Nik Wallenda’s Grand Canyon Walk Happened Because of SC
In this photo released by the Discovery Channel, Nik Wallenda walks across the Grand Canyon on a 2-inch wire, as AFL’s stockbridge vibration dampers help dissipate vibration caused by steady crosswinds blowing on the aerial cable. The stockbridge dampers are attached to the full length of the tightrope.
When Nik Wallenda made his historic cross over the Grand Canyon, he did it with South Carolina engineering beneath his feet.
In fact, twice in the past two years Wallenda completed high-wire walks on two-inch-thick metal cables stabilized with dampers made by Spartanburg-based AFL.
For his most recent feat at the Grand Canyon, 20 dampers were attached to Wallenda’s cable as he tiptoed from one side of the Little Colorado River Gorge to the other.
AFL’s Stockbridge Dampers are used to eliminate cable vibrations, and for Wallenda, the dampers offered a steady cable during his quarter mile trek across the gorge. They also kept his cable from vibrating when he crossed over Niagara Falls in 2012.
PHOTO COURTESY: AFL with Credit to AP Photos/Discovery Channel, Tiffany Brown
