Climbing Hardware Testing - Brno

This is a photo blog post with images of broken climbing equipment used during testing at Mendlova University as part of the European LOLERproject

Project meeting in Solsona, Catalunya

This blog post introduces some of the techniques currently being researched for non-destructive equipment inspection as part of a The European LOLER Project. This post may be of interest to anyone wishing to further their knowledge of equipment inspection and potential damage.


The 4th LOLER project meeting was hosted by CTFC in Solsona during October 2012.
The main aim of this meeting was to carry out live testing of advanced equipment and methods for the development of Level 2 inspection techniques.

Prototype Rope Inspection Apparatus

A prototype machine was unveiled by Pavel Nervkla from Mendlova University ( Brno):

(Photo removed)

This prototype tool is designed to accurately locate rope damage and record significant differences in rope diameter. The methodology behind the development of this and other non-destructive testing methods is to be able to produce objective results for equipment inspection. These methods may play an important role in identifying and quantifying defects.
The prototype machine uses lasers and other sensitive equipment to locate rope damage and produce a reliable visual representation on a computer screen. Areas of damage can then be identified by a competent operator and investigated further. The process of rope checking is automated in this case and the speed of checking for certain defects is greatly increased.

Previous prototype photos

(Photos removed)


Hardware Inspection Techniques

Research has been focused on identification of metal defects using Capillary Action technology. This techniques uses a penetrative spray and developer to aid in the identification of cracks and surface damage to metal components such as karabiners. More info here

metal crack after treatment with developer.