Materials types and selection for carabiners manufacturing: a review

Abstract

Abstract The carabiners are vital components of fall protection systems used in a variety of areas, such as: caving, construction, arboriculture, industry, rescue / evacuation operations etc. Therefore, these metallic links play an important role in preventing work accidents wich are related with fall from heights. During carabiners manufacturing, the material selection occupies an important place among the obtaining steps, because there are a high number of mechanical and chemical properties that must be possessed by the final product, in order to provide adequate user safety. This paper aims to present the manufacturing process and the main properties of the materials used for carabiners, as well as the specific advantages and disadvantages of each type of material.