1/4" dyneema lifeline questions

[benz]

For something like lifelines, especially with such thick line, you need not take the bury to 72 diameters. A neat trick is to taper shorter than the 72 diameter splice allows, then have the tapers overlap one another a little in the middle of the standing leg. I have tried making this sort of thing with no taper at all so that the line ends butt against each other inside the piece, but unless you can put a serious load on before you trim the ends of the buried lines, it's very hard to get just right.
However,for your purposes, a brummel and short bury should be just fine. I always like to put a whipping on even a brummelled splice.
Ben

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
This is a now-classic problem for Spectra lifelines, and we have tried a variety of methods to address it. One is the short bury option, and it makes some sense, given the relative loads. But it is, I think, a slippery slope; you can get away with it here, and then you see reports of tests showing even shorter splices holding to high efficiencies, and then splices get shorter and shorter until one fails, reminding us too late of the value of deep redundancy. I know, I know, it's just a gate, but my other objection is that cramming those two splices together is just ... inelegant. My usual practice is to make the upper and lower gates from a single piece, with the end passed through the standing part where it turns corners. But I also like the idea of a multiple Brummel, with a short bit of end buried for neatness.
No matter which option you choose, the really challenging bit is to have the gate come out the right length. Not much takeup available in those hooks.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss