizontal as possible. This maximises the effect of gravity and thus minimises the weight needed to operate it. The monolith itself acts as a ground anchor for the pole. If you used an A-frame on the ground, it would tend to slip towards the stone if you tried to use it at such a shallow angle.

It's also possible to attach ropes lower down on an A-frame to increase the gearing and this is what the BBC did. However, the A-frame is then no longer in compression alone, it has bending forces on it and has to be made of much stouter timbers. The pole and rope idea has the pole in compression and the rope in tension, jobs for which both are ideally suited.
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Re: The hole for stone 56 (nigelswift)
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