Frictional Tension Yoke Attachment

The Frictional Tension Yoke is a simple three-point force distribution device that allows floating units to affix to their neighbors and to mooring points. It is shaped either as a Y or as a △, and is made of nylon rope with lengths of wood inserted through the rope strands cross-wise. The three connection points, spaced evenly at 120° around the edge of a unit, link to each other through the inner mass of the unit. This element transfers external pull forces to the inner bulk of the unit rather than stressing any singular edge point or the outer net. The equilateral three-point geometry splits any pull force into two component forces, effectively dispersing forces among many units of a given network to neutralize them. Read our patent for the Frictional Tension Yoke here.

All our floating units, from the very first designs to the most recent prototypes, employ this Frictional Tension Yoke to attach them to neighboring units or other structures.