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COTS Railway Couplings as compass-belay hardware solution
 

The problem is how to dynamically connect and disconnect massive AWES cableways around an anchor circle using only COTS components with strong similarity cases.

Railway couplings are a mature high-force quick-connect COTS technology. They could be used much as climber's carabiners or sailor's shackles, but for industrial-scale loads handled by machine. Such fittings can transfer huge loads around a circle by means of cables, without need for rails. Such fittings in alloy or composite versions could be used to create giant high-altitude kite trains. The novel AWES coupling applications would require mating alignment aids and comparable parts like giant pulleys and swivels.

The evolution of railway couplings is quite amazing, a key piece of the train-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_coupling

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